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5 Hot Wheels Collectibles That Are Affordable Tiny Homes
47 photosPhoto: eBay/User California Collectibles LLC
There are different levels to everything in life. You could be the kind of person who thinks a bone stock hot hatch is the perfect car for track days. Or you could be part of the Miata gang. Alternatively, your build might be so hardcore that everyone is terrified to see you in their rear view mirrors.
Now let’s think of the levels you can choose to play if the you’re a huge fan of the great outdoors. I just finished reading “Long Way Round”, one of the most epic real-world adventures I’ve learned about in the 21st century.
Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode their bikes from London to New York over the course of several months, and staying in a hotel wasn’t an option.
I imagine camping in their tents in remote parts of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia must have been equally scary and thrilling at times.
Spending the night under the stars like that is one of the entry-level options, and you could always find ways to make it easier on yourself.
There’s still room for improvement with RVs and Overlanders, as these can provide even more comfort throughout the journey. I know my wife would be just as happy with an RV as I am with my RX-7, and I might start exploring some options soon.
Until then, I figured I’d start with the 1/64th-scale models, looking at some of the nicest Hot Wheels tiny homes out there. The GMC Motorhome is easily my favorite over ever, but I’ve already talked about in several stories before.
I’ve added some photos of the Airstream Trailer in the gallery for you to consider, but you can also think about castings like the Barbie Dream Camper, the Wreckreational Monster Truck, the Volvo 240 Drift Camper and the Sunagon while you’re at it.
Power Pad
Mr. Gilford had already designed the Custom Volkswagen that was part of the Sweet Sixteen series by then, and other cool cars such as the Chaparral 2G, the Mercedes-Benz 280SL, the Twin Mill and the Volkswagen Beach Bomb. I guess I could’ve included Mr. Gilford Team Trailer on today’s list, too, and it all just proves that the Hot Wheels Universe is always much bigger than you think it is.
Also, you might be shocked to discover the Team Trailer can cost as much as $800. Anyway, the Power Pad is a slightly more compact design, as it’s essentially an off-road capable buggy with two seats and a slide-in camper.
We only had nine variations for it in 1970, but you could track down its “descendant” (Sand Drifter) if you don’t mind the transformation. All the Power Pads featured Spectraflame paint jobs, and I didn’t spot too many carded ones on eBay. Prices can go up to $600 for one of those, while even the loose iterations can still cost over $100.
Backwoods Bomb
While the Power Pad was a short lived project, the Backwoods Bomb easily passed the test of time surviving for four decades on the market. Well, that might be framing it nicely, as it had almost as many variations as the Power Pad, but spread across two parts: 1975 to 1977 and 2012 to 2015.
In the first part, it was available as a Flying Colors collectible, starting off with a light blue finish in 1975 before switching to green for 1977. The design on the first made more sense, with “Keep on Camping” decals on the side.
Mattel retooled the casting for the 2012 The Hot Ones series, and I think it looks great even in 2026. I’d skip the Pink Party release and focus on finding the 2015 Hot Wheels Heritage: Real Riders iteration instead.
Minitrek
This thing debuted in the 1981 Mainline series, the same year as the ‘37 Bugatti, the Bronco 4-Wheeler and the Peterbilt Tank Truck. The two-tone tan and brown finish is exactly what you’d expect on an old camper like this one and for some reason I don’t mind the basic blackwall wheels this time.
These rims would be standard for the Minitrek all throughout 1987 when Mattel shelved the project for some reason. Interestingly, the 1983 iteration was also used as McDonalds Happy Meal toy, and I might have to dig deeper on the topic of Hot Wheels available through the fast food chain.
The Minitrek isn’t too expensive these days, unless you’re going for the France-exclusive iteration that can set you back anywhere between $125 to $299.
Motor Coach
Sure, it won’t be able to go off-road, but it wasn’t built for that in the first place. This casting was only available in 2003 as part of the Pro Racing Luxury Rides series.
This line included ATVs, Bass Boats, two different pickup trucks, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, variations of the Scorchin’ Scooter and many NASCAR racers. I’ve had a taste of this theme recently, when I unboxed the Pontiac Grand Prix Stocker, the 2000 Monte Carlo Stock Car and the Taurus Stocker.
But somehow, I’ve never seen a Motor Coach with my own eyes, even though there are more than a dozen variations to look for. At first glance, prices for these don’t seem to be prohibitive at all, and I’d probably choose the Nesquick, Tide and M&M iterations if I would ever find them in my area.
RV There Yet
That’s why RV There Yet could be a good starting point if you’re looking for a “modern” camper. Well, at least it works if you don’t mind the Tooned factor here. It could be a good fit for Alvin and the Chipmunks given how tiny it is. Also, why do I keep reading the name with Dracula’s voice in my head?
Linsdey Lee has had several similarly cute designs during her tenure at Mattel, including the Dine ‘n Dash from Super Rigs, See Me Rollin’ and Motosaurus to name a few of them. If you pay close attention to RV There Yet, you’ll notice the “center” wheels are just decals. It debuted in 2020 and has had seven variations so far.
The two most recent ones were part of 5-Packs and I kept thinking I should get those sets but never have. The next time I’ll come across the HW Getaways I won’t let it slip through my fingers. I hope my story has put you in the mood for some good old fashion camping. Go on and get some fresh air as far away from the city as possible!
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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He’s seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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