Hot Wheels Throwback Figure 8 Raceway Review

Parts and Construction

If you have put together a Hot Wheels toy set before, this should be very familiar to you. Snapping each piece together is the name of the game. Just make sure to read the instructions correctly to put the correct course together.

The launcher does take D cell batteries. Of course they are not included so make sure you pick these up before you play. The set is pretty useless without the launcher so the batteries are required.

How it Plays

The Hot Wheels Throwback Figure 8 Raceway is a great introduction into the car launching world of Hot Wheels. It’s nothing absolutely spectacular but it is fun enough for your kids to have plenty of fun.

You can set the Hot Wheels Throwback Figure 8 Raceway up into three different stunt tracks. I am sure you can come up with more track variations but there are three in the instructions. We started with the first default track setup. It performs just fine.

You will have fun with this product but it is far from perfect. There are a number of things you might need to look out for when playing to get the best out of the Figure 8. Most of them have to do with the build and stability of the Figure 8 itself.

The first issue is how the track holds up when a car goes through the course. Hot Wheels tracks are not solid so it’s very common for them to bend, weave, and give as a car goes through the track. This is expected but all this course movement hurts the speed of the car throughout the course. The set comes with stabilizers but it is not nearly enough to keep the course as steady as possible.

The initial loop is the biggest problem

The fix for this is put something heavy against the back of the first incline to stabilize the loop right after the launcher. This will allow for minimal wiggle of the loop while the car passes though it. This will in turn speed up the car to get through the course much more effectively.

The car that are on the left are the most suitable cars. Notice the differences between the car that are bigger and longer on the right. 

Cleanup and Storage

Once you have had all your racing fun, don’t plan on putting the Hot Wheels Throwback Figure 8 Raceway away like it is. You have to take the course apart at a few different breakpoints so you can condense the size of it to put it away somewhere in storage.

I took off all the ends of the orange tracks and stacked them up to save space. This way you only have to put it together at 5 different locations to get the party started again. You’ll have to find a box or something to put the Hot Wheels Throwback Figure 8 Raceway in.

Overview

As a first time with a motorized car launcher, this has been a good experience. You really get the feel for how they work with Hot Wheels cars. If your kids like fast moving cars, this will be the ticket to get them into motorized Hot Wheels.

I found the Hot Wheels Throwback Figure 8 Raceway available on Amazon. They also have a number of different Hot Wheels toy sets for you to discover. Check out the other sets to complete your Hot Wheels collection.

Hot Wheels Auto Lift Expressway

Load your cars and watch them race skyward. Race back down, passing fun activation points along the way