This is the latest subscription box for kids from Pley: the Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted Box!
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About This Subscription Box
The Subscription Box: Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted Box
The Cost: $24.99 + $5 Shipping (Box ships every other month)
The Products: “Early edition car and exclusive T-shirt in every box. The box itself transforms and offers exclusive track building options."
Ships To: US Only
December 2017 Hot Wheels Box Review
I've been so excited to check out this box! Even though my son is under the 5-11 years age range for this box, he is car-and-truck obsessed, so I was really interested in seeing what this box was all about.
My first impression was that there was more inside the box than I expected!
We'll start with the included booklet/mini-magazine.
This includes instructions for converting your shipping box into a few different ramps for your cars! I love that this subscription (and the Disney Princess Box) include using the box for different activities.
They also include some inspiration for fun ways to use the items you're getting this month in all kinds of fun tricks and challenges.
There are also some activities to complete just in the booklet itself...
... and a little pull-out mini poster of Hi Beam, too!
Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted T-Shirt – Estimated Value $10?
Like other boxes from Pley, this box also includes an exclusive t-shirt. This definitely helps with the overall value of the box from a parent's perspective. (I gave this one an estimated value of $10 which is somewhere between Hot Wheels shirts I've seen at Target and Gap.)
The shirt also features Hi Beam, which looks to be the featured new car this month.
Hot Wheels Hi Beam Glow Wheels Car – Estimated Value $3.99
(I believe most of these single-packed cars retail for $3.99 in stores, from what I could find)
This is a brand new car for 2018, so it's not available online yet from what I could find! This box promises to send a new early edition car each month.
It's a red rally car with glow-in-the-dark wheels (and a few glowing accents on the side, too).
Very sporty and cool, so I'm sure most kids would be thrilled about this one.
My son's favorite color is red and he's super into glow-in-the-dark stuff lately, so I think this one is set to be his new favorite car.
Hot Wheels Amazoom Art Car - Estimated Value $3.99 (Available here in a set of 2 for $9.99)
I love this one! A bit Mondrian, a bit 1980s. 🙂 This car has a 2013 date on the bottom.
This car is just totally fun. I didn't grow up with Hot Wheels so I'm super impressed by the amount of detail in these things despite how small they are!
Hot Wheels Custom '56 Ford Truck – Estimated Value $3.99 (Available here for $6.98)
This car is the oldest in the batch, with a 2008 date on the bottom– but it's super cool.
This reminds me a bit of a non-cartoon version of Tow Mater from Cars. Check out the teeny tiny rust distressing on the wheel weeks and doors!
I like that they've included a few different types of vehicles in the box; that makes it fun to explore and also gives kids a chance to see how the different vehicles work on the track.
Hot Wheels Track Builder, 3 ft Straight Track – Retail Value $3.99
These are new to me and honestly super cool: flexible track systems that connect with each other and that you can purchase in small packs.
This pack comes with 4 segments and makes over 3 feet of straight track, which you can use on it's own or with...
Hot Wheels Track Builder System Rapid Launcher – Retail Price $9.99 (found here for $7.49)
Once again, as a Hot Wheels Newbie, I found this to be totally cool!
With a bit of assembly, this turns into a tool to launch your cars rapid-fire style, one right after the other, and shoot them right out onto your track!
You can load up to four cars at a time.
It took a bit of oomph to really get them going. I'm sure I'll need to help my toddler with this, but an older kid in the 5-11 year age range should do just fine.
My guess is that future boxes will contain more tracks and items to add on to your existing set, so that you can create more advanced challenges as time goes on.
Speaking of challenges, remember our shipping box?
Here it is, ready to go with little side targets and the jump ramp in action!
There's also an option to configure this so the cars jump OVER the inside of the box, which is something I know my son is going to love. 🙂
Verdict: We really enjoyed the first Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted Box, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with my son as a Christmas gift this year. It looks like we can expect to receive a mix of new and old cars and accessories in addition to the activities and t-shirt every other month. That is perfect for us since we're totally new to Hot Wheels and we can look forward to building our collection up slowly every couple of months– but I'm curious to learn what parents of kids who are already super into Hot Wheels think.
Pley also always tries to make things educational in some way, but I'm not really feeling that with this box yet. I really hope to see more specifically physics oriented challenges in future boxes, which would help make this feel more like something totally unique vs just buying these items from the toy store.
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? As of 12/22, it looks like this box is still available.
Value Breakdown: Pley did originally say each box would have a $45+ retail value for this box. My calculation was closer to $35, but we also have a new car (not available for sale yet) and two older cars (which might be worth more than the MSRP, since I could only find them online for higher prices), so my estimate may not be very precise.
I do feel that for $24.99 + $5 shipping, this is a decent start and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do next! This box was a great deal if you took advantage of their holiday offers, and of course, Pley offers discounts if you sign up for semi-annual or annual subscriptions too.
What do you think?
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