Vroom!

One question that comes up frequently among gamers new to the modern genre is "What scale cars should I use?" Over at Small Cuts, Maxxon did a great job explaining why this can be hard to answer for gamers. Of course, knowing what scale to look for is a lot more useful if you have some specific brands and product lines to look for. Maisto and Road Champs are two brands that aim for the 1:43 scale, but that scaling tends to be both inconsistent and too big. 1:48 would be closer, but that scale tends to be reserved for plastic military aircraft models. 1:50 is even better, but most of the products in that scale are models of construction and industrial equipment. Fortunately for gamers, Hot Wheels has started making small collections of cars in the 1:50 scale. As such, I introduce to you: Bone Shaker, from the Custom Classics line.


One thing worth mentioning is that Hot Wheels does a pretty good job of hiding the actual scale of these cars. It isn't mentioned on the package. Anywhere. They also don't make any mention of it on either their kid- or collector-friendly sites. Where is it mentioned? On the peg ends at your local retailer. However, as you can see, the packaging gives you a great chance to see how it compares size-wise to your minis.



Bone Shaker was first released in the regular Hot Wheels line in 2005, and it quickly gained popularity as the the first example of a Rat Rod produced by the company. The unfinished nature shows in the primer grey used on the top and the front of the car.


But enough with the efforts at gaining any kind of credibility about automobile trivia. How does this thing look on the table?


Pretty damned good.


I mean, it's got a skull for a front end! And not in the oversized "SKULLZ!" style of Warhammer 40K, but in that B-Movie badass zombie hunter kind of way.


See what I mean?


Since it has an open top, it'll be easy enough to fit a driver in to run this bad boy through the streets of any area suffering from the heartbreak of undead infestation.


If you want to nitpick, the car definitely works better with the slimmer spokesminis.


Max is more of a motorcycle guy anyway.


Sgt. Alexander could do with a tank more than a hot rod.


'Manda prefers something a bit sportier.


Skunk may be an excellent pilot, but dirtside, he's relegated to riding shotgun.


Superheroes don't need no stinkin' cars.


No, there's something about the chainsaw that makes this terror a perfect fit for Ashley. Of course, if Britney Spears has taught us nothing else, it's that when photographers are on hand to watch hot women stepping out of cars, there's likely to be a gratuitous crotch shot.



Custom Classics cars will run you around $4 apiece at your local Target or *Mart. Give 'em a look!

Welcome to the Overloaded Queue! I've set this up in an effort to answer some questions that keep coming up on various miniatures wargaming boards. Questions like "What scale cars should I use?", "What can I use for buildings?", and "Who makes civilians?" I'm planning on focusing on modern and near-future type pieces, but if there's enough demand (and people willing to supply relevant sample models), I'll work on including other genres and eras as well.

Coming up in the OQ:
Meet the spokesminis: see the miniatures that I'll be using as benchmarks and learn how they compare to each other in scale and sculpt.
These are the people in your neighborhood: Ideas for civilian models.
Baby, you can drive my car: A look at some vehicle models on the market and how they work with the spokesminis.
Time to face the scale: a discusssion of scale in the way that different camps understand it.
Home, home on the table: Buildings from various sources, and what you can do to make them work for you.
Slap my paint up: an ongoing (though likely infrequent) series of self congratulating posts showing the latest pieces to make their way off the queue.
My G-d, it's full of plastic: repurposed items from toy stores, dollar shops, garage sales, and anywhere I run across them.