Tyco Sparkin Hot Rods was a slot car set manufactured by Tyco Toys (USA) which had a theme of 1930s Hot Rods with a special gimmick that created sparks as they slid against the guide rails. It was released into the US and other countries worldwide in 1992.
Features
The set featured 13 feet of track with a simple elevated section, with nite-glow lamp posts, track stickers, and guard rails, with special sparking guard rails added at specific areas of the track.
There were additionally 8 glow in the dark barrels to place on the course for the cars to smash through, as well as a crossover section where one car could push another off the track if they did'nt get through first.
The sparking guard rails were created by inserting a special 'sand paper' into several uniquely designed rails, as shown in the photo below.
When cars slid up against them at high enough speed, sparks would be created. Pretty neat idea!
TV Commercial
I love these old TV commercials, so full of action and drama. Sparkin' Hot Rods! Way back from 1992.
Included Vehicles and the Secret Ingredient
This set came with two classic Hot Rod style cars, which I believe are a 1934 Ford, and 1957 Chevy.
Both are molded in photosphorescent Nite-Glow plastic, so they have that light green color to them in daylight, and glow a strong nuclear green in the dark. These days we have several glow in the dark colors, but back in the 80s and 90s I think green was all there was!
The chassis is a standard Magnum 440-X2 chassis cars, except for the piece of flint or graphite added on the rear outside wheel on one side - this rubbing against the sandpaper on the outside barrier created the sparks!
Track Layout
The track layout is simple, with a modest 13 feet (4 meters), three wide bends, and some mild elevation. In the centre the 8 barrels can be added so the first to the spot gets the satisfaction of knocking them down, while the driver in the rear has to deal with the aftermath.
Availability and Collectability
Sparkin Hot Rods has a unique gimmick that makes it special, and if you owned this set (or really any Tyco / AFX set) as a child you'd no doubt be interested to grab one again for the nostalgia factor.
There is typically plenty of these floating around, they're not too complicated that crucial parts might be missing, so it's not a bad set to grab for an affordable price and a bit of 'proper' slot cars fun!
Keep in mind that the flint/graphite may be missing or used up on some sets, to look closely at listing photos before buying if this feature is important to you.
