This is the new Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover, a 1:64 scale detailed replica model based on the actual rover that will land on Mars on February 18, 2021. Image via CollectSPACE / David Chickering / Mattel.
The landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars is just a few days away – on February 18, 2021 – and toy company Mattel is helping to celebrate. The creator of the popular Hot Wheels series launches a new snap model: the Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover, inspired by the real-life rover, to mark the occasion of its landing.
How to see live coverage of the Perseverance landing
The new Hot Wheels model, a detailed replica of Perseverance in 1:64 scale (approximately 3 inches or 8 cm long), is part of a new space-themed mini-collection, the first in more than 20 years. It is intended for children three years of age and older and will be sold for a suggested retail price of $ 1.09. We haven’t found a place to buy the new Hot Wheels rover online yet, but it’s supposed to be available in stores from the end of January. Try searching for “Hot Wheels Dealers Near Me”.
Manson Cheung, staff sculptor and lead 3D modeler at Mattel Hot Wheels, said in a post on CollectSpace.com:
We want the car out there so the kids have it in their hands when the rover lands in February. We want kids to say “Oh, I have the rover in my hand and I can see it on Mars,” so there’s a connection for kids, not just with Hot Wheels, but with space as well.
The Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover, as seen on its packaging in stores. Image via Mattel / YongTing Neoh.
According to Mattel’s press release:
Space exploration enthusiasts and Hot Wheels enthusiasts of all ages can represent the captivating journey of NASA’s Perseverance Rover as it studies the Martian landscape and looks for signs of ancient microbial life, collecting samples next year.
The Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover pays tribute to the most advanced instruments and technologies that will help pave the way for human missions to Mars, studying critical data on the geology and climate of Mars, and finally sending samples of Mars to Earth. .
Hot Wheels and NASA have a partnership dating back more than 30 years, which began in the mid-1980s. The first NASA model manufactured by Hot Wheels was the Sojourner Mars Rover in 1996, which was part of the company’s Action Packs at the time. Then came the Apollo mission (1998), the Galileo mission (1999), John Glenn (1999) and JPL Returns to Mars (1999).
Hot Wheels design teams can take excursions to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to see the actual spacecraft before launch.
Due to the current high interest in space exploration for both children and the general public, Hot Wheels has reclaimed the Space mini-collection for 2021. Needless to say, the Perseverance rover is a perfect complement to this collection.
Closer view of the Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover model. Image via Mattel / Zhiming Law.
Scott Shaffstall, Mattel’s senior manager of vehicle public relations, action figures and licensing, added:
NASA’s Perseverance rover, just in its name, goes hand in hand with the Hot Wheels spirit of “Challenge Accepted.” This vision of trying, failing, repeating until it is done is closely linked.
Therefore, in our mind, this mission is already a success, as it moves the needle and brings us one step closer to Mars.
The space mini-collection recovered in 2021 due to the growing interest of children and the general public in space exploration. The rover was obvious and we knew it was going to touch Mars.
Perseverance is expected to land at Jezero Crater on Mars on February 18th. Its main mission is to look for evidence of ancient microbial life. By design, the rover is very similar to the Curiosity rover, currently in the Gale Crater, but has a few different scientific instruments. While Curiosity focuses on finding evidence of past habitability, which it has done, perseverance seeks direct evidence of life itself. This will be the first mission since the end of the coming Viking 1 and 2 in the late seventies and early eighties.
Outline of the real Perseverance rover, showing the various scientific instruments. Image via NASA.
Jezero crater used to be a lake a few million years ago and contains rich sediments and clays that could possibly contain traces of microbial life, if any. The rover will land near an ancient river delta inside the crater, still clearly visible, where a river emptied into the lake. Jezero Crater is therefore a privileged place for the search for Martian life.
Perseverance even has a companion, a small helicopter resembling a drone called Ingenuity that will attempt to be the first plane to fly to Mars. It will fly in front of the rover, looking for good places to stop and do analysis and collection of rock and soil samples. The lab aboard the rover can do substantial analysis on its own, but some samples will also be stored for later return to Earth for another mission. Earth labs can do a much more detailed study of samples in search of evidence from past life.
Mattel also made a toy replica similar to the Curiosity rover still active in 2012.
In a nutshell: Mattel, the popular Hot Wheels toy maker, has just launched a new Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover to help NASA celebrate the landing of its Perseverance rover on Mars on February 18th.
Via CollectSPACE
