Leading Action Vehicles suppliers tell Toy World what each kind of vehicle play has to offer and what there is to look forward to this year.
The Action Vehicles category enters 2021 off the back of a strong 12 months; RC and slot racing is enjoying something of a resurgence among locked down families, while die-cast cars are ready to drive footfall at retail this summer. In this in-depth product feature, Rachael Simpson-Jones speaks to leading Action Vehicles manufacturers.
A strong category for independent toy retailers, Toymaster’s Paul Reader tells Rachael he’s pleased to see remote control vehicles undergoing something of a resurgence, brought about, like so much else, by families stuck at home seeking new things to do. “Our members sell a lot of die-cast and lights & sounds vehicles, as well as RC around the £50 or less mark,” he says.
Mattel shared the latest on the company’s popular Hot Wheels and Monster Trucks brands, and how the range is keeping fresh, while HTI discussed how its die-cast Teamsterz brand continues to go from strength to strength. Although 2020 was a challenging year, HTI used the time to research the current Action Vehicles market, strengthening knowledge and seeking gaps where value could be added, resulting in the introduction of multiple exciting products to the range.
H. Grossman told us about the latest licences and introductions in the Maisto and Bburago die-cast ranges that give the brands a competitive edge in the marketplace, as well as an Emergency Vehicles collection that is proving an extremely popular theme in the current climate. Nikko detailed the latest additions to join the company’s line-up of impressive special function RC vehicles range: the Rock CrushR and the Road Rippers’ Afterburner. The company believes that these special function vehicles provide an alternative to RC seen elsewhere in the marketplace. We also heard about the impressive depth and breadth of the Scalextric range, which includes Micro-Scalextric, ‘a recruiter to slot car racing which often forms the first Scalextric experience for kids.’
With much more on the very latest ranges, plus details of how each company plans to support their lines at retail with full marketing activations, there’s comment from Mattel’s marketing manager, Kelly Philp; head of Teamsterz and Roleplay at HTI, Alan Gray; CEO of H. Grossman, David Mordecai; Nikko RC CEO Philip Redmond and Scalextric head of brand, Martyn Weaver.
The full feature, which appeared in the March edition of Toy World, can be accessed here.
Plus, on the following pages, Toy World brings you the newest action vehicles set to drive sales in this adrenaline-fuelled category.
