My parents got me the white Ford model in 1970 when I was 7 years old. It never broke from use, but by 1976 I was 13 and even my brothers didn't play with it much. I tore mine apart for the motor after I dropped it and broke the front body latch - even super glue would not fix it. A few years ago, I got one on Ebay for $15. I had all the cards (pre programmed and blanks) and only one blank was cut out by the previous owner for programming. The car ran but the rubber pinch roller was glazed and brittle from age so it wouldn't grip a card. I fixed it by pulling off the old pinch roller - came apart in 3 pieces and glued on rubber grommets that I trimmed to the right diameter using a drill and sand paper. It works perfectly. Mine only has 2 of the 4 cones, but I can 3D print 2 more and paint them to match.

I've repaired dozens of these cars over the years. When complete, they work just like new! You're correct about the cars on eBay, the vast majority do not work. Great toy video!

@ToyRoom1968

2 жыл бұрын

BTW, I got the yellow Chrysler Charger III for Christmas back in the day.

@ToyKingWonder

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you sir! It is a blast getting them going again. None of mine worked when I got them, so it is fun bringing them back. Were you as astonished as I was that the (Japanese) toymaker completely redid the chassis for the space cars? I always assumed they were just the same with the new bodies added, but they share few parts. I was also surprised how much faster they are. I might start a new sub collection of these!

@ToyKingWonder

2 жыл бұрын

@@ToyRoom1968 The Charger III was the second "vintage" one I purchased years back. I love the design.

@ToyRoom1968

2 жыл бұрын

I completely forgot about the space version! I have several of these in my collection but they are currently stored away. If you look closely at the box, check out the card the boy is inserting into the car. It is cut so badly that it would never work! How did they miss that?? 🤣

@chrismills9741

2 жыл бұрын

My dad gave me one in the box I tried getting it out to show my kids but it wouldn’t work.

I wished I got toys when I was a kid.

I got the Charger as a gift. But l had no smooth surfaces in or around the farm house where I grew up to use it. And at 9 years old little understanding of how it worked.

I have that toy in my collection but never got around to play with it (yet). It's certainly innovative in its design, to say the least.

Simply amazing !

I had the Buick Century Cruiser. I loved it. Had a blast programming it. I remember modifying the cards by taping them together to make a longer run. Worked good until one jammed and took a while to clear it out. I didn't do that again for fear of breaking it. I wish I still had it. Now I will search ebay!

@paulromsky9527

Жыл бұрын

@Frank Revelation. I recently drew up programming cards in PowerPoint. I used a micrometer to measure all the dimensions of a blank card to about 10 mills. They are a perfect match. I print them on printer paper and then glue them to what I call "dress shirt cardboard" - that thin cardboard that comes in a dress shirt package - you can get it from craft stores. I use a super thin coat of wood glue scraped with a razor so it doesn't soak through the paper, put a book on top with wax paper and let it dry for a few hours, then cut them to the default size. I am going to post it on my website.

Woah... Nice idea!

Did I miss where you fix the drive wheel? You mentioned a couple of times you have a fix for the rubber portion, yet that seems to be missing from the video, though you said you'll show it. I have fixed them, and was curious what you did. Very disappointed I couldn't see it in your video.

@ToyKingWonder

2 жыл бұрын

Don't be too disappointed Peter. As I said in the video, it will be coming. I know it has been months, but automobile projects have been stacking up, and I had a pleasant, and unexpected situation with the two Transogram Moon Landing units. It has been quite busy here. The white Ford Mark IV will have it's drive wheel replaced and I will show you how I did it and you can compare with your process.

I still have mine

I still.have mine, ASTRO VET

Great video. Hoping for your solution video on the card feed wheel soon. You have another video about the Ideal rockets. Have you any Ideal Motorific in your collection? They made various computer cars as well in addition to their track based models. They used a round plastic disc with notches around the perimeter like these Amaze A Matics did along the sides of the cards. They had less function in their programs but because the program was round, the car could keep going and going. They were around the same era.

@ToyKingWonder

Жыл бұрын

I started working on a new video for the repair of the cars, but stalled due to other projects. It can be complex to do and to get right, so I am also mulling over a change in material for the wheel. More to come on that. As far as Motorifics are concerned, yes I do collect them, and if you look at my videos you can see some older videos I did for those sets. I collect mainly the first version, not the later smaller cars (Mini Motorifics) which I don't care for all that much, although I do have sets of those too. I do in fact know about those computer controlled cars, I have the Thunderbird version, and it works well. I am planning to do a video of that, as well as some other programmable cars that I have. You will love it. I am building a workshop right now which will have a table that is 7x12 that is large enough to run some of these cars on it instead of chasing them around the floor. Details on that forthcoming. I also have the Motorific Driverific set, Ideal's last gasp for this, and it is a real POS. You'll see what I mean when I profile it. Look for a likely early 2023 for all this.

Dug out mine for my grandson. I thought I could just put batteries in & it would work like when I left it, but nothing. Everything stills looks clean & no corrosion & makes contact when I put in the card. Any tips?

@ToyKingWonder

Жыл бұрын

Sure, take a look at a few things. Remember, putting the batteries in by themselves will not power on the car. You have to have a card inserted into the car, up to the line printed on the card, to get it to run. The front edge of the car will force the brass strip to make contact with the negative brass strip coming out from the right hand side battery at the rear. (right hand being on the right when you look down at the car, holding it with the front of the chassis facing away from you. You can also hold the contact of those two strip by pushing the top one down with your finger. If you have power, try spinning a gear on the motor to get the motor to spin. Those old motors are sometimes just a tiny bit stuck. Good luck!

@thomasz4981

Жыл бұрын

@@ToyKingWonder It seems it was simply the brass contact at the back of the motor. Unfortunately the gear from the motor is missing. Do you know if it is the same size as the similar looking gear on the other side?

I HAVE ALL 4 HASBRO CARS ALL WITH THE SAME CARD DRIVE WHEEL PROBLEM. I JUST SUBSCRIBED WAITING FOR THE FIX. THANKS

Do you know if these were sold in the UK? I have the Astrovette, just the car. Never knew what it was, just thought it was a very cool looking car.

@ToyKingWonder

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, they were sold as the Computacar by Mettoy in the UK. Similar packaging, different father and son. Go to eBay and type in Computacar, they usually have one for sale around $40.

@michaelhutin5451

3 жыл бұрын

@@ToyKingWonder Thanks.

@borderlands6606

Жыл бұрын

@@ToyKingWonder I had Computacar for Christmas 1970. It was difficult to cut the cards for precise distances.