HW City 71 of 250: Mars Curiosity Rover!

01.02.2014 – The Mars Rover Curiosity a man-made marvel that landed in the Gale Crater of the red planet. It’s a car-sized robotic rover which is designed to explore the Martian climate and geology. It is developed by NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL), which is tasked to check any life on the planet. It was launched in Cape Canaveral on November 26, 2011 aboard the MSL spacecraft and successfully landed on Aeolis Palus on August 6, 2012. The Rover’s original two-year mission was extended indefinitely.

Hot Wheels released a replica of the Mars Curiosity Rover in 2012 and it was announced after the successful launched of the actual vehicle. It was produced for the 2012 series and released in its original color.

For the 2014 release Hot Wheels released a second version which featured translucent wheels that appears to be muddied in the surface of the red planet.





There were no changes made to the entire body, but was re-produced with a different shade of white and the change of the tire colors. The only moving part of the rover is the Mastcam that can rotate 360 degrees.

All six wheels can roll in any flat surface and it takes inspiration with the details from the actual Mars Rover Curiosity. It was rarely seen being sold in the Philippines and the current availability appears that it’s uncommon. The upper body is made of diecast while the lower chassis is plastic.









Overall it’s a solid car-sized robotic rover that was inspired from the actual Mars explorer. It’s not the complete Mars Curiosity Rover that you expect since its only moving part is the Mastcam. The other parts are molded to the body of the rover, but this is a cool souvenir to have of the famous vehicle.

This was acquired at Big W store in Westfield Marion, South Australia for $2.25 AU dollars.

Details and the current status of the Mars Rover Curiosity can be read at the Mars Science Laboratory site and you can also follow the updates on Twitter at: @MarsCuriosity