NEDERLAND, Texas — The Hot Wheels version of a mini-monster truck created by a Nederland man is ready to roll off store shelves almost two years after it was selected to be featured by the toy maker.
"I've always been the type to find the smallest thing and make the biggest, loudest whatever out of it,’’ Craig Meaux, of Nederland, told 12News in 2022.
Now his creation has been shrunk down to fit within the confines of a bright orange plastic length of "race track" or in the palm of your hand.
When he first started thinking about building "something to go play in," Meaux says he went looking for the smallest, tiniest vehicle he could find.
He found that tiny vehicle in the form of a 1992 Autozam mini truck which he turned into the "Texas Toot" 20 months and about $30,000 later.
After he finished the project, Meaux, entered the truck into the 2022 Hot Wheels Legends challenge. The contest is open to all creators that feel their custom builds could join the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends, according to the Hot Wheels website..
The Hot Wheels competition, which had 24 car shows in 16 different countries, had three requirements which are garage spirit, authenticity and creativity.
MORE | Hot Wheels League of Legends
The task of converting the real life, full-sized "Texas toot" into a 1:64 scale Hot Wheels toy after Meaux's creation won fell to Mattel key designer Brian Benedict.
"Here's something that this person has built with their own hands and created come up with an idea for and then to have that sold everywhere worldwide," Benedict said. "You know, it's, it's a really, really amazing feeling."
The process of creating the Hot Wheels version takes from 12 to 18 months, including starting from scratch and sketching everything out according to Benedict.
"When something is completely different and unique, it really jumps out at you," Benedict said.
Now Hot Wheels' version of the Texas Toot is available worldwide.
BUY IT | "Texas Toot" at Amazon
BUY IT | "Texas Toot" at WalMart
Meaux has a bunch of the toys that he hands out when displaying the Texas toot at shows and events.
"It's like a lifetime of trophy giving out that little Hot Wheels car," Meaux says.
He says the whole experience opened his eyes to "what all you can accomplish by chasing something that you want."
This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.
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