Nerd Toy of the Week

Welcome to my new weekly post: Nerd Toy of the Week.  The purpose of this weekly post is to remember fondly all those wonderful toys we had as kids.  The ones that in a large way shaped who we are now as grown ups, the ones that they just don't make anymore.  Thanks to the internet we can now at least enjoy photos of our old treasures and maybe trigger a smile in the process.  Be sure to check back often for more updates and new toys.  It's called Nerd Toy of the Week though I may put up more than one in a week.  Time will tell.  Come with me as we turn back into children just for a little while.

 

 Micro Machines Gas Can Mountain Service

Fellow Nerds, today our memories take us back to 1989.  The futuristic 90's were looming on the horizon and they were still making toys that relied on wheels and gravity rather than sensors and CPUs.  Toys that were born of imagination and creativity.  Toys like Gas Can Mountain Service.

We all remember the Micro Machines craze.  We all remember the commercials with the guy who talked really really fast.  Originally featuring cars that acted as a quasi-competitor to the already legendary Hot Wheels, Micro Machines eventually evolved to include everything from mini airplanes to tiny speed boats mounted in glass bottles.  Soon the series moved on to include larger playsets and that is where Gas Station Mountain Service comes in.

As the 80's wound down there was still a large interest in properties like The Transformers and Voltron.  Kids wanted characters and toys that could change from one form to another.  Micro Machines responded with this toy,  a large plastic mountain that folded up into a fake can of gasoline.

 More Than Meets the Eye?  Oops, wrong franchise!

This toy's native form makes it look like a small can of gasoline.  For being a plastic toy the can form is amazingly realistic.  You could have actually set it in the corner of the garage and no one would have looked twice at it.  It would have blended right in.  Not only did it have the shaped handle on the top but it also had a convincing looking screw cap that actually served a function when the toy was opened up.  Maybe the nicest thing about this folded up state was that the backside of the can served as a storage box for your vehicles.  You could fit about 16 cars, each in their own compartment and that made the whole package an all inclusive bundle of fun that was ready to play whenever you were.

Thank God, a gas station!

Upon opening the can up, boy oh boy now the fun really starts cooking.  Check it out.  In the bottom right we have a gas station with a full service bay to pull your ride into.  Right behind that is a big tunnel that cuts straight thru the mountain and brings you out on the other side.  The little blue door on the left is an elevator shaft.  A WORKING elevator shaft.  That's right.  It's getting crazy now.  Remember that screw cap on the top of the can.  Well now the cap is off on the left hand side and when you twist it it carries your ride all the way to the top of the mountain.   From up here you have a few options.  Parking spaces set right next to the elevator exit and along the sidewalk in the back provide breath taking views for your tiny drivers.  If you are feeling particularly adventurous, you can send your ride down the mountain road and marvel as it snaps thru the switchbacks and more often than not crashes horribly at the bottom.  Hopefully the gas station right there has a body shop.

This is a perfect example of a Nerd toy.  It's an entire mountain vista that folds up into a gas can.  A friggin gas can!  Try to find that on the shelves in the toy department now.  If they tried to make this toy today it would require a rechargeable battery pack and an eight gig memory card.  When we were kids, we needed plastic and a goofy form to shape it into and we were content.  Man, those were the days.

Check out video of this bad boy in action.  This is NOT my video, I'm merely providing a link so any comments or complaints about the video should be sent to the original author as that is where the proper rights reside.

Now we're cookin'!