I have a love-hate relationship with Mario Kart‘s Rainbow Road. I love to race it, even though I freaking hate it. It’s not that I can’t win on that colorful track. Over the years I’ve learned how to stay on the path, like a steady goat walking on a mountainside of light. The problem is I can’t truly master that frustrating raceway. Those covert drops, where you can skip entire chunks of the track, pull me in like Charlie Brown trying to kick a football teed up by Lucy. Like Charlie, I end up flailing every time I try.
It’s maddening and always will be. But it’s not something I’ll have to worry about with Hot Wheels’ newest set. It recreates the Rainbow Road with all of the splendor, but without any of the falls into oblivion.
Hot Wheels
You can now pre-order Hot Wheels Mario Kart Rainbow Road Raceway at Target. The set (which we first came across at IGN) comes with both Mario and King Boo 1:64 scale die-cast racers. You can configure the set to serve as a straightaway track. Or curve it into more traditional winding path.
At its peak it can reach 24-inches high with a track measuring a whopping eight-feet long. The entire set weighs 10.22 pounds. We would have imagined a raceway made of light wouldn’t have any weight. But you learn something new everyday. Hot Wheels’ Rainbow Road also includes pillars for easy storage of your model cars. As well as a spinning “?” Block Item Box randomizer “with pop-up features, 3D sculpted figures, and decorations.”
Hot Wheels
Marked for ages four and up, it requires three AAA batteries for the scoreboard. Gravity will take care of the cars.
You can bring home the Rainbow Road for $119.99. It arrives this summer, July 18. If you’re looking for other ways to get ready for the set before that, Hot Wheels already sells Mario Kart vehicles. However, the company does not offer a way to deal with the frustration of seeing your toy car accidentally fly off the Rainbow Road. I could really use that.
Featured Image: Hot Wheels
This post originally published March 16, 2021, and was updated on June 24, 2021.