How These Sets Worked

G-Force was a momentum based set that had a loop in the middle. The beginning part of the track would be propped up on a high place, attached to the corner of furniture by a plastic screw. A car would then roll down the hill made by this setup, and with enough momentum it would clear the loop and them jump a gap to the last track. The end part didn’t have anything after this, so another Hot Wheels set could continue the path. Wild Wave would function the exact same way, except the loop was sort of like a corkscrew. Think those loops in Sonic 2.

The tracks would be connected by a plastic piece that would slip through the bottom of the tracks. For G-Force, the loop would be set via two tracks connected on both ends with ramp-like set pieces and a connection piece in the middle. The jump after the loop would also have a set piece. Wild Wave’s loop had a sort of beach set piece that the winding track would be connected to. Not sure if this one had a jump to it as well.

Playtime

According to the box of G-Force, setting the beginning of the track at a high-enough place would give the car (that came with the set) enough momentum to clear the loop and make the jump. Unfortunately the car wouldn’t clear this loop with this method so easily. A table was too low, and a chair (which the box seems to suggest) was too low as well. I tried my dresser, and it worked. but the majority of beginning part would be lifted up and not set flat on the floor like it is on the box. Also, while it would clear the loop, it wouldn’t clear the jump after it. So the alternative I used was to just set the track flat on the floor and whip the car across it to clear the loop and the jump, and that would work flawlessly. Even the crappiest of cars in my massive collection of toy cars could clear the loop and jump. And of course with my Pre-Burnout crashing tendencies, I would set up other cars along the track for the car to plow through. Before the loop, after the loop, before the jump, etc. would be the scenario and each time was crashingly fun!

But the real beast started when I would own Wild Wave. At first I only played with this set when I first got it. The setup recommended from the box of G-Force worked a little better, but the car still didn’t clear the loop. So whipping it was my only option. Looking at the bottom of the track, I realized that the mold was the same as G-Force. So I brought out that set and combined the two. The result was this long ass pink and blue track with a loop and a corkscrew, and the whole thing was still momentum based, meaning there were no zip sliders to zoom the cars ahead. The length of the tracks combined would be too big for my room, leading into my mother’s bedroom (her room is a gateway room). Needless to say, fun times were had with these sets. But the fun wouldn’t last forever…