My publicly available professional toy design work
(ask to see private professional "Toy Design" portfolio)
Hot Wheels Fall 2024 EC Hauler
The task at hand was to design a Hot Wheels Car Hauler that is within the $14.99 MSRP price range, holds at least 9 cars, and has a unique Hot Wheels "transformation action".
I came up with many concepts for a hauler that fit this criteria, and ultimately my "Extend N Stunt" Hauler, name changed to "Speed Track Transporter" was the chosen design!
The "Speed Track Transporter" holds 11 die-cast cars, transforms into one long race track that can have additional Hot Wheels track added to the end, and cars can be launched from the cab down the track!
What makes this toy extra cool is that it can transform from its double-decker state to a single-lane while keeping all cars on board, something other haulers like this do not do. It is also still able to drive while in its transformed state due to the additional wheels added to the end of the trailer, something else that separates it from other car haulers made in the past. Because Hot Wheels already has a large portfolio of haulers, it was important to be innovative.
Brainstorm Phase
This phase happens during the first week of receiving the project, I sketch just about anything that comes to mind. I sketch silhouettes, mechanism ideas, and general play features. You can see from the drawings that they are very rough sketches that simply communicate the idea.
During this phase, logistics and cost are not to be thought about, as it often hinders the creative process early on. When brainstorming initial concepts, I try to think about how to make a toy really cool and unique, while maintaining the brand's iconic look.
Every drawing is then presented to the team; this is where the ideas narrow down into a select few based on the input from everyone.
Silhouettes
Tip mech. concept
enclosed trailer concept
double decker concept
launch from cab
Spring Mech. concept
1st idea of extending hauler
1st mech. design for extending hauler
1st mech. design for extending hauler
Final Drawings
There are more phases that happen between the "Brainstorming" and "Final Drawing" phase, but in summary, lots more sketches go back-and-forth between the team until a single design is selected.
Just like the fully colored and rendered illustrations pictured below, drawings of other designs may also be finished to this extent depending on how many of the designs the team is interested in moving forward with. I created fully colored illustrations like this for one other concept that cannot be shown as of now.
During this final phase of the design process, the chosen design is illustrated to the fullest extent, including drawings to show scale and play features. The drawings are critiqued and adjusted accordingly.
Once full illustrations are completed of the chosen design, the toy can be pitched for a final approval, allowing it to move onto the production stage of the process. I gave a few pitches throughout the duration of this project, the final pitch has the most amount of people attending, including the VPs.
Final Phase
The final phase is where the chosen concept gets modeled, prototyped, and sent to manufacturing. Materials and color pallet are chosen. There is back-and-forth between manufacturing and designers to ensure the toy looks and works as intended.
