Quick answer: Hot Wheels launched by Mattel in 1968 with the original “Sweet 16” redline cars and grew into the best-selling toy line in history, with more than eight billion cars produced. For collectors, the brand’s core focus is 1:64 mainline singles, premium Car Culture and collector lines. This guide covers the castings that matter, what to pay in Rand, and how Hot Wheels fits a South African collection. What Is Hot Wheels base codes? base codes is one of Hot Wheels‘s collector-facing lines: a themed series with its own card art, casting choices and release rhythm. For South African collectors it sits between the everyday mainline and the true…