It’s perfectly clear that even the most subtle and deftly engineered piece of technology is simply a more complicated toy. Don’t believe me? Take the Mars rover Curiosity as an example. Already a LEGO version of the rover has been recreated, complete with moving parts, six wheels, and replica instruments. Technology is simply more useful toys, which isn’t to say that toys are useless technology.

Mattel has now revealed that the Mars rover Curiosity will also be getting a Hot Wheels replica. CollectSPACE, the website and blog for all things space-history related, broke the story on the Hot Wheels version of Curiosity. The replica will be 1/64th the size of the real rover, and will be sold in stores starting in September.

Mattel has a history of backing NASA’s ventures with miniature Hot Wheels replicas. The Sojourner Mars rover that was a part of the Mars Pathfinder mission in the late 90s was also recreated as a Hot Wheels toy. The collectible can still be found and bought from toy collectors or through Amazon. According to collectSPACE, that Hot Wheels replica was so popular with collectors that a 24-karat gold-plated version of the toy was issued.

Mattel had planned on releasing the Mars rover Curiosity Hot Wheels replica regardless of whether the real rover survived its descent to the surface of Mars. The success of the Mars Science Laboratory in landing the rover safely will no doubt increase the popularity of all Curiosity-related toys and collectibles in the next few weeks.

(Photo courtesy collectSPACE)