RIDEMAKERZ, the car-customizing experience where kids of all ages can build and customize radio-controlled cars and trucks, is proud to introduce one-of-a-kind wheelz designed by two of today’s hottest car designers, Chip Foose of Foose Design and Troy Sumitomo of Five Axis.
“When this country’s most venerable car customizers want to design wheelz for a customizable toy car, you know you’ve established your place in authentic car culture,” said RIDEMAKERZ ZEO Larry Andreini. “The authenticity of our RIDEZ is one reason we appeal to car lovers of all ages, so it’s important we make our models and accessories as authentic as we can, right down to the wheelz. In car culture, this is the equivalent of Versace and Armani designing fashions for Barbie.”
At RIDEMAKERZ.COM or in one of the 12 SHOPZ across the country, car enthusiasts – “customizers” – design and build their dream cars, but at a fraction of the size (and cost) of a real one. RIDEZ can be customized with sounds, snap-on parts, decals and now designer wheelz based on real-life designs by Foose and Sumitomo. They are the modern-day model car, with an engine and without the glue.
Foose, known for his wheels and classic style, was inspired for his RIDEMAKERZ designs from a kid customizer who put his wheelz on backwards at a RIDEMAKERZ SHOP. Foose took that concept and created RIDEMAKERZ’ first reversible wheelz that are modeled after his Ascot, Challenger, Nitro II, Monterey and Knight wheel designs.
“There are no rules in customization, so when I saw a kid put his wheelz on backwards, at first I wanted to say something, but realized he did it on purpose and that it was a great idea,” said Foose. “It reminded me of when I was a child working in the shop with my dad. He allowed me to be as creative as I wanted to be, which built my confidence and is why I am where I am today. Now, kids all over the country have that opportunity with RIDEMAKERZ.”
Sumitomo, known for his more modern, tuner-style wheel (think “Fast and Furious”), learned his expertise from spending time in his late teens and 20’s fixing up and modifying cars.
Sumitomo’s RIDEMAKERZ wheelz are modeled after designs from Five Axis’s wheel line, FIVE:AD, and represent a cross section of the range of tuners wheels seen on real cars today.
“I wish there had been a RIDEMAKERZ when I was a child because it gives kids the tools to be creative and levels the playing field so, no matter what age you are, you can be a true car customizer,” said Sumitomo. “The commitment to staying true to authentic car culture is amazing and I am honored to create their first ‘tuner’ line of wheelz.”
Both Foose and Sumitomo’s wheels are lightweight, come in two finishes – chrome and chrome plus one color – and cost $8 per set of four at RIDEMAKERZ.COM or in a RIDEMAKERZ SHOP. They are the smallest ever created by the auto-design geniuses, standing tall at only 32 MM, 33MM and 42MM, but a perfect fit for a RIDEMAKERZ RIDE. (You might be able to consider them dubs, if you change the measurement from inches to millimeters).
The wheels will fit all of the RIDEMAKERZ RIDEZ, which include such popular muscle cars as the new Ford Mustang GT and Dodge Challenger SRT-8, the exotic Dodge Viper SRT-10, the Corvette C6.R and C6RS, tuner cars such as Toyota’s Scion xB and the RZ Wedge, the MINI-Cooper S and everything in between, including retro hot rods, stock race cars, concept and production pick-up trucks like the Ford F-250 SuperChief and Dodge RAM SRT-10, and cab-over fire engines, dump trucks and tow trucks.
Customizers can also take the designer wheelz for a test drive at http://play.RIDEMAKERZ.COM, where they can build virtual RIDEZ, play games and learn about car culture – all for free! Kids earn achievement points and trophies when they complete real world activities like learning about dad’s first car or checking the tire pressure from the family car. These online experiences are another way the brand provides playing and learning experiences for kids while giving dads a fun, new way to interact and relate with their children.
About RIDEMAKERZ
RIDEMAKERZ mission is to have great fun MAKING RIDEZ and FUELING GOOD – with the ultimate vision of contributing to the positive development of kidz. The RIDEMAKERZ experience is specifically designed to: provide choice, unleash creativity, foster confidence, encourage collaboration and instill a sense of community. RIDEMAKERZ awards include: First-place for “Best Attraction Retailing” in Chain Store Age magazine’s 2008 Retail Store of the Year Awards; “Hottest Retailer” in 2008 by The International Council of Shopping Centers, Inc. and The Henry Award for Best Consumer Outreach presented by the Ford Motor Company. Visit RIDEMAKERZ.COM for more information.