RIDEMAKERZ Custom Toy Cars
Yolanda Vazquez

From kids who love cars to adults who collect and obsess over them, there's a new craze that is hitting the automotive world! And the pitch is something like this - it's build-a-bear - meets pimp my ride - meets the ol' hobby shop. And the result is a growing retail attraction called 'RIDEMAKERZ,' where for starting about 20 bucks you can create your very own, scale-model custom car. So we sent FYI's Yolanda Vazquez on a little play date to create her own persona on wheels. – John Davis

YOLANDA VAZQUEZ: Welcome to RIDEMAKERZ, an experience-based specialty store that lets you test your automotive ingenuity.

LARRY ANDREINI, ZEO, RIDEMAKERZ: Think build-a-bear for cars where you get to build and customize your very own ride.

VAZQUEZ: With more than 650 million different ways to create your own personal plaything, it's amazing to see all the imaginative designs - everything from a souped-up Scion to an overhauled Hemi. There are seven different shop zones you must go through in order to build a ride

ANDREINI: In the Chooze Zone we've got trucks on one side, cars on the other.

VAZQUEZ: Company ZEO Larry Andreini says this is where customizers make their biggest decisions - picking the body style and color scheme they want.

ALIE HRUZ, MODEL CAR MAVEN: I think it's really hard to choose because there's like so many to choose from, but my favorite color is pink so I had to choose the pink one.

VAZQUEZ: RIDEMAKERZ has licensing deals with a number of car companies, so you can pick hot models such as the Dodge Challenger and Mini Cooper S. They see this as a way to start to build brand loyalty at a very young age with the kids.

Next customizers select a street or monster chassis that is either free wheel or radio-controlled. This might leave you spinning your wheels for hours on end. Sonicize allows you to pick your own beats. A small audio chip is inserted inside the car, then the real customizing begins. And just like the big boys, that means tricked-out treads and funky rims!

ANDREINI: You've got everything from skull and cross-wrench rims to dragon rims to very traditional rims.

VAZQUEZ: Now it's time to build your beefed-up ride using diminutive drills and a little elbow grease. This by far is the most intimidating part of the process.

DUANE HARRIS, RIDEMAKERZ, NEWBIE: In the beginning I thought it was going to be a difficult task. I saw all these big instruments hanging down. I said [laughing] "Lord, what is this?!"

VAZQUEZ: Baltimore native Duane Harris soon figured it out along with other custom car newbies like 8-year old Claire Smith.

CLAIRE SMITH, CUSTOM CAR ENTHUSIAST: What was really cool was feeling like I was a toymaker. And I got to actually be able to make my own toy and stuff.

RYAN HRUZ, MODEL CAR HOBBYIST: It feels really good to actually build something that you've never done before.

VAZQUEZ: There are decorative decals and other small accessories like muffler tips, street lights and grille guards, all of which have been approved by custom car guru Chip Foose, an advisor with RIDEMAKERZ. The cars are processed at computer kiosks with personalized plates, RIN numbers - similar to VIN numbers - and everyone is given an individual certificate of title.

ANDREINI: Every single person that walks out of this shop feels like they have their own personal expression. It's a lot of fun.

VAZQUEZ: RIDEMAKERZ puts a new twist on the old model car concept by taking this traditional boyhood hobby to a whole new level.

ANDREINI: We do think we are inspiring the next generation of car customizers. In many ways this is art on cars and that whole notion is something we think is a really exciting part of the RIDEMAKERZ experiences.

VAZQUEZ: And it doesn't take long before these car crazy kids figure out what to do with their monster rides. Just ask Ian and Dorian Smith

IAN & DORIAN SMITH, MONSTER RIDEMAKERZ: We're going to charge them up and ride them around the house and do extreme stunts with them off our steps.

VAZQUEZ: The 1/18th scale models are truly designed for the young - and young at-heart. So the next time you feel a creative streak coming on, RIDEMAKERZ has everything you need to let your "pimp my ride" imagination run wild.