Disney Pixar Cars Peterbilt Truck

Mattel unveiled the soon to be released New Cars Trucks at Comic-Con! The first I want to discuss is the Peterbilt Truck that was voiced by the late Joe Ranft. There is a cool story about this truck that I just recently found out about. The Peterbilt was the truck that Lightning chased down Route 66 in the dark thinking he was Mack.

If you recall, you'll remember that the Peterbilt was hauling car batteries. The battery pictures on the trailer were actually done by John Lasseter's boys! I think this is such a cool fact. I didn't suspect anything like this. Matter of fact, I thought the style they were done in was similar to the cartooning we saw at the start of Monsters. This toy will certainly mean a lot to John due to Joe and his kids.

Although the Peterbilt was briefly in the film, he stuck with me because of his look and his annoyed demeanor when Lightning thought he was Mack. I believe his line was, "Mack! I ain't no Mack! I'm a Peterbilt!" Then he drove off and left Lightning there in the dark.

This is just one of the many Cars Trucks that will be released in the future! They will be die-cast and are going to retail for $13.00! More to come about the Cars Trucks.

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

SOTS Official Letter & What Number I Got

I'm back home and very tired after my Red Eye flight. I arrived home to find my "Official Letter" from Mattel with my holographic numbered sticker. I received a low number, but not one linked to anything significant. I got Number 23! I'm not aware of any racer with that number. Here's the letter and my sticker. Half awake at home and off to unpack.


http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars Darth Mater Unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con 2008

I've been writing updates based on what's relevant to collectors. There's much more to come about New toys such as the fan Cars, the old days Cars, the trailers, pitty's, and the goings on at San Diego Comic-Con 2008, so come back for more. Tonight as I finish my trip in San Diego, I thought it was a good time to talk about Darth Mater! On Thursday, July 24, 2008, Darth Mater was unveiled at the San Diego Comic-Con at Mattel's booth. This one-of-a-kind work of art was the collaboration of Mattel's fantastic design team. It will be auctioned off at this year's Children Affected by Aids Foundation's Dream Halloween event on October 25, 2008. Want to know more about this great organization? Visit this link Children Affected by Aids Foundation so you can bid on Darth Mater.

Darth Mater is nothing short of incredible! He's about the size of one of the many talking toys Mattel has released. He wields his light-up light sabre while Star Wars music plays. At the time of the unveiling he had no voice. He will have a recording added with his alter-ego Larry the Cable Guy saying something choice to be sure. The floor lights up as well. You can see two acrylic plaques in front that are signed by John Lasseter and George Lucas.

Are you drooling? I wish I had the kind of money needed to be able to win this great piece. Oh, well! I'll just have to wait until the smaller version comes out in October. Yes! I was given indication that a smaller die-cast version is a very strong likelihood for Halloween!! I'll certainly keep you all posted as info is made available to me. Live from San Diego Comic-Con 2008. I'm out for tonight.

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

SOTS Holographic Numbered Stickers Arriving

A quick entry to let you know that if you have a Motor Speedway Of The South (SOTS) set, the individually numbered holographic stickers started showing up in mailboxes yesterday! As you were told, they are randomly numbered with an accompanying letter telling you were to put them.

As of this writing, I couldn't find any showing up on Ebay. Why would they show up on Ebay you ask? Because people who get Numbers such as 1, 95, etc. may try to sell them because the numbers represent the Number One in a set, Lightning McQueen, the King, or another racer. Over my years of collecting, I've only seen specific numbered items bring about 10% more than a comparable item. Not that life altering if you ask me.

If you didn't get yours yesterday, it will probably show up tomorrow or Tuesday.

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Pixar Cars Todd, the Pizza Planet Truck

Picking up where I last left off...New Character releases! I left you discussing Todd, the Pizza Planet Truck. This Cars character is one I personally tie closely to John Lasseter because it has been in all the Pixar films from Toy Story up and through Cars. I heard John was very excited about the die-cast toy being produced as well. You were probably not aware it was in the films, or even saw it, but it was there. Want to see the screen captures? Sure you do!

We first saw the Pizza Planet truck in Toy Story back in 1995

Here's Todd's appearance in A Bug's Life

Toy Story 2 Had Todd Coming Back for the Sequel

Monsters Inc. had Todd in the Shadows of the Bayou!

Then He showed Up Keeping Dry in Nemo

Todd was a Blur and Hardly Recogonized in The Incredibles

Finally, We see Todd's Face in Cars!

He's sure to be another very popular character that will be hard to track down. I don't have any info on when he'll be released. If I get any, I won't tell you until I get mine, then I'll let you know! ;-)

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars New Releases Part Two

When the blimp Al-Oft came out, collectors were annoyed by the scale and size of him. When Barney Stormin' was released collectors were upset he wasn't made of die-cast metal. Well, your complaints were heard and resolved in a way you all should be happy.

Take a look at the New design of Al-Oft. He is about twice the size of the original! Whether the new one will have "Over Sized" on the packaging, or that is just the working verbiage at Mattel doesn't really matter. What matters is you got what you wanted, a larger and more accurate scaled version of Al-Oft. I've been told he's being tooled and will be one of the first released.

Did you ever get a Barney Stormin', or have you still been trying to get a hold of one? The great thing is that he has been redesigned and will be re-released in die-cast metal! Take a look at the New Barney Stormin' on top of a bluff near Radiator Springs! He will be the same size as the plastic version, but will be considered part of the "Over Sized" line. He will also be one of the first to be released.

We can be happy about these changes because I've been told John Lasseter himself wants the line to be of the highest quality and detail! John carries his belief that quality matters in the tradition of the great Walt Disney.

Now, for the pièce de résistance! What character has been one of the most eagerly anticipated? One who rocks with Sheryl Crowe! One who is a hunk a hunk of burnin' love?! I present to you...ELVIS!!!!!! Elvis is going to be part of the "Over Sized" line. The quality and detail is super as always. When can you get Elvis? At this point, I don't know. I've been told he won't be out until Spring of 2009.


There are a few other characters who'll be in the "Over Sized" line. One is in front of Elvis, Marco the Jet and he will be die-cast as well! There are plans to make the other two Jet as well (there were three Jets in the movie). I've also been told the Security Vans from the race track will be in the "Over Sized" line as well. That does it for the "Over Sized" characters I have confirmed as certain.

I'm sure you recognized another long anticipated character in the photos with Elvis. I'll pickup my next entry by discussing some of the highly sought after characters such as Todd the Pizza Planet Truck! Don't forget to subscribe to this blog and get some of the most accurate info on Disney Pixar's Cars to come!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars New Releases Part One

It is always cool to see prototypes of New Releases. I'm going to show you a ton of upcoming Cars die cast toys! You are going to be very excited, and you better start saving your pennies, 'cause there's a lot you're going to want to buy!

Hmmmm, where would you like me to start...the New Die Cast Trailers? How about the Over sized releases to come? Maybe, you'd like to hear about the Chase Cars? Oh, wait, you want to hear about the characters you've been dying to be released forever?! I gotcha...enee, meenee, minee, mo...just get on with it will you Joe! My name's not Joe, but here we go! Yeah, I'm a bit punchy after days of Comic-Con.

Ok, ok, let's start with the Chase Cars. "Chase Cars" are Cars that will be randomly inserted into distribution. They will have subtle differences and have a limited run of 20,000 per Chase Car. That means they are rare and will be tougher to find. The first two we should see very soon are Stickers McQueen and Stickers Fred. Stickers McQueen will have bumper stickers on his rear end, while Fred will have them on his sides. You have to be on the lookout to find them with their subtle differences. They are expected to be released at a one per month frequency.

We should see Chase Cars of DJ, Wingo, Snot Rod, Boost and Lightning McQueen with the ole Denver Boot on them! Quite the motley crew aren't they? These are hilarious!

We should also see Piston Cup Trophies as Chase from what I was told. The cool little accessory should come packaged with Lightning McQueen, The King and Chick Hicks as the Piston Cup Champs! I was told they'd look like they were gilded in gold by being made with a special finish.

Since my laptop's battery is getting low and
I'm getting hungry, this is it for this entry. I'll continue with Oversized releases in my next entry LIVE from Comic-Con!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Lightning Storm McQueen Flies at Comic-Con!

The months of buzz about Lightning Storm McQueen was certainly warranted. I was fifth in line on the evening of July 23rd for the Preview night at Comic-Con and got the amazing piece! People were buying him up at a "Kachow" pace. It was funny to see the Mattel booth all nice and clean with stocked shelves at the start of the night, and then come back later and see it bare with the staff looking like they just survived an attack by Orcs. They worked hard and Lightning Storm flew out the door.

I met Senior Product Design Manager, Martin Arriola who was psyched about the release and will be featured in an article soon. Martin's passion and love for Lightning Storm was clearly evident.

Believe me when I tell you that Lightning Storm McQueen is going to be a highly sought after collectible for years! The finish is a wonderful metallic blue. As many of you have come to know, it is a "Rangsburg" blue paint job. The detail in the car and the stand are outstanding! The way Martin and his team designed it, they created a piece that almost looks like a trophy! If you don't have one, when you see it, you'll most definitely want to obtain one. You'll covet him like Gollum and his precious!!

I met John Lasseter's right hand man Ben Butcher. Ben put me on the spot by asking me if I could only grab ONE of my Cars die cast toys while my house was on fire, which would it be?! Such a tough question. I finally told him it would probably be my Blu-Ray Rangsburg McQueen. Since turnabout is fair play, I had to put Ben on the hot seat and asked him the same question. He squirmed about as much as I did, and told me it would probably be the Lightning Storm McQueen because of the entire presentation of it. I agreed and am curios to see how he does in the future.

Now, a little tease...even if you can't get the San Diego Comic-Con Lightning Storm McQueen, there will be a store released die cast Lightning Storm McQueen done in his Dinoco Blue colors coming out. It won't be on a stand, it will have a different finish, but you will be able to get one of those. That will just be your 90th Cars die cast toy you had to get! No biggie! ;-)

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Mattel Launches Collectors Site July 28, 2008

Mattel's New collectors site, MattyCollector.com goes Live at 11:00am P.S.T. on July 28, 2008! I don't know what to tell you folks! I interviewed one of the people who deals with MattyCollector.com and he told me 8:00am E.S.T. I went to him yesterday before leaving Comic-Con and he then tells me it is Noon E.S.T. Now, I go to the site and it states 11:00am P.S.T.

Matty has grown-up and is now your source for News updates, Collectibles and Vintage Toy Galleries! Membership is something we all like...FREE! Visit the link above and register to be part of a New age of Mattel collecting.

On July 28, 2008 you'll be able to purchase the four Comic-Con Exclusives...

1. Disney/Pixar's Cars Lightning Storm McQueen















2. DC Universe Classics Lobo



















3. DC Universe Justice League Giganta



















4. Masters of the Universe Classics King Grayskull



















Something I've been a strong advocate for will be implemented on MattyCollector.com, Purchase Limits. Members will be able to purchase a maximum of 2 of each item. This will be great for collectors, and help keep dealers from buying up massive quantities.

After this initial release, expect New items in October. There will be NO New Cars items UNTIL February of 2009. The four main lines that will be featured on MattyCollector.com will be...

1. Disney Pixar's Cars
   
2. Masters of the Universe Classics
   
3. Justice League Unlimited
   
4. and DC Universe

News Updates will be posted by Matty every 2 weeks after the initial launch.

Some other things you may like to know are...

• Items will not necessarily be "Limited Editions."
  
• Items released on MattyCollector.com will not appear in stores.
  
• Say you miss an item that had a run of 1000, Mattel may run another 1000 with a slight variation in packaging to give you a chance to get the item, but help hold collector value of the original with the variant.
• There may be a Membership for ongoing releases such as Masters of the Universe due to a monthly release.

Digest all this great News and take a look at MattyCollector.com on July 28, 2008!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Comic-Con El Dia Dos!

San Diego is warm, inviting and all abuzz with Comic-Con! The morning news had extensive coverage today. The local coverage spoke a lot about fearing the convention would be moved to L.A. or Vegas due to it getting so big. I believe I heard the head man of Comic-Con say they had a contract through 2010 to stay in San Diego. I've also heard talk about a move in the crowds. Time will tell.

I can tell you that most of the people working on the event, don't know what's going on and how to direct you. The organization has been average at best. The food vendors are pathetic for such a large and well-known convention. All I've seen is pretzels, cookies and crappy overpriced sandwiches for $8.00! I'm dumbfounded by a lack of more and high quality food! It is the worst part of what I've encountered.

Ok, let's get on with some cool stuff! Today I spent the morning at the Mattel booth. I interviewed Martin Arriola, Senior Manager of Product Design, who heads up Mattel's design team for Disney/Pixar's Cars die cast toy line! I'm going to write an entry all about Martin and his great insight later. I also spoke to Ryan Mansour who is the Brand Manager of the Cars line. I talked about things, you the fan, are hungry for...A great Display Case, Miniature Scenery to complement your play sets, and setting limits on their new MattyCollector.com site which debuts on Monday, July 28, 2008! I'll discuss more about MattyCollector.com later as well!

I'll tell you what is exciting about the future of the Cars line for us as collectors...John Lasseter! Martin told me that John has been developing this line like the fan of great toys he is! John wants to create EACH AND EVERY character in scale and quality! This way we as collectors can recreate Radiator Springs to Pit Row in die cast toys and play sets! That's been my hope as a collector! I've been envisioning the day I will setup the entire town and the race track as my first venture into a "Railroad" set type display! Something I've been inspired by Walt Disney's passion of Trains and model Railroads to do!

There's a lot to come, and I guarantee, that you'll be beyond excited!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Comic-Con Day One on Day Two

A Short entry to report my lack of a report yesterday. I hadn't slept in 24 hours, my plane was delayed from Orlando to L.A. by 2 hours. That delay in turn made miss my connecting flight to San Diego. The second chance to catch a connecting flight was missed by 1 minute. Finally, I caught a flight and my 6-1/2 hour journey to San Diego turned out to be a 10 hour journey! I had just enough time to check in to my hotel, get a super delicious In and Out burger and get to the Comic-con around 3:10pm. I was stunned at how many people were there and the event didn't open until 6pm! It took an hour and a half to get my Press Credentials, the useless "Elite" staff hired to direct and manage the crowd was useless and didn't know anything. The crowd didn't know anything.

Finally, I got aggressive and called my PR contact for Mattel so I didn't have to stand in a line with thousands of other people. Yippee! That was the first thing to go well for the day! I ended up being fifth in line to buy "Lightning Storm McQueen!" Since, I can't figure out how to put a caption under the picture, it depicts, "The calm before the Lightning Storm!" I got 20 cases and, just messing with you, I got a number of cases and got that important mission over with! While making my purchase, I met my counterpart who writes and publishes Take5aDay! He will remain anonymous because that's how he chooses to publish, and we became fast friends.

The lines and crowd were insane as to be expected and I was utterly exhausted by the end of the night. Oh, I was also one of those people you laugh at because they fall. On the way back to my car, I was in a crowd (go figure), waiting for the light to change and stepped into a small hole and took a nice spill on the sidewalk. I jumped up and acted ok, but was banged up pretty good. What a day! Went back to the hotel and couldn't do a thing but take out my contacts and go to sleep. So, that was Day One on Day Two!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Publisher's Comic-Con 2008 Adventure!

I leave for San Diego in less than 2 days! I'm as excited as can be, as both a fan, and a fan site publisher! I'm still checking to be sure I know where to go, and what I need to do, as I attend my First Comic-con. My professional goals are clearly in my head, but the fun and impromptu items are dizzying. I can attend this party, go to that screening, setup interviews with these stars, and so much more! Once I get my bearings with the logistics of parking and where things are, I'm sure I'll settle into a nice flow and enjoy things beyond my expectations. I'm trying to be certain I have my laptop ready technically. I want to be able to write and update all of you while I'm at the convention. I'm still trying to figure out parking and making purchases. I just know it will be a lot of fun! My focus will be on Mattel and Hot Wheels concerning interviews and product info, but will add other items of interest if it makes sense to publish it. For now, I'm off to pack!

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/

You'll Find 'Em, When You Aren't Looking!

New releases have been slow to come. Driving around to multiple stores doesn't make sense due to gas prices and the unlikelihood of finding the Cars you want. But, today I went into Walmart not expecting anything, and there was Van and Luke Pettlework staring me in the face! I got that excited rush we collectors get when we find something tough to get! I even saw the new three packs with Tow, Race Official Tom and Al-Oft. Plenty of Gold Mia and Tias as well. At least there's more and more showing up on the racks. Comic-con is in a week and after that we will see plenty of New Releases!

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/

Mater & Lightning Take Shop with Doc

For those of you who also collect Disney Pins...here's a rare Cars release as part of the Annual Epcot Event running from September 5-7, 2008! The theme this year is "Pin Trading University!" I previewed the pins at the Animal Kingdom event in April and they are some of the best in years. Just as in high school, Mater and Lightning take shop class as one of their electives being taught by Doc. It is a Limited Edition of 750, and is a pin on pin design that is supposed to have sculpted elements. That means Free-D rubber typically. So, their tires my have a 3-D effect. It will be an average sized pin measuring approximately 1.5 inches tall by 1.85 inches wide. It will retail for $12.95, and can ONLY be obtained if you are a paid attendee, and have been awarded it through an RSP (Random Selection Process). There's still time to register if you're interested at this link Pin Trading University Event with admission costing $115/person. Theme park admission is required and not included.

I've personally attended every Pin Celebration at Epcot since the start. The event has been everything from a mess to great! Beyond Disney's organization of the event, you will make the event an ultimate success based on how you look at things. If you go there and are sociable, take in the event activities, experience all that Epcot has to offer, eat good food and relax, then you'll go away happy! If you just go there and sit on your butt, and take little to no initiative, then you'll likely go home unhappy. I've been amazed at how little people enjoy the things Epcot has to offer. Many just sit at a table all day and try to trade pins. But, as the saying goes, "To each, his own."

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/

Mattel Collectors Club - Rumor or Reality

I've read rumors on a number of sites claiming Mattel is going to launch a FREE Collectors Club. I've searched and searched and can't find anything to support this assertion. I've been contacted by the PR firm that handles Mattel due to my covering the Comic-con, and the Press Release I received didn't mention the launch of a Collectors Club. I will certainly explore this further on Monday, and inform readers about any verified news as I get it. I will have a definitive answer by July 23, 2008.

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/

Disney Pixar Cars Movie Trivia

I watched Cars yesterday for about my 10th time, and made some notes so I could test just how much of a fan you really are! So, let's have some fun and see how well you know the answers without watching the movie. Post them to this thread and I'll reveal the answers in a few days!

1. What's the "Kings" real name? Answer: Strip Weathers
   
2. What's the name of the track the Dinoco 400 is run at? Answer: Motor Speedway of the South
   
3. How many laps are completed when Lightning blows his first tire? Answer: 399
   
4. What does RSN stand for? Answer: Racing Sports Network
   
5. What does Lightning Storm McQueen fire his missels at in his daydream? Answer: Spark Plug Creatures
   
6. What does the license plate say on the rusted car in Lightning's Rust-eze ad? Answer: Eville
   
7. What style of music is the Rust-eze jingle styled after? Answer: Polka
   
8. What kind of truck does Mack make faces in while driving to California? Answer: An Oil Truck
   
9. How many tickets did Harv tell Lightning he was alloted for friends for the tie-breaking race in California? Answer: 20
   
10. Finally, What was the name of the song and artist that DJ played to put Mack to sleep? Answer: Songbird by Kenny G
    

I personally was surprised about the King question. Never even noticed it after watching the movie a number of times. So, how well do you know the answers?

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Subscribe & What's This Blog Called

New Features are added all the time, and finally a simple button was added by Blogger to allow readers to Subscribe to New Posts and New Comments! You'll see the Subcribe to Alternator Valley Buttons on the left just below our Welcome Statement. You can choose what you want and you'll be notified when New items are posted!

While I'm at it, let me ask you a few important questions...What do you feel this blog is called? From the start, I named it, "Alternator Valley." The URL however, is www.CarsDiecastToys.Blogspot.com. How do you refer to it? Do feel it should be one or the other?

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Characters Showing Up, Others Still Elusive

Over the last two weeks I have seen an ample supply of Chukis, Stacys, Dudley Spares, Pit Stop Guidos and Charlie Checkers showing up on store shelves. So, if you haven't done so, you can feel confident you'll finally find these characters in your local Walmarts and Targets now.

On the flip side, I've seen less and less Movie Moments appearing on shelves. I've still yet to find a Flik and Flea, or a Tow Cap and Gasprin on the shelves. Additionally, I have only found Red Mia and Tia just once, and their Dinoco Blue counterparts just twice. These have been the elusive pairings.





















So, while we await NEW releases like Van and more Pit Crew characters, this is the time to try to catch up with the characters you're missing. It can certainly be a frustrating endeavor. I personally wish they'd just release the whole lot and be over with it. I don't like endlessly trying to track down toys that aren't even in limited release. I for one, have never been one who enjoys the chase!

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Off to Cover Comic-Con 2008!

I've got my Press Pass approved, my airline ticket purchased, my car and hotel setup, and I'm ready to head to San Diego in two weeks to cover Comic-Con 2008! It will be my first time attending, and I am truly excited to be part of the Press who'll bring you the goings on at the convention.

I will be bringing you coverage of Mattel's release of the special Lightning Storm McQueen! I'll certainly take photographs and give you the most detailed info I can report to you. I'll also do my best to find out about Mattel's plans for the line of Cars die cast toys, and any announcements I can fill you in on.

The convention is filled with so many features...I personally can't wait to see the Costume Ball where entrants must make an Original Costume. There's sure to be a lot to see! Celebrities like Dean Koontz, Lindsay Wagner and so many more will be in attendance! An incredible roster of exhibitors such as Mattel, Hot Wheels to LucasArts! What excites me, is I have no idea of the cool and crazy people I'll meet. So, it is sure to be a great time!

http://carsdiecasttoys.blogspot.com/