Free Comic Book Day!

Disney / Pixar Cars fans. Today is Free Comic Book Day (http://www.freecomicbookday.com/) at participating comic book stores. Though that in itself has nothing to do with Disney Cars or die cast for that matter, they are making available a Disney Cars comic book.

Cover of the Cars Comic book for Free Comic Book Day.

Information about the comic book:

Disney/Pixar's Cars #1
Creative Team: (W) Alan J. Porter (A) Albert Carreres
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Item Code: JAN090003

Take a peek under the hood of BOOM! Studios' line of Cars comics, based on the hit Disney/Pixar movie! This issue includes an exciting excerpt from Cars #1, revealing the plucky origin of Lightning McQueen! In addition, readers will be treated to never-before-seen sketches, character designs and script pages!

Temporary Driver Substitution for Alternator Valley

Hello followers of Alternator Valley. Mayor Ken has had some health issues lately, so members of Team Stitch are going to try to upkeep this site, until Ken is ready to get behind the wheel of this awesome blog again. We ourselves were also fans of this great informational site. We will try our best to hold up his standards.

Please be patient with us, as we need to get into the groove of obtaining Cars information. Any help from you, would be awesome and greatly appreciated. Ken was our information source, just as he was yours, so Teamwork will make the Dream work, as we like to say. Help us keep being a top ranked Disney Cars information site, for Ken.

Thanks for your understanding and support.

Friends of Orlandog Ken…Team Stitch
Stitch.adventure.club AT gmail DOT com

Alternator Valley will have 2 new Hosts temporarily

The original host of this blog is temporarily offline. I am turning over the blog to 2 of his friends who are going to continue his blog until he has recovered from a serious incident with his health.
Thank all of you for your continued support and best wishes for his healthy and speedy return to wellness.

Disney Pixar Cars - Target Goes on the Offensive

Target has seen the demand and decided to go on the offensive! The Haulers are HOT, and they are beating Walmart on price and meeting collector demand! You can find them this link...Target Cars Haulers Within a day, Target.com has listed three additional New Haulers, bringing the total to six New Releases they are Pre-Selling. Here are the latest...

Nitroade's Hauler is now ready to roll


Gil is a bit green around the mud flaps


Shiny Wax will brighten your day

Target is kicking Walmart's ass by pricing the Haulers at $12.99 plus shipping and handling. Target's aggressive marketing is beating Walmart by actually having them available on their website. Try this link to SAVE $5.00 on a $50 order or more Target $5 Discount. Walmart.com has been historically pathetic, never allowing you to buy the "Hot" Cars items on their site. Every time you try, all you get is, "This item is currently unavailable."

Target is also kicking Mattel's own MattyCollector.com upside the head, as they haven't had a single Cars release since the site was launched 9 months ago! Recently, they were supposed to finally release a 1:24th Scale Lightning McQueen on March 17th, yet delayed releasing it with no further info. The site has lost serious credibility with Cars collectors due to the sound of crickets being all they get.

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Disney Pixar Cars - Target.com Pre-Selling Haulers

The thing about collecting is that collectors scour the world for the best prices and supply. Today they found that Target.com is selling Disney Pixar's Cars Haulers old and NEW! I had a problem finding them on their site, so to make your life easier, I have them here at this link for you...Target Cars Haulers The URL was a mile long and I had to type every character, so I hope you appreciate the effort. It has also been brought to my attention that you can use the Target Discount Code TCMVS7RD to save $5.00. Here are the three New Haulers they are Pre-Selling...

RPM is on Pre-Sale at Target.com


No Stall is parked in a warehouse for 2 to 6 weeks


Trunk Fresh rounds out the trio of New Releases

Not a bad price at $12.99 plus shipping and handling. Target actually beats Walmart, which sells the Haulers for $13.77! Can you believe that?! Target not only beats Walmart by $0.78 cents, but actually has them available on their website. Walmart has always stunk when it comes to selling Cars items on Walmart.com. They are never available!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Cars 2, Where and Who?

I think that Cars 2 is going to be off the hook! Really, why? Well, it sounds exciting and even though we don't know where they'll race, we know it will be called, "The Global Race." I can only imagine where Lightning is going, or who'll he'll race against. Lightning could visit Japan, Italy, France, or Australia! Can you picture Lightning buzzing by the Tour De France as they ride down a Parisian hill? How about seeing him bolt by the runners during the Boston Marathon?

Who will Lightning race against? No idea, and I can only speculate...will he race a Ferrari? How cool would it be if he raced against a Delorean? That would be a great die cast toy!! Maybe, he'll race in Alaska. How funny would it be if he got into it with Jet powered Snowmobile on the Iditarod trail?!! Only time will tell as things are being kept tightly under a locked car cover!

Where do you think Lightning will race? What kind of characters will he race against? How will Lightning and Mater get to these races? Will they hitch a ride on a Hauler? Will they sail to England on the QE2? Will they fly to Germany on a C-17 Military Transport. Speculating can be fun, and certainly quite funny! I can say this much...There will be a ton of super cool die cast toys coming!!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Haulers vs. Semis El Fin

This is my third and final installment of comparing the Haulers and Semis. Alternator Valley friend and reader Tim, has contributed some great photos once again! First, we'll compare the faces of the first three releases of Haulers and Semis...Mack, Chick Hicks and Gray.

Mack Hauler's eyes are open while his mouth is wide open
Mack Semi has eyes half open with a mouth in a half smile


Chick Hauler's Eyes are open while his mouth has a smirk
Chick Semi has the same eyes while his tongue is showing


Gray Semi has eyes straight ahead and a full smile
while Gray Hauler has eyes to side and a half smile


The Hauler on the left has the tight hookup for the trailer
The Semi lacks the same hookup and the trailer can slip apart


Both the Gray Hauler and Semi have sponsors on mud flaps


Octane Gain's box opens by a flap and keeps the box intact
Wally & Jerry's is opened via perforation & compromises it

A few final notes...Mack Semi is the only one with no hole to attach a trailer. All Semis appear to have sponsors on the mud flaps. As shown above Chick Hicks and Gray Semi have holes, but lack the white plastic piece to secure a trailer. I discussed the packaging and we'll have to see what future Semi releases hold in store for us. I've decided to continue to buy two of each Hauler and one of each Semi. How about you?

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Disney Pixar Cars - Haulers vs. Semis Part Deux

It is always appreciated when readers contribute to the community! Tim has once again sent me a great pic, and pointed out the finite differences between the Haulers and Semis. Boy, those tricky Mattel Marketing monkeys are always scheming. Take a look and you'll see subtle differences between the two.

Gray Semi has eyes straight ahead and a full smile
while Gray Hauler has eyes to side and a half smile

In addition to the eyes and smile, here's what Tim says about the hookup, "Here's the difference: the holes in the Semis don't have the little extra insert that makes it a tight fit between the trailer pin and the "5th wheel" on the truck. So, if you were going to actually play with them, the two could separate."

I think that kind of sucks! So, you can't even hook up the darn thing if you like the Semi's facial expression better than the one the Hauler has! Hey Mattel, fix this!! So, does this make you more or less likely to get both the Semis and the Haulers? I'll probably just get one Semi and continue getting two of the Haulers.

When you see the chance to contribute to the collecting discussion, feel free to send me your pics and info.

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Disney Pixar Cars - Matty Plays One, Two, Three, Red Light

Breaking news, well, not really. MattyCollector.com was supposed to release Lightning McQueen in 1:24th Scale tomorrow. I've been told that it won't happen. The release has been delayed until further notice. That's all I can tell you at this point. Not like you're surprised.

It reminds me of the game we played as kids...
One, Two, Three, Red Light! In this case,
as we get close to tagging Matty,
we end up in a big car pileup!

First, the Cars Cast got caught in Matty's Red Light


Then, a few hundred collectors were caught in a pile up


Finally, Old Man Johnson's pigs ended up in
a big ole pig pile while chasing down Matty

I wouldn't expect the April 15, 2009 release of Lightning McQueen in 1:55th Scale either. I will let you know when I hear anything new.

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Disney Pixar Cars - 2009 Comic-Con Mattel Exclusive Update

Mater and the Twins will be Revealed on April 11, 2009!

This is an update to tell you a few things about Mattel's 2009 Comic-Con Exclusive. I've seen it, and you are going to LOVE it! I won't be able to show you the complete images until April 11th, so mark that date on your calender. The set of Mater as a Fire Engine and Mia and Tia as Dalmations is going to come in a light-up diorama package. It will sell for $30 and as of today, the edition size is still undetermined, and the purchase limit has yet to be set. I reported back on January 18th that I heard the Edition Size was going to be 5000 for Comic-Con, and that 5000 would be available on MattyCollector.com. I've heard the purchase limit will be 1 to 4 sets per person.

As a collector and marketing expert, I'm going to give my input about these two numbers. First, the Edition size of 10,000 is far too high in my opinion. I would set it at 3000 for Comic-Con attendees and 2000 for MattyCollector.com. Here's my reasoning...The secondary market is what feeds all areas of collecting. If I purchase 10 sets, keep two for my collection and want to sell the other eight, then I want to make a decent profit when I sell them. If 10,000 exist, I'll have far too much competition on Ebay, and be lucky to make a $10 profit on each set. I won't want to waste my time, and certainly won't want to invest $300 ($30 times 10 sets) to buy ten sets. What does this transate to? Mattel will not sell out their supply!

Second, putting a limit of 1 to 4 sets per person at Comic-Con is a mistake. Do I think people should be able to buy any number? No! But, the idea of 1 to 4 is too low. Comic-Con attendees are the serious, most hard core collectors, and secondary market sellers out there. I'd set the limit to 10 Cases. The sets are going to be big. They may be packed to just two per case. Possibly four to a case. Let attendees buy a higher quantity for these reasons...They will buy more on the front end and have them presold to secondary collectors, they will buy more for friends, they will buy more for themselves. Allowing them to only purchase 1 to 4 is stupid! Doing what I suggest will certainly help to ensure Mattel will sell out at Comic-Con.

Finally, shipping these sets to buyers will run about $15 and make them more difficult to sell. They are big and will weigh a bit. So, keep the edition size low and let people buy more of them. I bought 6 Cases of Lightning Storm McQueens last year. I had to ship them home via UPS which added $3 in additional cost/unit to my total cost. Again, people like myself and others feed the secondary market and help keep the collecting going strong. Don't over produce and don't hamper the secondary market makers.

Alternator Valley will Preview Mattel's Comic-Con Exclusive April 11, 2009! Subscribe and don't miss a thing!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Lightning McQueen Beach Fun for Kids

For those of you who have kids, I received a notice about a fun New thing at DisneyShopping.com. Now, you and your kids can order customized swimwear with Lightning McQueen on them! You can order board shorts, hats, and T-Shirts! Very cool if you ask me.

I also found a Lightning McQueen Beach Towel you can personalize with up to 12 characters for an additional $7.95! Right now, the beach towels are 2 for $20.00, or one for $14.95. All these items are currently available on DisneyShopping.com.

They didn't have such cool stuff when I was a kid! With Zazzle and all this customizable clothing, who knows what will be available in the future!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Haulers vs. Semis

I'm sure a lot of you have been considering whether you should buy the Haulers and the Semis, or just one or the other. I've been giving this a lot of thought and have decided to simply get the Haulers. The economy has impacted my business, and the thought of purchasing what are essentially duplicates, doesn't make sense to me. If you continue the usual collector's habit of buying two...One two keep Mint in the Package, and one to open and play with, then two Haulers from Walmart will set you back about $30.00. Buy two of the Semis of the same character and that will set you back about $13.00. The way I look at it, save the money buying the Semis and have the extra money to pay for the second Hauler.

If you bought these?

Why just buy the Haulers like I've decided? Because I want the entire cool setup. And, this way I can just unhook the Semi and leave the trailer parked like in the movie. So, which way have you decided to collect these?

Then, why buy these?

If you're like me, you've probably wondered, "Why the heck are they selling the Semis in the first place?" Well, probably because they are the actual die cast part of the entire Hauler. If you are a hard core collector, you may only care about the die cast part. Additionally, if you just buy the Semi you save 50% over buying the Hauler! I found out that the expressions of the Semis mouths are different. I also found that you can't hook up the Semis to the trailers because they don't have a hole for connection. That small a variation doesn't do much for me, but this reasoning makes sense to some collectors.

So, are you a Hauler type of collector, or a Semi type of collector?

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New D23 and Disney Gallery Added to Alternator Valley

Today is a good day to bring two new sites I've added to Alternator Valley to your attention. The first was just announced yesterday...Disney Twenty•Three! Disney's First Official Community for Disney Fans! It is a paid membership that includes all I've listed below directly taken from the site. You get some nice things such as the magazine, a mystery gift and other goodies. I personally like the WDCC exclusive of Walt and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit!

Visit D23 at this link Disney Twenty•Three
to read all about the Community and to join!

A one-year D23 Charter Membership* includes:

• Disney ''twenty-three'' Quarterly Publication: A one-year subscription (four issues) to D23's exquisite collectible magazine, filled with stunning photography, dazzling illustrations and the ultimate Disney insider perspective. It's your all-access pass to discovering the magic of Disney's past, present and future!
• Membership Card and Certificate: Your membership card and personalized, suitable-for-framing charter member certificate feature many of Disney's most beloved characters drawn by Disney Master Artist David Pacheco.
• Surprise Collectible Gift: A collectible just for D23 members. You'll receive a gift you'll cherish from the new Walt Disney Archives Collection.
• Exclusive Special Events and Merchandise: D23 offers its members unique special-event opportunities throughout the year, as well as access to exclusive, limited-edition merchandise and collectibles.
• D23 Expo: It's the ultimate Disney fan experience, taking place in Anaheim, California from September 10-13, 2009. This can't-miss event will feature guest speakers, celebrity appearances, breathtaking exhibitions, sneak peeks, film screenings, one-of-a-kind merchandise, and so much more! Admission will be discounted for D23 members.
• Subscription to bi-weekly D23 FanFare e-newsletter with breaking news and special offers. (You may opt out of receiving FanFare after your first e-newsletter arrives.)

Plus, stay connected to D23 every day at Disney.com/D23, featuring up-to-the-minute Disney news, feature stories, event info, merchandise and more.

*Join by December 31, 2009 to be a D23 Charter Member

D23 memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Visit Disney Gallery at this link Disney Gallery
for the latest Events, Product Releases & Promotions !

Disney Gallery is the site for all collectors and fans! You'll find Special Events listed for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Did you know they recently sold out a Haunted Mansion 40th Anniversary event in Anaheim? You would have if you visited Disney Gallery. Have you heard about the latest collecting craze...Vinylmation?! I didn't, until I went to Disney Gallery and got the lowdown on the Mighty Muggs style concept! Get a load of the Kermit Vinylmation figure to the right. Do you love Figment? Do you collect Walt Disney Classics Collection pieces? Do you love Figment and collect WDCC? Well, there's a special Limited Edition piece being released at Disney World on April 25th! You'd know about it if you visited Disney Gallery!

Will there be any Cars stuff on either of these sites? There could very well be at some time! I'm still working on getting Disney World to do a Cars merchandise event. I firmly believe they will eventually do one. If they do, it will be listed on Disney Gallery. Alternator Valley is a resource beyond news! Our list of sites and important phone numbers is here for your convenience!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Kmart Collectors Days Update

Well, I know I teased you a bit last week, but as the saying goes, "Good things come to those who wait!" I finally got the ok to discuss the Kmart Collectors Days! There will be two that will take place...One will be on June 20, 2009, and the other will be on October 17, 2009. There will be a number of "Exclusives" released with rubber tires and special event only packaging! I will discuss them shortly.

Here for the FIRST TIME, is the poster a few lucky people will win! Kmart will raffle the poster off as they did at last year's event! Click on the poster image, and it will enlarge so you can see all the details of the 2009 releases. Were you lucky enough to get one last year? My friend won one and gave it to me. It is a huge poster with the pictures of all of the 2009 "Mainline" releases.

The first event will take place on June 20, 2009! The following cars will be Kmart Collectors Day exclusives:

1. Bumper Save
   
2. Clutch Aid
   
3. Easy Idle
4. Lil Torquey Pistons
5. Mood Springs
   
6. No Stall
7. Retread
8. Shifty Drug
9. and Tow Cap
   

The second event will take place on October 17, 2009! The following cars will be Kmart Collectors Day exclusives:

1. Leak Less
   
2. N2O Cola
3. Octane Gain
4. Rev-N-Go
5. Re-Volting
6. Trunk Fresh
7. and Vinyl Toupee

A number of these cars have already been released. What will add to their desirability will be the fact that all of these cars will come with rubber tires, and exclusive packaging that will ONLY be available at the events.

Alternator Valley will once again Twitter LIVE from each event! We'll broadcast from the East Coast so all of you can follow us early. You'll benefit the most by being armed with our LIVE tips as you arrive at your local Kmarts! If you wish to be part of this Live Feed, I'd strongly suggest you get your account setup with Twitter ASAP. Don't wait until the morning of June 20th. You can "Follow" me by searching for my Twitter Id which is orlandogken. You'll click follow and then can read my updates Live. You may even want to do it now. You never know what I may be doing!!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Doc Hudson 1:24th Special Preview

I thought today would be a great day for a Special Preview! Today, I have Doc Hudson in the 1:24th scale and he looks very sharp! Remember that these are "First Looks," and are not the final designs. Here you go...

Doc looks very debonair with all his Chrome

You need sunglasses to view the great
VUM (Vacuumized Metallizing)

Great detail on Doc's trunk and rear bumper,
and we get to see some further detail on Ramone

The 1:24th may cost more, but the detail is incredible! You gain a greater appreciation for Doc's understated elegance! As I reported before, these are expected to come with a dust cover made of chipboard with full color printing, and shipped in a corrugate shipper. I don't have any release dates for you yet.

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Disney Pixar Cars - TJ Hummer and Sarge's Boot Camp

Here are additional pics of TJ Hummer for you all to inspect! There's much finer detail in his rear end and chassis. You can see just how big TJ is in comparison to Elvis. So, would you like to know his Expected Release Date? How about how he'll be packaged? Well, read along and you'll find out at the bottom of this article!!

Get a bit closer to Elvis TJ! Don't look so nervous!


I didn't know you could do a hoodstand!


Sarge has your rear end looking tight!
You have to correct that License Plate though!

It will be packed with Frank Pinky Pinkerton, the Green SUV,
TJ, Murphy the Orange SUV and Sarge. It will be a set called
"SARGE'S BOOT CAMP!"

These Five will come packed in "Sarge's Boot Camp!"


I've only been told he's called the Green SUV


Frank "Pinky" Pinkerton didn't know what
he was in for with Sarge's off-road training!


Murphy the Orange SUV is fit enough to do well with Sarge


TJ is shaking in his treads!


Sarge is finally coming out of retirement in July!

"Sarge's Boot Camp" is Expected to be released on September 1, 2009! The set will be Oversized and contain the five characters shown above...The Green SUV, Frank "Pinky" Pinkerton, Murphy the Orange SUV, TJ Hummer and Sarge! I got an update on the possible retail price and was told it is expected to be $25.00. That is a pleasant surprise. I'll line up to git me two o' them thar sets!!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Matty May Meet a Mob

The San Diego Comic-Con is just over four months away. Mattel will once again be a major exhibitor and offer a great Cars Exclusive! Thousands will attend. Many will be angry Cars fans who will want to kick Matty upside his big head. Why? Because at last year's Comic-Con, Mattel unveiled MattyCollector.com and claimed, "Here you will find the latest release information, sneak peek pics, official news, product archives (aka a glimpse at my personal Mattel toy collection) and of course MATTY’S STORE where you can buy exclusive products unavailable anywhere else." I was told MattyCollector was going to release one Cars exclusive about every other month. Eight months have passed, and not one single Cars exclusive has been released.

I advise Matty to watch his back if he shows up at Comic-Con. It may even be wise for him to have the Toy Guru and the Gleek by his side as his bodyguards. Matty has simply not produced for Cars collectors. He hasn't kept his promises like a slimey politician who'll say anything to get elected! He's lost credibility and shouldn't get a bonus from Mattel, he should get that smirk off his big goofy face, and he should run like hell when the angry mob spots him!

I can see him facing the angry townsfolk of Alternator Valley as they chase him down with pitchforks and torches like poor old Frankenstein! They'll pursue him through the aisles of Comic-Con. As they chase him past Hasbro's booth, they'll pillage all their displays and shanghai their followers. They'll stop by Disney's booth and borrow Captain Jack's crew for reinforcements. They'll kick over the refreshment stand because the food is overpriced and tastes like crap.


Finally, they'll chase Matty to the top of the convention center like the Frankenstein Monster! Attendees won't know if he's just a weirdo dressed up to enter the "Costume Ball," or it is a publicity stunt to promote the convention! Hopefully, they won't torch the place like the townsfolk did to the windmill that poor ole Frankie met his fate in! We may be angry as hell, but we're really a fun-loving group with hearts as big as Matty's oversized head!


We can dream, can't we? We can't really run around Comic-con and beat up on a stupid corporate cartoon guy! But hell, who says you can't run around with torches and pitchforks and pillage Hasbro's booth!!

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