Disney Pixar Cars - Second and Third Level Characters are Key to Cars Success

Imagine if you could only collect the original twelve Cars characters and that was it. You would have completed your collection two years ago and would have gone on to something else. But here we are into the third year since Cars was released and collectors are hungrier than ever for the next NEW character!

What has made this line so successful is that John Lasseter wants us to have the entire cast of characters. How great is it that you can get characters such as Van, Yeti, and even Marco the Jet! To the reader who asked me if Mrs. Van (a.k.a Mini) would be available...I was told absolutely yes! Martin called her Mrs. Van, but what the hell does he know! I was told when all is said and done, that over 400 Cars characters will have been done in the 1:55th die cast "Mainline!" That is incredible and wonderful.

With all this happy stuff, I want to point out some things that make collecting a drag. It is when a company releases too many of the "Main" characters. Haven't we all said, "Not another McQueen!" I know I just can't take it when Disney runs a popular character into the ground. This is very evident with Disney pin trading. They'd release Tinker Bell angry, sitting, pouting, looking pretty, over the shoulder, blah, blah, blah...until you got so sick of Tinker Bell you wanted to vomit pixie dust! Let's hope Mattel doesn't make us want to puke up pistons and distributor caps.

Tell me you can't wait for Elvis?!! How about Sven the Governator?!! Who'd like a die cast Frank?!! Gimme a T! Gimme an O! Gimme a D! Gimme another D! Who does it Speeeeeell?! TODD, TODD, TODD! Who isn't waiting for Mr. Pizza Planet himself? I know a guy in Emeryville who probably has a few prototypes sitting in his office!

Man! Jay Limo is coming! Can't wait for Big Al! You are even gonna get the Spark Plug Aliens!!! Yessirree! This is the reason Cars is going to be hot for another five or six years! Great art, turned into great toys, done in high quality die cast. Martin, you and your team better take your vitamins and do your exercise in that Mattel gym. You got a lot of work to do my friend.

Coming Tomorrow: Photos of more New stuff!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - The Stores To Find Cars

Walmart and Target have been major disappointments for the last couple months. Promises of pallets filled with Cars toys are more like dreams of sugarplums in some whacked out kid's head! They have let us down! No supply and nothing new!

Who are the New heros of Cars collectors?! That old dump of a store...Kmart! Right there with old glue horse Kmart is Toys R Us! Come on, you agree with me, you walk into a Kmart and it is like a morgue! You keep waiting to hear when they are going to file Chapter 11! Yet somehow, the old Blue Light Special keeps its doors open. Heck, Toys R Us isn't much better really! I don't know how they stay in business. BUT, in spite of the fact Kmarts always look like they are going Out of Business and Toys R Us hardly every has customers, they have come through strong in the last couple of weeks!

Toys R Us has been a consistent supply of New releases! I've found Impound Boost, Chief RPM, and Tank Coat Pitty! I've yet to find the next case with Impound Snot Rod, but I have a strong feeling they will have them very soon as well! So, kudos to Toys R Us for meeting collector demand over the last few weeks! It certainly made it easier to buy five Cars for the N2O promotion!

Today I had a feeling I should go into Kmart and voila! There were the two Over Sized Characters I've been searching weeks for...Mack and Marco! And, they had two of each, which is what I always buy! Not only did I find Mack and Marco, but I also found another Impound Boost! So, guess where I'll be going in search of Cars die cast toys? Well, it's safe to say I won't be going to Walmart until they get their act together!

Hope this gives you some help in your search for the elusive toys! You know, I paid $8.79 for each Over Sized and could care less. They had the darn things I wanted and I was happy to pay Kmarts price! Wouldn't you?

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Disney Pixar Cars - Feeling Like A Mouse In A Maze Chasing Cheese

I've been quite sick over the last four days, thus my lack of recent entries. Add to this fact that there hasn't been much to write about! I could rehash old news so you'd have something to read every day, but that's not my style. I write when I have something substantive to tell you.

After that ridiculous "Black Friday," I feel like we as collectors, have been running around like the proverbial mouse in a maze chasing an elusive piece of cheese! I know a large number of you are getting fed up with the baloney of wasting gas and time chasing Mattel's Cheese. It isn't fun, it isn't making anyone happy, it is simply insulting. If anyone thinks running from Walmart to Toys R Us, from Target to KB Toys, from Walgreens to Kmart, is a productive use of your time, when the result of hours of running around end in disappointment, then you need to get a life!!

Christmas is just over four weeks away. Where the heck is Night Vision McQueen and the Collector's Guide? Where are the Haulers? What about NEW Cars like Sally With Cone, Dexter Hoover, Tumble Weed McQueen, Chase Boost, Chase Snot Rod, Tank Coat Pitty and Chief RPM? What's the story with the "Oversized" Cars?

I have not seen, nor have any idea where Night Vision McQueen is being sold. No one else seems to either. The "Haulers" must be under the mismanagement of General Motors, because who knows if we'll ever see them! Sure, some of the recent New Cars have come out...if you live, sleep and do nothing but sit in the aisles of Walmart or Target 24/7!! How about the stupidity of Walmart's Black Friday circular? The ad shows three "Oversized" Cars; Mack, Marco and Lightning Storm McQueen. People all over the country arrive at 5:00 A.M. and find Walmart has NOTHING, or if they do, they don't have Mack and Marco! Are you a satisfied customer? Or do you feel like a mouse that hasn't been fed, so you'll run through a maze for a stinking piece of cheese?! I think you know how I feel.

Let me tell you something straight up...I write what I observe and what's truthful. If something warrants praise, then I write positive things and give credit where credit is due. On the obverse, if I see garbage and poor management, then I'll criticize and point out issues that need to be addressed and rectified.

My next article will focus on the stupidity of Ebay Sellers who've hoarded the die cast Cars from the start. Have a good one! I'm outta here!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Upcoming Items of Interest

Waiting, waiting, waiting! Not much news of late. We're all just waiting for all the New Cars releases to show up in stores...The New Race O Rama card backs with Impound McQueen, Spin Out McQueen and Ron Hover. We're waiting for the New Oversized releases including Al-Oft, Mack, Barney Stormin', Lightning Storm McQueen and Marco the Jet. We're waiting for the release of the New Race Car Haulers such as Mack, Chick Hicks and the Wal-Mart truck. So, as we wait, I thought I'd add a bit to your "To Do List!"

1. This weekend on October 18, 2008, you have the K-Mart Cars Event at 11:00 a.m. at most Kmart stores in the country. The list is too long for me to post. Call your store on the 17th and ask the know nothing managers about the event then, then they might finally know something. HA!
   
2. Darth Mater will be auctioned off at this year's Children Affected by Aids Foundation's Dream Halloween event on October 25, 2008!
3. October 26, 2008 is the start of the next Toys R Us buy 5 get 1 Free promotion for a Cars N2O Cola Car in a display case. The typical store personnel are like Schultz from Hogan's Heros saying, "I see NOTHING! I know NOTHING!"
   
4. The world premier of Disney Pixar's "Cars Toons," the New animated short series directed by John Lasseter and starring Mater, will be presented on the Disney Channel, Toon Disney, and ABC Family beginning on Monday, October 27, 2008!

So, We have a few Cars things to keep us occupied for the next couple of weeks. I've been surely driving the Toys R Us and Wal-Mart stores crazy with my calls looking for the New Oversized releases. At least it keeps me out of trouble, right?! Yeah, right!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Meet The Man Behind The Cars Die-Cast Toys

While at Comic-Con I met Mattel Senior Manager of Product Design, Martin Arriola. From the moment I met Martin, I knew I met a live wire! He was incredibly enthusiastic about Lightning Storm McQueen, and was as proud as a kid who drew that masterpiece that hangs on a parent's refrigerator. We hit it off as we talked passionately about the Cars toys he and his team have designed. Martin has been with Mattel for 26 years, so you can imagine how much he has worked on over his career. Martin is on the left and Ben Butcher of Pixar is on the right.

Martin gave me the low down on all the upcoming releases. He mentioned how happy he was that John Lasseter approved of the Trailer designs and how they'd be die-cast. Martin told me he worked for two years to make them become a reality at a price point Mattel would finally approve. We as collectors owe him and his team our appreciation, because we'll soon be able to add these great characters to our collections!

We talked about the Chase Cars that will be released. There will be 20,000 of each Chase Car inserted in cases distributed throughout the country. We can expect to see One (1) New Chase release/month starting very soon. These are the Chase Cars we can expect as of today...Stickers McQueen, Stickers Fred, Denver Boots on Lightning, Wingo, Boost, Snot Rod and DJ. Piston Cup Trophy with Lightning, Chick and the King. And, the Wrecked King. I asked Martin if "Chase Cars" would ever be re-released as part of the "Mainline" series. I loved the answer he gave me. He said that John Lasseter coined a phrase called, "Lizzie's Law!" What Lizzie's Law says is important to collectors, "Once you go Chase, you can't go Mainline." So, once Chase Cars have been released, don't expect to see them a second time.

Martin told me about improving Barney Stormin' by making him die-cast instead of plastic. This lead into discussion about the "Oversized" line. I've told you about Elvis the RV, Al Oft the Blimp, Marco the Jet and Lightning Storm as an "Oversized" release. We talked about Mattel "Getting it Right," by creating the "Oversized" characters. This keeps things in proper scale and believe me, Martin made it clear to me that John Lasseter wanted this to be done. We can also expect to see the Security Vans at the Motor Speedway to be done as "Oversized." We can speculate that if Bessie, Lightning's Biggest Fan and even a die-cast version of the Banshee are released, that they will also be done as "Oversized" versions. Expect the long-awaited Frank the Combine to be part of the line once he's released! I firmly believe these will be some of the most highly prized Cars characters in the line.

The key thing I came away with from my time talking with Martin, was that John Lasseter is developing the Cars Die-Cast Toys line as we the fans would! You have to understand how much of a fan of these toys John Lasseter is, once you realize that John is as passionate about these toys as you and I are as collectors, it becomes very clear why he cares so much about their detail and workmanship!

My time at Comic-Con was a lot more fun and interesting because I became friends with Martin! He is not only a Senior Manager of Product Design at Mattel, but he is also an artist who creates Original Paintings in Oil, Pastel and Watercolor. These are tough mediums to work in and can be truly beautiful when mastered. Here's one of my favorites Martin did called the "Pavilion, Balboa Island." It is an Oil on Panel, and makes me want to head there today. I urge you to learn more about Martin's art at this link...MartinArriola.com

By the way, remember this incredible Display Case?! Guess who designed it? Yup! Martin did. I told him how much collectors are dying for a truly fine Display Case that can hold a large number of our Cars. We talked about it at length, and I also discussed it with the Brand Manager in detail. If we are lucky, we may see one available on MattyCollector.com in the future!

I'm not only working to bring you the best info, but working passionately to convey what collectors want to the makers of these great toys! They are listening and want to see the Disney Pixar Cars line go strong for years to come!

Still more to talk about from Comic-Con! My next entry will focus on Fan Cars.

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!

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