Disney Pixar Cars - Collector Frustration and Loss of Momentum

I've always had my finger on the pulse of collecting, and am a fairly good barometer of how collectors feel. Have you been frustrated with the lack of supply of the new releases over the last few months? I know I have! For the first time in three years, my collecting has become discombobulated. I'm not even sure what I need to be up to date with my collection, and feel like I've hit a wall. I know I need Impound Snot Rod, Greta, Hank, Tumbleweed McQueen, White Walls McQueen and Race Damaged King. The problem is, who knows what's out?! Distribution is so screwed up, that some parts of the country are just getting T Cases that came out four to five months ago, while others are seeing Impound DJ! Can you relate?!

How about the economy? Are you starting to buy just one Car instead of two of each character? I've started to curtail my spending. Especially in light of the pathetic supply. We all ran around like a bunch of goofballs during Black Friday through Christmas looking for New releases and Haulers that never showed up! I don't know about you, but I'm tired and over it all! Ever visit MattyCollector.com? This is what you hear...Chirp, Chirp, Chirp, Chirp!! So, is it any surprise that Mattel comes out with a lousy earnings report? As I've said in the past, Mattel blames retailers, while the retailers blame Mattel. Passing the proverbial buck doesn't matter to customers. We want service, supply and not some artificial scarcity! Doing some stupid promotion to get us to buy up "Peg Warmers" to get a racer in a case is losing it's appeal. People ordered three to five Sidewall Shines, then only ordered one to three N2O Colas. Buying all those Cars that we don't want or need is getting old fast.

Well, I guess we'll see what happens. The Haulers are finally showing up and Dustin Mellows is making appearances. New singles are still pathetically scarce, and who knows where all the Chase Cars are. Mattel has no excuse for poor earnings. They can print money by simply getting their act together and meeting consumer demand for the hottest toy line in the world...CARS!

Coming to Alternator Valley: The Mater the Greater Prototypes will be Previewed SOON! Subscribe to Alternator Valley and get the Hottest Cars News before anyone!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Piston Cups and Chase Cars

Are you dying to get your own Piston Cup? Here are a few you may have gotten by purchasing some of the many tracks or play sets. A few were also available at the Disney Store. I like the larger, detailed ones, while the smaller ones look like they came out of a cereal box. Again, a thanks to Ivette my friend from Austin for the picture!

We will soon see "Chase" Piston Cups with Lightning Mc Queen, the King and Chick Hicks! Yes, they are to be released as more of the "Chase" Cars that will be limited to 20,000 in distribution. They will have a gold gilded finish, and were first previewed at Comic-con last year. I would think they will start showing up after the impound series. To bad they won't be made of real metal. Maybe, we'll see one some day that will be part of an Exclusive set on MattyCollector.com.

Coming Very Soon: The Mater the Greater Prototypes will be Previewed this Friday! They are INCREDIBLE! Subscribe to Alternator Valley so you'll be notified every time I publish another article!

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Disney Pixar Cars - Shelves Filled With Old Releases

I went to Walmart today and a few other locations over the last week. I found stores filled with Cars from Cases R, T, A, and B in abundance. Still hardly an Oversized in sight. In Orlando, I have yet to see a single Hauler. I've found a Bumper Stickers McQueen and an Impound Boost surprisingly. I don't know when the heck we'll see Oversized Cars in more abundance, or the Haulers, I can only say it is the same old distribution baloney.

I have seen a better flow of New Releases coming through Toys R Us over the last few weeks. They've been far better than Walmart which seems to be sorting through Cases released months ago. I can't imagine how frustrated those of you overseas must be at trying to find Disney Pixar Cars. Let's hope these stores wake up and start getting their act together as they feel the economic pressures of the day!

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?

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Selling Cars On Ebay Is A Waste Of Time

I want to address the selling of Cars die cast toys on Ebay. From the start, people have been hoarding Cars and foolishly selling them for very little profit. I'm going to show you how people selling Cars on Ebay have little to no business smarts!

I got an extra Edwin Kranks at the Kmart Collectors Day back in October. Let me show you how much of a waste of time it was for me to sell it on Ebay! The first time I listed it, I had a starting price of $9.99 with a Buy It Now price of $12.99. It did not sell. The second time I listed it, my starting price was $2.00 with a Buy It Now price of $9.99. This time someone paid the Buy It Now price of $9.99 with $2.95 Shipping and Handling.

Here's how my costs broke down and what I made...The first time I listed it, I paid an Insertion fee of $0.35, a Buy It Now fee of $0.10, for a total of $0.45 cents. The second time I listed it, I paid an Insertion fee of $0.35, a Buy It Now fee of $0.10, a Scheduled fee of $0.10, and a Final Value fee of $0.87 cents. Now, the Insertion fee of $0.35 was refunded because it sold the second time I listed it. My total Ebay fees were $1.45 and constituted a 16% piece to Ebay. The person paid by Paypal and those fees were $0.68 cents, and totalled a 5% piece to Paypal. The cost of shipping was $1.86, and the large bubble envelope cost me $0.50. The cost of the Edwin Kranks Car was $3.72. Total Fees came to $8.21. My gross amount was $12.94 and I netted $4.73 after expenses.

Now, this might seem ok on the surface, but let's look at other unrealized expenses. First, the time I spent going to Kmart and the cost of gas...I spent about two hours dealing with the event. Who knows how much gas I used. The store was about five miles from my house. Now, add to this my time spent listing Edwin for sale, the preparing of the picture, relisting it, packing it and ultimately mailing it. I'd estimate another one and a half hours. Total time spent to make a lousy $4.73...three and a half hours! That means I made $1.35/hour! That is absolutely stupid from a common sense business approach!!

The dumb thing I've heard for years from people selling like this is "I do it for fun!" When I spell it out for you, I ask you, "What is your life worth to you?!" All those hours spent to make so little. I'd really rather have spent those three and a half hours with friends, learning something, or even volunteering my time to enrich another's life. Remember, we have a finite time here. Do you want to spend it so foolishly? These points alone are enough to convince people with a brain to stop doing such fruitless selling. Additionally, think how this hoarding and greed has created shortages of supply. We've all seen those pictures people post that intimate bragging when they show a photo of two dozen of one Chase Car!

The only positive, is that you can often get the Cars you want for a good price. The majority of the Cars toys have never sold for much more than twice their cost. I looked at how many nuts bought the Mac Transporter and opened it to sell Bumper Save. Within a day, the dummies flooded the market with over eighty auctions selling the same darn car! Too many ding dongs have no clue as to what they are doing.

Will addressing this make the selling stop? Of course not! It will ONLY enlighten those with a brain. I don't care what you want to sell, it needs to be profitable and worth your time. Heck, if you really want to waste your time to track Cars down and sell them to me for three or four bucks over retail, go right ahead! You save me tons of time that I can use to sleep, watch movies, workout, and do productive things. Maybe you selling Cars on Ebay is not a waste of my time? Hmmm! ;-) I am Over and OUT!!

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

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!

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Black Friday Had Many Collectors Seeing Red

If you followed me on Twitter today, you got a sense of just how frustrating and worthless going to Walmart at 5 A.M. proved to be. I went to a Walmart that caters more to tourists visiting Orlando, while one of my reporters went to a Walmart near the University of Central Florida. We both arrived about 4:30 A.M. and the stores were packed and chaotic. The store I visited had only one pallet with Mack Transporters. The toy department manager called me a few days ago and told me that he got Oversized Cars, but when I arrived he said he didn't get them. My reporter visiting the other store found two pallets, one with Mack Transporters and one with new singles such as Chief RPM, Tank Coat Pitty and Impound Boost (Chase). The toy department manager at that store called a few days ago to tell me that he got Oversized Cars, but when my reporter arrived he told her he couldn't find them. All I got was the Tank Coat Pitty and Chief RPM, as that was all my reporter was able to find. It was quite a disappointing waste of our time!

Earlier at midnight, I went to KB Toys and they had absolutely nothing! Once I left Walmart, I went to Toys R Us and again found absolutely nothing! Cars are one of the hottest toy lines in the world and where the hell is the supply?! Just a month until Christmas, and the busiest shopping day of the year is void of supply!! Whoever is to blame, Mattel or the store buyers, get your act together! You are losing millions by not meeting the high demand around the globe. You are not creating demand if the lack of supply is actually purposely calculated to "Keep People Hungry!" You are angering your customers.

I finally went home and went to bed. I woke to find a voice mail from the toy department manager of the Walmart I went to. He told me he found four cases of the Oversized and told me to come back to get them if I wanted some. I ended up with Barney Stormin', Lightning Storm McQueen, and Al-Oft the Blimp. The infuriating thing was he put out a second pallet hours after I left with the large talking Mack Transporter, Launchers, and New Single Packs. The Single Packs were picked over and I got nothing else. He told me he saw that two more Cars pallets were coming in any day now. So, who knows what they'll be and when they'll come in.

I left Walmart about 1:30 P.M. and headed to my last useless stop, a different Toys R Us location. Again, nothing new at all! Five different stores and literally nothing to buy! I was told the same happened with a friend in the Austin, Texas area. Taking a look at the collecting community, I found that the same disappointment held true across the country. I don't know what brilliant managers made the poor decisions that led to thousands of collectors coming up empty today, but they should be fired. This running around to store, after store, after store, has gotten beyond OLD! People are getting fed up! There is far more to life, than chasing around Cars toys that aren't available.

If Walmart and Mattel want to do something for their image, they should make damn sure there is plenty of supply of the Haulers and the Newest Singles available SOON! People are over the fact that Sarge hasn't been re-released, that they can't find the Oversized Cars, and that they are Cases behind the latest releases! The supply has never met the demand since the line started in June of 2006! I won't even discuss MattyCollector! Au Revoir for tonight!!

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Tokyo Drift May Be A Lead In To Cars 2 The Global Race

I told you I heard how incredible Mater's Tall Tales "Tokyo Drift" turned out! It may be the last interstitial, and a very important one. It may give us a clue as to a bridge between Cars and Cars 2! I heard it was a much longer Cars Toons episode at approximately five to six minutes long. This is twice as long as the first three. I was told it is the best of "Mater's Tall Tales!" I also heard it has dialogue that may indicate John Lasseter is using this as the bridge to "The Global Race" by taking us to Japan!

With this intriguing info, let me tell you a bit more...the die cast toys from "Rescue Squad Mater," "Mater The Greater," "El Materdor," and "Tokyo Drift" are expected to be part of the "MAINLINE." They are expected to start showing up in the summer next year. I've also heard we MAY see a NEW Collector Guide with Dragon Lightning McQueen (He's in Tokyo Drift), similar to the recently released Collector Guide with Night Vision Lightning McQueen! Yes, I wish I had pics of Tokyo Drift! For now, enjoy the news. Once I can post pictures, you can be sure I'll happily share them!

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - MattyCollector.com Will Offer A Cars Collector's Display Case

I know that a lot of you would love to own a Display Case like this one auctioned off for the Children Affected By Aids Foundation! I certainly tried to find out how to get one and was disappointed I couldn't.

Well, you're going to get your chance to get one that will be made specially for MattyCollector.com! I don't have a release date yet, but I can tell you some tantalizing things...The case will hold a large number of Cars in the 1:55th Scale size. Since it is still in development I can't give you an exact capacity, but can say somewhere in the range of 50 to 60. It is expected to be made mostly out of plexi, as far as the finer aesthetic details, it is too soon to tell you. It is expected to sell for $300.00. Here's the incredible thing, it is expected to come with three EXCLUSIVE chase Cars! Heck! I'd drive over glass to git me sum o them! What will those three Cars will be? I don't know at this point. I can simply say that this will kick butt!

You can count on me to report on any further developments here at Alternator Valley! MattyCollector.com has been like a goofy unreliable teen, but here's hoping next year will see a more mature Matty who'll deliver some great things!

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Case A Showing UP In Orlando

I had an intuitive feeling, off a tip, that today was going to be the day I'd finally find Case A in Orlando! I called the Toys R Us nearest my house, and sho' nuff! I was told Race O Rama Cars were hanging on the pegs in full force! I ran over and it was a beautiful morning as I found my first Chase hanging on a peg! There was Impound McQueen, Spin Out McQueen and Ron Hover all waiting to jump in my basket! As the saying goes, "Timing is Everything!" Have you had a day when your timing was just right?

So, those of you in Orlando can finally expect to see that Toys R Us has finally started getting in New stock! Take to the streets and rejoice! Scream hallelujah and raise your arms to the heavens! Sing a happy song of joy! Now, you can buy the newest toys!!

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Card Back Change O Rama

Marketing ploy or just a fresh look? Since Cars die cast toys came out in early June of 2006, we've seen five major changes to the single Car card backs. The Original Design was the simple "Desert" background. Nothing ornate or busy, just a plain design that focused on the character. The name plate was not numbered, color coded or anything but simple red.

A number of months later we started seeing the New "Super Charged" backer with a bit more flash and pizazz! This backer had spotlights shooting toward the night sky with Radiator Springs businesses brilliantly lit with Neon signs behind the character on the card. This time the nameplate was changed to blue, and was still relatively simple being devoid of any numbering.

The third design was called "The World of Cars" version. Here the town of Radiator Springs was in the background in a daylight view. You can see Ramone's in the right corner and Luigi's in the left corner as we look up the main street. The nameplate became a sort of plum color with screws and numbering. I never gave a cared about the silly numbering, but other collectors have tried to keep a checklist based on it.

Sometime later Mattel came out with a short card back that has apparently only been sold at Kmarts. It stayed with "The World of Cars" design, but was about as half as tall. The only other subtle change was that the short cards don't have any numbering on the nameplate.

Finally, we come to the latest design they decided to come up with. The "Race O Rama" design came out in the last week. It has a bit more color and flare. The background is the racetrack with the Dinoco sponsor tent and fans. The nameplate was changed to a colored raffle ticket design, with a numbering that I can't say is the same or different. They are also packed with a little foldout flyer that shows the different ticket colors and icons to collecting. This is certainly a colorful backer and ties in with the New WorldOfCars.com website that will officially launch in 2009.

Other Variations include a Shield with NEW on it, and a Shield with CHASE on it. The people who are crazy completists buy every version with every design. I just can't personally justify owning the same toy five, six, seven times! So, why does Mattel do this? To make you feel you need to buy them all? To freshen up the line? To make you nuts?! I haven't asked them. The way I've approached collecting the Cars "Mainline" is to just buy the Newest release as soon as I can find it. I get whatever card back it is on, and that is the end of my search for that character. I move on to the next "New" release. We'll see how long they stay with the Race O Rama design before they change the card back again.

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Case A Coming Unglued

I have not been a big proponent of buying cases due to ending up with 14 to 16 Cars I already have. I just got an A Case with three of the Newest releases in it...The Chase Impound McQueen, Ron Hover and Spin Out McQueen. When I opened it, about half of the pieces were coming apart. The bubble was not properly glued to the backer card. Luck would have it that the few I bought the case for, the Chase Impound McQueen and Ron Hover packages were falling apart. So, I paid $70 for a case full of Cars I don't need, and the few I really want are defective! Therefore, I am dissapointed.

I'm writing this because I want to find out if any of you have encountered this issue? I'm trying to ascertain if this is a production issue, or just my bad luck. I have never seen this before. As a collector, I want my die cast Cars to stay Mint On Card. I know many of you collect in this manner. You usually buy two of each release...One to keep MOC and one to open and display, play with etc. Let me know what you are finding.

http://CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Chase Lightning McQueen With Bumper Stickers Error Car

No sooner did I mention my desire to start collecting Error Cars, when a friend called me to ask if a mutual friend had an Error Car! And, yes this is a good one! She got herself a Lightning McQueen with Bumper Stickers Chase Car that has no bumper stickers! I'd certainly love to have one of those! Take a look at these great pics my friend Julie took of her great find!

Looks like any other Chase McQueen doesn't it?

Yet, upon close inspection, we see that this Lightning does not have Bumper Stickers! He instead has "Medicated Bumper Ointment," where the three Bumper Stickers should be! This is truly a rare Car due to the fact that is a Limited Production "Chase," and it is an Error!

So, take a close look at your collection, you never know what you might have! I've yet to come across any Error Cars, but I'm sure I'll find one someday.

Check out my friend Julie Flores's great blog about Stitch and his meeting celebrities at this link Stitch's Adventure Club

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - NEW Fred Measures Up!

I took a look at Cars the movie and froze the scenes that Fred was in. We first see him as he hangs out at the Rusteze sponsor tent at the Motor Speedway of the South. We can clearly see that he is a smaller Car, but we can't see his real comparative scale because Lightning drives past him.


Later at the Los Angeles Motor Speedway we see Fred trying to get by security as Mario Andretti comes in. Fred's wheels are about half the size of Mario's and we get a better idea of his size.


I'd conclude that Fred is indeed truer to scale as the New smaller version. Fred has been compared to the 1962 AMC Rambler. AMC was known for making smaller cars and it would make sense.


Here's a cousin to Fred, and that looks like a possible cousin of Mater's to his right. They need some Rusteze Medicated Bumper Ointment, and a visit from Doc Hudson to get them back on the road!

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Disney Pixar Cars - Big Fred & Little (Chase) Fred

I went to Saint Pete last night to see my Red Sox play the Devil Rays and witnessed some of the biggest idiots at a sporting event ever! Two rows of thirty-somethings that were drunk, obnoxious and inconsiderate. The entire night was spent trying to watch the game as the buffoons stood up and blocked everyone's view while acting like morons. What's this got to do with Fred?! Well, I'm not going to tell you the entire night's events because it is just too long to go into. What I'll tell you is that the night was a mess until I decided to go into a Wal-Mart on the way home. I went to the toy department and saw pallets stacked all over the place. I looked, and to my amazement found a T-Case! For the first time ever, I was lucky enough to get to a coveted case before the Ebay Hogs! I asked an associate if I could open it and get what I wanted. He pulled out his razor knife and cut it open for me. There inside was Fred with Bumper Stickers and Axel Accelerator!! I was elated and shocked to make the find. I decided to see if there were any other Cars cases. I saw a few E Cases and an M Case, all were already opened and picked over. Then, I spied one last Case and it had the letter T on it! How could they have missed it? I opened it and got my second Fred! So, my night finished up with a positive and unexpected bang!

So, how does Big Fred compare to the New Little Fred? To start, Big Fred is 2-5/8 inches long, while Little Fred is 1-7/8 inches long. Little Fred has bumper stickers on him, while Big Fred is sans stickers. They are the same otherwise. The packaging is slightly different. Big Fred has the World of Cars backer with NEW Shield, and the #44 for the collector's checklist. Little Fred has the Chase Shield, with the #87 and a fancier white name plate. I like both, and want to actually take a look at the film to see which is more in scale with the rest of the characters. As some have pointed out, the New Fred almost looks like a Mini. Either way, I scored for once and as any of you know, that's a great feeling! Good luck finding your Fred with Bumper Stickers.

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

My First Disney Pixar Cars Die Cast Toy

Things are a bit slow while we await the release of the R Cases in full force. The Comic-Con ended about a month ago and most have obtained a Lightning Storm McQueen. T Cases will be coming out soon containing Fred with Bumper Stickers, and people have been waiting for Toys R Us to stock their shelves for the Sidewall Shine promotion.

With it being slow, I started thinking about the very first Cars die cast toy I got. The very first was Lightning, quickly followed by Mater! I looked and the Disney price was $6.99 back then! Wal-Mart is a bargain at $3.47 even now. I started collecting before the toys were even in the stores. I obtained my first two as gifts from a friend who is a Cast Member at Disney World. Disney quickly sold out in a few days and the insane chase began! I'm going to guess that the majority of collectors started off with Lightning or Mater!

I remember early on how hard it was to find Lizzie and Sarge. The hoarding by Ebayers started right away. Ebay is going to have some major changes come October and I think a lot of small sellers are going to disappear. We'll see if the expected changes will make things less profitable and drive people out. Hopefully, this will be better for collectors.

It is fun to look at your collection and see how in just two years the packaging has changed. Here my original Lightning came on the Desert backer and had the hang tag that does not fold over. You also notice the angled bubble holding Lightning, and finally the non-numbered name plate.

I wonder which character will be the last added to my collection? I guess I'll find out around 2015! Stay tuned to find out.

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

"Chasing" My Tail - The Search for Lightning McQueen with Bumper Stickers

I spent a few days going into Wal-Mart and Toys r Us to look for Chase McQueen only to find what I expected, nothing. I can't confidently say I'll ever find one on the pegs of the stores. With only one Lightning McQueen with Bumper Stickers per case, it will be very difficult to find one.

I went into the Wal-Mart near Sea World, I went into the Wal-Mart near Universal Studios, I went into the Wal-Mart on the west side of Orlando, I went into the Wal-Mart in the south west of Orlando, I went into the Toys R Us on the west side of Orlando, and I went into the Toys R Us in downtown Orlando. All I found was very little of the oldest of releases. How much gas and time did I spend chasing the "Chase?" Eh, too much!! For now, I'm done!

I bought one on Ebay against my better judgement. There were quite a few listed and typically ranged in price between $14 to $20 plus shipping. I am a typical man when it comes to shopping...I like to go to the store, find what I want and buy it. When it becomes a chore, I become quite annoyed. Finding the Cars has been the crappiest part of collecting this incredible line of die-cast toys! I've told folks at Mattel that even finding the "Mainline" Cars has been a long-term problem that needs to be dealt with through better supply.

http://www.CarsDieCastToys.Blogspot.com

Will Collectors Chase the Pixar Chase Cars

Disney Pixar and Mattel have just released Chase Lightning McQueen with Bumper Stickers. He's being released in R Cases along with the expected following mix...

• Cactus McQueen (2)
• Chase McQueen W/Bumper Stickers (20,000 Limited Production) (1)
• Chick Hicks (1)
• Chief No Stall (2)
• Dirt Track McQueen (1)
• Doc Hudson (1)
• Ferrari (1)
• Ham (1)
• Kathy Copter (1)
• Leroy Traffik (2)
• Lightning McQueen (1)
• My Name Is Not Chuck (1)
• Petrol Pulaski (Rpm Pitty) (1)
• Stacy (Leakless Pitty) (1)
• Tar McQueen (1)

You'll get a total of 18 Die-Cast toys. Other than Chase McQueen, the newest characters will be Chief No Stall, Kathy Copter, Leroy Traffik, Petrol Pulaski and Tar McQueen. Assuming you need these five, collect two of each character as many of us do, and have probably already tracked down two Tar McQueen's, then you would have a total of 7 Cars you need and want. That means you'd have duplicates of 11 Cars, or just under two-thirds of a case. What the heck will you do with the 11 duplicates? Give them to people as gifts? You can't get your money out of them.

Cars collectors are not Hot Wheels collectors. We are frustrated enough trying to just get the regular "Mainline" Cars characters. It usually takes about two to three months for me to track down the latest releases in Walmart or Target. I'm not happy about this fact, nor are most collectors I talk to who are trying to find the new releases. The greedy mental case Ebay sellers who hide in the aisles of Walmart at midnight and pounce on the stockers to grab up everything make collecting a pain in the ass! I know that I personally won't go on some unholy hunt for the Chase Cars. I am very unlikely to buy cases because I'm not going to get stuck with two-thirds of a case of toys I already have. I'm most likely to buy a chase on Ebay, even though that idea doesn't rest well with me. I'm speaking for a large number of people, and these facts don't make Cars collectors feel warm and fuzzy.

So, how will this bode for Mattel? Collectors will poke around at the stores and look at the pegs since the Lightning Chase was just released. They'll eventually get frustrated, and I think people will reluctantly buy cases. I also, believe that they'll prefer to buy one on Ebay. How much will they go for? Only time will tell. The initial two releases are nothing spectacular, so I don't see them going insanely high. The Chase McQueen and Chase Fred have bumper stickers on them and aren't dramatically different from the original releases. I also believe collectors will strive to get two of each Chase, but be satisfied with one due to the obvious difficulty in obtaining just one.

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