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!!

Be part of the mob and Subscribe to Alternator Valley!

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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 - To Attend Comic-Con, or Not Attend...This is the Question

If you haven't been to the San Diego Comic-Con and you want to see Movie/TV Stars, weirdos, buy the hottest collectibles and enjoy the finest SoCal weather, then you should make a point of attending this year in July!

How do you decide if you want to attend the New York City Comic-Con? That's easy!! Do you want to freeze your butt off? I grew up in Boston and moved to Florida to escape the cold, so heck no! Is there going to be an exclusive Cars die cast being sold? Nope, and I'd probably just buy it on Ebay if there was one. Are there any huge stars making an appearance that you'd just have to see or die? Nope, not a single one! So, the answer is clear and simple...I'm skipping!

Remember, I reported that Mattel's Comic-Con Exclusive for this year will be Fire Engine Mater with Mia and Tia as Dalmatians (Check archives from 1/18/09)! This is the best picture you'll see until I get the real stuff from Mattel. By attending you get to pay retail, and you'll also get to preview all the upcoming releases that will be on display at the Mattel booth! July in San Diego delivers the finest weather you could want! Additionally, if you want to see Movie/TV Stars, you'll get them in abundance at the San Diego Comic-Con! Last year I saw Lucy Lawless, the cast of the Sara Connor Chronicles, Director Mc G and the cast of Terminator 4, and Director of The Shawshank Redemption, Frank Darabont! I missed Kiefer Sutherland, Hugh Jackman, Keanu Reeves and more! These are reasons to attend the San Diego Comic-Con! Believe me, you won't be dissapointed!

Mark Your Calender: Friday, February 5th I'll Preview Mater the Greater Prototypes! If you have yet to Subscribe to Alternator Valley, do so now and you'll be notified every time I publish another article!

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Disney Pixar Cars - The Pixar Story by Leslie Iwerks

I just watched Wall•E's Disc 2 feature, "The Pixar Story" by Leslie Iwerks, and it is SUPREMELY INSPIRING! It compelled me to write this article to tell you that this one story alone, makes purchasing the Wall•E 3-DISC Special Edition a MUST!! If you've been a fan of Pixar, John Lasseter, and Steve Jobs, you'll be highly inspired by their passion and triumph in building the animation power house that produced Cars!

The piece documents everything from John's time at CalArts, to his being fired because he was ahead of his time in seeing the potential of computer animation. It endears you to Ed Catmul, who is now head of Disney/Pixar Animation. It takes you on his journey from a being a fan of animation, to working with George Lucas, to being the head of Pixar, and culminating with his position at Disney today! It shows how critical Steve Jobs was in making key entrepreneurial decisions that would move the fledgling company along, and allow the team to do what it had to in order to succeed! You see Joe Ranft and Pete Doctor, Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird, and learn more about them! You are taken through time from the shorts to Cars. It is a superb story by Leslie Iwerks that I bet you'll watch over and over again!

I've been fortunate to meet and talk to John Lasseter and Joe Ranft. I asked Pete Doctor about UP at a press conference at Comic-Con this year! I hope someday soon I'll meet Ed Catmul and Steve Jobs! Maybe get a chance to sit down and chat with Andrew Stanton and Brad Bird some time! I share a passion for what they do, and how they do it! If you want to be inspired, buy Wall•E's 3-DISC Special Edition, pop in Disc 2, and watch "The Pixar Story!!" All I could do was smile, cheer, and shed a tear of happiness for their progress and triumphant success! I hope it touches you in the same way!

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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.

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Old Route 66 Days - Fini from Comic-Con '08

Comic-con was a grand buffet for the collector! I've been told next year will be even better and bigger for the Cars line! There were a load of great things I reported on from MattyCollector.com to the coming of "Elvis!" This is my last story from Comic-Con 2008.

If you recall, the scene in Cars where Sally and Lightning are at the Wheel Well Motel looking out over Radiator Springs, Sally reminisces about the good old days when she reminded Lightning that, "Cars didn't drive to make great time, they drove to have a great time!"



Well, you're going to get the opportunity to add the Old Days Cars to your collection as well! I'm going to discuss a couple I saw at Comic-Con to whet your appetite!

The first I'll discuss, is a truck that has a very distinct look...his name is Dustin Mellows. He was a delivery truck for Trophy Spark Plugs in the 1950's and travelled through Radiator Springs each month.

Here's Dustin in die cast form! He looks as if he'll be part of the "Over Sized" line. When will he be released? I don't know that yet.

I also saw this big green machine...Edwin Kranks. A Car who would eat at Flo's each night. Like a human partying and waking up with an unintended tattoo, Edwin woke up to find he had a metal flake green apple paint job. Girls suddenly stared at Edwin quite a bit, and those dinners at Flo's became dinner for two.

Here's Edwin in die cast form! A very cool looking character. Again, no release date as of today. There will be many more of the Old Days Cars. So, buckle your seat belts...there's going to be a great time ahead!

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Disney Pixar Cars Spectator Fans

There's so much in store for Cars collectors! We are going to see the most incidental of characters released. You'll be surprised who we'll see in the future. I want to talk about the Spectator, or Fan Cars today. We've seen the most prominent fans in Mia and Tia so far. We'll start seeing the fans from the stands with their foam lightning bolts and more! Here are a few from the Blu-Ray Disc with their bios...

Timothy Twostroke

Timothy Twostroke appears to be one of those trash talkin', North Eastern fans full of passion. It is no wonder he loves the cocky Lightning McQueen.

Polly Puddlejumper

Polly the shy housewife has her secret crush on "The King" and seems to be quite the introvert. She shows her support by wearing her foam antennae Crown, and her color even matches "The King!"

Kit Revster

Kit appears to be one of those laid back SoCal types. He is into his surfing, but loves his Piston Cup racing just as much!

Wilmar Flattz

Wilmar appears to be one of those dweebs who lacks social skills. He fawns over Mia and Tia, and probably goes to the races just to be around them. Some might say he is "Scary."

As I've mentioned in prior articles, you'll eventually be able to assemble the entire Motor Speedway of the South with the Racers, the Trailers, the Pittys, the Officials and the Fans! Have you put aside a room for your collection?! :-)

Coming up next time...The Chase Cars controversy. How will collectors react?

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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.

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Storytellers Series Smell Swell McQueen

I learned about a New series that will be released in the future called "Storytellers." They are existing characters that will be released on a sandwich-like card and tell stories about things prior to the first movie. They are technically called "Interstitials," which are short animation pieces that appear on television or online before and after programming or commercials.

Smell Swell is supposed to be Lightning McQueen's first sponsor before Rust-eze. It is a car deodorizer company. There will be others such as Doc, Ramone and Flo. There have been grumblings about adding these to the line since they weren't in the Original Movie. If they are introduced properly, I'll reserve judgement until I see how well they are done before I write them off. My impression is they'll do average unless the story-line is very strong. I don't recall what their price will be. Once I find out, I'll let you know.

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Pixar Cars Sarge May Salute Us On Veterans Day

People have long been awaiting the return of Sarge in his new "Fatigues!" The New Sarge sans the lead paint that prompted a recall last year, should appear around Veterans Day (November 11, 2008). He should be saluting with his wiper blade and be accompanied by an American Flag! It is only proper that this great American Jeep should make his return during our important holiday honoring ALL veterans. If you'd like to be more informed about Veterans Day, visit this link and read about it more...History of Veterans Day

Much more to come from Comic-Con! My next entry will be about Smell Swell and Lightning before he made it big.

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Disney Pixar Cars Trucks - The Convoy

As I've mentioned, there are a load of Cars Trucks coming out in the future and they are going to be incredible. In fact, I've been told the plan is to eventually release EVERY single truck that hauls a racer. As was told to me, now that they've got the main mold, they can easily produce each truck.

John Lasseter wanted the "Trailers" to be big enough to carry their respective Racer. He also wanted the Trucks to be Die-Cast and of the highest quality! The ultimate thing he wants to make possible, is for any collector to be able to build the entire Motor Speedway of the South with all the Racers, Fans, Officials, Trailers and Pittys! That has certainly been what I've hoped for and envisioned.

I've also learned that exclusive groupings will be released. One of the first we should see, will be Chick Hicks, his Trailer and his Pitty. This is expected to be a Walmart exclusive.

Mattel and Disney were adamant that the trucks be produced at a reasonable price point for collectors. From what I've previewed, I can tell you that the quality and detail is well worth the $13.00 price they are expected to retail for when released!

Much more to come from Comic-Con! My next entry will be about Sarge and his expected return!

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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.

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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.

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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! ;-)

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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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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!

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