Mattel Disney Pixars CARS: Collector’s Club …

More details here at our new site – TakeFiveADay.com

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: When You Wish Upon a Mack Star …

Sometimes your dreams do come true …

Is it a dream or am I waking?

Don’t click your heels, click HERE or Click the giant logo below to be er, Mack-transported to see if your dreams can come true … (diecast division only … lotto winning dreams, you need a special password).

… an enchanted place where the photos are not blurred 🙂

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: Lightning Storm McQueen Final Pics + Stand

PLEASE NOTE – This post & this website has moved to TakeFiveADay.com – to read the latest Lightning Storm SD CC News, please click on the link above or click on the logo. Thanks!

Here is the final production release Lightning Storm McQueen – available at San Diego’s Comic Con exclusively.

Production will number 5,000 – $20 each at the show. Oops, still $15 – sorry for the brain glitch, was busy trying to backup the site and write a new post. So, still $15 – my error. Sorry.

It comes in the white box you see to the left and everything you see on the right.

The Blue Ransburg Lightning Storm McQueen, the clear stand, the black base with graphics and even the plexi cover – nice!

6 to a Master Case for those who plan on bulking up 🙂

And for those who want more exacting measurements – It’s 4 3/4″ x 5″ x 5 3/4 & the master carton is 9.5″ x 10″ x 12.”

Our original post was here.

If you were planning on going Saturday (or Wednesday night), SOLD OUT!

Tix still available Thursday, Friday & Sunday … though check the selling bar and get it before it strikes RED.

If you live in the San Diego area and are on a tighter budget, you can also consider volunteering three hours of your time and you get in that day for free.

There is only online registration so plan ahead if you think you might want to go … and now, of course, you have to decide on a specific day of days. Good luck! See ya there!

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: Motor Speedway of the South? Bring $1,350, Yep, $1,350 USD

FOR THE LATEST CARS & Piston Cup Info, be sure and visit our new site, TakeFiveADay.com – Simply click on the text link or the logo above. Thanks!

Motor Speedway of the South? Bring $299, $500, $750, $850, $1,100, Yep, $1,350 USD. $1,100? That was so like yesterday … get with the times!

Man, I guess they were right about the dollar not being worth anything, why I remember when $1,100 would buy more than 36 CARS, a display case & a track … but hey, I guess I’m just a old geezer who think $1,100 is real money … I guess I’ll have to take another 3″ off my bed and sleep just a little lower to the ground … damn nasty 300%+ inflation … and man, it’s a short click from $500 to $1,100.

Or today where $1,350 is the new benchmark … that MOPPY guy was not to be denied going from $911 to $1,305 in a little over 6 hours … where $1,280 of your money is NO FREAKIN’ GOOD here … bring $1,350 (with shipping) or don’t come at all, DUDE!

Yesterdays’ bidding blow by blow …

There were actually THREE people willing to pay $1,000 – t***7 who thought his hidden max bid of $1k would surely carry the day, the e***e guy who jumped in thinking his $50 extra would buy him the set but nope, you needed another $26 USD + shipping …

Mama said Knock You Out.

What recession are people talking about again? It’s all great here at the Billionaire’s CARS Club … Well, I’m off to crush my Apple car and have an Crushed-Appletini – would you like yours stirred or shaken?

We now have at least 3 people who have bid $1k for this set and have nothing to show for it except carpal tunnel … and as “BMW” points out, another auction is at $1k so we’ll have a few more crying into their spilled caviar …

Now, maybe I’m not the right guy who should tell people how to spend $1k of their hard earned money (gold leaf chocolate is nice after my shift at The Dollar Tree).

But maybe this might be a more er, uplifting way to go … $30 buys you a meal for 70 kids or $100 for clean water for 40 people … Or buy an African family a starter farm & sustanance … (a cow, 2 goats, 5 chickens and a cockerel) for $50. Or 40 chickens for $60 …

Just remember, there’s no point to bidding $1,280 for 36-CARS if you lose! You must bid to win – come on, people, just type that 2 first and be done with it and hey, why not type the 3 first … how many people can say they own a $3,000 dollar set of CARS – not many – be the first! Be the first! Be the first! (just make sure you get the Apple CAR).

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: Mini’s Playsets Coming Next (Summer 2008)

First, yes, the Screamin’ Banshee is considered a Mini Adventures vehicle …

If you look closely, Screamin’ Banshee’s front/mouth scoops up CARS (up to 5 at a time) and then expels them off to the side …

Here is a screenshot – as you can see, the Mini Adventures Screamin’ Banshee is so huge – he’s in scale to both Mini Mater & 1:55 Mater … just that you lose the “Mini CARS eating” feature …

Available at Amazon & Children’s Toy Closet.com.

There are also three new playsets coming for the Mini’s line – you’ve seen some photos at Toyfair – here are some shots without the distracting background.

And yes, Lizzie seems an odd choice to include with the Wheel Well Motel playset though somewhere the listings says Sally so the photo might be wrong.

In addition, there will be a box set of the Mini’s called “Crusin’ with Flo,” (Christmas time?):

“… contains 6 favorite Radiator Springs characters. Hang out with Mater, Lightning McQueen, Doc, Sally, Flo and Ramone all in their original decos as they get ready to roll onto more fun Mini Adventures™!”

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: Target Halloween 2008 & Other Mini’s

Looks like Target will get another holiday Mini – though not as enticing as the Easter ones with the cool paint motifs …

Since none of the motif names sound Autumn or Halloween-ish, it might be safe to presume they will come with some pumpkin shaped holder instead of a paint scheme …

Not everything has an accompanying photo but the list is:

Tunerz McQueen & Tunerz Ramone (no photo)

Peace Corp Fillmore & Sarge
(this set re-released each with a mini ‘pumpkin’?)

Race Rod Mater & Race Rod Sarge
Here is Race Rod Mater – no Race Rod Sarge photo yet …

The main MINI’s visual checklist is here along with more text updates (no photos) of what’s coming next. Presumably at SD Comic Con, we’ll get more visual evidence.

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: The 2008 Summer Release

So, while we got a mini breather in collecting CARS, the lull is over – we’re about ready to go all night long …

Repeating info – Case P – looks like the first time some new CARS will come THREE to a case – hopefully that will hold true for subsequent cases:

Bug Mouth McQueen
Fabulous Hudson Hornet
Fillmore
Kathy Copter (3)
Mario Andretti
Petrol Pulaski (RPM #64 Pitty) (3)
Race Official Tom
Radiator Springs McQueen
Ramone-Yellow
Tongue Lightning McQueen
Tar Lighting McQueen (3)
Van

The rest are accurate as of now but could change – as you know, with Comic Con coming and the season of possible motif changes, these are just a rough guideline for now … also note, Jay Limo, Mini, Richard Kensington (SUV), Sarge & PCM Sarge are still missing … does that mean another Autumn WM Cube?

Q Case

Leroy Traffik, Tires Lightning McQueen & Kori along with the usual suspects 🙂

R Case

Ron Hover, Edwin Kranks and CHASE “Stickers” Lightning McQueen.

S Case

Tank Coat Pitty, Nitroade Pitty, Axle Accelerator, (Re-scaled) Fred AND intermixed, CHASE Stickers (Re-scaled) Fred.

T Case

Dexter Hoover, “Cone” Sally & ?

Movie Moments info is HERE.

GIFT 3-Pack Info is HERE.

Piston Cup Racers coming this Fall are also here – other than the Gift 3-Pack ones, are the other three coming as Launchers? Maybe on the Autumn WM Cube or as a Box Set?

And quasi related – the giant Dinoco helicopter with plastic Mater will be a TRU exclusive from here on out (but also available at Disneyland/DisneyWorld) so in case you’ve been having trouble finding it – it should return soon to TRU.

This should take us through early September – hopefully things don’t change though with gas and other commodities going skyward in pricing, who knows? But on the other hand, going by the eBay prices of the Motor Speedway set & the Apple Car … apparently we’re all millionaires and billionaires collecting CARS so, whatev – we’ll just have our personal assistant pick it up for us …

San Diego Comic Con: 5-Day Ticket SOLD OUT

Okay, no one panic 😯

There are plenty of 1-day tickets still available, the only ticket to sell out are the 5-day tickets which also allows you in Wednesday night for PREVIEW NIGHT (which runs 3 hours).

Yes, that allows you to buy and jump the gun a little earlier than most but don’t panic.

(SD Comic Con doesn’t count Wednesday Preview Night as a “day” so they call the 5-day ticket a4-day ticket).

For CARS, the show runs a total of 38 hours and there are 5,000 sets of LS McQueen (Mattel will have to average 131 units sold every hour on the hour to sell out … and I predict they will but they’re not going to sell out in the 3 hours of Preview Night so no one panic. Most important, no needless eBay clicking – at least not yet.

Our preview post of Lightning Storm McQueen is here along with a list being managed by some nice friends of 2ADay who are making arrangements to buy and ship it to you.

We hope to get an update on how many come in a case so you can plan if you need a cart, a sherpa or a donkey.

Eventually, we will get around to doing a post on all the exclusives at the SD show but so far, we also have some mighty nice Mighty Muggs to show you – scroll down to the bottom.

If you live in the San Diego area and are on a tighter budget, you can also consider volunteering three hours of your time and you get in that day for free.

There is only online registration so plan ahead if you think you might want to go … and now, of course, you have to decide on a specific day of days. Good luck! See ya there!

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: Say Goodbye to $2.97

Several people have reported in that Wal Mart has raised the prices of CARS from $2.97 to $3.47 – substantially more than the trade/wholesale price increase of 8% from Mattel.

Bill notes:

“It’s a good news – bad news day at our area WMs. At 2 of them the Mattel Rep came in yesterday and picked up the singles peg warmers and replaced them with “newer” Cars. The newest release in the swap was Chuki. The bad news, the price increase is finally here at WM. The singles went to $3.47. The Mini’s and Gift Packs went up $1.00. The dept. mgr. said that they had to scan in all of the ones left after the swap. They are still coming up $2.97 at the register. The “newer” ones the Rep left are coming up $3.47. Another area store needs the Rep to pick up about 25 Blimps. She hasn’t hit that store yet.”

I guess WM figured us CARS buyers had more income we were willing to dispose of versus some other shopping choices …

Well, at least it’s better than Rite Aid …

Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: Piston Cup Racer Checklist & The Next 6 Coming This Fall

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED AT THE SITE WE ARE MOVING TO – TAKE FIVE A DAY.COM. Just click on the above logo to be taken to the latest update on the two new Piston Cup Racers coming as launchers. Enjoy. Thanks!

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Of course, if you bought the Motor Speedway of the South set, you now have 36 Piston Cup Racers … not counting duplicates.

If you’re collecting them only as they are released, you should have 13 of the Piston Cup Racers:

Lightning McQueen
Chick Hicks
Dale Jr.
Gasprin
The King
Leak Less
Nitrorade
No Stall
RPM
Octane Gain
Tow Cap
Trunk Fresh
Vinyl Toupee

With of course, Trunk Fresh hitting the shelves (aka: the cube, aka: Action Alley Display pallet drop) bringing us to 13 available outside the set.

With the already quasi-announced Gift 3-packs of Shiny Wax & Spare Mint (with a Pit Crew & a Crew Chief) …, that would be 14 & 15.

Add one, Re-Volting included in the forthcoming Race & Chase Gift Pack – we’re at 16.

Now, we have three more scheduled for Fall: Sputter Stop, Transberry Juice, & View Zeen.

It doesn’t appear they will be a Movie Moments pack and it seems unlikely they will appear as singles – my feeling is they will be part of a box set, Dinoco 400 Part II? Like last year’s 7 Piston Cup Racers, we’ll get 4 repeats and these 3 as the new? Now sure but I’m throwing it out there … and/or will they be designed like the Race & Chase Gift Pack above so if we buy all 20 Gift Packs along with the Motor Speedway track, we can build a giant track?

So, at the end of Fall, 2008 – we should be at @19 Piston Cup Racers available outside the Motor Speedway set which brings up an interesting point, if you’re collecting down the line, do you care if a Launcher release is substituted in for what came with the Motor Speedway set. Well, if you do, you might want to keep track of the production numbers assigned to the Motor Speedway CARS – they are different from the regular releases … of course, it’s impossible to keep track of each version – for instance, my opened, original April 2006 McQ has no production code under the CAR but the latest launcher does and presumably that number is different than the WOC version and the SC version … suffice to say, I think it’s easier to keep track of the MSOS set & any deviation from this (yes, numbering for Tow Cap & Gaspirin from the Movie Moments IS DIFFERENT than than the numbering for the MSOS set – even though you would’ve thought they’d be the same based on the presumption they’d be in production at about the same time).

Here’s a chart of the MSOS racers that are available outside the set with all the possible versions it may have come from. The 4 digit number is the production code under each Piston Cup racer from the MSOS set.

The racers with a black border means it’s coming soon in that format.

For Sputter Stop, Transberry Juice, & View Zeen, it’s still a guess as to what format they might be available in.

* Of course, at this point, Dale Jr’s ‘aggro’ face is only available as a MSOS Piston Cup Racer … when Mattel switches from the WOC motif, will Dale Jr. be changing to v2.0?

** Vinyl Toupee was available in the UK as a bagged version as part of a promo.

ALL PHOTOS courtesy of Robert & www.SpeedwayoftheSouth.com and used with his permission. Be sure to check out Robert’s site for full-sized photos of all the racers. Thanks!

And happy collecting!

(Oh yeah, we should hear about the holiday season releases at SD Comic Con so we may not be done and no, no word on the Apple CAR …).