Mattel displayed a Lightning Storm McQueen at the recent NY Comic Con – as the big exclusive CAR available at the SD Comic Con in July, 2008.

(more photos at Figures.com).

ToyNewsInternational has a great closeup/PR Photo that solves some of the mystery of what may be exclusive about it.

At larger Comic Cons (aka: Convention), toy companies will often offer an exclusive to draw interest in the line and of course, their booth.

There are four aspects that can make a figure/car/item special at these shows.

Number Distributed/Sold

Packaging

Accessory (Special/Variant)

Item itself as “variant” version.
What does this mean for CARS & Lightning Storm McQueen?

Number Distributed or Sold Options:

Not Very Limiting – Available Outside Show
Somewhat Limited
Extremely LImited

The first option of exclusivity is simply the number produced or available at the show. It might be something that is not very limiting – you’re allowed to buy 1 per day (they stamp your hand) but you can buy one everyday of the show or perhaps, Mattel has teamed up with an online company so during those 4-5 days of the show, you can buy from them also (or even from the Red Line Club). Based on previous examples & likely Mattel history, this is unlikely, you will most likely be only able to buy only one at the show and at best, perhaps 1 a day which leads to the most likely scenario, that it’s somewhat limited. What that number is hard to guess but it’s a number where Mattel doesn’t have to take any back (home) so most likely, a few thousand. Now, it could extremely limited such as 100 given to vendors and a few raffled off but my guess is since Mattel announced at NY Comic Con it would be at SD, most likely, you have a reasonable chance of buying one. (What’s reasonable?, be my guest to guess 😉 )

Packaging

Sticker on Card
Minimal
Unique Card
Special

Packaging pretty much goes hand in hand with the exclusivity. It’s pretty rare for an item at a show not to get some indication its unique – otherwise, of course, it’d be easy to forge when the “regular” one comes out later. The laziest is some sort of sticker on the regular store/retail card saying “SD COMIC CON EXCLUSIVE!” But most companies go to some effort to make it much more enticing – another cheaper way to go is simply to create a unique paper card and staple it to a plastic baggie – while not exactly the best way to go design & esthetic-wise, it is different and to collectors, that’s acceptable though virtually everyone hates the plastic baggie method. The last two are most desireable and of course, immediately add value and make it a collectible and that is some unique packaging – in the case of CARS, a unique SD Comic Con blister card and or in a special box

Accessory (Special/Variant)

Special
Variant

So, when the “common” Lightning Storm McQueen is released, ) … will there be a clear plastic stand, the same missiles? – part of the variant possibilities are the accessories? They look pretty detailed and finely painted – will the store bought ones be as nice and as detailed? (It may just be a hand painted prototype anyway).

Item itself

Variant

And finally, in addition to “special” packaging & accessories and “limited” in numbers, the CAR itself might be a variant version available only at S.D. Just got the word – NOT LIMITED in availability!

From the Toy News International PR Close up photo, we can see it’s chrome.

Versus plain ‘ole Dinoco McQueen …

So, will there be a chrome Dinoco Blue SD Comic Con Lightning Storm McQueen with variant rockets on an exclusive plastic stand in an exclusive blister card in limited quantities? The mind boggles.

FULL UPDATE HERE. Briefly, it’s a Blue Rangburg chrome with a plastic stand AND the black base. As for packaging, we will have to see though the good news, not limited in quantity.