The Gift Packs (aka: 3-packs) did not get off to the best of starts. The first batch featured CARS packs that were not just terribly un-exciting but frankly, the card design was dull, dull, dull, dull …

CASE A (late 2007-early 2008)

Cactus McQueen, Dirt Track Doc Hudson (Red Rims) & Sheriff
Pace Car (Charlie Checker), Lightning McQueen & King
Lightning McQueen, Flo & Lightning Phase Ramone

People expect that CARS will get re-packed – nothing really wrong with that but this conveys all the excitement of generic aspirin …

Of course, people didn’t mind so much if the CARS packed within were more enticing …

But to the average person passing it on the shelf, it was dull, dull, dull.

It also didn’t help that the poorly chosen ones clot and still to this day clot the shelves … and no one is sure why WM decided to order 7-million of Gold Mia & Tia with Dinoco Lightning McQueen (or why Mattel agreed to ship 7-million).

Okay, maybe it wasn’t 7-million but now 6-months later, it is still there but Mattel has really stepped up the packaging design of CARS – from Walgreens-branded aspirin to World Class …

The new boxes of the newly named 3-CAR Gift Pack are nice in every aspect. They convey value, they help class up the brand and they make you want to buy them as a gift.

This isn’t night and day, it’s night and two weeks later in the Bahamas during winter.

BTW, for completists – note – this Pit Crew like Guido contains a dual set of fat tires AND thin tires – available nowhere else with Guido (or Luigi) so … while the CARS are the same, it’s technically an accessory variant … er, Collect Them All!

So, even though Dinoco Mia, Dinoco Tia and Dinoco are obviously available elsewhere, this is the first time they are available together and again – this box design and art makes them look like they are new all over again …

This one of course contains the only really new CAR release – Finish Line Lightning McQueen. Since we have no idea what’s going with the Target Movie Moments, right now, this is the only place to get Finish Line Lightning McQueen …

Speaking of which, the three above are part of CASE B … CASE C is coming and you can’t fault the case assortment on that one … it is great!

(this is the prototype photo – will they switch to names for each box set? Or just the ticket words 3-CAR GIFT PACK? … Um, do we care? 🙂 ).

And I’m going to go out on a limb and say that people might be interested in CASE D also … I’m thinking that’s a safe bet, who will bet against me? Anyone, no one? – don’t worry fans of Charlie Checker, he’s returning in a 3-CAR Gift Pack later – for now, you’ll just have to content yourself to playing with some obscure CARS like Sparemint and the Dinoco Showgirls 🙂 …

So, the 3-CARS Gift Pack is a great upgrade – not only in its new design but also in its coming configurations. Dinoco Showgirl Pics here. Niiiccee!!!

You did budget a million dollars for CARS this year, right?