When Mack was released as an “Oversized-Megasized” Cab only … there was an oddity in that there was no trailer hitch hole. We knew the haulers were coming so it seemed odd that the Megasize Mack Semi would have no trailer hitch hole … especially since it’s not like we could buy a ‘competitors’ trailer to attach to Mattel’s Mack Semi?

Of course, the reason was cost – the hitch hole requires an extra little piece to make sure the trailer hitch catches and holds and it also seems the plastic is of slightly higher grade – to support the added weight of the trailer.

And in a gesture that works on many levels, the two Macks – while equal in length and in most other aspects (some minor detailing differences) also had different eyes emotions and mouth expressions.

But in going back to the cost – while they might’ve saved a few pennies here and there in not putting in the hitch hole, they were probably losing in terms of economies of scale … instead of ordering 10,000 bases with a hitch hole for ALL the runs of this semi, they were doing a split and increasing costs on the other end … so for the next “Semi” (cab only) coming – the Chick Hicks Semi, he sports a hitch hole like the Chick Hicks Hauler (the complete Semi & Trailer) Semi.

The main difference is now the eyes and the mouth expression plate …

The Hauler version is a frowny face.

Coming eventually is King Semi with a smiling face …

While the current Hauler version is showing much less teeth though still happy 🙂

Octane Gain Semi has an interesting expression … (I Drank What?)

While current rlease Octane Gain Hauler is definitely smiling.

Not sure what RPM Hauler’s expression will be but we know it will be different than the smiling RPM Semi (Megasize) expression above.

So, it seems that the Megasize Semi’s will all sport the hitch hole now but the eyes emotions and mouth expressions will be different from the Hauler Semi Cabs.

There are also some minor differences now but since we’ve only really had one release and just photos of the Chick Hicks Semi … it’s hard to say if those minor differences will continue or the two lines will converge to be exactly the same except for the eyes & mouth.

And of course, the other question is whether they will release every Hauler Semi Cab as a Megasize Semi without the hauler portion. The complete list of Megasize is not very extensive, it only runs through late Spring 2009 while the Hauler release list runs longer towards the end of 2009 so there’s no way to correlate and say exactly what is happening but it would seem logical on several levels – certainly it’s more cost efficient for Mattel to manufacturer twice or even three times as many of a the cab portion only to reuse in the Megasize line. It’s a chance to sell the cab portion to people who aren’t willing to commit to the hauler line for budget or space reasons and of course, by making them slightly different … er, Collect Them All!

BTW, as of now, all the Target Team hauler releases feature Semi’s with expressions that match the Haulers. That may change over time but 3 for 3 so far …