Mattel Disney Pixar Diecast CARS: Now Entering Lenticular Puzzlopoly Level 23
I felt it only appropriate that I invent a new word to describe what is happening because I can’t really use swear words in a headline …
First, in a week of variants (TJ & Axel), we now have reached the new Fu of Variant City. Please keep your arms and hands inside and throw your wallet out the window in this part of town.
First the significant variant.
Cruisin’ McQueen now comes in a two-piece version …
Not a huge deal but something … but then as I had two of them side by side …
Yep, Cruisin’ Lightning McQueen available in two eye positions – right and left … then I remembered an email “Buckland-Blowouts” sent last week but I was on the road and almost forgot about it … he didn’t think it was an error and he was right … while the eyes do move in the same position, now MANY of the releases in Box G & H offer at rest – one CAR where the eyes are on the right and one on the left.
Unlike the one-piece all metal versus the 2-piece face, it’s not as significant of a variant but nevertheless, a variant …
So, there you have it …
And of course, “Buckland-Blowouts” find – the Bling Bling CHASE with two eyes at rest positions …
Everyone’s favorite – a CHASE Variant … where’s that sarcasm font when you need it …
Or a clearer example of two cars facing you – where are the eyes?
As you can see, the two eye movement positions are the same but appear in the opposite body position …
So, here’s the new Lenticular 1.0 (Race O Rama style release card) and Lenticular 2.0 (Night Skline motif card design) checklist.
I am unclear if Crusin’ McQueen was released in lenticular 2.0 with a 1-piece body, still sorting through so let me know if you have Cruisin 2.0 1-piece.
I simply added an extra listing and called it “Left” short for “Left Eye position,” for all those I found with two eye positions available.
Er, good luck and since 30-seconds has elapsed, I disavow any knowledge of what the holy hand grenade is going on, what it all means and whether the checklist makes any sense.
Guess the next Take Five checklist book will be 500-pages …
4 March 2010
61 Comments
Today At BigW I Saw Lots Of Cars!
are you in Australia? Perth by any chance?
World Of Cars Online Will Have A Pit Stop!
Umm…My Mum And Me Got Mater With Oil Can Yesterday!
Hi!
Well, in the UK, the Lenticulars is all we have to collect, so we no other option than to be interested! Or give up on the whole thing!
The best thing (as an opener with a child), in my opinion, is the re-release of mega-sized to catch up on what I missed in ROR (marco, elvis, etc.)
My boy is more obsessed with Tall Tales anyway, which is a whole other world of hurt!
…Lenties… Sounds good?
Who cares? As long as new cars keep being released I will buy them, Chase Ramone was the last fixed eyed Chase we just have to get used to it.
I don’t like lenty cars!!!
So looking at the list are the yellow ones with circles are the chase cars that will not be re-released? I thought that Saluting Sarge was in Lenticular form? I might be crazy but I swear I saw several on the shelf just today that were Lenticular. I might need to take a trip back to Walmart to check that! Somebody let me know!
(MET: Regular Sarge & Pit Crew Member Sarge are available as lenticulars but in theory, NOT Salutin’ Sarge … so most likely you saw one of the other two but will Salutin’ Sarge eventually come out as a lenticular – maybe but not this montha nd not for several months but later or next year? ????).
Variants my eye! If that’s the case then every single non-lenticular vehicle that has been manufactured since lenticulars have come out would be a variant. Just look at Sarge from the boot camp compared to an original Sarge. The boot camp Sarge has little squares cut out around the eyes while the original is a solid mold along with the rest of the vehicle. The same is true with the Final Lap releases. They all have recessed eyes instead of solid molds like the older castings.
These are not variants, they are changes in the manufacturing process that produce similar but cost cutting results. The position of the lenticular eyes is nothing more than the mold sheet being cut upside down. The recessed eyes are now separate eye plates instead of single molds so during manufacturing the same body mold can be used and then either fixed or lenticular eye plates are inserted.
Variants are errors that are released in mass quantities, not the result of changes in the manufacturing process, which is what has happened here. These are the result of an evolving manufacturing process, not mass produced errors, therefore — not variants.
Call them Lenticular Version 2.5 or whatever, but “Variant” is not the correct term.
(MET: Variant does not imply error – it only indicates it is an official change in production – it can be an error or a correction or even a further error but a variant is what it is – an “variant” from the “base” version – as noted in this post from way back when. If only the eyes changed position, it might be plausible to believe they are merely insert upside down or inside out but since the “eyebrows” also move differently and are clearly not in an error position, it’s clear these are variants – and not errors. This doesn’t necessarily make them more collectible, more interesting or vice versa and you are free to collect them all or collect them none 🙂 and I’m just pointing them out … like them or not … though as a CARS seller, these should double or triple your sales 🙂 or :-/ … I am just a messenger from Canaan who is lost because someone accidentially ate his donkey. I sure hope things are better in Gomorrah).
…Errr… Collect them all?!?!?
That is wrong on so many levels.
Dude, it’s just the angle at which you look at them…so not a varient.
I guess I am like most of collectors. Get one different character of each car. For instance; Original Mater and Aviator Mater are two different character … I will avoid lenticulars as long as possible. I really want ALL movies and short movies characters. I have actually 246 different cars and one day I would like to feel complete!
Well I am going to be the odd one out. It does not bother me that Cars are lenticular. If a new one comes out like Jay Limo, Vern’s Taxi or Ransburg King Chase then like last week I will get them. I won’t get lenticulars that already but certainly any new ones.
For me it is about the style and quality of sculpture not their eyes. I simply want one of every Car and if that means lenticular then so be it.
I suppose also it is a kids line and both my 7 yr and 4 yr old love the moving eyes.
Jeaks, I have to agree. I find myself somewhat of a lenticular agnostic. I prefer the old style fixed eyes, but I am not totally turned off by the lenticulars. Like babychristianscars I also prefer the first style (open/shut eyes) if I have to have any kind of lenticulars but they are not available any more.
In the final analysis, if the eyes bother me enough, the solution is to do a little custom work and make my own fixed eyes. I realize that this is not a viable solution for most collectors, but it will get the job done if you hate the “googlies” enough and just have to fill a hole in your collection.
If you experiment with color matching on your computer you can even use photo paper and an inkjet printer to make fixed eyes and eyebrows that fit over the lenticulars without having to do any painting!
I see a new market here! Sell eyes on ebay to fix the googlie eyed monsters!
i had an idea like that before … sell em with fixed eyes …. add lenticular eyes in the package with adhesive on the back that you can stick on if you so desire….
Seriously, what focus group approved of this plan to change to Lenticulars? The same folks who approved New Coke?
If only the Lenticulars weren’t so pixelated. They look very cheaply done.
I got to say it one more time. The lenticular is the best thing that could have happened to this collection for all the cars that have already been previous released for those of us that have been in since the beginning. Many of the original releases were only released in one or two cases. Take Milton for example. Have you seen the ebay prices for this car lately? I’m not saying that Mattel is going to rerelease this car as a lenticular but if they did it wouldn’t harm the market price of the original Milton that much. Part of the reason we collect these Cars are that we are fooled into thinking that we are somehow spending our money on something that COULD possibly increase in value over time. If Mattel continued to rerelease each Car with the original eyes then none of them would have value over the original price. The move to lenticular is preserving a little bit of the imaginary value we see in these cars. Remember what we use to complain about before the lenticulars? We used to complain that the pegs were clogged with cars we already had. This wouldn’t have changed if they didn’t move to lenticular eyes. The only reason I don’t like the lenticulars is that the pegs are clogged with stuff I already have in original eye version. We just want Mattel to give us more new molds and that’s the part that is really bugging us, not what kind of eyes the cars have. Once you have a car why buy it again? The lenticulars pull in new collectors and that’s the best thing that can happen for the longevity of this line. Plus all of us seasoned Car collectors only like the painted eye versions which is a good thing because you can’t buy them anymore.
Gotta say though -As much as I hate these little lenticulors… The cars are cars with eyes… Which is kinda weird to start with… Maybe them lenticulosos are the real way to go…?!?!?!?
NAH!!!!!
Ok, now they’ve gone and done it! Bumper stickers Fred is now lenticular!
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FRED-Moving-Eye-Disney-Pixar-Cars-LOOSE-NEW-RARE_W0QQitemZ170452935563QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27afc9638b
maybe this is a variant too …. he only has 3 eyes instead of the usual 4 ..
Dear Mattel or (Metal as your back door sellers spell your name)
Fred’s got enough problems with rust, he doesn’t need cross eyes, Mattel.
And why are you making Fred with bumper stickers again? He is a chase car.
Give us a break please.
Kind of like the little kid in “Jerry Maguire” — real small and 4 eyes!
I love how the Seller makes an important note of “KINGMAN ARIZONA”. 🙂
and look…. the cardbacks are going lenticular too ….
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/JAY-LIMO-Moving-Eye-Disney-Pixar-Cars_W0QQitemZ170453914637QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item27afd8540d
kinda creepy..
(MET: Yea, Lenticular 2.0 was getting kind of old … 🙂 ).
Instead of Lenticulars, they should have gone with headlights that flash on and off as the Cars roll. I know, I know: race cars don’t have headlights, just stickers, but I still think it would be better than Lenticular eyes.
IN NC all I see are 2 pce Cruisins
All together now, “and the eyes on the left are, on the Right, and the eyes on the right are on the left, and the eyes in the middle”, Oh forget it!
Isn’t the eye position different depending on the angle? Maybe..just maybe…the one with the eyes to the right should have been mounted in the “ramp” style packaging…therefor, the angle would force the eyes to the other side…which would equal a packaging variant, not an eye variant…HAHAHAHAA
I HEART LENTICULARS!
Well you started out with nothing,
And you’re proud that you’re a self made Toy Car line
And your friends, they all come crawlin,
Slap you on the back and say,
Please…. Please….. No More Lenticulars!
Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs,
Eye Clowns to the left of me,
Eye Jokers to the right, here I am,
Stuck in the middle of lenticulars
Yes I’m stuck in the middle with Mattel
Stuck in the middle with you
Do you realize you are worrying about lenticulars? I’m busy for a month, unable to really visit Take5, and I come back and you’ve all gone to the lenticular side? This is wonky! I’m scared…
HAHAHAHAHA Sarcasm font…LOVE that line!!!!
All I want is one of each Car. I don’t give a rats patootie about eye positions or variants. I think the Lenticulars are a variant of the Main Line so I’m not buying those either
Same here!
Also – If you look closely – Each lenticular is signed by the devil…
Ugh – I cannot believe these eye-changers are still around…
I guess now they can stare at each other while they warm the pegs….
Don’t say that — they’ll fall in love and breed more Lenticulars! Then we’ll have Mini Lenticulars hanging around!
MET the rumor chaser. I heard that the Movie Moments line has been axed and that all Cars 2 releases will be Lenticular. Any information on any of this? Thanks for all you do for us! 🙂
where did you hear this at?
if they do that, G-D help us!
In praise:
Just wanted to thank Met for his reporting of all things Mattel Pixar Cars, no matter how anyone feels about what the releases are, Met keeps everyone up on what is being found and released.
Informed collectors can make choices. Thanks to Met for all he does to keep the info coming!
cheers to that! Thanks Met for keeping this line going
Yeah,BIG THANKS!!!!!! This is a GREAT site!!!!!!
In the beginning there were always variant packages. The earliest cars also had variants though very minute. Lizzie with pink headlights,and pale headlights, King with a tiny fender difference, these were fun to collect because the line was small and everyone knew each variant.
Its now pretty impossible to keep up with the lenticular variants, and if you want everything good luck!
Just concentrating on the classics and chases (darn googly eyed chases).
The couple of these left/right eye ones I have are in the left eye position when you are looking at the car. And no double set of eyes.
I still prefer open/shut that was the only reason I started buying them and now sadly can’t find anymore open/shut ones.
Some collectors love these variants (Not me). No use to be bitter about it. The variants with the lowest production numbers may be the most valuable in the future. It is not evil for a company to try to sell you stuff – its called Capitalism.
I have to agree with Lou and Piston Car Hunter. These minor changes, which seem so large to us, are probably not a real big thing to the production people on the other side of the ocean. I have to believe that they are mostly done for expediency. Certainly there are planned shortages and specials, this is the Hot Wheels company after all, but to ascribe every little change to some evil plan to make money is pushing it. Just the tooling costs alone would eat up any additional profit.
Count me in with por356, Lou & Piston Car Hauler; they’re just using whatever parts come in from their various “eye vendors” whenever they come in, and there are going to be some differences.
I can’t help but recall the “zwitter” VWs of 1952/’53. VW changed body styles during this time, going from the original “split” rear window (kinda like a ’40 Ford) to a one-piece oval, and changing the dashboard stamping. They didn’t stop production for months to make the changeover like Detroit did, they kept building cars from whatever parts came in; if one line ran out of “split” bodies but still had the old dashboard, they made “split-dash ovals.” If they got a shipment of new dash stampings but still had a warehouse full of split-window bodies, they made “oval-dash splits.”
Highly sought-after by VW enthusiasts today, at the time it was “just business.”
Um, collect ’em all?
(MET: There is a guy who collect real working tanks …).
It seems to me that this was probably not an intentional variant. They could have just run out of a certain batch and switched to the other eye version mid-production. But what do I know?
Matt:
I understand your frustration, anger, etc., but from a business standpoint this makes no sense for Mattel. Sure there is a probably a small % of collectors who actually care about every variant, different package, different color, etc., but for the most part people don’t care. So really these variants end-up sitting on the shelves. But how many pattis, miltons, nitroade pitties, etc. have you seen lately? None, b/c new releases sell-out in mere days. So Mattel may make a few extra bucks w/ all the silly variants, they would make way more if they would continue to make new cars and re-release older cars that have not been in circulation lately. Look at Star Wars they continue to sell Hans Solo, C3PO, Luke to the next generations. They don’t need to create silly variants, they just re-release old characters for the next kids.
As the father of an 8-year-old boy who has almost as many Star Wars action figures as he has CARS, I can say that they are in fact constantly coming up with new variants and new characters. He collects Star Wars: The Clone Wars toys, and has at least three different Anakin Skywalkers (Anakin in clone trooper armor, Anakin in space gear with jetpack, and just plain Anakin), two Obi-Wan Kenobis (space gear and “regular”), two Ahsoka Tanos (space gear and padawan)…
Then there are the clone troopers, which are a bit of marketing evil-genius; they all look the same (they’re clones, after all), so they can all be made using the same basic tooling, but they have different weapons and accessories, and different insignias for rank and unit. Same thing with the astromech droids, they all look more or less like R2D2, but different colors.
There’s also the darned-near-impossible-to-find new characters, like Cad Bain, that draw kids like mine into the store to find but are never there, so they end up leaving with yet another clone trooper variant but still searching for the one they really want.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it!
(MET: Are you saying my three striped mauve Stormtrooper with the Bantha head and TV dinner plate accessory is not worth buying? He’s the centerpiece of my collection! 😆 ).
Sorry, no; that’s a known fake being pushed by unscrupulous eBay vendors.
Now, if you had a gold Ransburg tusken-raider-damaged landspeeder in unopened packaging with error “Speeder Bike” label, now that would be worth something!
Are you kidding me…… Another example of the Mattel con game. Seriously people, save your money and do not continually feed into the sh#t that Mattel feeds you. I can guarantee that there is at least one person, if not two, who are in charge of making errors and variants so you have to spend more money on the same character. It’s ingenious really. Case and point… Tuf Guy vs. Tuf Gue…. How does it happen unless it was a calculated error to have you buy more.
I hope you guys realize what this company is doing, and that you stop throwing good and increasingly more (price increases… go figure) money at these folks. The last two blogs on this site are the primary reasons why I threw in the towel before the Final Lap was completed. Oh yeah, good thing those final lap cars are readily available.
poo poo
another reason why I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad that I am NOT collecting lenticulars!(googly eyed cars 🙂 )
DITTO.
OTTID 😆