Okay, need might be a little strong – I have to jazz up the excitement of this post … maybe – you might wanna know? Or you might be curious because your browser is frozen to Take5?

The London Race 7-CAR Gift Pack is/was not the most enticing box set of all time … basically, there is one new CAR, Chauncey Fares and arguably London UK Ramone was only available in another box set so if you missed him there, this is your second chance to grab him. But since that was a pretty nice set, for most collectors, you already had him …

But Race Team Sarge is a variant.

It’s not much a variant but a variant nevertheless. On the left is the first release of Race Team Sarge. He’s not much different than regular “Sarge” other than the 95-LM Race logo. The middle release is the other RT Sarge from 2011/2012. The base-bottom jeep shell portion is diecast. The side “canvas” are plastic with a plastic “cap,” (see the gap seam?) while the newer RT Sarge (right) is one plastic cap (just a design element seam, not a real seam). The plastic cap also extends out sightly to the area just below the windshield as one piece.

The first release (2011) (left) basically reused the lenticular Sarge mold with the two square cut out for his eyes so as you can see, there are distinct cut outs in the windshield where the eyes are. He was replaced with the middle RT Sarge which returned the eyes/windshield to one piece – probably plastic but impossible to say 100% certain as zinc is not magnetized but seems plastic. One other important distinction you can’t see in this photo but below is they added the USA stencil. The new variant raises the space underneath his eyes slightly.

From the top, you can see the hood seam was just a design element in RT#1 (left) and RT#2 (middle) but now is a real seam as the hood is diecast but the piece next to the eyes-windshield is plastic. Now, basically, they glue the eyes-windshield to the “canvas” hair/roof which is not just a cap and drops entirely over the base.

You can also see the USA stencil better. The back is essentially identical but you can see where in RT#1 and RT#2, the roof was glued onto the sides but now it’s all just one piece. 

They updated “Sarge” to this mold earlier this year as a singles release. Now, they updated Race Team Sarge so now the only difference between Sarge & RT Sarge is the tampo decaling with the 95 Race logo and not Sergent stripes.

For completist collectors, Race Team Sarge is NOT scheduled for a singles release in 2013 (which ends in October) – that’s not to say he won’t appear in other box sets or as a single in 2014 this way in 2014 …

And here are the three Sarge’s not including lenticular.