Lizzie is coming back in the next case!

Will she be a variant? It seems likely but we won’t know for certain until someone has one in their hands.

In 2006, the first Lizzie’s released were produced at Mattel’s Thailand plant so there is actually no production date. BUT there are some subtle and one not-so-subtle difference.

There are two radiator caps versions and two different placements!

The first radiator cap is vaguely lumpish – that is the best description of it – it’s not round, it’s not square – presumably the mold was not very carefully inspected so excess zinc would clot there and of course, they did not bother to shave it down.

But to compound that, in some versions, the radiator cap on the radiator cap front piece is BELOW the hoodline and in some versions, the radiator cap (as shown below) is  ABOVE the hoodline, They seem to have settled on the radaitor cap above the hoodline so one might be inclined to call this design the “regular” first release and the radiator cap BELOW the hoodline the variant – also, if you look at photos of the Model T – the Thin Lizzy – her radiator cap is above the hoodline.

But the most significant change is the piece under the mouth and in front of the axel. Notice the size and the smaller plastic piece underneath.

In all subsequent versions (starting later in 2006) when production moved to a 3rd party plant in China, they changed the front axel panel piece to a larger flat piece of plastic. If you look at the white Lizzie for the wedding release, besides the obvious color change of the plate, it is still the same “larger” piece of plastic.

And starting with the China version starting in 2006 – they also settled on a round radiator cap above the hoodline BUT there are 2006 China versions with the round radiator cap below the hoodline.

During this period, they also could not settle on the color of the front lens. In the film, her headlamps are purple as a joke about a time when older women would color rinse their hair but as their vision lost color sensitivity (leaving it on too long) plus when people smoked more (yellowing their hair), and I’m sure the product was not the most color accurate and stable to begin with – older women who attempted to dye their hair ended looking blue or purple back then – so hence the Lizzie joke … so, for Lizzie the diecast, the color of her front headlamps ranged from purple to lavender to light lavender to yellowish white to white.

AND the various paint/non-paint of her mouth.

So, if we weren’t busy trying to find the other 25 CARS diecast – we might have noticed the endless variants of Lizzie and of course, on eBay, good luck getting someone to photo the radiator cap and color correct their listing for the right headlamp colors.

A reason I suspect the new Lizzie is a variant from the last release is that the the Wedding Day Lizzie does NOT seem to have a seam for the windshield insert that the two 2006 releases have. Presumably a new mold with the windshield as part of her body/unibody shell.

But she does seem to have the V2 2006 rounded radiator cap.

So I’m saying there are 2 major versions of Lizzie – the V1 2006 version with the smaller axel plate plus a square radiator cap and the variant V2 2006 version with the larger axel plate and the rounded radiator cap. There are also 2 major variants with the radiator cap BELOW the hoodline (a round cap and a sqaure cap) for both V1 and v2 versions. I’m presuming the new release will be another variant with the seamless windshield.

If you add in the mouth paint and the headlamp paint variants – you might have as many Lizzie’s as Ford produced if you’re collecting them all.

And if you’re an on-card completist, good luck tracking down the promo, no-promo, contest end versions and with the Ford logo and without cards plus all the design changes.

If you could travel back in time and scoop these up … then you might be able to sort through them all.

(Plus that other pegwarmer, My Name is Not Chuck).

Back in 2011, people wondered when Lizzie was coming back – well, looks like you won’t have long to wait.

Those with 2007 & 2008 Lizzie’s, chime in if your Lizzie differs (I have to go to the great t5 archive and I’m all out of repelling rope and beef jerky).

Thanks for the photo help, “Josh F.”

Meanwhile the proper song to listen while reading this post.

I been too long I’m glad to be back. Yes I am. Let loose from the noose. That’s kept me hanging about.

(ok, some lyrics inappropriate 🙂  ).