Mattel Disney Planes Fire & Rescue: Smoke Jumpers Sized All Over
Now after seeing the complete Planes Fire & Rescue movie, it looks like the largest Smoke Jumper, Avalanche or Pinecone should be about the size of Sarge …
Of course, the Mattel F&R Pitty’s are ginormous.
Presumably, part of it was to simplify the line – instead of a singles, deluxe (for Cad Spinner, Mayday) and jumbo line (for Windlifter/Blade Ranger), they just decided to make two lines so they increased the size of the Smoke Jumper Pitty’s. It also made moving parts easier to pass safety criteria. And while “right-sized” Avalanche or Pinecone might still be a stretch at $5.99 each, the other three Pitty’s and Maru would either have to be two-packed or be a real, real stretch at $5.99 each … so they decided to go big. It’s just a guess but that seems to be their line of thinking.
“MackMeBucko,” sends along Takara Tomy diecasts that seem to be right-sized.
They also have moving parts though he says they’re not perfect – more plastic than he would like.
The full Takara Tomy’s lineup.
Comparison of Mattel’s Drip to Takara Tomy’s Drip.
Mattel’s Blackout to Takara Tomy’s.
Avalanche.
Lightning to Takara Tomy Avalanche. This looks pretty correct in size & scale accuracy.
Comparison of Mattel to Tomy to Disney Store plastic Smoke Jumper Pitty.
Thanks for the nice pics “Mack Me Bucko.”
The full comparison of Planes F&R Pitty’s to Lightning McQueen are here. (Lightning is about the same to Dusty in “CARS/PLANES World.”
metroxing
21 July 2014
Disney Planes Fire & Rescue, Mattel Disney Planes Fire & Rescue Diecast
10 Comments
To make this matter even more confusing, I have been doing research into the relative sizes of the real skid-steer loaders (Blackout), compact track loaders (Avalanche and Drip) and teleloaders (Pinecone). Caterpillar and John Deere each make machines that could pass for Blackout, Drip, and Avalanche; and Gehl seems to offer the closest thing to Pinecone. Based on their look, I think Disney used Caterpillar and Gehl mainly for the design elements seen in the film.
In general, the Takara Tomy are still closest to correct length and width if they are based on a firm’s smaller machines, while Mattel’s toys are just a bit too large to match the largest machines. The Takara toys need to be taller to match (likely because Takara makes theirs to fit a specific box size, so they are made shorter). Mattel’s are all still quite a bit too tall, but this could be due to the humanistic characterization of the toy in the film.
Oddly enough, the Mattel Pinecone is likely the closest to correct scale to match the Gehl machine, and Takara’s is much too undersize. The new Disney Store metal Pinecone in the four-pack is almost the same size as Mattel’s, so with it having the working arm, it makes the DS one more appealing over the Mattel toy.
In short, none of the toys are “correct” — so use you own best judgment and buy what you like. Me? I have all four sets now, DS small plastic and large metal, Mattel, and Takara Tomy.
(If anyone cares, PM me and I’ll give you the real world dimensions and scales)
As if the three sizes shown here aren’t bad enough, Disney Store has two new four packs with Smokejumpers — and an extra goodie in each pack.
These are sized to about 1:43 (so even larger than Mattel’s Smokejumpers, yet smaller than the plastic sound versions.
One set has Dynamite, Pinecone, Avalanche, and a Doe (a green tractor without light bar – antlers); Set #2 has Maru with welding helmet, Drip, Blackout, and a Deer (male with light bar). Each set is roughly $25 at DS, though I couldn’t find them online anywhere. It appears each set has operating arms on the four Smokejumpers that require them.
Where can you buy the Tomy Planes toys?
I used an eBay vendor located in Hong Kong (Frederickwong2000). I had the five smokejumpers within eight days! They also make Dottie now …
Thank you.
They aren’t sold in the United States, that’s Mattel territory. If you are in the US, eBay is your best bet. Smokejumpers run about $10 each shipped, some sellers have listings for all five at once which makes shipping easy, assuming that you want them all.
Until we get some form of direct one-to-one correlation between a known Cars character and a Smokejumper, the whole size thing will be subjective. At least we have three distinct choices for those of us who will argue their relative sizes. Mattel’s at the largest, Tomy’s in the mid-range, and the all plastic Disney Store for the smallest. Sadly, none of Mattel’s feature working “arms” — yet both Tomy’s and DS do.
The same issue holds true for me with the two Mayday, Ryker, Maru, and even Sarge. I feel the Sarge from Takara Tomy is correctly sized for Mattel’s Fillmore, and Mattel’s Sarge is correctly sized to the Disney Store Fillmore.
(MET: yes, Sarge is technically oversized in the Mattel line as a old school Army Jeep is not very large – about the size of a VW Beetle but it’s understandable that as a single, they didn’t want to feel you got cheated and of course, the original sculpts were what they thought were for a kid’s line).
We are talking about talking cars. You draw the line at scale? What about the fact that they talk? Haha.
They are toys for kids, a little inconsistency in scale is forgivable IMO. Mattel’s decision not to make the arms movable is dumb and their playsets are lame compared to what they have in Japan.
I do understand what you are saying, if these are to be displayed then, accurate scale is important, but since the majority of these things will be played with, I think it’s fine.
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I do understand these are kids toys, but it would have been so easy for Mattel to make a car like Brent Mustangburger a smaller size (like they previously did with Fred), and a few like Ronnie Del Cooper look odd as well. I buy the oversize ones to complete the collection, but keep an eye out for better sized ones if I can … hence the reason for buying the Tomy Sarge and Smokejumpers. By the same token, I have the Disney Store “Big D” and Impala 13, since Mattel sadly never made them in 1:55.
I especially don’t like the newer Sarges (in the two-pack with Sheriff), where the canvas top, sides, and windshield is all one piece with that huge glaring joint at the rear of the engine hood.