Mattel Disney Pixar CARS: The Apple CAR Alert – Code Red
Yesterday, we covered some scary self-destructing Apple diecast racer CARS … unfortunately, others have chimed in with more and different examples …
While my diecast seems to be developing a rash, it has not come through the clear coat. These are “David V’s.” His seems to cracking and crackling through the clear coat.
AND also developing the “rash.”
David’s Apple CAR seems to have ALL the symptoms: “rash,” cracking clear coat and cracking paint.
“Lisa L.” sent along her photos and her notes:
“Mine is stored in case in the raceway display in my basement no real sunlight. I see some areas where looks like paint is “lifting” on right front windshield and left bumper. I didn’t take notice before but can’t say I really studied paint as closely. Awful if this will get worse.”
It’s difficult for me to access my MSOS set but I can go look – but if anyone has access to theirs, this body type is the NITROADE body which you would think if it’s a unclean body base or the clear coat*, it would affect ALL the MSOS Piston Cup racers with the Nitroade body but the only difference seems to be the white paint of the Apple CAR (not used to the same extent on any other CAR).
*Of course, it could be the combination of the white paint and this clear coat paint but still it seems the only difference and only problems are the white painted Apple CARS.
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2 September 2015
14 Comments
I am going to chime in. My Speedway Set bought new direct from the Mattel Hot Wheels redline club in May 2008 has been in my possession since new. Never moved always kept in the exact same place on my display shelf covered in air conditioned room. Always. There is a foamboard over the top to keep dust off and keep it dark, away from sunlight. I open it periodically and check each Car. In Feb 2013, 5 years after the set was new, I was photographing a number of the cars for a friend, and comparing the Cars to my original photographs I had taken in 2008. When comparing the 2 photos of each car I noticed Mood Springs (dark blue) had some cracks in the paint on the roof. I then rechecked every car and the only other one with the cracks in the top coat was Fiber Fuel. Apple was and still is fine. I am going to remove the Apple and Dale Jr, using a soft cloth to make sure no fingerprints are on them, then put both in a clear diecast arylic box with dessicant and seal the box around the bottom using caulk or sealing putty as suggested by a friend and keep both nearer to an airconditioning vent. This problem is not just with the Apple. Its with Mood Springs and Fiber fuel as well.
Mood Springs is the same casting as the Apple (Nitroade as Met said) but Fiber Fuel is the RPM body casting.
Three SOTS Cars were made on the same day 2847EA. If Apple is affected then I think No Stall and Dale Jr would be also, if it was a manufacturing defect with coatings. I dont see any flaws on Dale or No Stall.
No Stall 2847 EA
Dale Jr. 2847 EA
Apple iCar 2847 EA
Interesting….I wonder what went wrong. More than likely a clear-coat issue.
I smell an excuse for mattel to run a full release of this car 🙂
And someone in China is already prepared to make it :>)
On the bright side, its a whole new way to authenticate a real Apple car.
(MET: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Wx230gYJw)
Now I’m going to be whistling that song the rest of the day …
I was thinking the same thing. If the car isn’t chipped, cracked and rashing… well then, you just don’t have an ‘authentic’ SOTS Apple Car. All jokes aside, this is a pretty screwed up situation. How many people invested $2K or more on that set primarily because it included the only ‘true’ Apple Car? Way to go, China.
This is now looking more like a paint defect issue than a casting defect. I’m wondering if from the era these were made if there was a bad batch of pigment, carrier, or a paint that has since been superseded as it had issues (an early acrylic based paint that didn’t measure up, etc.).
Are there any other Cars from this same production era that are predominantly white? One of the Maseratis, Duff Wrecks?
(MET: No issues (yet?) but they were all produced slightly after).
If it is any help, the pre-production/sample I bought of Bennie Caliper has the windshield eyepiece insert crackled similar to this. There I surmise that the clear overcoat attacked the base coat of white immediately as it was drying; but on these iCars, the white coat is shrinking and contracting over a long period of time.
This is a disaster! That Apple Car is the Holy Grail is Disney Cars; if it crumbles, the whole empire falls with it. Mattel MUST step in and do something about it.
If Mattel asks consumers to return the 1,000 Apple iCars for upgraded replacements, they will be stunned when 11,000 arrive in the mail.
I am sure they would send back a Lightning McQueen model as a replacment.
Nah, a segmented face Finn!
Or a ‘Ransburg Metallic TRU Exclusive’ Apple Car… because we’ll get that long before we get the remaining seven cars from the WGP Racers set/theme.