The “Special Edition” Scavenger Hunts are not technically CHASE/SUPER CHASE in CARS Collecting lingo … what does that mean? Well, let’s start with the LEGAL, the BUSINESS PROMISE and the PUFFERY as different degrees of limited/early/exclusive/preview/ scavenger/chase/super chase or X of X.

LEGAL – It’s the toy business. There is no real legal definition that can hold up in a court of law – sure, you can sue but you would pretty much win $3.84, a FULL REFUND for you and your troubles. Some smaller toy companies might offer up that they’ll destroy the mold afterwards – but really, it’s sort of self serving – they don’t expect to sell more than 500 anyway, they don’t want to spend more just to clot up a warehouse and its an incentive for you to buy now … it’s just marketing to say they’ll destroy the mold.

THE BUSINESS PROMISE – First, when they grant an exclusive to a retailer, it’s generally for a year- it’s not that big of a deal and they can schedule production. As for a CHASE or SUPER CHASE, it is s limited production run but just as we had Chuki on the Japanese Card or a Lightning with a Piston Cup as a CHASE, it is what it is – same with most of the SUPER CHASES’ that we’ve had, Mattel didn’t want to add the speciality diecasts to regular production anyway (Circus CARS, Japan Game Show CARS, etc …) and they serve a marketing purpose … but really, there’s nothing to prevent them from re-releasing the CIRCUS CARS in a box set or metallic versions or even as singles since they’ll never be re-released on 2016 cards anyway. Or when it says it’s less than 1% of production, it doesn’t say that month, that factory or the entire year? Again, if you’re unhappy, they will refund you $3.84. But with a line such as CARS which is really NEVERENDING, they don’t have to bother revisiting too many releases and there’s no point in going out of their way to annoy collectors (There have been toy companies that screwed themselves by making too few limited releases that annoyed collectors who couldn’t be completists anymore so they just gave up … though the more usual scenario is over-producing).

So, what are CARS Scavenger Hunts? They are not CHASE or SUPER CHASE – there is no indication or a promise of a limited “one-time” production run – they are simply CARS that are in packaging you want to “scavenger hunt” for … as in putting them on your list, driving around town and gathering them (after you pay for them, of course … and drinking the alcohol after you get home).

So, these might reappear/return or they might not but definitely not in 2018 scavenger hunt packaging but in some other guise, collect ’em all …

There are additional metallic ones listed – no pics yet: Rex Revler, Shannon Spikes, Sally & Marilyn.

(The Metallic LM that came out last year in the SDCC box set was a Rust-Eze Racing Center LM not the regular CARS 3 one).

I believe there’s a Chick Hicks Rubber Tire … and presumably we’ll get all the racers with Rubber Tires though no more Kmart CARS Day … so we’ll have to collect them in dribs and drabs 🙁 …