Mattel Disney Pixar Diecast CARS: Scott P. Wants Some Extra Eyes …
What do you think?
(note from Scott P.)
“Been noticing that a lot of collectors on your site have not been thrilled with the googly eyes that Mattel insisted on switching too. Me included. Since the only way to get the old school cars is the final lap series, which we know Target has issues with getting enough for everyone. The thought occurred to me this morning, why can’t someone create a sheet of stickers with the fixed eyes that can be put over the googly eyes. That way when we miss the one case of final lap cars with the new castings we simply wait til the googly eyed version comes out buy it and slap the fixed eye sticker over it and everyone is happy. Mattel sold a googly eyed car, we didn’t have to pay 2-3 times extra on E-bay plus shipping for the final lap car and we get a version that we really wanted anyway. At least for us openers anyway. What do you think?
Do you think with all your contacts and the customizers you know you could get someone to create the stickers?
Ideally Mattel would offer the Cars the old way with a lenticular sticker included that could be placed on the car if the person who bought it chose to put it on. That or they need to make the final lap cars available everywhere so more get out there. Although I’m not sure that is going to work either because all the big three stores in Maryland where I live are downsizing the entire diecast aisles. I stopped by my local Target over the weekend, they are remodeling for the grocery store part. Between that and the need to make the aisle ways immense the toy section was cut in half. It was kind of pathetic there before, but now there is really not much of a point to stop at that Target anymore. TRU used to have the diecast spread out in 2 aisles, now they have it in 1 with a lot less choices. Wally world cut all the four way displays which really limits what shelf space they have to hang stuff. Not sure the future is looking real bright for the die cast world. How do you see things going over the next year?”
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13 March 2010
27 Comments
Considering how successful the Cars die-cast line has been for Mattel, I really hope they don’t go all lenticular for Cars 2. This line has surely extended WAY past what Mattel expected (3+ years) and it’s rare for any movie line to last this long. So obviously the fixed eyes did quite well for them.
I have been “toying” with this idea for awhile now, but I think stickers are not the answer. At first I thought maybe a thin steel plate eye painted and carefully placed inside the “small hollow inside” of the windshield that leads to the lenticular plate would be the answer, but that would just be too tedious to do, even worst than a sticker. So then I thought, damn it, just paint the regular eyes over the lenticular plate! DUH! Of course you would have to be damn good to do that. “Shopluckey” good.
Stickers I guess would be good for mass distribution purposes, but you know they would just be falling off all the time.
Sounds like a good idea to me if the lenticulars bother you that much. I tend to agree with a recent poster who commented that he buys the Cars for the Car itself and the eyes don’t make much difference. I think many collectors got used to the fixed eyed and just don’t like a change. I often wonder if lenticulars were first would it be the other way around with people not being happy with new fixed eyes cars. I do know that lenticulars are gaining in popularity and selling pretty well in the stores I frequent. Also as another collector mentioned; the Cars do have moving eyes in the movie. For me personally I would perfer to get every fixed eyes released Car, however if any Car was released as lenticular only, I would buy it. Perhaps Mattel will continue to produce both types of Cars and there won’t be any change from what they have been doing. Why not continue to sell both types of eyes? I do think adults getting worked up over the eyes on toy Cars is pretty funny though. Ultimately it should be what the children like. Maybe product testing shows more children infact perfer lenticulars. Whatever the case maybe, we will continue to collect all the new releases, googly or not. Whatever veteran collectors that will stop collecting because of lenticulars won’t matter. There are always new collectors joining in to take their place. So feel free to leave the new release lenticulars on the shelf so I can buy more. 🙂
Ha! I been sayin this since D-Day arrived (the first lenticular announcement) …. except I wanted Mattel to make the eyes available..
Maybe we should all just stop buying these freaky lenticulars! Maybe then the car makers will realize we don’t want plastic weirdo 2/4/6 eyed cars. My son has a Doc that looks like he has 4 eyes, sometimes 6 eyes he’s kind of creepy.
If you stop buying the lenticulars, and the lenticulars are all that can be found, I’m afraid that all Mattel will se is a drop in sales for CARS diecasts, they’ll assume that interest in diecast CARS is drying up, and they’ll phase them out altogether…
Me, I’ve given up lenticulars for lent!
(MET: The Pope says hooray (well in Latin) … Matty, the shadow Pope says boo!)
I collect 2 usually, but if can only find or trade one then yeah stickers will not cut it for me. I do like the lenticulars BUT not for new cars. They should only been available in a limited, first series anf only for the main characters. I am optimistic so the sticker idea is great but i’d like to see it as a CHASE – apply your own stickers, logos, decals of Radiator Springs (like the ones Lizzy slapped on McQueen or any of the sponsors for the race cars.
MikeF430
Scott P FOR PRESIDENT ! .. you have my vote my friend
What a great move Mattel would do if like you said :
“Mattel would offer the Cars the old way with a lenticular sticker included that could be placed on the car if the person who bought it chose to put it on. ”
C’mon International Collectors I want to hear you scream !!!!
Scott P.
I’m in with you my friend
Or we create the eyes :
Only need a Printer/Plotter and a Photoshop geek that can put as many eyes pairs he can on a 24″ vinyl roll (sheet of 10″x 24″). Now let see how many time will it take for someone to create this piece of art and put it on Ebay for sell.. might be the first to buy it !
Have a couple beers and everything is googly!! Stickers or not!!!
This would be easy (but not cheap) if I still actually worked. I used to work for a narrow web flexo print shop. The tricky part would be getting the diecuts perfect, you would have to get the shape for each car exactly right. Things that are flat, fit different when you put them on a curve! We used to do tricky things to get labels to look “straight” on containers such as yogurt shaped or cottage cheese containers that have a smaller circumference bottom than top. The good news is, you could probably get 20-30 different eyes for different cars on one small sheet of label stock, if you didnt want perfect spot color matches for the “eyebrows”. So that would only be one tool, but such a custom tool would be at least $500. Not including the art prep to get the right shapes. Then if you used good synthetic stock probably need 5+ colors plus varnish/coatings. Even to get started this project would cost a few grand.
Or, the alternative is DIY on a good laserprinter and lots of time with an exacto knife. My eyes are getting too old for that kind of work anymore.
Okay Lorri, old eyes or not, you’re hired!
MET: Let’s start a contribution fund for our fixed eye stickers! 🙂
Seriously though, has anyone tried any adhesive paper on the lenticular eye section of the Cars? My fear is that (while the idea sounds great), we wouldn’t actually be able to stick much to that rippled texture… I will happily send a lenticular to someone willing to go for the prototype! haha
We used to have some really aggressive adhesive stock used for labels that went on tires. The dorks in the production area used to stick it on someones arm. You pulled a lot of hair out gettin that off!
Aaaaaaahhh KELLY CLARKSON!!!!
I guess I get lucky today at Wal-Mart when I found 2 Jay Limo non-lenticular in lenticular card. All other Jay limo were lenticulars… So keep your EYES wide open…
jay’s eyes barely move so it may be they are lenticular but don’t move.
I have sent a pic yesterday night. Hope they will publish it…
Great idea. I can find him lenticulars of jay, vern etc. if he wants to test it out.
This is what the takefiveaday community is all about. People looking for a way to contribute for the “aftermarket” parts.
Good thinking Scott.
Now…if Mattel DOENST change the whole series to the “bubble rattley eyes” I think stickers would be fine… for those who open them and cant stand them. I dont open mine and will only collect the chase Lenticulars if thats my only option
I mentioned this very idea way back when Lenticulars were first released. I have also always been interested in making customs, but for some reason I can not bring myself to damage a Car from its original form, even if it is lenticular.
Great idea indeed, but what do you do about Race Damaged Mood Springs?
If it can be made to happen I’d appreciate knowing. If so then perhaps I could get some made up to put in the 1:55 scale UPS trucks!
I like the lenticulars.
They still seem to sell in my area. Certainly sell better than the final lap re-packs. I can see Cars 2 going all lenticular. Most toys associated with movies do “something”. Star wars figures move and shoot stuff. Cars Diecast roll and have moving eyes. Oh well. Eitherway..I’m collecting them all, cuz that’s what the package tells me to do 🙂
I do agree that the NEW final laps are hard to find, and I can see the dislike of the lenticulars because people are finding them with ease, and final laps are non-existent (not to mention the target employee who refuses to pull something from the back, even though the pegs are empty)
I just spoke to my girlfriend, who is a big Cars fan too, and she said that she can make those stickers w/ her scrapboooking stuff. I didn’t really follow since I don’t understand scrapbooking.
I disagree with the other folks commenting here, Scott. I think it is a great idea. Since we already know they are sticking to lenticulars, the lenticular sticker is out. But … a fixed eye sticker (well several types based on the car mold) is a good idea! We have plenty of great customizers on this board. I would think it would be a nice fix for those of us opening them to play with. I would bite on this one! My son currently has 3-5 lenticulars because we missed them on the non-lenticular runs back in the day. I would buy stickers to convert them over to the rest of his collection.
Most of us like to open one to play/display and keep an extra one to keep mint in the packaging. Stickers don’t do it.
Yes I agree. I don’t play with mine at all. 🙁 They only sit there in my boxes and collect dust 😀 LOL. Not enough room to display them that’s why. Good idea if your into opening them up.
I do have a couple loose cars (all of them for TRU promotion)… What I might end up doing is buying the lenticular ones and find some way to open them up really carefully and exchange them…
I don’t see this as working out for some that need specially cut stickers.
Take Muddy McQueen. He’s got some overhanging mud on his face, and you would need to carefully cut the static eyes or open him up and replace this piece.