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Thursday, October 29, 2020

Cars: Fillmore (w/Organic Fuel & Bumper Sticker)—"Welcome to Radiator Springs"

A couple months ago, I posted about some new Target exclusive Mattel Disney·Pixar Cars diecasts that were released as part of an unexpected (at least to me since they weren't on the official 2020 poster) "Welcome to Radiator Springs" series. At the time, there were six single cars in this little side-series (each of which comes with a brand new/unique bumper sticker and a neat little character specific accessory): Radiator Springs Lightning McQueen (with video phone), Blowing Bubbles Mater (with hay bail), Sally with Tattoo (with dinner table), Ramone (with oil can), Doc Hudson (with Piston Cup trophy) and Sheriff (the one one with no accessory). You can see them all HERE. A "Welcome to Radiator Springs 4-Pack" (with Sarge w/traffic cone) was released at that time as well.

Anyway, a week or two ago, I found one more unexpected "Welcome to Radiator Springs" diecast that was not part of the initial assortment—Fillmore with bumper sticker and organic fuel gas can accessory! This was such a surprise since I hadn't heard anything about it. Though I have plenty of Fillmore diecasts in my collection, I don't have any with an organic fuel gas can. So yah, I totally had to get this. There was a "chase" lenticular eyes version of "Fillmore with organic gas cans" released many years ago (seen HERE), but I was never lucky enough to find that one. This gas can accessory is not the same as that old release, but hey, it's something and I love it! This will go great with the Fillmore's Taste-In Precision Series playset

Note: A Luigi and Guido (with tires) 2-Pack has also been released in this second "Welcome to Radiator Springs" wave, alongside this Fillmore and Lizzie (with radio). 

Not sure if the Fillmore is any different than previous releases, but he sure looks fresh, bright and extra vibrant. Any thoughts on that? I'm sure one of my readers has compared this Fillmore to the other previous versions. I'd love to hear any insights you have down in the comment section. 

You can still find this Fillmore and essentially all the "Welcome to Radiator Springs" diecasts at your nearest Target, so be sure to get them while you can! If you'd rather snag this one online, I've included an Amazon affiliate link below. You can also check out current eBay listings HERE.

Good luck on the hunt! Let me know if you have any questions.


Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Cars 3: Hydraulic Florida Ramone

Time for another quick Disney·Pixar Cars review! Here we have Hydraulic Florida Ramone, one of the latest 1:55 scale diecast releases from Mattel. This one was released just a month or two ago as part of the 2020 "Florida 500" sub-series and I was thrilled to have found it at Walmart a couple weeks back. 

If this diecast looks familiar, it's probably because the regular version of Florida Ramone was released back in 2018. This new 2020 version has raised hydraulics and an added paint gun on his side—right out of the moment from Cars 3 when Ramone gives Cruz her "95" racer paint job (screen shot above).

If you're looking to add this new Hydraulic Florida Ramone to your collection, you should still be able to track one down at either Walmart or Target. If you'd rather just purchase the diecast online, be sure to check out current listings on eBay or Amazon using the direct affiliate link below. 

Happy hunting! 

 

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Cars 3: Dan Carcia

Now I know what you're thinking: "another next-gen car?!". Yup and there's still more where this came from! Today I'm taking a brief look at yet another awesome Cars 3 1:55 scale diecast from Mattel...Dan Carcia, the next-gen racer sponsored by Gask-Its. (No. 80)! This single carded release hit shelves back in May as part of this year's 2020 "Next-Gen Piston Cup Racers" sub-series, but Dan was originally available in 2018 in an Amazon exclusive 10-pack. Since I never forked out for that set, I'm thrilled that he was finally released individually! 

In Cars 3 (as shown in the screen shot above), Dan replaces the Gask-Its [stock car] racer Rex Revler (who, in turn, had replaced Sage VanDerSpin from the original Cars) and competes in the climatic Florida 500 race. Once again, this is one cool looking next-gen racer and Mattel did an excellent job making this diecast as movie accurate as possible.

 

FUN FACT: Dan is named after Pixar employee Daniel Garcia.

You may still be able to find this one at Target or Walmart, so be sure to check there if you're looking to add Dan Carcia to your collection. I actually just found him at Walmart a couple weeks back! I was so thrilled to finally find him since there are now only a couple characters I need in order to complete the 2020 lineup.

If you'd rather just pick him up online, check out current eBay listings HERE or Amazon using the link below. Good luck on the hunt!

 

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Cars 3: Aaron Clocker

 

Welcome back Cars fans! Tonight I'm taking a quick look at yet another awesome Cars 3 1:55 scale diecast from Mattel...Aaron Clocker, the next-gen racer sponsored by Re-Volting (No. 48)! This single hit shelves back in April as part of this year's 2020 "Next-Gen Piston Cup Racers" sub-series and is the first ever release of this character.

In Cars 3 (as shown in the screen shot above), Aaron replaces the Re-Volting [stock car] racer T.G. Castlenut (who, in turn, had replaced Davey Apex from the original Cars) and competes in the climatic Florida 500 race. Once again, this is one cool looking next-gen racer and Mattel did an excellent job making this diecast as movie accurate as possible.

FUN FACT: Aaron is named after Pixar employee Aaron Conover.

You may still be able to find this one at Target or Walmart, so be sure to check there if you're looking to add Aaron to your collection. I actually just found him at Walmart a couple weeks back! I was so thrilled to finally find him since there are now only a couple characters I need in order to complete the 2020 lineup.

If you'd rather just pick him up online, check out current eBay listings HERE or Amazon using the link below. Good luck on the hunt!

 

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Cars 3: Jonas Carvers

Welcome back to the blog! Tonight I'm taking a quick look at yet another awesome Cars 3 1:55 scale diecast from Mattel...Jonas Carvers, the next-gen racer sponsored by No Stall (No. 123)! This single hit shelves back in late winter/early spring as part of this year's 2020 "Next-Gen Piston Cup Racers" sub-series and is the first ever release of this character.

As shown in the screen shot above, Jonas can be seen during the film's climatic Florida 500 race. He replaces the No Stall racer [stock car] Todd Marcus (who also appeared in the original Cars). Once again, this is one cool looking next-gen racer and Mattel did an excellent job making this diecast as movie accurate as possible.

FUN FACT: Jonas is named after Cars 3 character modeling and articulation leader Jonas Jarvers.

You may still be able to find this one at Target or Walmart, so be sure to check there if you're looking to add Jonas to your collection. I actually just found him last week at my local Rite Aid pharmacy of all places! I was so thrilled to finally find him since there are now only a couple characters I need in order to complete the 2020 lineup.

If you'd rather just pick him up online, check out current eBay listings HERE or Amazon using the link below. Good luck on the hunt! (note: there is also a special metallic edition hitting now as well).

 

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Cars 3: Vandon Kerr

 

If you're a Disney·Pixar Cars fan/collector, you're in the right place. Tonight I'm taking a quick look at another Mattel 1:55 scale diecast—Vandon Kerr from Cars 3! He was released last year and is a part of the 2019 "The Cotter Pin" sub-series. As shown in the screen shot above, Vandon is background character briefly seen talking to Bill Revs during the Cotter Pin Bar & Grill scene.

Fun Fact: Bill Revs is named after Pixar employee Brandon Kerr

I never found Vandon in stores last year, so I finally ended up just buying him on eBay last week for a decent price (around $12). If you're still looking for this diecast for your collection, you can out current eBay listings right here. Let me know your thoughts down below and happy hunting!

Monday, October 12, 2020

Cars 2: WGP Globie

Here's one of the most unique Disney·Pixar Cars diecasts Mattel has released over the past few years—WGP Globie from Cars 2! This 1:55 scale diecase was released last year as part of the 2019 "WGP" (which stands for World Grand Prix, of course) sub-series and is a deluxe sized "Super Chase". Super Chase cars are extremely difficult to find in-store as there are no more than 4,000 units produced of them worldwide. I ended up getting Globie on eBay recently and paid around $25.

What's so interesting about Globie is that this "character" is not a character at all, but rather the World Grand Prix mascot seen throughout the film on all the WGP publicity and marketing (essentially a car-ified globe). As shown in the screen shot above, Professor Z actually lands on a large inflatable Globie after his attempted escape from Holley Shiftwell out a second story window (which, I believe, is what this diecast is based on—but of course this little car isn't anywhere close to being in scale with that one).

 
Check it out all unboxed below! I absolutely love it and think it's such a fun, creative and well-executed idea for a diecast that mixes things up a little bit. There's never been anything like this in Mattel's Cars diecast line before.

 
If you're looking to add Globie to your Cars collection, your best bet is picking it up on Amazon using the affiliate link below or on eBay HERE. You'll find that prices are very reasonable for a Super Chase release. Let me know your thoughts and/or any questions you might have down in the comments! Do you think Globie is a must-have for Pixar Cars collectors?

Friday, October 9, 2020

Monsters, Inc. Inspired "Scream Team" Baby Onesie (A BoxLunch Exclusive)

 
 "You and I are a team. Nothing is more important than our friendship." -Mike Wazoswki, Monsters, Inc. 

ROOOOAAARRR! Check out this absolutely scare-riffic "Scream Team" baby onesie (or "infant bodysuite") inspired by Monsters, Inc.! I ordered this clear back in March from BoxLunch and have been looking forward to when Aidan could fit into it so I could share the cuteness with all of you. Monsters, Inc. is one of my wife's all-time favorite Pixar films (as is mine), so it wasn't hard to convince her that this was a must have for Aidan (who's just about 10 months old already—unbelievable). 

The onesie is navy blue with the classic Monsters, Inc. icon front and center. It's super simple, soft and feels cozy/well made (60% cotton; 40% polyester). And since Aidan has been known to do a bit of screaming these days, the "Scream Team" text is fitting for him at this stage. I absolutely love it! Aidan's my little scarer in training.

Original retail price was just $14.90, but it has unfortunately since sold out on the BoxLunch website. You never know what items might make a comeback soon though, so keep your eyes peeled on BoxLunch's website if you're interested in picking one of these up.

Be sure to let me know your thoughts and/or any questions you might have in the comment section down below!

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Toy Story Bucket O Soldiers (Disney Parks Exclusive w/ Injured Soldier)

Hey everyone and welcome—Tonight I'm taking a look at the Disney Parks exclusive Toy Story Bucket O Soldiers set (available in both Disneyland and Disney World, as well as the Downtown Disney/Disney Springs areas)! I had been eyeing this for years now for really one main reason: it comes with an exclusive "injured solider", directly from the moment in the original Toy Story when Andy's mom steps on one of them during the troops' birthday party reconnaissance mission. This is the only time a figure based on that injured soldier has ever been included in a Bucket O Soldiers set.

I had passed on getting this during our last few Disney trips, but when I remembered it recently, I decided to go for it before it's no longer available. Luckily it's still being sold at the parks and I'm grateful that my good (and very helpful) friend Paulina was willing and able to snag it for me! A huge thanks to her.

I've gotten several Bucket O Soldiers sets over the years, but this is certainly my favorite one yet and the most movie accurate out of the ones that I own. I have the the original 1995 version (which I honestly loved at the time as a kid, but looking back, the soldiers are a really dark green and don't resemble the movie's green army men character models much at all—they're almost too real looking in a sense) and the 2009 "Toy Story Collection" version (which leaned too heavily the other way and were a bit too cartoony/stylized, not to mention the big TOY STORY COLLECTION logo slapped on the front of the bucket which I never loved—that set also didn't include a Sarge). 

As an example, below you can see one of my 2009 "Toy Story Collection" army men (left) compared with one from this Disney Parks set (right). See what I mean about the TSC one being too stylized? It looks too chunky, while the Disney Parks version is much thinner and more angular—looking much more like the film version. I also like how this bucket doesn't have any added logos on it, which makes the packaging itself more film accurate as well. 

 
Note: Later versions of the "Toy Story Collection" Bucket O Soldiers, including the re-release just last year, did correct the overall look of the army men and ended up including Sarge and a more film accurate selection of poses/variations.
 
Anyway, enough talk of comparisons for now...let's get back to reviewing this excellent Disney Parks Bucket O Soldiers! Here are all the different army men variations that come with this set (75 soldiers total):

The eight standard poses... 

  • Saluting with binoculars (Sarge)— x7 
  • Bazooka— x10
  • Gun up— x10
  • Laying down— x10
  • Pistol out— x7 
  • Holding gun standing— x7
  • Rocket launcher—x10
  • Holding gun kneeling— x10

One injured soldier...

*Again, the main reason I got this set. It's essentially a perfect replica!

And three paratroopers (notice all three soldiers are slightly different—great touch!).

Literally the only things that this set is missing is more of the metal detector soldiers (there's just one here, which is the injured one) and the medic trooper (who's never been made). If those were included, I would have given this entire set a 10/10 for movie accuracy! Even the paratroopers are exactly how they should look (not the case with the Toy Story Collection version I have). As you can see below in my recreated shot, all the poses seen during the army man sequence in Toy Story are here. I absolutely love that!

If you're a diehard Toy Story collector looking for the most movie accurate Bucket O Soldiers set, I'd say this is it. It includes close to everything I ever wanted in one of these and the army men themselves look incredibly spot on! Retail price for this set is $17.95. 

What are you thoughts? Which Bucket O Soldiers set is your favorite from over the years? Which do you believe is the most screen accurate? I'd love to hear from all you fellow Toy Story fans/collectors and get a conversation going down below!

Follow me on Instagram @danthepixarfan

Friday, October 2, 2020

The Incredibles: Mr. Incredible & Syndrome 7" Action Figure "Nemesis Pack" (by Mattel)

"Am I good enough NOW?! Who's super NOW?! I'm Syndrome, your nemesis and— oh brilliant."

At the start of the year, Mattel began expanding their Disney·Pixar 7" Action Figure Collection (which began in 2019 with Toy Story 4) to other Pixar films—such as Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Wall·E, Onward and more. This The Incredibles inspired "Nemesis Pack" is the latest in the line to be released and includes an exclusive Syndrome figure!

Mr. Incredible is just a reissue of of the single pack release (no differences at all), but Syndrome is brand new and can only be found in this set. Both figures are posable and feature pretty solid articulation. Their sculpts/character likenesses are incredibly well done—just about perfection!

Note: I noticed some confusion online and wanted to clear it up. These are not the same figures as the Mr. Incredible and Syndrome figures from back in 2014. Those were by Thinkway Toys—but yes, these do look pretty similar.

Mattel's team also did a super great job on the packaging design (both front and back of the box), as usual. It's so fun, detailed and includes some clever nods for us fans! Take a closer look at the figures as well; again, SO well done.

I'm not sure if this set will also be available in-store at Target and/or Walmart, but you can pick it up online right now on either Amazon using the affiliate link below or Walmart.com HERE. Retail price is $19.97, so don't pay the current high third-party seller Amazon price. A big thank you to my friend "abusadventure" on Instagram for letting me know it was also on Walmart's website!

Be sure to share your thoughts down in the comments. Will you be picking this up for your collection? What other Pixar characters would you like to see Mattel give the 7" figure treatment to? Merida, Elastigirl, Jack-Jack, Dash and Miguel/Dante are hitting now, so look for them on Amazon and hopefully on store shelves soon. I would love to see characters from A Bug's Life, Ratatouille and Up