Tweet
Mattel first released 1:55 diecast Cars from the movie Cars back in 2006... from time to time, they've changed cardback series... we've taken a look at various cardbacks in previous articles...
In the beginning, came the Desert Back series Cars... First there were 12 Cars known as Desert Back 12 (DB12)... next came the Desert Back 16 - the same 12 Cars plus 4 new ones... Many people had bought the first 12 and wanted more - I didn't start collecting until after the Desert Back Series.
Next came the Supercharged cardback Cars... Many more Cars... several different cases... more stores were carrying these because they were popular with customers... I bought almost all of those but usually just one of most which I opened without first taking pictures of the carded Car...
Up next came the World of Cars (WOC) cardback Cars... many more Cars... several different cases... in addition to new Cars, Mattel re-released several others that had previously been released on the new cardback... it was during this series that Mattel released their first Chase Cars... it was also during this series that I started buying cases of Cars... I was having trouble finding all the new releases in stores...case assortments were starting to leave a little to be desired... stores weren't getting in every new case because they weren't selling all their inventory... I also started trading with friends to pick up International versions of several of these Cars - I liked how the name looked in different languages... For example, Mater was also known as Hook or Martin - I thought that was cool.
Next came the Race O Rama (ROR) series of Cars... new Cars... several different cases... many re-released Cars on yet another cardback... the Chase Cars continued... I continued to buy cases because I didn't want to miss out on any new or Chase Cars... again not every store got in every case... it was difficult to find every new Car in stores...
After the ROR series Mattel split the product line into 2 distinct series... a new concept, Lenticular Cars with moving eyes were made available to all retailers because the classic or fixed eyed Cars became a Target exclusive known as the Final Lap series... Most collectors did not care for the lenticular Cars as well... I bought them because I had to find new Cars to satisfy my Cars-a-holicism... but I was starting to feel resentful that the only local new Cars I could find contained mostly Cars I already had with fixed eyes... I don't have a local Target store - I had to travel out of town to shop at Target or rely on friends to help me out.
The first several cases of Final Lap Cars contained 18 Cars... perhaps half of the 18 were new Cars - 2 or 3 of each new Car... the rest were re-released Cars on yet another new cardback... I bought new Cars for myself... but I was no longer buying them all... The Final Lap singles were $4.99 plus tax each - at least $1.00 more than the lenticular Cars... In this article, we'll take a look at the 10 re-released Final Lap singles - over 2 years after they were originally re-released, I decided that I wanted to finish the series... so for the last month I've been trying to trade for or purchase the ones that I need.
Sheriff:
Sheriff was released in Final Lap cases E and F, quantity 1.
The King:
The King was released in several of the Final Lap cases... cases A, B, and D included 2 King (out of 18 Cars total)... case F included 1 King out of 18 Cars total.
Radiator Springs McQueen:
Radiator Springs McQueen was also released in many Final Lap cases... case A included 2... cases C, D, E, and F included 1 Radiator Springs McQueen...
Lightning McQueen:
The Final Lap series Lightning McQueen is the first series in which the McQueen contains the Rusteze logo on the spoiler in the entire series... Cases B, C, and D contained 2 Lightning McQueen... cases E, F, and G contained 1 Lightning McQueen.
Ramone:
Green Ramone is the only Ramone that appeared in the Final Lap series... case E contained 2 Ramone and case F contained 1... I just purchased one on eBay that arrived today... I can't tell you how many of them I saw in stores - people bought Race Damaged Mood Springs and to a lesser extent Jay Limo, Vern, and Wet Lightning McQueen... the re-releases were left on the pegs.
Mater:
While it seems as if Mater is almost always the most commonly released Car, regular Mater in the Final Lap series was only released in case E, quantity 1...
The following 4 Final Lap Cars are photos provided by and used by permission of Sharon Riley... Thank you, Sharon:
Brand New Mater:
The Final Lap series Brand New Mater is one of 2 Final Lap re-releases that I do not have or have in transit... It appeared only in case A, quantity 1... Had I only decided to purchase it 6 weeks earlier I would have gotten it at a very good price.
Fillmore:
The Final Lap series release of Fillmore is the other Final Lap re-release that I do not have or have in transit... it appeared in only cases B and D, quantity 1 each time... I was bidding on one on eBay in early May but lost the auction...
Fabulous Hudson Hornet:
Fabulous Hudson Hornet was released in several Final Lap cases... case B contained 2... cases A, C, and F contained 1... I have one coming in a trade... As Paul Newman was the voice of Doc Hudson, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, FHH was a popular Car each time it was released.
Chick Hicks:
Chick Hicks was released in 3 different Final Lap cases... case B contained 2 Chick... cases E and G contained 1 Chick Hicks
In Conclusion
If you're a new collector who opens your Cars, you don't need to buy the Final Lap versions of the re-released Cars... almost all of them have been released on either the 2013 or the TRU Radiator Springs Classic cardback... some have been released in multipacks...
When I started the Final Lap articles and noticed I only needed 7 to complete the Final Lap series carded, I decided to do so... It's always easier to collect an entire series when the series starts... It took more time and money to buy the Desert Back 12 and Desert Back 16 carded Cars than it would have had I been collecting when they were first released...the same applies to the Final Lap series... and it would apply to the Supercharged, World of Cars, and Race o Rama series if I decide to finish those... that's why I have been buying myself one of each so far in the Radiator Springs Classic and 2013 Mainline cardback series so far... but I'm running out of places to store them.
Collect them all? It's up to you... collect what you like... I enjoyed collecting more when my grandchildren were into Cars... for those of you who are collecting because of or with your children, enjoy your time, because kids do grow up quickly.
As always, thanks for reading... I appreciate your comments.
Chris
Case information pulled from personal experience and from:
http://carsthetoys.yuku.com/topic/51...e-cases?page=1
Comment