Color Changers

[KK&PP_Cars]

Was wondering what long time and new collectors thought about these. Do you see these as collectible items or more for the play value they had with kids. I know that people are willing to pay a lot of money for these. Which ones were more difficult to get?

When I joined this site one of the main goals was to try to trade for these because my two year old at the time was very much into them mostly thanks to youtube videos. Never got any offers so I ended up getting some used ones on craigslist and decided not to pursue new ones...

[carscrazy]

We found a Finn at a bootsale and got a mater in a bundle of cars off ebay, They didn't actually change colour very well so the little man was not bothered by them.. flogged them on Ebay in the end and used the money to get what he did want

[PopeMobile]

Color changers are more for kids to play with. The problem with saving them as pure collectibles is that the resin technology wears out over time. The colors of the car change to different colors at room temperature and not evenly about the car. So the car might be red in the package and over time the front hood turns to yellow while the rest of the car is red. As more time goes by more of the car turns yellow. If the car is removed from the package and used eventually it will no longer turn colors when switching from hot to cold or vice versa.

[KK&PP_Cars]

Color changers are more for kids to play with. The problem with saving them as pure collectibles is that the resin technology wears out over time. The colors of the car change to different colors at room temperature and not evenly about the car. So the car might be red in the package and over time the front hood turns to yellow while the rest of the car is red. As more time goes by more of the car turns yellow. If the car is removed from the package and used eventually it will no longer turn colors when switching from hot to cold or vice versa.

Thank you, so the high demand on eBay is from parents more than collectors to keep them for themselves? These usually go for more than most super chases. (based on actual sales, not just asking prices)

Is the issue with the cars eventually not changing colors the same with the metal ones (hot wheels, maisto, etc)?

[Scavenger]

For reasons as explained by popemobile I dont understand why these are fetching such ridiculous prices? I understand its probably a low production type thing but still just dont get it!

[PopeMobile]

Thank you, so the high demand on eBay is from parents more than collectors to keep them for themselves? These usually go for more than most super chases. (based on actual sales, not just asking prices)

Is the issue with the cars eventually not changing colors the same with the metal ones (hot wheels, maisto, etc)?

Yes these are definitely parents buying them. My wife bought Ramone's playset just to get the one color changer in it for my young sons. Then through some connections I found a guy who received a huge liquidation of them from one of the Mattel warehouses. I bought 22 cases of them last year and sold them all. There are 12 sets of 2-paks per case. To say these flew off the shelves would be an understatement. The demand was pretty high. Here's what I had.

-Dinoco Chick Hicks and Lightning Mcqueen - $59 (this was by far the hottest item and most in demand. I never quite figured out why and if the hot car was the Mcqueen or Chick. This set always sold out first for me)
-Tex Dinoco and Dinoco Mcqueen - $49 (second best seller - was the second to sell out)
-Brand New Mater and Sarge - $49 (third best seller)
-Doc Hudson and Ramone - $49 (always the last of the bunch to sell but eventually they all did.)

The prices have gone up even higher now for these same ones. The Chick/Mcqueen is averaging $70-$80 now on ebay.

The reason they are so high is pure economics - supply and demand. There are few sellers cause the product is not sold by Mattel and there are young kids turning 2, 3, 4, and 5 everyday that are new to Cars and want these Color Changers. My own sons loved them (we kept a set of each for them and it made bath time a lot of fun for them).

[Silver Frosty]

These were the cars my son wanted before we started collecting them. Christmas and birthdays we tried to find them (and for a decent price).

It came from seeing the you tube clips and lightning was the one most wanted.

In the end, we only managed to find a Finn. Now that doesn't get played with but the regular cars do!

[Ferris]

My kids have no idea that these exist and I hope to keep it that way!

[jcamdenlane]

We managed to make our way through these with just a retail price Finn and a clearanced Ramone's Body Shop. I can understand parents biting at these, even if the toys, themselves, are low quality. For a 2-3 year old, the color changing looks like magic. I'm thankful for hydro wheels coming in at the right time and filling that bathtime niche.

[maxgc53]

They were overlooked when on shelves, and now they are gone people are finally realizing how cool they are. Supply is limited. I was among a few individuals who bought a ton of cases from a seller in Canada, Popemobile I believe also bought some. We paid around 175 a case, and the whole case can be sold for 600 if split up individually. I have made so much money it's ridiculous the last few months.