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Respect the Classics: Tach O Mint (Greg Candyman)

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  • Respect the Classics: Tach O Mint (Greg Candyman)



    Several months ago I started a series about the Cars Piston Cup racers with an article on Mood Springs... In this article, we'll continue with a look at another one of the Piston Cup racers - Greg Candyman, better known as Tach O Mint, #101.

    Here's a picture from the Cars Blu-ray finder:


    While Greg Candyman likes his sponsor, he's not crazy about the paint job... I guess it's not manly enough.

    One of the earliest boxed sets and at the time of release the most expensive boxed set was the Speedway of the South set... Limited to a run of 1000 pieces, the SOTS set went on sale in May 2008... To be eligible to purchase the SOTS set you had to join the Hot Wheels Red Line Collectors club... I joined in April 2008, and bought one set when they went on sale.



    I now have the Cars in the display box and it is on dispaly... For various reasons, many collectors did not purchase the Speedway of the South set when it went on sale... Several of the Piston Cup racers had already been released and they didn't want to purchase Cars they already had... they wanted to purchase just the Cars they needed at the approximate $4.00 price of a single... Unfortunately, Mattel didn't cooperate with those hopes... most of the racers were released, but in various formats and with other Cars or accessories that you might or might not have wanted... In this article, we'll take a look at another one of the Piston Cup racers and unreleased members of his team - Gask-Its.

    As you'll see in this article, there have been very limited releases of Tach O Mint officially none of his team.


    Toys R US exclusive or Not
    The first release of Tach O Mint outside of the Speedway of the South set was going to be as a Toys R US mail in exclusive... this was to be the 4th US TRU exclusive after Sidewall Shine and N2O Cola... Buy 5 Cars... mail in the 5 cardbacks (with UPC) and $5.00 (paid online), receive one Gask-Its... we knew it was going to happen... Even Met on TakeFiveADay had posted about it many times:

    http://www.takefiveaday.com/2009/01/...-promo-car-is/

    I bought the Sidewall Shine and N2O Cola Promo Cars so I knew I was going to participate... but the first day of the 3rd promo, Gask-Its, which was a Sunday, I skipped church to go to Toys R US stores and bought 15 pegwarmers so I could buy 3 promo Cars... the store I went to knew nothing about the Gask-Its promo... but I bought the Cars anyway.

    A few days later, Met posted an update... the Gask-Its promo and the Tach O Mint one that was to follow, were not going to happen... I was bummed, and so were many others.


    Kmart 5 rubber tire racer


    Tach O Mint next appeared as one of the rubber tire racers for the Kmart Cars Collector Event #5 on October 23, 2010...

    Here's the cardback:


    As these Cars were released in Australia several weeks before the Kmart event, I managed to arrange a trade with someone in Australia... here's a set of the Kmart 5 racers:


    Thanks to a custom Apple with rubber tires, I have a complete set of the 36 Piston Cup racers with rubber tires:


    There was also an error version... Tank Coat O Mint... Tach O Coat... My friend Chad found it for me:


    Here's the cardback:


    Tach O Mint Car and name tag on Tank Coat card.

    Up until the 2015 single release, that was the first and only release of Tach O Mint outside the Speedway of the South set.


    Greg Candyman single (2015)


    Tach O Mint from 2015 singles case R was the Car in the first 3 cases that I was most looking forward to... but whether it was due to the west coast dock strike/slowdown/lockout or Mattel's problems with case assortments and distribution, as of March 1, 2015 it still hasn't shown up in US stores... I ordered this on eBay from a seller in France a few weeks ago and it arrived last week...



    I paid almost $28 for it with shipping... and unfortunately the cardback was badly creased...


    I still want Tach O Mint on International cardback carded for my international collection... but I'll get one sometime... I just opened this a few minutes ago.

    Here's Greg Candyman (Tach O Mint) on the 2015 US card (photo to be added)


    Other releases

    There have been no other official releases of Tach O Mint Cars or team members... We never say Tach O Mint as a Pit Row Race-off launcher even though we saw a prototype at the Peterson Museum exhibit.. There is a backdoor unofficial hauler on eBay but I won't be buying it... There was a backdoor version of Tach O Mint with plastic tires a few years ago but it turned out it was made by using the Kmart rubber tire body with the Vitoline plastic tires wheels/rims/axles and back window.

    Thanks to our own GotFrank, I have a custom Tach O Mint launcher... and thanks to my friend Chad, I have a custom Tach O Mint with plastic tires.

    Here's the custom launcher from GotFrank along with the custom racer from Chad:









    Unreleased Tach O Mint Team Members

    There have been no photos of unreleased Tach O Mint team members... no pittys... no crew chief... no hauler... I don't even recall seeing them in pictures in Cars magazines.

    But yes, "I'd give up my left 2 lugnuts" for the unreleased Tach O Mint hauler, crew chief, and pittys.


    Loose Pictures
    Here are some photos showing my opened Tach O Mint racers:


    (L to R: 2015, rubber tire, custom, backdoor)


    (L to R: 2015, rubber tire, custom, backdoor)

    You can tell looking at the back of the Cars that the backdoor version is not made from the correct parts.


    Top row contains 2015 version and Kmart rubber tire version... bottom row is the custom by Chad and the backdoor Car.




    (Top: 2015... bottom: custom by Chad)


    (Top: 2015... bottom: Kmart rubber tire racer)


    (Top: custom by Chad... bottom: backdoor version)

    Here are all 4 of them:


    And here are a few photos of my Speedway of the South version:








    The production code of the SOTS racer is 2637 EA


    The production code of the 2015 single is 3034 EAA.


    In Conclusion - Team Tach O Mint

    Had they released Tach O Mint in the new launcher style (with plastic pitty) I would buy it... but they haven't... so I haven't bought any of the new style of launcher.

    Will we see any Tach O Mint team members? I don't know... I would like to see them... I would like to add them to my collection (even though it will mean spending more money on Cars)... the molds for the pittys, crew chief, and hauler exist... they'd just have to paint them and package them... I don't think we'll see them at retail stores... but many of us would buy cases of the team sets if they'd come with 2 each of 3 new team sets... those would be great cases to split with a friend... and some of us would buy a case by ourselves to have one to open and another to keep carded.

    I'd also like to see the US version of the 2015 release of Tach O Mint... hopefully soon.

    That wraps up this installment of Respect the Classics... 15 Piston Cup racers done... 21 to go... As always, thank you for reading... I appreciate your comments.

    And every PCD member who posts a comment on this article between now and March 15, 2015 will be entered in a drawing to win a carded Kmart rubber tire release of Tach O Mint... shipping charges are the responsibility of the winner.


    I am cac1959... I am a Cars-a-holic... and a proud supporter of Nathan's Playroom

  • #2
    Great article! Tach O Mint has always been one of my favorite Piston Cup Racers!
    Youtube Channel RCcars5 | Google Plus Community Disney Cars & Planes Community

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    • #3
      I would love to see the hauler and team set as well. I keep hoping they will do some sort of limited release that the completists could at least get them. I have almost every hauler and team set available in duplicate, but I can't do the custom route (well except for the most excellent apple car since we will never get it) knowing and hoping one day we could get the real thing.

      It's nice to see the candy man on 2015 card, but I'd feel much better seeing him on a US card. He will be hard to find when the time comes, I'm sure.

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      • #4
        i need him and two others for my plastic tire set. cant wait for a US release

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        • #5
          awesome work as usual, defo my favourite decals from the piston cup racers

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          • #6
            Great article as always.

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            • #7
              Would love to have the hauler and his pit crew!

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              • #8
                Great read for a newcomer. Thanks for your hard work

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                • #9
                  Great read as usual Chris. Can't wait to get this single!!

                  I am a proud supporter of Nathan's Playroom

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                  • #10
                    Wow GoMaterGo made a cameo appearance for this one!

                    Chris you've outdone yourself on this one...great article!!!!

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                    • #11
                      Crew chief and Pitty would be awesome
                      Easily one of my fav racers

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                      • #12
                        Great article once again, Chris !
                        This is the only SOTS racer I have with rubber tires, had to make quite an effort to get it (for a reasonable price)
                        Can't wait to get a plastic tires version.
                        I'm sure the 2015 release will become rare as well..
                        Cars Addict

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                        • #13
                          Great article Chris. I've been waiting for a release of Tach O Mint with plastic tires.
                          The case he is in has just shown up in Australia and I bought him a few days ago.

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                          • #14
                            Love the comparison of the different Tach-O-Mints (both legit and backdoor versions).

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                            • #15
                              Great review and thanks for the info. That's got me looking forward to finding a 2015 release in stores soon! And I also would like to add the rubber tyre version to my collection as well! Would have bought a SOTS set back in the day but Mattel did not ship to the U.K...Grrr! Great stuff Chris.

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