These aren’t like new new, but they are kinda recent and are part of Mattel’s latest bizarre scheme of releasing Disney Character Cars. All told I think we have a pretty good spread here: Chip (Beauty and the Beast), Hercules (Hercules), and Robin Hood (Robin Hood).
Chip is easily the most difficult to find of the newbies. A few months back, when Ursula was first released, she came in a case full of other re-releases. After some time, one of those re-releases was replaced by Chip – a format that made more sense with Ursula being the only new one.
As far as design goes, there’s really nothing to complain about. This is the Chip as a vehicle. I’m not even sure that this could be imagined any other way. The chip is preserved (as it should be) and I like that the coffee or tear or whatever is shown. Another interesting feature is the hidden third wheel. The front 2 are super-tiny but certainly there, and where it seems it may have to drag the back half, there’s a small wheel set within the base.
Then there’s Hercules who takes a few cues from the superhero Character Cars, namely the integration of the cape into the vehicle design. It flows back from the cabin to create the trunk area, while the roof is his “hair.” The car itself is fairly large and bulky like the demi-god himself. His swords rest upon the rocker panels, a small detail I always appreciate. A little bit of gold is peppered in via the rims and chassis. Although it could be considered “plain,” Hercules himself isn’t much more than a shirtless guy with a cape, so finer details are sparse. Even so, I think he’s still a quality example of what a Character Car can be. Hopefully this will pave the way for a Hades Character Car sooner rather than later.
Robin Hood – as a fox, mind you – comes to us from an earlier era of Disney and I’m not overtly familiar with the film. But hey, it’s Robin Hood, not too hard, right? Off the bat the color scheme looks accurate. Small details are dotted around like the quiver on the back, his black nose on the hood, and one of my favorites, the tiny sharp teeth in the grille. A separate piece added on to the rear left acts as the feather in his cap. Also of note are the arrows to the rear of the rocker panels. The one thing I can’t figure out is why 3 are rendered in orange yet one is golden. Any insights…? Another strong Character Car in my opinion.
Well ok, with these out of the way and the 3 we already covered that’s 6 new Disney Character Cars. Why not create another full-fledged series like they used to? I’ve got the same question. Instead we’ve got a boxset exclusive, a latecomer that appears to be absent from cases it should’ve been in, 2 more from a case that is popping up virtually everywhere, and 2 more from a case I’ve yet to spot. C’mon now Mattel, I want to buy your stuff, make it easy!
So who’s next? What are some big franchises we’re missing? Pocahantas, the Hunchback, Bambi, and I’m drawin’ a blank.
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