Cars diecasts
Approx. price: £3.00
Age range: 4+
Website: www.mattel.com
Cars was released in 2006, but the film is still spawning toy tie-ins, none more collectible than these little diecast cars from Mattel. The new wave of releases includes several versions of Lightning McQueen, including the Radiator Springs version shown here, as well as a selection of major and minor characters.
While collectors are inevitably falling over themselves to get every character as soon as it is released, it remains true that young children, mostly boys, absolutely love these colourful cars.
Partly this is due to the fact that they look exactly like the cars in the movie, making it irresistibly tempting to recreate scenes from the film. Partly it is because they are just so colourful and bursting with character.
Attention to detail is commendable. The Mario Andretti car that makes a brief cameo appearance in the film is a loving reproduction of the Ford Fairlane driven to victory by Andretti in the 1967 Daytona 500 (check these pictures out to see what the real car looks like).
Not all is perfect – the wheels aren’t as substantial they could be and paint tends to chip off rather too easily – but the overall appeal is undeniable.
Our young testers have been happily playing with the new releases for weeks and older models are still getting plenty of attention, so if you’re looking for a high-value toy with plenty of staying power, these Cars diecasts are sure-fire winners.
Durability: 4/5
Longevity: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Score: 93%
Conclusion: Irresistible for young fans of the movie.
