Galloping Geargrinder - Pixar Cars - Background characters always get the coolest accessories.

(Top) Galloping Geargrinder is sort of the Boba Fett of Cars 2. You see him on screen for a mere moment out of the movie, his look and design is really unique and understated, and he gets a killer diecast release, making fans scramble to find him. (Left Bottom) An actual Galloping Goose that this character is based on. (Right Bottom) The sealed blistercard.

Mattel is a very odd company. Box assortments, case distribution, and a sometimes off beat knowledge of the fan base they cater to, makes for rocky relationships with the people that buy into their toy lines.

Go to any retail outlet that carries Cars, and you'll probably find fifty McQueens just warming pegs. That was the case when I found this often unknown gem of a diecast. (We all know we hide finds we can't afford behind a pile of other less looked at toylines, or behind high dollar ticket items.) He was stuck behind an obviously clustered 3 pegs of LMQs no doubt hidden until someone's paycheck would deposit and they could claim him. But no, I am onto the tricks and wiley ways of many of my cohorts and plucked him like the forbidden fruit of... okay, I'm getting off base here.

He's really just as oddball as his real world inspiration.

But I mean first of all, the fact that Cars collectors even got this guy who is a wholly original sculpt (and no he's not a retool of Lizzie, although they do look alike) and came with what I think is the most amount of accessories for a single card Cars release, that HAD to get others scratching their heads.

The details, the details, the details. Although I don't know how he'd use any of what he carries on him, the included tools and the lantern, are all welcome and unexpected inclusions for this car.

Personally I love offbeat releases like this, because these are the ones that become the true chases and revered additions to personal collections.

It's when you look at the sculpt up close like below. This. This is what gets me excited about die cast collecting. The details on the radiator, the headlights, the lantern hook and horns... this is one that when I finally assemble/create my 1:55 scale version of Radiator Springs, I want to spotlight in some way.

It looks like he'd fit on an HO or HOn2 model scale track, I have yet to find out.

Thanks for reading and keep collecting! - Mario, the Rogue Hobbyist.
 

Stats	Rating/Information
Item	Galloping Geargrinder
Made by	Mattel (Disney/Pixar license)
Rarity	Very Uncommon - because Mattel evidently uses feral cats to get case assortments to retail.
Classification	Modern
Condition	Very Good
Procured	ToysRUs, Kansas
Worth	around $20 as of Dec 2014 if still carded
Investment	$7
Further Research	http://coloradorailroadmuseum.org/train-rides-home/galloping-goose-rides/
Trivia & Fun Facts	It is unclear exactly where the name "Galloping Goose" comes from. It is mostly commonly suggested that it referred to the way the car body and the freight compartment tended to rock back and forth on the railway's sometimes precarious track. A more colorful story is that the name arose because the "geese" were equipped with air horns rather than the whistles of the steam locomotives.