Mater is the tow truck and best friend of Lightning McQueen in the Disney Pixar Cars film franchise, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. The character is a 1957 International Harvester tow truck, first appearing in the 2006 Pixar Cars movie. Mattel has released Mater as a die-cast collectible across multiple film eras and product lines since 2006.
Mattel has produced 294 Mater die-cast variants in the Pixar Cars line since 2006. The full Mater lineup spans 20+ years of releases and includes mainline cards, exclusive series, packaging variations, and movie-specific paint schemes. Each variant has its own Mattel number, assortment code, and release window.
Mater releases break down across 5 distinct Pixar Cars film eras: Cars (2006 film): 82 variants; Cars 2 era (2011-2016): 86 variants; Cars 3 era (2017-2021): 43 variants; Modern releases (2022+): 62 variants; Cars on the Road (2022+): 21 variants. Each era brought new sculpts, paint variations, and packaging treatments. Collectors building the full Mater subset typically work era by era to track which variants they own and which are still missing.
Among the most collectible Mater die-cast variants are Holiday Whee-Hoo Winter Mater (2010), Lightning McQueen & Mater (2010), and El Materdor (2014). These releases command higher collector value due to limited production, exclusive retailer status, or strong demand from collectors completing the Pixar Cars set. Click any Mater on this page to see its current rarity score and 10-year collector value projection.
Mater die-cast collector value depends on year, packaging condition, rarity tier, and secondary-market demand. Common mainline Mater releases trade close to their original retail price. Rare and Chase Mater variants from earlier production runs can command significant premiums on the secondary market. The collector value reveal on each card above shows current estimates and 10-year projections based on Pixar Cars Garage's pricing model.
Pixar Cars Garage maintains the most complete Mater variant tracker available, with all 294 confirmed releases cataloged from 2006 to today. Members log which Mater variants they own, see exactly which versions are still missing from their collection, and track the collector value of their Mater subset over time. Registration is free and takes about 30 seconds.
