Tails was initially only released as a mini-racer in his airplane car. (much like the opposite of Knuckles' racer) This shot to the left is from a toy-show, so it appeared way ahead of the line. You can see that his plane has nice detail with the logo on the side of the wing, & likely room enough in the seat to fit the figure.
It should be considered 2011 when the full-size Tails All-Star Racer was released. His box is identical to the previous 3.5 inch scale racers. He should be about $15.99 in Toys R Us.
All pictures below are by SonicToast
Here's 3.5 inch scale Tails & his Tornado inspired airplane like racer. It's nicely detailed with the 'Tails' logos on the sides of the wings, colored propeller tips and various ridges & textures. It's a 3-wheel vehicle (unlike the rest) & has very tiny wheels. From the interior shot (Below) you can see that the steering wheel/yoke is very small. It's nearly to scale with the vehicle, but the figure's hands are too large to grip it.
As you can see here, other figures can ride in Tails' vehicle. At left, you can see the first edition single-card Tails fitting easily into the plane. At right, Sonic is shown fitting right inside while Tails stands on the back fin. Tails is a difficult figure to 'make' ride in vehicles because his tails are so large they get in the way. Huge-footed figures (like all Sonic characters) also have design problems for vehicles.
You may notice the Tails figure you get with the plane is a bit different. He's lighter yellow (apparent at left) and has the tails sculpted straighter, likely to look like blowing in the wind, or to help him fit into his racer better. However, this re-sculpt doesn't particularly help. His hands are also curled, to grip the wheel, but it is far too small for any figure to grasp.
Discovered by Strap
Since he was released last, Tails' box back is most complete. As you can see here, it has a photo of all of the other 3.5 inch line racers & vehicles so you know what to collect. It also proclaimes "5 inch Racers", which refers to the cars being about 5 inches, NOT the figures. (this spawned a rumor of 5 inch scale JW figures for Shadow & Knuckles to be produced with cars) Having an informative box-back like this is an excellent move to let the fans know exactly what was produced.
Photo by SonicToast
The Tails figure who comes with the racers airplane is not immune to damage. This one here had the legs broken right off when he was removed from the vehicle. Their big feet fitting inside the vehicles presents a difficulty, and matching it with a weak joint just doesn't mix. Photo by SuperSonic1497
How to fit Tails Without Breaking:
The plane comes apart very easily, it's held together by three screws and the propeller section slides on and off all I had to do was split the front open just a bit so the gray piece that holds the dashboard and wheel came out. Tails goes in without any risk of breakage now! Tip by DrEggplantman
