Of those 16, 12 will be “Standard Editions” featuring Metallic Evergreen paint with Pro-Circuit rimmed front tires. The remaining 4 will be the coveted “Diamond Edition” featuring Metallic Gold paint job along with Redline Real Rider tires. Both editions come mounted in an acrylic case with original Pope Designs artwork on the backdrop card.

Each bus will be available for $90 (plus $6 shipping) on a first-come, first served basis via the Pope Designs eBay page. Diamond Editions will be randomly inserted into orders in place of the Standard Edition. Be sure to visit the Pope Designs Sales Page for more information and to see additional photos of the bus!

Here are some of the many reasons I wanted to go before I even got there.

1. I was going to be able to see and room with my good friend Mike Stevens from NH whom I hadn’t see in almost 2 years!
2. Flying to sunny California and being surrounded by Hot Wheels!
3. Seeing many old friends I hadn’t see in a long, long time.
4. Getting back into the swing of what a Strauss Convention is all about; an explosion of cars and many people sharing your hobby.

But this where my expectations and realizations diverge because once I got there, there were some things I experienced that exceeded my expectations and a few that fell short! I knew the hotel location wasn’t great [right outside the LAX airport] but forgave it because at least the hotel itself was pretty nice with a friendly staff and a great floor design conducive to good room to rooming and large event facilities for the convention! Regarding the convention cars themselves; I loved the T1 Drag Bus and Highway Hauler, but was disappointed in the ‘32 Sedan Delivery [a very pedestrian casting in a very pedestrian design] and the ’55 Chevy Panel Charity promo [a great casting with a VERY underwhelming design]. The charity raffle offerings were a mix of boring to mildly exciting [I didn’t win anything but you have to be in it to win it!].

I always enjoy Button Bingo no matter what cars are offered as prizes but this year they were Strauss code 3 Karmann Ghias which are especially nice castings. I didn’t win any games, but I had loads of fun nonetheless. Charity Poker on the other hand is a love/hate relationship for me. I like to play to get the orange version of the Karmann Ghia, but I don’t know enough about playing poker well enough to actually go very far in the game. Still, it was a good time with a few laughs thrown in for good measure!

The charity dinner was also a mixed bag. I always enjoy the conversation at the table and this time was no exception with a combination of old friends and new acquaintances; including some newbies [always great to talk to them] all talking cars and swapping convention stories! The food was standard hotel fare meaning it was blah and inoffensive. The Mattel produced dinner car was the ubiquitous ‘67 Chevy Camaro casting done in a sharp spectraflame blue paint with flame tampos. While I know this is a favorite casting of Mike Strauss my feeling is “ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN ‘67 CAMARO ALREADY!” Out of the multitude of cool HW castings out there, why did it have to be another ’67 Camaro? It did turn out miles ahead of some past Strauss Convention Dinner Car clunkers, [Dueling Hypermites immediately comes to mind], but it would have been nice to see something new.

The Dinner Code 3 was a ’66 VW Bug done in a nice smooth silver finish, and I was finally lucky to win an alternate bright lime version [’95 T-Hunt lite looking almost]. Plus, I was happy that more variations were offered up as prizes this year. I also enjoyed the colorized Convention Coin; celebrating the convention’s 10th Anniversary that was given to all Dinner guests this year. I had previously bought the all-silver version at registration time so the colorized version was a welcome compliment to the silver one.

The Friday night auction was quite exciting this year. There was the usual assortment of temptations for just about everyone like prototypes, Hot Wheels Designer’s artwork, and many other donated goodies. There was nothing I particularly wanted but there were some hot bidding wars erupting on items I would never have dreamed would go so high. But as I have always stated; I never throw stones at what others buy in pursuit of this hobby. My friend Bryan Pope donated an OFF-THE-HOOK 1 of 1 version of his recently SOLD OUT custom: The Hell-Bound T1 Drag Bus that brought in almost $500.00! The donated bus featured a wild roof design with an extra-cool feature; a multi-lick flame design carved out of the metal! It was done by Paul Spradlin of Plano TX. I know Paul and his work well. He’s a great artist, and he and Bryan made for a fantastic pairing.

Another mixed emotion event for me was the RLC Party. The spectraflame pink Olds 442 party car is one of the best RLC Party giveaways in a long time. It could have benefited from either no stripes at all or adding stars to the hood stripes; but these are personal quibbles. While Mattel tried to entertain us by presenting their in-house employee band eponymously named “The Toys”; the band itself was loud and at times a bit shrieky. I don’t want to sound all “GET OFF MY LAWN YOU YOUNG PUNKS” old man-like but I was not in the minority on this point no matter the age of the conventioneer. The prize giveaway portions and information sessions were well done but too widely spaced in between some self indulgent band numbers. However, I have to commend Strauss MC Rick Tippe for getting up with the band to sing his very popular Hot Wheels song! Rick provided a nice voice contrast to the regular singer and produced the most fun song of the night. Alas, I did not win anything again. Friday night turned out to be a great room to room night. Rooms were open late and lots of friends to greet and talk to and many free beers given out! It was fun!

Saturday day was a highlight for me! The anticipated Snake and Mongoose transport trucks were coming! Mattel wisely put the finished retail pieces out for display for everyone to ogle and the real one were finally going to be at the convention and so were drivers Don Prudhomme and Tom McEwen. I had met both of them at two previous events and didn’t need to get in line to get their signatures again so Mike and I went to eat breakfast. When we came back the trucks were in the parking lot of the hotel just sitting there all alone. We jumped at our chance to snap all the photos we want and that’s just what we did! It was a blast. After we had our fill, we went inside to see the autograph line stretching for quite a distance and knew we made the right decision. I did get a photo of DP and TM signing autographs. I was told by friends both drivers were very gracious and friendly!

The Saturday night finale was highly anticipated by all. Everyone wanted to see if predictions were correct and the finale giveaway promo was indeed the much heralded Spectraflame Pink VW Drag Bus! And to everyone’s glee it was! It is a beautiful sight to behold! It’s much better in person than in photos! I tried to buy one or two more for friends back in NJ but the secondary [meaning immediately outside the event room door] price quickly escalated past $150.00, more then my friends wanted to spend at the time! The finale itself was informative but a bit too long at the same time.

The GOOD: The opening awards ceremony moved quickly and nice raffle prizes given out.

The BAD: This is where it shows that I have been to a few too many finales.

The Mattel Q&A session: I have to say the answers this year have been better than in the past but the questions are always the same and I have heard them all before! People need to get original here! I raised my hand but never got called on but they wouldn’t have liked my question anyway. It would have been; “Why in the world do you choose the castings you do to include in some Adult/Nostalgia series themes?”
Some of the castings are just dogs and it shows by them continually hanging on the pegs! Just look at The Master of the Universe castings???? Even with the upcoming new Super Hero cars; the HWS Delivery Van for Harley Quinn? Come on!​

Moving on; even though the raffle prizes that were given out were cool, the process took forever. They could have shaved at least 30 minutes off the length and everyone would have been happier! It was announced that next year’s West Coast convention was moving back to Orange County California!!! I personally really liked when it was in the O.C. [Being from NJ, am I allowed to call it that?] and am glad it’s back. The convention staff didn’t confirm whether it will be back in Irvine or Garden Grove, or even some other O.C. location, but I don’t care; I am happy nonetheless!

Saturday night was a good one for me since I was invited to a Tiki Party thrown by Amy Boylan formerly a Senior VP at Mattel. Amy is the individual responsible for creating the RLC and HWC as well as Mattel’s renewed interest in the adult collectible lines; many of which are still going strong today. Amy is currently the President and COO of West Coast Customs following her run as President of Shelby Motorcars. I have known Amy since her Mattel days and have become good friends with her. It was a great chance to just kick back and relax with friends and drink Tiki Punch! This coming February 2012 in Las Vegas; Amy will be inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame for her many contributions to the hobby! I def will be there for that! The room to rooming was a bit quieter Saturday night; more so than I was used to; with many of the sellers either having left, beginning to pack down or only had crumbs of items left for sale. It was all becoming one big, brightly colored diecast blur!

Sunday brought the morning toy show and a chance to say goodbye to friends before I hopped on my flight home. I didn’t need anything there but I was able to secure 1 more RLC Party 442 for a friend back home at a great price!

A Strauss West Coast convention is the Mecca for any Hot Wheels collector. I was even able to find a bunch of non-HW diecast as well! I know that is heresy to some but it’s my money! I feel the West Coast convention is great for getting the scoop on the new model year cars, finding Redlines and the newest end of year cars! There are many other cars there but this is what I saw the most this year in addition to an overload of generic 2000-2011 mainlines.

The Strauss National conventions in the spring are best for finding a better variety of harder-to-find older cars since I feel more of a variety of sellers come from surrounding states. Anyone who calls themselves “Real” a Hot Wheels collector needs to make the pilgrimage at least once to either event if they haven’t already done it. It will blow your mind about what is out there!

All in all I personally had a great time at a great event! I shopped, I bought, I got to go to IN-N-OUT twice, I drank, I laughed, I saw people I hadn’t seen in a while like Connie, Don & Cindy, Joey, Amy, and Jeff, [and so many others I cant list them all], and I had so much fun. I would love to do it all again next year in Orange County! You need to go to any convention event with an open mind, a love of cars and your fellow collectors and a modicum of cash, to do everything you want. If you don’t possess any of these attributes you won’t have a good time, you’ll just be sitting in your room alone. What fun is that!

I would love to know if anyone else was there and what experiences they had! I think hearing other’s stories is what fills out the whole convention experience.

Click here to jump over to TomsDiecastCars.com to take advantage of this special offer.

• - 1971 Plymouth Cuda HEMI -  Black w/White to Candy Turquoise Flame
• - 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona HEMI -  Black w/White to Candy Orange Flame
• - 1949 Mercury -  Black w/Gold & Green Flame
• - 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air – Black w/Candy Red Flame
• - 1970 Ford Mustang Mach 1 428 -  Black w/Black & Medium Pink Pearl Flame
• - 1969 Pontiac GTO -  Black w/Cyanide Blue Pearl Flame

The Chase piece for this release will a 1949 Mercury in Green with white flames and black pin stripes. Collectors can expect to see these hitting retail in September and October. Some online vendors have this series available for pre-order now.

Catch a glimpse of the Drivers Series Release 12 via these pre-production images. Click either image to see a larger version.

At one point in history, E. L. Cord controlled Auburn, Duesenberg, Cord, Lycoming, Stinson Aircraft and American Airways. In 1929, Cord introduced the L-29 – the first front-wheel drive automobile. When the stock market crashed, the luxury car market virtually slowed down to a standstill. E. L. Cord then commissioned Gordon Buehrig to create a baby Duesenberg. The result was a medium priced, front-drive car that became the 810 and 812 models introduced in 1936. The cars brought style and performance to the marketplace. Features included a coffin-nose, retractable headlights and V-8 power. The 812 was available in standard and supercharged version, and only 200 of the supercharged “Phaetons” were created. This supercharged 812 was the automobile Mattel modeled their Classic Cord after.

Mattel’s Classic Cord was designed by Larry Wood. This USA only casting featured a metal base and body and a metal engine with a supercharger sticking thru a lift-up hood. It’s plastic interior only came in black. Other features included a clear windshield, a lift off black plastic roof and of course, Redline tires.

Finishes were available in twelve spectraflame colors with the hardest to find currently being Hot Pink. This casting is very desirable among collectors. C8 examples sell in the range of $75-275 loose. The most valuable Cords are Hot Pink models with pristine loose pieces selling in the $1,900-2,500 range!

Credits: Anita Smith balance of the images. Magenta Cord from the RK Stickels collection. Cord Collectors of America text and images, Tomarts guide #6, Spectraflame-the essential guide.

Additional Redlines from Anita’s collection of cars can be seen in the following book, Hot Wheels Classic Redline Era: Hot Wheels – Birth of the Redline by Angelo Von Bogart (Hardcover – Sep 28, 2009).

Get a sneak peek of some of the great creations via the gallery below. Click on any of the thumbnails to see a large version of the images.

Collectors interested in attending Summer Smash should make the jump over to the official Summer Smash website for more information on tickets and accommodations. I hope to see you there!

Bryan’s next convention appearance will be at the Summer Smash coming up on August 25th thru the 28th. Be sure to visit the official Summer Smash website for more info on tickets and accommodations.

It will be the ONLY way for collectors to get the remaining Pope Designs 5th Anniversary Camaros now that the online sale is over!

Basic releases: Cars you should be seeing in stores now; they are case code ‘L & M’.

New Models: L – ’11 Challenger Drift Car in green; ’11 Corvette Grand Sport in yellow (pic’d); Super Blitzen in orange (pic’d); ’65 Ford Rancharo in red (pic’d); ’63 Studebaker Champ in blue; Hyundai Genesis Coupe in blue (pic’d); M- Fast Cash in red; ‘70 GTO Judge in blue; ’68 COPO Camaro in orange (pic’d); Mini Challenge in red (pic’d); Nissan Skyline H/T 2000 GT-X in white (pic’d); and Diesel Duty in silver (pic’d).

Vars. HW Collectors Series: L- ’71 Maverick in red; ustom ’56 F-100 in maroon; ’49 Drag Merc. in blue; Ferrari 458 Italia in blue; ’68 El Camino in white/blue; ’71 Dodge Demon in white; ’65 Mustang in burnt red w/flames; ’68 Merc. Cougar in red; ’67 Chevelle SS in black w/HW; Ice Cream Truck in red; ’69 Camaro in maroon; Custom ’53 Chevy in purple; Shelby Cobra 427 S/C in silver; Javelin AMX in burnt orange; ’66 Nova in black w/HW. M- ’63 Corvette in B.red; Passin’ Gasser in lime green; Toyota Land Cruizer FJ40 in white; Bye Focal ll in yellow; ’68 Nova in blue; ’69 Coronet Super Bee in 2tone blue; ’07 Shelby GT500 in black; Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 in red; Nitro Doorslammer in blue; ’69 Firebird T/A in blue w/HW; Charger Drift in red; and Sky Knife in green.

2011 Thrill Racers: L- Toyota RSA in lgt.blue; Nissan Silvia S15 in yellow; M- Off Track in multi-color white; Roll Cage in lgt. green; Ducati 1098R in red; Fire Eater in white.

2011 Track Stars: L- Ultra Rage in black; M- Triumph TRG in yellow. Video Game Heroes: L- Yur So Fast in yellow; M- Surfin’ School Bus in yellow; Night Burner in green.

T-Hunts: L- Custom ’62 Chevy; M- Datsun 240Z; (both supers pic’d).

Other series:

Hot Wheels Garage/Hot Wheels Vintage (Code “G”): ’70 Monte Carlo; ’71 Challenger; ’65 Merc. Comet Cyclone; ’66 Dodge A-100 Van; ’67 Olds. 442; ’70 Ply. Barracuda Conv.; ’68 Hemi Barracuda; ’70 Road Runner; ’71 Dodge Demon; custom ’67 Mustang Coupe. (all pic’d).

2011 Monster Jam: No longer reporting on this series.

Hot Ones – (Code “B”): do out now: – Ferrari F40; ’65 Mustang; Ferrari 308 GTS; Baja Breaker; Twin Mill; ’71 Mustang; ’77 Dodge Van; Zombot; Pontiac Banshee; Ferrari 512.

Coming soon: Nostalgia case “A” Masters of the Universe.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors fromonline research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

-Pictures courtesy of HotWheelsCollectors.com, 1stopdiecast.com and others.

Here is a sampling of some of the cars currently available. Click any image to see a larger version.

Click here to jump over to the DiecastSpace store to view the remaining KustomKon cars.

The episode aired on RTV and TUFF TV on May 1st, but the Tail Fins crew has made the full episode available for those who missed it! Segments from the convention include interviews with me, die-cast author Mike Zarnock, die-cast designer Eric Tscherne, DCS Staffer Jason Bennett and female collector, Katerina. As an added bonus, the episode includes a great segment from the Hot Wheels room at the Peterson Automotive Museum.

The convention segments are sprinkled between some cool footage of a pretty impressive police car (1:1 scale!) collection, so make sure you watch the whole episode to see everything from the Magical Weekend!

Be sure to check out the Tail Fins and Chrome website to catch more full length episodes or to see if the show is available on cable TV in your area.

The next Magical Weekend of Cars will be rolling into Anaheim, CA in the Summer of 2012, but there are plenty of great events to attend in the meantime. Check out ToyCarConventions.com for a complete listing of all the DiecastSpace events nationwide.

As in the past, each inductee will be contacted to confirm that they will be accepting their induction into the Hall of Fame. The ability for each inductee to be present at the 2012 Diecast Hall of Fame ceremony will also be confirmed and publicly listed as that information becomes available.

The inductees for each category in the Class of 2012 include:

In addition, the following DCS Staff members will be inducted under the “Intriguing Collectors” category as announced during the 2011 Diecast Hall of Fame ceremony:

Bob Ratliff, Tony Monzon, Jason Bennett, John Kennedy, Tom Brust, Frank Kelly, Paul Wooten and Cullen Lee

The 2012 Diecast Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place during the 2012 DiecastSpace Super Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino from February 22nd thru the 26th. Information on tickets and accommodations to the convention can be found at Diecastspace.com. Admission to the ceremony itself is free and open to the public.

Los Angeles-based marketing agency, RAINDEO | BEAUTIFUL has been selected to spearhead the fan club project after their success the brought Maisto with last holiday’s Rock Crawler Giveaway. The first order of business in creating the new club will be to select its official name, and collectors will be invited to help make that selection via a voting process that should be opened to collector input within the next week or so.

Its good to see a larger manufacturer like Maisto deciding to put some money behind building a community platform for their collector base. If done properly, this could really give Maisto a boost in attracting the more hardcore collectors to the brand, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this new endeavor changes their brand perception.

Stay tuned for more information as things progress towards the anticipated Fall 2011 launch. Until then, be sure to check out (and “Like”) the Maisto page on Facebook.

Stay tuned for more information on this exciting new announcement. We’ll be sure to share the details as soon as it becomes available!

Collectors interested in attending any of the other DiecastSpace conventions coming up this year can find more information on ToyCarConventions.com.

Basic 100 Line:

Batch D – March 2011 models. I found some pictures of some new cars being sold but, I’m not sure of the case code on these. I put the pictures in but, I have no information as to the MB number of the casting. See the pictures below.

- Porsche 911 GT-3 blue; Ice Cream Van pink; Lotus Europa pink; ’68 Toyota Land Cruiser blue; ’68 Ford Mustang GT CS silver; ’78 Dodge Monico Police; Scraper tan; Corvette ZR1 white; Garbage Truck green; Cadillac CTS coupe silver; Pontiac Firebird Formula blue; ’10 Fisker Karma Hybrid silver; Toyota 4Runner red; Hummer H3 green; Road Roller white.

“Lesney” Edition

Case Code “ Q” includes a Ford E-350 Ambulance; a “57 Chevy Bel-Air Hardtop; a Chevy Blazer; Chevy Step-side; ’55 Cadillac Fleetwood; Dennis Sabre ladder truck.

‘Real Working Rigs’

Batch ? (2 models) released Apr./May – Snow Tracker and a MPCV vehicle.

‘Skybusters’

This is my last report on this line; see pictures below.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors from online research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

Images from this post courtesy of Dave Tilley, MB Forums and eBay

Foust is an accomplished rally and drift car champion and has worked as a stunt driver/double for movies such as Iron Man 2, The Fast and the Furious and The Dukes of Hazzard. More recently he starred as one of the hosts of the American version of Top Gear on the History Channel.

Here’s the video footage of the record breaking jump as well as some behind the scenes footage with Tanner if you haven’t seen the great footage yet.

The three main days of the convention are packed full of great activities like Diecast Bingo, Diecast UNO, Downhill Racing, in-room trading, autograph sessions and vending machine pull sessions featuring the debut of the DiecastSpace Vending Machine that will be packed full of all sorts of goodies and special surprises. Add in the RAOK Party, Legends Dinner and Charity Auction and you have the recipe for a fun filled couple of days.

A variety of special guests are scheduled to attend the Collector Experience as well! Diecast personalities include Hot Wheels Designers Larry Wood, Eric Tscherne and Wayne Scott as well as Diecast Authors Mike Zarnock and Bob Parker. Ben “Cooter” Jones from The Dukes of Hazard is also set to make an appearance, so be sure to bring your General Lee castings for the autograph sessions! You’ll also find several of your favorite Pro Diecast Customizers like Bryan Pope and Chris Walker in attendance with some special limited edition diecast pieces for sale.

Of course, the main reason to attend a convention is for the cars, right? A wide selection of custom convention cars have been created for the weekend. Collectors attending the premium events such as Bingo and UNO will receive their special cars for those activities during the events themselves. Those attending the convention under a general admission ticket will still have the ability to browse and purchase any of the Collector Experience branded souvenir cars. Here’s a sneak peek of come of the various cars that have been created. Click on any image to see a larger version.

If all this weren’t enough, Liberty Promotions will be giving away a FREE VW Drag Bus to anyone who books three or more nights at the convention hotel on the trading floors! Information about tickets and accommodations can be found on ToyCarConventions.com, or you can book your hotel directly by calling (615) 259-2000 and using the group code “DIECAST.”

We hope to see you there!

Similar to previous Custom Crew releases, both the standard and chase editions of the Mooneyes Sledster come in two different colors. The standard edition is available in Satin Black or Yellow and is limited to just 864 pieces of each color. The chase edition comes in metallic grey or metallic gold and is limited to just 384 pieces.

Collectors who purchase individual pieces will have a random chance of getting a chase piece inserted into their order in place of a standard edition Sledster. “Gotta have’m all” collectors will be pleased to see that The Custom Crew now offers a complete set of all four Sledsters for $239.96.

Click here to jump over to The Custom Crew website to place your order.

- Click any image to see a larger version -

Quantity and pricing on these pieces is still to be determined, but attendees of Summer Smash 4 will certainly be the first to have a chance to add these to their collection. Be sure to visit the Official Summer Smash 4 website for details on tickets and accommodations to this convention.

The regular version is limited to 1250 pieces and the Rebel Run version is limited to 250. Each bus is available for $26.99 (USD) plus shipping. Rebel Run versions are randomly inserted into orders and are only available by chance.

Click here to jump over to the Liberty Promotions sale page

Note: At the time of publishing this article, a small quantity of the “Ceremonial Edition” bus has been made available at the DiecastSpace online store. Like the Rebel Run, this version of the Hall of Fame bus is also only limited to 250 pieces and is selling for more than the $59.99 asking price on the secondary markets.

Click here to jump over to the DiecastSpace store to check availability on the Ceremonial Edition bus.

The Nashville Collector Experience – June 16-19, 2011 – Nashville, TN

Diecastspace returns to their “Collector Experience” style convention that will include special presentations from sponsoring manufacturers as well as your favorite standard events like the Legends Dinner, Camaro Bingo, the RAOK Party, Diecast UNO, In-Room Trading,  Charity Auction, the Customs Contest, Downhill Racing, in-room trading and much more. This convention also marks the debut of the Diecastspace Vending machine which will be packed full of amazing diecast surprises.

Special Guests for Nashville include Hot Wheels Designers Larry Wood, Wayne Scott and Eric Tscherne, Hot Wheels Author Mike Zarnock, Tom Zahorsky from Johnny Lightning and Ben “Cooter” Jones from the Dukes of Hazzard TV Show.

The Canada Convention – July 13-17, 2011 – Toronto, Canada

The Canadian Diecast Convention returns for its second year at an all new location in Toronto. Mattel will be in attendance with the Hot Wheels Live Tour Trailer featuring awesome Hot Wheels displays and exclusive Hot Wheel merchandise that will only be available on the tour. The Official Hot Wheels Vending Machine will also be on hand which is always a blast. Other events will include the Legends dinner, RAOK party, downhill racing, Diecast UNO, Diecast Bingo, the customs contest, a Redlines seminar, in-room trading and much more. Sears will also be sponsoring a special event thats not to be missed!

The Special Guests for this event are still to be announced.

Lightning Fest - July 15-16, 2011 – Dyersville, IA

Lightning Fest is the main event to attend for the die-hard Johnny Lightning collector. Held each year at the RC@ Outlet store in Dyersville, Iowa, this FREE two day event is packed full of great family-friendly activities. Such activites include Gravity Racing, a customs contest, daily raffles, a Design forum, Diecast Bingo, charity auctions, a full-scale car show and in-room trading. The Diecastspace vending machine will laso be on hnad and stocked with lot s of great JL products and surprises.

A yet to be announced special celebrity guest from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show is also planned for the event.

KustomKon – August 4-7, 2011 – Dallas, TX

The Diecastspace KustomKon returns to Dallas this summer and features activities for diecast customizers and regular collectors alike. The focus of the conference will be a series of seminars for those who have never customized before all the way up through the advanced customizer. Regular collectors will enjoy in-room trading, the Legends Dinner, the RAOK Swap, limited edition convention cars and the Sunday toy show. All of your favorite professional diecast customizers are set to attend.

Special celebrity guests George Barris and Little Daddy Dennis Roth will be in attendance as well.

Hot Wheels Summer Smash – August 25-28, Warwick, RI

The Summer Smash returns for its fourth year and is New England’s ONLY diecast convention for 2011. All of your favorite activities are scheduled including a Customs Show for kids & adults, the Sunday Toy Show, Sizzler Racing, the Bob Parker trivia contest, the Liberty Promotions Treasure Quest, a Charity Auction and Dinner, Room to Room Trading, a Saturday Car Cruise, Down Hill Racing for kids & adults, an Interactive Customs Seminar by East Coast Real Riders and more. The Diecastspace vending machine is also scheduled to be on hand.

Special guests schedule to attend include Hot Wheels Designer Larry Wood,  Jimmy “The Box Man” Chavez, Tom Zahorsky from Johnny Lightning, Hot Wheels Author  Mike Zarnock, Hot Wheels and Matchbox Author Bob Parker,  Lee Pearlman from Liberty Promotions,  Chris Walker “Night Stalker”, Vince  V-Man Mosely, and Dave Chang

The Pope Designs 5th Anniversary VW Drag Bus features Real Rider front tires, Anniversary artwork, an acrylic case, a custom backdrop insert and the all new custom acrylic case sleeve packaging that was designed exclusively for the Anniversary series. As an added bonus, each bus will include a Pope Designs 5th Anniversary Pin mounted inside the case.

Fortunately for collectors, Pope Designs has decided to make a quantity of these buses available to their online fans first and will be holding a special sale this weekend. Here are the details:

Date: Sunday, May 8 2011
Time: 9:00pm EST
Where: eBay.com
Seller ID: pope-designs
Quantity: 15
Sale Price: $100 + $7 S&H (USD)

Click either image to see the larger version

There are still a number of Pope Designs casting in the works that will be coming out during the remainder of the year. Be sure to head over to PopeDesigns.com and sign up for their e-mail list to be alerted when new offerings become available!

Last week the latest installment of Mattel’s “Ask a Designer” video series was released on the Official Hot Wheels YouTube channel, and this time around collectors got to have their questions answered by the legendary Larry Wood.

Larry provided some great answers to many of the common questions I’ve heard collectors ask over the years about the Hot Wheels design process and how cars get selected to be made. We also get an update on the 1:1 scale COE that Larry’s been building over the years. I can’t wait until he’s able to bring it around to the conventions!

Collectors who would like the opportunity to meet Larry in person should check out on of the conventions he’ll be attending this summer. He’s currently scheduled to be the guest of honor at the 2011 Collector Experience in Nashville, TN on June 16-19 and at the 4th Annual Hot Wheels Summer Smash in Warwick, Rhode Island on August 25-28.

The point I will try to make is simply that I don’t think anyone who calls themselves a diecast collector can honestly say that buying diecast online can fully replace the face to face, hand touching toy experience of buying diecast at a show or convention. Today all someone has to do is go to multiple auction and seller sites or even Google or other search engines and type in something like “Pink Sugar Caddy” or “69 Charger White Lightning,” and anywhere from one to several examples of each might appear – especially if you scan multiple sites; but the experience of going to a toy show and seeing one of the aforementioned cars or any other Holy Grail [HG] one might be looking for is a much more gratifying experience.

I’ve noticed that the local “big” toy show in my area of North Jersey has changed a little for the worse over the last 5 years. It was hanging on valiantly, but has since been affected by the electronic marketplace. It’s shrunk from two rooms to one. The number of vendors depending on the time of the year is much lower (or fewer vendors buy up more tables to make the show look larger), and there are less live shows than 5 years ago. Plus, no one wants to drive to a neighboring state for a show because it’s either too far, it costs too much for gas/tolls, or there’s not enough of a draw to warrant taking the chance to go. Even at diecast conventions the Sunday toy show isn’t the draw it used to be as compared to when I started going to conventions in 2001. I see other areas where this may not be the case like in California, Texas or the Midwest where there seems to be a couple of shows every month. I sometimes long to live there just to be able to scout out different vendors!

The “Online Experience”

The internet has changed that experience forever. I’m going to sound like a really old man with the way this will sound, but even 10 years ago the net hadn’t changed the fun of a live show for everyone. This ever increasing “instant gratification” world we live in allows diecast collectors to find their HGs much easier. A collector in Germany can find their HG in Utah and have it shipped to their doorstep in a matter of days. However, even with all the wonderful things a collector can find on the net, I’ve both heard and personally experienced the pitfalls of internet collectible buying. My experiences mainly apply to older packaged and loose cars rather than new packaged ones, but even then you can sometimes be disappointed in what you receive. I purchased some loose redlines on eBay many years ago, and once they arrived they definitely weren’t what I expected. Sometimes there were more flaws and corrosion in the paint than what was described and other times the package looked as though it was dragged behind a tricycle before being put into the shipping box. That being said, most vendors turn out to be honest than not and work with you but, it can still be a major letdown and hassle. Again, understand that I’m focusing on older diecast collectibles – both loose and packaged in this example. New stuff sold online tends to be much more hassle free.

The “In-Person” Advantage

On the other hand, if you found the same car at a show, you could take your time to look it over, shine a light on it and find its flaws. You might also have the opportunity to haggle a bit on the price and come away with a much more pleasing experience. You also won’t have to factor in shipping costs and in-transit damage. Yes, less than reputable dealers can also be found at these shows, but its easier to stay away from them. I know you can see an internet seller’s feedback, but now more than ever that means less and less. Vendors who build up bad reps often shut down and open up with different screen names to start the process all over again. Plus, many online sellers must find it somewhat challenging to sell online as well. People today are quick to judge or write terrible feedback before actually trying to resolve an issue. Selling fees can eat into your profit more so than a flat table fee at a show, and shipping mishaps can periodically occur.

I love when I look at some of the cars in my collection and can remember where I was when I bought them, what I paid for them, and more often than not, who I bought it from – especially if there’s a back story about the experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to buy cars (both new and old) in 13 states and 3 foreign countries. I’ve found Treasure Hunts in Aruba, Euro-only Hot Wheels variations in Germany and so much more. One Sunday in May 2008, I was at the Pomona CA Speedway Swap Meet at 6am and found a beautiful, packaged Light my Firebird Redline within the first 20 minutes of walking around. It wasn’t even daylight yet!

The “Vendor Experience”

Every year on a weekend in August, I assist my good friend Bill in selling Hot Wheels at a large outdoor toy show held in Macungie PA. We leave late Friday morning, meet our friends Tony and Lisa, and make a two day trip out of it. We scope out the early vendors on Friday and see where our space will be in case we need to negotiate a better spot. We do some early price and stock comparisons to what Bill sells and see how we will fare. I’ve found some great cars from people just throwing out a blanket on the ground for that day. The remainder of that day is a whirlwind that consists of dinner, returning to the motel, unloading the truck into the room and hanging out with a few margaritas before collapsing for a few hours before rising at 4:30am to load the truck back up again.

Our trip back to the event grounds consists of a stop at Wawa for ice tea and Mrs. Freshley’s cupcakes (the breakfast of champions!!) to fuel us up for the big day. Over the years we’ve perfected it down to a science and it all falls into place like clockwork. It’s probably 5:45am when we start unloading the truck, and within 10 minutes people are coming to our site with flashlights or illuminated head bands to shine their lights at our wares – all saying the same thing; “Whatcha got? Whatcha got?” It’s like a swarm of swallows diving for an old lady’s bag of bread!

By daybreak we are pretty much set up and the fun begins. Year and after year we see a lot of the same cast of characters; many of whom we only know by our own made up nicknames like Bad Santa or 4-4-2 Guy. We see collectors we know from back in NJ and always meet new people who may be experiencing Macungie for the first time or are back after a long hiatus. Our day consists of seven to nine hours of sitting outside where we can endur mist, rain, unrelenting sun and humidity along with the lulls and frenzies of customers. Every now and then we try to take breaks to go scout out what other diecast is around. Depending on buyer traffic and the weather, we pack up around 2pm and go out to eat before heading home. Its always a great weekend enjoying the company of friends and talking with people who love toys. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything!

Personal Interaction

The personal interaction between diecast buyer and diecast seller is an art form. Like the hagglers at an Istanbul open air market, both buyer and seller should have some form of respect for each other. Neither should get ticked off if they don’t get what they want or the offer price is too low or high. If the seller can’t handle haggling, don’t sell, and if the buyer can’t handle the pressure of haggling or rejection of offer then just pay the asking price or walk away. Even if the seller rejects your offer but you wind up buying the car anyway. At least you tried. If you find something special and really want it; who cares what you paid for it; it isn’t anyone else’s money but yours. Sometimes the great feeling of finding that special treasured car and being able to make an informed decision before you buy it is worth being there in person no matter what the price. Other potential buyers for that same car should also show mutual respect and let the potential buyer who is currently interested in the car finish his transaction before they swoop in to try to buy it.

Anyone who has been to a diecast convention has seen guys walking around the halls with a case of cars to sell. Theses collectors are typically selling Hot Wheels Redlines and may or may not be a conventioneer – but that doesn’t stop people from stopping and looking at what’s for the offer. I often think this type of seller is kind of like the guys on NYC streets selling “RALEX” watches, “COUCH” purses or “ROYBAN” sunglasses. Sure the NYC stuff is probably HOT or knock-offs, but both my wife and I have looked, haggled and succumbed to the power of a deal. Sometimes around Christmas our family goes into the city to see the Rockefeller Center Tree, gaze at the store displays and go out to eat. The ladies in our party always look for the “handbag sellers” and proudly buy their $25.00 COUCH bag. If the aforementioned convention seller has good stuff, he usually generates good buzz and people seek him out. I have bought great cars from these sellers!

Diecast…with a scent?!?!

Going room to room shopping at a convention or table to table shopping at a show is a great experience. Picking up that potential car to add to your collection, feeling its weight in your hand, studying it, thinking about where it would go in the pecking order of your display or collection, and quickly crunching numbers in your mind about how much you want to spend or how much you can haggle can never be fully replaced by a “BUY IT NOW” button. I have to admit that I have even discreetly smelled a potential purchase! Sometimes because older cars look too perfect and smell too heavily like solvent or cleaner but also sometimes because the smell of older diecast brings back memories of the cars in my collection as a kid or how my display case smells at home when I open it. If I am the only one who has ever done this then so be it. If you are afraid to admit you have done it, then stay in the shadows. But if you’ve never done it, I urge you to try giving a car a quick, subtle sniff and see what response your senses may send you the next time you are examining that potential older “FIND” to add to your collection. It may just be the determining factor between buying it or putting it back!

Let me know your thoughts on the live sale experience and if you agree or disagree. Again it’s just my opinion, and I welcome you to share yours via the comment section below!

The Promotions – Standard (492 pieces) and Chase (108 pieces) versions of the ‘49 Merc produced for the 2011 DiecastSpace Super Convention and made their debut in Las Vegas in February. Remaining quantities are available online at 1stopdiecast.com and on the secondary market.

1:24 Scale – New larger scale releases include a ’65 Ford Mustang 2+2 289 in red or bronze and a ’71 Plymouth ‘Cuda 383 in yellow or white.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors from online research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

-Pictures courtesy of M2Machines.com and 1stopdiecast.com.

If you haven’t had a chance to attend one of the many conventions that the vending machine makes a stop at then, picture if you will, a snack style vending machine – the type with spiral bars that moves your selection towards you after making your desired “letter/number” selection. However, the snacks have been replaced with premium limited edition Hot Wheels products that are normally available for members of the HotWheelsCollectors.com Redline Club, and the identity of the item you’ve selected remains hidden behind frosted glass until its pulled from the spring-hinged door at the bottom of the machine. Add in the antics of Mattel’s Chris Parker, who runs the vending machine events and you have a recipe for fun turned up to “11!”

Mattel’s Hot Wheels vending machine has appeared at many conventions over the years including numerous DiecastSpace conventions, the annual Summer Smash in Rhode Island, the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels and of course, the official Hot Wheels Conventions that occur each spring and fall. Unfortunately, the vending machine is not always available for every event. The team over at DiecastSpace recognized the value that the vending machine has brought to their events and has come up with a solution to ensure that the fun continues on.

This June, the brand new “Diecastspace Vending Machine” will make its debut at the Nashville Collector Experience in Nashville, Tennessee. As you can see from the rendering, it will be decked out in flames and will proudly display the Diecastspace logo – but, while the outside looks great, collectors know that its whats on the inside that counts! Convention attendees can expect to find all sorts of products from the major diecast manufacturers being stocked in the machine. This means collectors could find Hot Wheels products, convention pieces, White Lightnings, Green Machines, Liberty Promotions products, M2 Machines Chase Pieces and much more coming with their pulls. Rumor has it that even the customizers will be getting in on the fun and will be producing limited edition pieces that will be part of the mix!

The new vending machine is certainly an exciting new development for the DiecastSpace family of conventions and I’ll be sure to share photos of it when the vinyl-wrapping process is complete. Be sure to visit ToyCarConventions.com for information on tickets and accommodations for the Nashville Collector Experience so you can be part of the fun!

The track itself is being placed in the infield area of the speedway’s fourth turn and will take approximately 3 weeks to construct. An artist’s rendering of the track and tower can been seen to the right. The identity of the truck’s driver will remain unknown until the completion of the stunt at which point it will be revealed. The stunt itself has been designed to be a record breaking jump of 302 feet with a landing area somewhere near the speedway’s short chute near turns three and four.

Promotional tickets with prime seating for the stunt in the grandstand facing the landing are being offered up for $80 and $90. The ticket package includes a Hot Wheel replica, discounts and a $5 coupon for IMS merchandise.

Check out the teaser video below.

The idea was for the billboard was conceived by ad giant Ogilvy and Mather’s Columbia branch. Its curious that South America was chosen for the debut location, but certainly doesn’t make it any less cool!

Forever 64 – Release 13: This release includes the ’69 Dodge Charger R/T, the ’70 Plymouth Superbird, the ’72 Chevy Vega – Bruce Larson, the ’69 Chevy Impala SS Convertible, the ’92 GMC Typhoon, the ’68 Shelby GT500, the ’55 Chrysler 300, the ’77 Dodge Monaco, the ’81 Chevy Malibu – Beat the Heat, the Sprint Car – DiecastSpace, the ’77 Dodge Monaco – Demo Derby and the ’65 Chevy Chevelle SS.

JL 2.0 – Release 5: This release includes the ’87 Ford Mustang – Beat the Heat, the ’72 Vega Wagon – Warren Johnson, the ’87 Buick Grand National – Black w/Flames and the ’09 Dodge Challenger R/T – Mopar Drift car

Muscle Cars 1:24 Scale – Release 51: This release includes the ’68 Pontiac GTO and the ’49 Buick Roadmaster. – Release 52: This release contains the ’71 Plymouth Duster and the ’68 Chevy Nova.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors fromonline research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

-Pictures courtesy of JohnnyLightning.com and others.

Basic releases: Cars you should be seeing in stores now; they are case code ‘F’; being stocked now.

New Models: Back To The Future Time Machine (pic’d); Danica Patrick 2010 Chevy Impala (pic’d); Porsche 911 GT3 RS in met. gray (pic’d).

2011 Thrill Racers: Olds 442 W-30 in red; Tread-Air in black; Jet Threat 3.0 in black.

2011 Track Stars: Formula Street in chrome/green.

Video Game Heroes: Fast Fish in blue; Circle Tracker in lgt. blue.

Vars. HW Collectors Series: Ford Mustang GT Concept in maroon Fire Dept. (pic’d); ’69 Ford Mustang in HW’s trim; Dixie Challenger in red fire dept.; Tri & Stop Me in white beach patrol; ’67 Pontiac Firebird in met. gray; ’97 Corvette in blue w/flames; Acura NSX in met. gray/red; ’68 Chevy Nova in green; Custom ’53 Chevy in red w/flames; ’71 Dodge Charger in met. pink; Ferrari 458 Italia in met. gray.

T-Hunts: ’64 Pontiac GTO in blue w/flames, (both pic’d).

Exclusives: Walmart – Excl. Colors incl. ’41 Willy’s in white w/HW’s trim; ’69 Ford Torino Talladega in orange; ’70 Monte Carlo in yellow. Easter Eggsclusives: ’08 Viper (pic’d); Brutalistic; Rodger Dodger; VW New Beetle Cup; Blast Lane; Ford Thunderbolt; ’68 Nova; ’69 Camaro Z28.

Kroger stores: St. Patrick’s Day cars; and Mardi Gras cars. (one each pic’d). K-Day Excl. Colors: ’71 Maverick in green; Chevy Camaro Concept in yellow; Ply. Duster Thruster in purple; ’10 Ford Mustang GT in black.

5-Pack: HW Hot Rods, (pic’d).

Other series:

2011 Garage series: code “C” is in: Ferrari Dino 246 GTS; Ferrari 365 GTB 4 Daytona; ’69 Dodge Coronet Super Bee; ’62 Ford Mustang Concept; ’70 Dodge Hemi Challenger; Corvette Stigray Concept; ’56 Ford Panel; ’57 Chevy Bel-Air. (all pic’d).

Color Shifters: Code ‘D’ is out.

Speed Packs: Code “B” is expected.

HW “Vintage” series: code “D”, is due?

Rapid Transit: Release 2 out now.

IRL – Modern Racing. – Still coming.

2011 Monster Jam: 80 truck series. Case code ‘H’ is out: Thrasher #7; Barbarian #15; Wrecking Crew #26; Pillage Idiot #32; Spike #51; Storm Damage #53; Ironman #54; Spiderman #55; Time Flys #56. (2 pic’d).

2011 Speed Machines – “A” includes: Panoz GTR-1; ’09 Nissan Skyline GT-R; Lotus Sport Elise; Ferrari 599 XX; ’01 Acura NSX; Ford GT; ’96 McLaren F1 GTR; Porsche Cayman S; Saleen S7; ’09 VW Scirocco GT24; Lamborghini LP 670 SV.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors fromonline research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

-Pictures courtesy of HotWheelsCollectors.com, 1stopdiecast.com and others.

Collectors could join the club for the insanely low price of $1.00, and if you did, you not only got the car, but also got the 1970 Hot Wheels "Annual" magazine, a sheet of Hot Wheels stickers, an iron-on patch, a membership card, a membership certificate and a metal badge showing the "Silver Special" car. Who wouldn’t join for a dollar? When Mattel could not supply enough Club Kits, they mailed new members an envelope with a letter indicating that their car would be sent separately.

While never shown in ads for the club, two other chrome club cars were also produced – the Heavy Chevy and King Kuda. Most members got a Boss Hoss judging by the number of these cars that are around today compared to the number of chrome Kuda’s and Chevys that are seen. All three club cars were made with white and black plastic interiors. A spectraflame colored Heavy Chevy and King Kuda were already part of the 1970 main line, and the Boss Hoss was later released to the main line in 1971.

Complete Hot Wheels Club Kits are now valued between $125-200.

Click any image to see the larger version.

The King Kuda #7 with excessive playwear is from RK Stickels childhood collection.

Note: Most kits included the Chrome Boss Hoss

Credits: Images from the RK Stickels collection. I would like to thank the following collectors for there support as well: Michael Zarnock for help in gathering club kit images and supporting literature, www.redlinespoilers.com: for help in gathering text, rare 2-Pak, BP Canadian art, club kit images, BP King Kuda, Tomarts guide #6, Spectraflame-the essential guide.

Tomy has been involved with diecast cars for a long time via their Tomica brand that, for the most part, caters towards kids through lower end cars and playsets. Tomy recently announced availability of Tomica products in the US as well. It should be interesting to see how the merger affects both Tomica and Johnny Lightning, if at all. There might not be any change at all if Tomy decides to keep the brands separate and lets them run as they are. Alternatively, collectors could start seeing higher end Tomica lines and Johnny Lightning playsets if the two are blended together.

Of course, this is all speculation – so I reached out to Tom Zahorsky, Senior Design Manager at Johnny Lightning to see if he could shed any light on situation. Seeing how the ink is barely dry on the contracts, Tom was not able to comment much other than to say “its business as usual and we hope to grow all our current brands.”

In the meantime, collectors should get out there and continue to support Johnny Lightning buy continuing to purchase and build your collections. I’ll be sure to share any updates as they become available.

Additional details about the acquisition itself can be found on Bloomberg Businessweek.

Brought to life by international digital advertising agency Muse Amsterdam, in collaboration with PostPanic and BeamSystems, the projection featured footage of the world’s fastest vehicles in a stunt ridden challenge, travelling through the Customs House facade and into a fantasy world. Hot Wheels fans, young and old, were kept on the edge of their seats as the racers smashed their way through one of Sydney’s most historic buildings.

As cool as this looks on YouTube, I can only image how amazing it must have been in person!

If you haven’t been able to catch a look at these first hand in the stores, then this overdue multi-part pictorial should wet your appetite for Wave 1 of these dirt loving beauties. Be sure to hunt these down at your favorite online or brick and mortar retailer if you like’em. We need to let Jada know that the collectors are still craving all things with that distinctive “Jada style!”

Part 1 of this 3 part series features the 2006 Hummer H1 and the 1957 Chevy Suburban.

Click on any image to see the larger version

I hadn’t been on the convention circuit for a while so it was so good to get back into the swing of it, re-connect with old friends and make new ones as well. The DCS Supcon was held in a new venue this year; the Tropicana Hotel rather than the Circus Circus Hotel of the past two years. Both hotels have their pluses and minuses when it comes to hosting a convention, but overall this hotel was a fine choice. The one thing I couldn’t get over was the friendliness of the hotel staff! I know the Tropicana is trying to reconstruct itself [there was a lot of that going on throughout the convention] but also reinvent itself. It showed through the staff, hotel remodeling and a host of other things. A lack of low priced food offerings within the hotel was the biggest detriment but there were some close by if you didn’t mind walking a bit.

CJ, Bob, Jeff, Cullen, Tony, Paul and the whole DCS crew tend to think a little outside the normal convention box and it makes for a nice overall event! Diecast Uno continues to be one of my favorite events at any DiecastSpace conventions. My table of nine consisted of my long time friends Bryan Pope, Connie Basham [2011 HOF Inductee], Jason Scull from NM and his girlfriend Gina, as well as good convention friends Carl, Larry and Joey and a brand new friend Sherrie Hoffman from OR. I won’t say play became ruthless, but it sure was competitive! Tables were supposed to play 5 games and the best of 5 games winner moves onto to the final. Well, we took the longest and had five different people win who then had a one game playoff! It was lots of fun!

Another enjoyable part of the convention for me is the annual customs contest. For an admitted non artist; I am always amazed at the creations these talented diecast customizers come up with. Bryan Pope, Chris Walker, Kazy Kishi and so many more have imaginations that actually come to life! This year the Amateur entries could rival the Pros and the Pro entries were so well done it was hard to choose a favorite. In the end a handful of customizers won some well deserved awards!

The Hall of Fame induction dinner was probably the highlight of my convention trip. Not only was my good friend Connie Basham inducted in the Intriguing Collector category, but I got to meet Richard Petty, Shirley Muldowney and Tommy Ivo who were also 2011 inductees. Mr. Petty is a gracious man, and I even got my picture taken with him! Shirley Muldowney and Tommy Ivo had interesting stories to wow the dinner crowd too. As always Chris Parker (HWC) from Mattel [another 2011 inductee] was on hand to liven up the event with his trademark callouts and silly string attacks! CJ also had musical entertainment in the form of a mother/daughters trio that performed several beautiful songs. One of the biggest surprises of the night was that the HOF induction portion of the night was hosted by none other than Dennis Gage from TV’s “My Classic Car!” He was a fill-in for Joe Kelly Jr. who had hosted this event for the last 2 years. Dennis was very jovial and tried to interject his own style into his hosting duties. He did a great job! I got a chance to meet him briefly before the event, and he was very affable and funny! I hope he returns in the future! Another highlight of the HOF event was having many of the attending past and present Hall of Fame inductees sign a special convention poster! The after-party awards announcements were also a BLAST; a Silly String Blast that is; get the picture [WINK WINK]!

Liberty Promotions continues to spice up the Diecastspace conventions by running their very popular scavenger hunt, as well as Wheel of Fortune – both of which allow collectors to try and win some rare Rebel Run prizes. I must admit I tried the scavenger hunt Thursday and Friday with no luck [and got into some trouble with hotel security while searching-cant really say anymore-Thanks.] and was going to give up on Saturday. I’m glad I didn’t because I eventually found one of LP’s secret scrolls and bagged myself a Rebel Run Camaro Convention car!

The Charity Auction on Friday night had some rare and tasty goodies for everyone to ogle over and possibly purchase. Many 1-of-1 customs and original pieces of diecast oriented artwork from the likes of Carson Lev and Mike Lavallee were available to bid on. Many of the auction lots rang up high dollar amounts for some worthy charities. Unfortunately, everything I was interested in quickly went past my price range – but it was fun anyway!

The sales floor and exhibition center of the Tropicana was still under construction but that didn’t deter many well known diecast manufacturers, retailers and exhibitors from participating at the Super Convention this year. Manufacturers like Greenlight, M2 Machines and Maisto showed their newest wares while retailers like HOTCASES.com, Nickelcast and Prestige Hobbies had a vast array of cars to purchase. In addition, a collection of unique real 1:1 scale custom cars showed up each day and delighted convention goes. It’s wonderful that so many different vendors and collectors can come together under a united front.

Other convention events included Bingo and the RAOK party. Bingo as always draws a big crowd and made 10 people very happy by winning prizes [not me though but I still fun!]. The RAOK party is also a free event for people to meet each other and share any RAOKs they may have brought. I didn’t stay long at the RAOK party because I had already planned to get together with friends for something else, but I heard everyone who attended had a good time!

Another big highlight for me was to be able to assist one of my best friends Bryan Pope in his annual Pope Designs Las Vegas custom car sale. This year’s design was the “DCS Girls VW T1 Tour Bus.” There were also six of the DCS Girls on hand to assist with the event! How’s that for something to “Get your Motor Running!” The lovely Renee donned a pink Pope Designs t-shirt to assist in pulling all of the winning tickets, while the equally charming Shelby and Angela were our number card girls who held up the winning ticket numbers for everyone to see. The other 3 DCS Girls were signing autographs and taking pictures with all of the eager fans participating in the sale. They were very well received to say the least!

Seventy eight eager people lined up for more than an hour before the sale start time to insure their ability to obtain a ticket allowing them to enter a drawing to buy one of 41 buses available! A special highlight of this year’s sale was that Bryan had a free 1 of 1 Double Diamond version of the T1 Tour Bus up for raffle for all ticket holders after the sale. I was happy to see many long time Pope Designs fans show up and even win a T1, but was more amazed at the first time winners and their back stories.

One winner this year was Las Vegas’s own Brandan Terkel. Last year Brandan was at the Super Convention hobbling around in a lot of pain on crutches. This year he had fully recovered and even opened a diecast business named CDCToyz.com (who was also a convention sponsor). Brandan and his dad Rand are huge diecast fans and Pope Designs supporters, so it was good to see one of them win. Brandan and Rand are nice, honest people, and you should definitely check out their site!

Another first time T1 winner was Martin Cruz from the Philippines. Before the official sale began, Martin told me that the one of the biggest reasons he wanted to come to Las Vegas this year was to win a Pope Designs T1! Martin is a member of the Diecast Car Collectors of the Philippines [DCPH]. It seems Martin wasn’t supposed to come to the convention this year but was offered the chance at the last minute when one of the club’s members had to bow out. Martin quickly seized the opportunity to come with his goal of winning a T1!

The final collector story involves four members of the Sipple Family from Cincinnati Ohio. Mom Melva, son Bruce, Bruce’s wife Jessica, and Melva’s daughter/Bruce’s sister Lorrie Davis all attended the convention together. It was Lorrie’s second time but her family’s first -and what a time they had. Jessica won a Pope T1 standard version, Bruce won a Pope T1 Diamond version and Mom Melva won the 1 of 1 PD Double Diamond version of the T1! Although Lorrie didn’t win a Pope T1, she did win a raffle prize at the Charity Auction. The family also managed to win a total of 4 Rebel Run Camaros in the Liberty Promotions Treasure Quest Scavenger Hunt! Talk about luck!  There are several photos from the T1 Bus sale on the Pope Designs’s wesbite, so be sure to check them out!

I was glad to receive some unique code 3 custom Hot Wheels as event cars as well as purchase several 80’s Majorettes I didn’t have as well as a mint Yatming Porsche 924 that I didn’t know existed so I was very happy! Other vendors had Hot Wheels from current to back to 60’s Redlines, many different Matchboxes from all eras, as well as a nice supply of JLs and lots of other brands in all scales. Room to room trading was on a few floors and offered some varied choices and good prices!

Even Sunday morning; when everyone else was leaving turned out to be one of the most hysterical events I personally have ever seen at a convention. The sight of a previous HOF inductee [try to guess] barreling down a hotel hallway in only their undershorts surprising then spraying a newly appointed HOF inductee [try to guess] with Silly String and then running off will forever be burned into my mind!  As you can see, Silly String plays an important role at Diecastspace conventions!

The whole time I was there; I was greeted warmly by fellow collectors I hadn’t seen in a while who welcomed me back into the convention fold. It was a great feeling! As with any group who has similar interests, there is an unspoken bond between collecting brothers [and a large and growing number of sisters] that we get each other and don’t judge this strange addiction to little cars. There will always be people who take collecting way too seriously, as well as those who lean towards amassing and flipping diecast as a way to make extra cash.  That’s OK too; to each his own!

Combining all of these great activities and friends together in a location like Las Vegas was the icing on the cake! I have had wonderful times at pretty much every convention I have attended no matter where it is held or who/what organization is hosting it, but I think Las Vegas is just a fantastic place, so it makes this convention that much more enjoyable. As of now, I don’t know when or if I will be able to get to another convention this year. I would love to go to the L.A. area Strauss convention this coming October for their 25th anniversary, but I’ll have to wait and see. The Macungie, Pennsylvania 2-day outdoor toy show in August is definitely on my list. That show is something my friends Bill, Tony and Lisa and I just can’t miss!

I’ve said it before and I will say it again; going to diecast conventions to me has become more about connecting with friends, laughing together and celebrating diecast. If I find something to buy or win something; it’s even better! Who wouldn’t want to share this experience with people you enjoy hanging out with; that is what life should be all about in the first place!

As always, I enjoy your comments – so definitely let me know if you went to Las Vegas this February or share any other positive convention experiences you have had in the past!

The first “INTERNET ONLY” version features black paint with this year’s DCX logo with flames design. The basic piece comes with plastic wheels and the chase piece features redline real rider tires. This bus comes on a custom DCX/Diehard Diecast card and is limited to just 150 pieces. Orders for this bus can be placed online for $70 each (USD) and you can choose whether you’d like to have it shipped or if you’d like to pick it up in person at the show.

Click any image to see the larger version

The second “ATTENDEE” version of the bus features bright green paint with the same logo and flame design. The basic piece comes with plastic wheels and the chase piece features redline real rider tires. It also comes on a custom DCX/Diehard Diecast card (with matching bright green color) and is limited to just 150 pieces. This version of the bus can also be ordered online for $65 each (USD) but MUST BE PICKED UP IN PERSON AT THE EVENT. The Attendee version will not be available for shipping.

Click here to jump over to Diehard-Diecast and place your order.

Of course, attending the expo in person is the best option and the line up of vendors is looking great. This year’s confirmed exhibitors include Lionel NASCAR Collectibles, M2 Machines, Ertl Collectibles, The Custom Crew and GreenLight Collectibles. The popular “Customs Alley” returns as well and will feature Jimmy “The Box Man” Chavez, Jay Holt of Execution Customs, Sheri Abbey of Sheri’s Wheels and Alvaro Gonzalez of Pipe Customs. FREE passes to the 2011 DCX Expo are available by contacting Diehard-Diecast via the Contact page on their website.

Basic 100 Line:

Reports are coming in that some new models are starting to show up in stores. Here is what some people are saying they found: Corvette ZR1; MBX Mover; Honda Insight; VW-Porsche 914-6; Power Lift; Mitsubishi Lancer Evo-X; and some new Caddy Ambulances.

“Lesney” Edition:

Code “M & N” include: a Cadillac Hearse; a Chevy Blazer; and Chevy Step-side.

‘Real Working Rigs’:

Code “M” include the four pictured below. Also coming soon are a Tucker Snow Cat and a Road Grader.

‘Skybusters’ planes:

A WWIIDive Bomber and a Skyfire plane are out now; a Stealth Launch Jet and a F-117 Night Hawk are reported to be released in this line.

Super Convoys:

The three latest from this line are a Ford C-900 cab and Hopper trailer, a Mega Ton Fire Truck and a MBX cab w/Drt Bulk Hauler.

Disney Parks Promo’s:

Two promo pieces from Disney theme Parks are out.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors from online research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

Images from this post courtesy of 1StopDiecast.com, MB Forums and eBay

Some of Scott’s photos can also be seen in the occasional Stick’s Redline Garage post here on DiecastAudio.

For a limited time, DiecastAudio readers can take advantage of a 5% discount off of all purchases by using the promo-code “DIECASTAUDIO.” Give’em a try next time you’re looking to make a purchase for your collection and let use know what you think!

Here are the details:

When: May 15, 2011 from 9:30am to 1:30pm
Where: Holiday Inn, 15471 Royalton Rd, Strongsville, OH 44136
Website or Map: http://www.neohwc.com
Event Type: Hot Wheels, &, diecast, show
Organized By: Northeast Ohio Hot Wheels Club

Kids and collectors alike can expect to see Hot Wheels Wall Tracks sets to hit retailers this coming fall in plenty of time for the 2011 holiday season. The starter set should retail for around $30 (USD) and are compatible with existing Hot Wheels track sets which will allow the action to continue on from the wall to the floor for even more fun!

Check out this video from Mattel’s booth at the Toy Fair for a demonstration of a Wall Tracks setup in action.

DiecastSpace has also announced the availability of a limited edition premium membership package that includes the following items:

• (6) Dairy Deliveries (1 every other month starting in May)
• (1) 1/24 DivCruizer (Ships June 1)
• (1) 25% Off coupon to use for one year
• (1) DairyCollector.Com Sweatshirt
• (1) 2011 Dallas KustomKon Dairy Alternate Color Chase Piece Member Only
• (1) Christmas Chase Dairy with Real Rubber Tires Exclusive to Members Only

There are only 50 premium membership packages available and are currently on sale now for $250 (USD) each in the DiecastSpace Store. The DragBus.com premium membership package sold out in less than 12 hours, so be sure to act fast if you’d like to take advantage of this great offer.

Click here to jump over to the DCS Store to check availability and purchase.

Each of the 50 Johnny Lightning cars are Tim Flock’s Fabulous Hudson Hornet and includes a QR-code on the bottom of each box. Each entrant can bring their car to the convention hall to have the QR Code on the car’s packaging scanned by the Diecastspace Girls to see if it’s a winner. The cars can also be scanned by convention goers if they have a QR Reader application on their phones.

The lucky winner will win the $1000 prize pack that includes a preproduction sample of the Tim Flock Fabulous Hudson Hornet, authentic Johnny Lightning artwork, JL gear, White Lightning’s and a variety of Johnny Lightning releases. The winner must be present with the winning car to be awarded the prize.

This contest is just one of the many great events happening at the 2011 Super Convention. Be sure to visit ToyCarConventions.com for more information on tickets and accommodations. This is certainly turning out to be a “must-attend” convention with over 1000 collectors set to descend on sin-city next week!

The crew over at DiecastSpace just posted a screen shot showing that ticket sales for the 2011 Super Convention just passed the 1000 ticket mark. Attendance at each Super Convention has consistently grown over the last 3 years and this one is shaping up to be the biggest event yet.

DiecastSpace conventions have found success by catering to collectors of all types of diecast cars regardless of brand or scale. This unique aspect combined with family-friendly activities and budget-minded prices make for a lot of value for the collectors dollar. Add in this year’s Diecast Hall of Fame induction ceremony that will feature the likes of racing legends Richard Petty, Ernie Irvan and Shirley Muldowney and you have an experience that just can’t be beat!

Information on tickets and accommodations for the Super Convention or any other DiecastSpace event coming up this year can be found at ToyCarConventions.com.

The video seems to be produced in support of promoting Mattel’s Hot Wheels fan page on Facebook. Hopefully this will be the first of many viral video efforts coming from the Hot Wheels brand!

What do you think of the video? Leave your thoughts via the comments section below.

Collectors and fans of the ultra-popular Hot Wheels VW Dragbus casting might be interested in taking advantage of a new special membership offer from DragBus.com. Each membership package will include the following benefits:

• (4) VW Drag Buses – 1 Every 3 Month’s
• 25% Off Coupon Code to use on any store purchases
• (1) 1/18 VW Drag Bus
• (1) DragBus.Com MousePad
• (2) HotCases VW Drag Bus Inserts
• (1) Hot Cases Bag

First 1:64 scale bus ships with the 1:18 scale Bus, the Hot Cases Bag, Inserts and Mouse pad on June 1st. Be sure to act fast as this special offer is LIMITED TO ONLY 30 MEMBERSHIPS and will likely sell out fast!

UPDATE: As anticipated, all 30 memberships are officially sold out. Be sure to sign up for the free account on DragBus.com to stay informed of any additional offerings that might come up in the future.

Click here to jump over to ToyCarConventions.com and take advantage of this special offer.

In the previous post, my heavyweight collection consisted mainly of original wreckers, a snorkel, a racer rig, a fuel tanker, a moving van and many restored scoopers and ambulances. Most redline purists prefer original redlines, and I appreciate that view. On the other hand, restoring one is the next best approach if the casting is trashed. Part 1 also only covered a portion of the various Heavyweight models. In this post I’ll review the remainder of the lineup as I was able to complete my redline collection in the past few years with some cool finds. I’ll also feature some blisters as an added bonus.

Introduced in 1970, the Heavyweights series has to be one of the most unique looking concepts in the redline era. The futuristic truck designs by Ira Gilford typically featured wrap around windshields and unique functioning body parts. Some were even issued in a two-part cab and trailer combination which was a first for Hot Wheels.

The Heavyweights line was available in 11 spectraflame colors and white enamel. The cabs were traditionally finished in white enamel or red or blue spectraflame. The series was issued on three different blister cards: one pictured a Fire Truck, another a Cement Mixer, and the third showcased a Tow Truck. Heavyweights are very collectable, and you can expect to pay between $25-$90 depending on the casting and condition.

Heavyweights were very popular in my neighborhood when I was growing up. My friends and I had crazy imaginations and these castings fueled our obsessions with race cars, orange track and of course, Hot Wheels!  The Scooper, Mixer, Dump truck, and Waste Wagon easily transformed the average sandbox into a major construction site just waiting to begin excavated. The gang was also pretty excited when it came to building that replica F-1 or LeMans track with a double supercharger setup and “miles” of orange track! My brother Rich and I had plenty of Grand Prix cars, along with a Wrecker and a Fire Engine. My buddy Peter had a Race Rig, Andy had a few Fuel Tankers, and John supplied the Ambulances. We certainly had no shortage of vehicles to fuel our play time!

Click any image to see the larger versions

Note: As a child I had a lot of redlines that I was able to salvage and feature in past posts. Unfortunately, I lost or traded most of my heavyweights, and the fire truck is my only surviving casting.

Credits: Images from the RK Stickels collection. I would like to thank the following collectors for there support as well: Adams Toys & Collectables: BP of the Fuel Tanker and Snorkel. RedlineJohnny: BP Race Team, and German issue Scooper. Ultrahots for the BP: Crumbler Snorkel. Dan Spaulding: BP Fire Engine and trio of Wreckers. Tomarts guide #6, Spectraflame-the essential guide.

Not only did Eric create the actual First Edition Muscle Tone casting for Mattel back in 2000, but he’s also selected the colors and come up with an all new graphic design for the cars that will be available for the race.

Eric has been releasing the e-sheets for the car on Facebook over the last few weeks. Collectors who are able to snag one of these beauties will truly have a great souvenir commemorating both the Super Convention and Eric’s induction into the Diecast Hall of Fame.

Be sure to visit the ToyCarConventions.com for information on tickets and accommodations to the 2011 Super Convention being held in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 24th through the 27th.

Auto-Thentics: Release 15 – Auto-Trucks: Castings will include a ’50 Studebaker 2R w/plow, a ’56 Ford F-100, a ’54 Studebaker 3R, a ’56 Ford F-100 Stake Body and a ’58 Chevy LCF Spartan 60 (orange or Blue)

The Chase piece will be the ’58 Chevy LCF Spartan 60 in black/gold and the Super Chase is a ’56 Ford F-100 Stake Body in gold.

Auto-Projects: Release 2 – Castings will include a ’57 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer D500, a ’54 Studebaker 3R Flatbed, a ’58 Plymouth Fury, a ’69 Pontiac GTO Judge, a ’69 Plymouth Road Runner Hemi and a ’70 Ford Mustang Boss 429.

The Chase piece is a ’70 Mustang Boss 429 in a primer gray.

Drivers Series Multi-Packs:

Release 1A includes a ’71 Plymouth Cuda 440, a ‘71 Dodge Charger R/T Hemi, a ‘57 Ford Fairlane 500 and a ’57 Chevy Bel-Air w/TRU.

Release 1B includes a ’57 Chrysler 300c, a ’66 Chevy Corvette 427, a ’67 Chevy Nova SS and a ’70 Ford Mustang Mach 1 351 w/TRU.

* – Please note that this list was compiled based on information gathered by collectors from online research and personal finds at retail locations. The ability to find select pieces will vary based on geographic location and the frequency that your local retailer refreshes their stock.

The "In the Stores" column is brought to you courtesy of the Connecticut Valley Diecast Club

*Pictures courtesy of M2 Machines, Diecast Museum and 1StopDiecast.com.

Sure, I’m I diecast collector – but I also have an extreme love for all things related to tech and gadgets. I still have yet to make it out to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (someday, someday!!), but if I had this year I would have witnessed what could quite possibly be a nice combination of both my interests. That combination comes in the form of what will be called the “Hot Wheels Video Racer.”

Each 1:64 scale car features a built in miniature POV (point-of-view) camera in the front AND a tiny LCD screen on the bottom that can be used to instantly view your recorded footage without needing to connect the car to another display device. A simple button push on top of the car starts and stops the record at will. Mattel has also created an easy to use software editing program geared towards kids that will allow you to transfer the video footage off the car onto a computer where it can be edited and customized with music. An additional feature that makes this product even cooler is the included protective case for the car. The case allows the car to be used outside (attached to a bike or skateboard, etc) for an even better video capture experience.

Each Hot Wheel’s Video Racer will retail for $59.99 USD and will be hitting store shelves this fall. Check out the video below from the Mattel booth at CES 2011.

There’s just over a month left until the 2011 Diecastspace Super Convention rolls into the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the final stages of planning are starting to fall into place. One of the more notable tidbits (Did I just say tidbits..?!) of news to come out recently was the announcement that Dennis Gage, car aficionado and host of TV’s “My Classic Car” will be the emcee for this year’s Diecast Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

Dennis’s engaging personality and wealth of automotive knowledge is sure to bring a unique twist to the festivities on induction night. Coincidentally, the new season of My Classic Car is set to premiere the day after the ceremony. How cool is that!

Be sure to visit the official 2011 Super Convention page on ToyCarConventions.com for information on tickets and accommodations to the event. Its going to be one heck of weekend thats not to be missed.