I recently returned from a 5 day excursion to the Mike Strauss, West Coast Convention held in Los Angeles CA this past October. I haven’t been to a Strauss West Coast Convention since 2008 [Hot Wheels 40th Anniversary]. I was able to go to this year’s convention for 2 reasons; my economic situation has greatly improved and it was the 25th Anniversary of the Strauss West Coast Convention. That second fact intrigued me enough to want to be able to go; so was I glad I went or disappointed; mostly the former and a smidge of the latter.

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.

The 4th Annual Summer Smash is rolling into Warwick, Rhode Island next week and as usual, there’ll be a ton of great limited edition Code 3 customs on hand at the show for collectors to choose from. Liberty Promotions will be returning this year with another great convention car design in addition to this year’s Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club car. Additional souvenir cars have also been made by the likes of Chris Walker, Bryan Pope, Vince Mosely, Jimmy “The Boxman” Chavez, Bone Shaker and M&S Customs.

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!

Join me in wishing Pro Diecast Customizer and Diecast Hall of Fame Inductee Bryan Pope a very Happy Birthday! Stay in touch with everything going on at Pope Designs by joining the mailing list, “friending” Bryan on Facebook and “liking” the Pope Designs Facebook page.

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!

There’s just a few weeks left until the Collector Experience rolls into Nashville from June 16th thru the 19th, and from the looks of things its going to be one heck of a convention! Collectors who have never attended a DiecastSpace convention before will see first-hand why these events are truly an “experience” and not just cookie cutter show. There’ll be something for everyone in Nashville no matter if you collect Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Johnny Lightning, Greenlight or M2 Machines. All brands of diecast are featured at the Collector Experience!

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!

February 28, 2011 was the day I finally had to leave Las Vegas and go home to New Jersey. Not that I didn’t miss my wife and son [I did] and not that I didn’t have to go back to work [I did], but I was leaving with the 2011 DiecastSpace Super Convention in my wake. For four days I celebrated diecast, friends, fun, food and Vegas; what more could you ask!  Plus I actually got to meet one of my personal celebrity idols to boot! I must congratulate CJ and the entire DiecastSpace crew for executing a well run convention, as well as Lee Pearlman and his Liberty Promotions staff for their wonderful events!

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!

Pope Designs rolls into the the 2010 fall season with this first-ever online-only Halloween offering that is sure to grab the attention of Pope and Drag Bus fans alike.

The Standard Edition features festive ember-glow burnt orange paint and basic wheels while the Diamond Edition is dressed in Toxic Green and features Real Rider White Letter tires. Both versions come packaged in an acrylic case with an original Pope Designs artwork backdrop.

Click any image to see a larger version

Only 20 “Bat-Pumpkin” VW Drag buses were produced, and the details of the sale are as follows:

• Quantity Produced: 15 Standard Edition / 5 Diamond Edition
  Quantity For Sale: 13 Standard Edition / 4 Diamond Edition
  When: Friday October 1st, 2010
• Time: 9pm EST, 8pm CST, 7pm MST, 6pm PST
  Where: eBay
  Auction Title: Pope Designs Bat-Pumpkin Drag Bus
  Price: $115.00 each (plus $8 shipping, both domestic and international)

  
As always, Pope Designs distributes the Diamond Edition in a random fashion. Be sure to visit the official Pope Designs website for the full story behind the “Bat-Pumpkin” – you’ll be glad you did!

There’s just about a week to go, until the start of the 2010 Magical Weekend of Cars in Orlando, Florida and things are ramping up to bring this event to a whole new level. This time around collectors will get to interact with whole new set of vendors like The Franklin Mint, BBR Models, Spark, Minichamps, LeMans Miniatures and Kyosho – and these new vendors are all in addition the traditional brands that sponsor and attend each DiecastSpace convention.

In addition to the new vendors, Hot Wheels Designer Wayne Scott has been added to the guest lineup which already includes the likes of Big Daddy Don Gartlits, Phil Rhielman, Eric Tscherne, Mike Zarnock, Lee Pearlman, Chris Walker and Bryan Pope. Eric Tscherne recently posted this little teaser of the artwork that he’s preparing for the show that features renditions of himself and Chip Foose done up Pixar Cars Movie style!

The general admission has also been expanded to 30,000 square feet to accommodate upwards of 18 full scale hot rods. Rumor has it that two of those cars will be creations from the popular TV show Overhaulin’.

While most add-on events have sold out, there are still tickets available for the Liberty Promotions Drag Bus Breakfast. General Admission tickets for $60 (with a convention car) or $25 (without a car) are still available until Friday, June 18th. Additional rooms have also been added to the convention room block and are available of a first-come first-served basis. Please visit the official convention page on ToyCarConventions.com for more details.

Bryan Pope from Pope Designs will once again lend his customizing talents to the Hot Wheels Summer Smash that will roll into Warwick, RI on August 19th through the 22nd. Attendees of this year’s Smash will be able to get their hands on this great looking ‘59 Caddy Funny Car.

Click the image to see a large version

Its refreshing to see Pope utilizing a fresh and unique casting – much to the dismay of Drag Bus fans everywhere! Only 100 of these will be made and they will surely sell out at the Summer Smash, so be sure to get your tickets soon and join us in Rhode Island this August!

Attendees of the upcoming Magical Weekend of Cars in Orlando, Florida will have the opportunity to snag one of these fantastic limited edition VW Drag Buses from Pope Designs. The bus comes as part of the purchase of a ticket to the Pope Designs Experience event and is limited to just 100 pieces!

Click the image to see a larger version

Tickets to the DiecastSpace Magical Weekend of Cars are selling fast, so be sure to visit ToyCarConventions.com for the last information on events and accommodations.

Drag Bus collectors attending the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention will have the opportunity to snag one of these limited edition creations from Diecast Hall of Fame inductee, Bryan Pope. Each piece features Redline Real Riders, two tone paint, original graphics and will come mounted in an acrylic case.

The sale will take place on Friday, February 19th at 5:30pm in front of Salon 4 at Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. The sale will be on a first come first served basis and collectors may not line up earlier than 5pm. Only 20 buses were created and will sell for $100 each with a limit of one per person.

As 2009 comes to a close, I’m proud to announce the addition of an all new regular column here on DiecastAUDIO! My friend and fellow collector, Joe Altieri is joining the team to provide a thought-provoking look into what it means to be die-cast collector.

Joe has collected a wide variety of die-cast for the last 29 years. His collection includes Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Johnny Lightning, Corgi Jr., Tomica, GreenLight, Playart, Impy and everything else in-between. In addition to die-cast, his near 3 decades of collecting, conventions, club meetings and meeting new collectors have allowed him to gather a great number of stories to share with fellow collectors. Those adventures will be shared through “Diecast Stories from The Average Joe Collector.”

What excites me the most about Joe’s new column is that its the first on the site to focus on “collecting” instead of the cars. Collectors will clearly identify with Joe’s stories, and my hope is that his posts will inspire readers to leave comments and share their own experiences with the rest of the community.

I also need to send out a special thanks to Bryan Pope who managed to pull off a fantastic cartoon likeness of Joe for the logo. It rocks!

Thanks and enjoy the first installment of the column.

Keep on collecting!

-Jeff

Every now and then something cool slips by me only to surface a short while later. This is one of those times. Just in case you missed it (like I did), here’s a look at the very first e-sheet for the convention cars being produced for the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention.

This limited edition Dairy Delivery is being made by Bryan Pope of Pope Designs for the Diecast Hall of Fame Dinner. Tickets to the Hall of Fame Dinner and Ceremony are available on the official Super Convention website for $100.

This Halloween season, Bryan Pope takes his holiday themed offering in a refreshing direction by offering up a piece that celebrates the spirit of “All Hallows Eve” by integrating the the day’s traditional colors with a “Hellfire” flame design that’s sure to please.

Even more impressive is the Diamond Edition for this run which is officially dubbed, the Black Diamond. This more sought-after piece features an all black exterior, black painted rims, chassis and engine, as well as a ghosted black version of the same Hellfire flames.

There were only 20 buses created for this run, with 15 in the standard design and 5 Black Diamonds. Only 14 standard and 4 Black Diamond will be available when they go on sale at 9pm EST (6pm PST) on Wednesday, October 21st on eBay, where it is listed as the “Pope Designs Blazing Shadow VW Drag Bus.” Each piece comes in an acrylic case with a theme matching back drop for $115.00 plus $7.00 S&H.

Please note that there is a limit of 2 pieces per person. Buying 2 does not guarantee receipt of a Black Diamond edition. All Black Diamond edition buses will be randomly distributed among buyers of the product.

Be sure to visit the official Pope Designs website for more information or to sign up for the Pope Designs email list to be notified in advance of these great offerings.

[via popedesigns.com]

Fans of Bryan Pope’s work might be interested in visiting the Pope Designs website this coming Sunday. This curious little image came in an email yesterday and hints of a potential sale involving what looked like another (and potentially final) offering from the popular “Wild Boar” series.

A quick trip over to the site confirmed that a sale for a “Wild Boar” Dairy Delivery will be forth-coming! The detail page was not available at the time I checked, so be sure to check back with there with the link below if you are interested in joining the quest to obtain this piece.

[via popedesigns.com]

My previous post on the limited edition Summer Smash Hot Wheels Drag Bus from Pope Designs hinted of a potential matching piece from 2009′s Customizer of the Year, Vince “V-Man” Mosley. Well, the rumors were true! On the left is the Yellow Dairy that matches the Pope Summer Smash bus and is limited to 23 pieces. On the right is the Platinum Dairy that features the same great design with a metallic platinum finish, but is limited to just 2 pieces!

Click either image to see the larger version

Both of these beauties will only be available at the Smash, with the Platinum version being available as part of the charity auction. Price of the yellow dairy is still TBD. Visit the official Summer Smash web site for additional information on tickets and accommodations.

2009 has been a busy year for Bryan Pope. His work has not only gained the attention of collectors, but has attracted convention promoters as well. Limited runs of Pope commissioned pieces have appeared at the Super Convention, the Collector Nationals in Reston and the Hotlanta Collector Experience. Even more pieces will also be part of the upcoming Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels and Summer Smash conventions.

With a list of conventions like that you can certainly imagine the great selection of limited edition pieces event attendees have been able to take advantage of! However, Pope Designs has not forgotten their most loyal customers; their ONLINE customers!

On Wednesday July 22nd, at 9pm EST, the classic Pope Designs online sale returns with the VW Dragulance! In order to keep the price down, the quantity has been raised a bit to a total of 23 pieces in the run. This will also give collectors a better chance at obtaining one during the typical online mad-dash. 19 of the 23 will be the standard edition with the remaining 4 being the coveted “Diamond Edition.”

Each bus will sell for $90 (USD) plus $7.50 (USD) for shipping under eBay seller name “pope-designs.” Visit the Pope Designs website for more details on this highly detailed piece that you don’t want to miss!

[via popedesigns.com]

Up until now, we’ve only been able to see the e-sheet for the limited edition Pope Designs Camaro that will be part of the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels Ladies Lunch honoring Shirley Wood. The run is now complete, and I’ve just received these shots of the final piece. All I can say is WOW!

Now all I have to do is convince my wife to attend!

Click either image to see a larger version

Be sure to visit the official Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 web site for more information on tickets and accommodations for this event coming to Connecticut on July 30th thru August 2nd 2009.

The talented Bryan Pope of Pope Designs has signed up to created a limited run of VW Drag Buses for this year’s Hot Wheels Summer Smash! The bus (shown below) will be limited to just 30 pieces. Each bus will be packaged in a baggy with a matching header card. “…the 30 piece run will be available in a variety of ways during the Smash. Pricing is still to be determined.

And if that’s not awesome enough, rumor has it that Vince “V-Man” Mosley will be creating a matching Dairy Delivery that will also be available at the Smash! Stay tuned!

[via hotwheelssummersmash.com]

The Diecast Hall of Fame began its formation in the summer of 2008. The idea behind the prestigious award is to recognize all of those who have impacted the diecast and automotive world together for their accomplishments. In maintaining integrity and credibility, the Hall of Fame Committe was formed and currently consists of:

Tom Zahorsky – Johnny Lightning
Katie Roland – GreenLight Collectibles
Bruce Pascal – The Beachbomb “Holy Grail” owner
Luis Tanahara – Custom Crew and Sledster Designer
Chris Walker – Customizer
Carson Lev – VP Foose Designs
Bob Parker – Hot Wheels author
Mike Zarnock – Hot Wheels author
Joe Kelly Jr. – Car Room Magazine Founder

A person has the opportunity each year from March 1 until May 21 to submit applications online for consideration. The committee also has the opportunity to make their recomendations which is then compiled and placed into an online transparent voting process. Once the data is collected and the results are in, each committee member is sent the results and they must affirm the inductees in order for it to be a recognized induction.

At the Super Convention each year, inductees are recognized in a dinner/ceremony environment where they are presented with a plaque for their accomplishments and then issued a hand crafted diamond studded Hall of Fame Custom Ring manufactured by Jostens.

The Class of 2010 will be as follows:

Automotive Legends
• Dale Earnhardt Sr. (Post Humous)
• Tom McEwen
• Don Prudhomme
• John D’Agostino

Diecast Designer
• Ira Gilford (Hot Wheels Designer)
• Phil Riehlman (Hot Wheels Designer)
• MiQ Willmott (Hot Wheels Graphic Designer)
• Tom Lowe (Owner, Playing Mantis/Johnny Lightning)

Diecast Customizers
• Bryan Pope (Pope Designs)
• Lee Pearlman (Liberty Promotions)

Diecast Historians
• Charlie Mack (Matchbox Author)
• Mac Ragan (Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Johnny Lightning Author)
• Fred Wagenhals (Founder of Action Racing Collectibles)

Intriguing Collectors
• Jeff Glasson (HEY – Thats me!!)
• Dan Spaulding
• Bob Rosas

Carroll Shelby Lifetime Achievement Award
• Fred Blood (1-Stop Diecast)

RAOK Award
• Jim Lombari

Here’s a video of the announcements delivered by The Car Room Magazine’s Joe Kelly Jr. who MC’d that portion of the night:

Please visit http://www.spinyourtires.com for more information about attending the 2010 Super Convention and the Diecast Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Just when you thought the line-up of amazing convention cars for the upcoming Hotlanta Collector Experience couldn’t get any better, Bryan Pope of Pope Designs has announced that a new Legends Dinner Drag Bus will be added to the mix! As previously mentioned, dinner ticket holders will receive the Pope Designs Legends Dinner Camaro as part of their ticket purchase. This new addition will be an additional purchase to be sold immediately following the Legends Dinner. The location, time, quantity and price are still being ironed out.

I’ll be sure to post an update when those details are made available. Until then, feel free to drool over this awesome e-sheet!

Click the image to see a larger version

Bryan Pope of Pope Designs continues to knock’em out of the park with this new bus design that will come to life as the “Paradise Road” event car at the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6. Each convention attendee who submits a VW Drag Bus or Beach Bomb into the Paradise Road display will receive this Pope Designs creation. Each piece submitted can be loose or carded. Slots are limited and are filling up fast, so be sure to register on the Paradise Road VW Drag Bus and Beach Bomb Reunion page before its too late.

Click the image to see a larger version

[via www.wwhw6.com]

Last week I posted some shots of the cool cars Bryan Pope of Pope Designs is creating for the Hotlanta Collector Experience. This time around I’ll wet your appetite with another Pope creation that will be available at the upcoming Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 convention.

The pink beauty shown below will given to all the women who attend the Ladies Luncheon honoring Shirley Wood (wife of the “recently retired” Senior Hot Wheels Designer Larry Wood). The luncheon is limited to 50 ladies, so get your tickets soon before they sell out!

Visit WWHW6.COM for more information and pricing on Wild Weekend tickets and premium events.

[via wwhw6.com]

This week we chat with Pro Die-cast Customizer Bryan Pope and dive into how he’s quickly risen through the ranks of customizing in a very short time by combining is expertise in graphic design with his passion for Hot Wheels. Additional topics include Bryan’s great convention parties, on-line and live sale pieces and the upcoming convention pieces he’s been commissioned to create.

Listen to the recorded show from the audio widget on this page or check out the catalog of previous shows on the Saturday Nitro page.

Back in November diecastAUDIO readers were treated to a glimpse of the e-sheet rendering for the upcoming Pope Designs Saturday Nitro VW Drag Bus. Now you can feast your eyes on this photo of the completed “Diamond” Edition of the bus featuring Red Line Real Rider tires!

[via diecastspace.com]

Just in case a little extra nudge is needed to convince you to attend the DiecastSpace.com Super Convention next February, I’d like to submit this image of the upcoming Pope Designs Saturday Nitro Drag Bus! From the looks of it, we’re guaranteed to see this one sell out in minutes! Besides, you just can’t go wrong with Shane at the wheel and me riding shotgun!

Click to see the full image

Stay tuned for additional information on when, where and how much!

[via diecastspace.com]

Collector Diecast Lover shared these first twenty shots of entries into the customs contest from the 2008 Hot Wheels Collector’s Convention in Los Angeles California. With plenty more customs than these first entered into the contest, we can expect to see additional picture posts in the upcoming weeks.

[via diecastspace.com]

Customs fans rejoice! An extra special 1 of 1 Pope Designs “LOCO AVENTURA” VW Drag Bus has been put up for auction (only on eBay) for those Pope Designs fans who can’t make it to the die cast exhibition in Mexico [and even for those who can; Pope doesn't discriminate!].

It features a FIERY PEARL RED, WHITE, AND GREEN FLAMED paint job to honor the Mexican exhibition. It also features Real Rider White Wall tires and a gleaming chrome chassis! This unique bus will be complemented by a 10 bus run of an alternate paint schemed bus to be sold exclusively in Mexico City at the Sunday September 8th toy show. That version will feature an enamel red, white, and green flamed paint scheme with Pro-circuit rimmed tires.

It’s not often Pope Designs offers a 1 of 1 of anything so you can expect this bus to be highly sought after!

Bookmark this auction, break out the piñata, salsa and cervezas, and celebrate Pope Design’s first international exploration! It’s the start of a “world” of possibilities for Pope Designs!

Click either image to see them up close!

Note: at the time of this posting, the bus has 5 bids and is currently selling for $314.99!

[via pope-designs on eBay]