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!

Just over a year ago, the DiecastSpace Magical Weekend of Cars rolled into the Swan and Dolphin Hotel at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida, and we were fortunate to have Jake and the crew from Tail Fins and Chrome at the event to capture some of the atmosphere and personalities at the convention.

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.

Collectors on Facebook saw a glimpse of the location that was selected for the second Magical Weekend of Cars convention being planned for 2012. East coast diecast fans enjoyed the first Magical Weekend when it came to Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida in 2010, and now it appears that west coast collectors will be closer to next year’s event when it rolls into Anaheim, California.

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.

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!

First let me preface this whole article by declaring that “Yes; I acknowledge that eBay [and its competitors] have revolutionized diecast selling!” There it’s out; so I don’t want anyone reminding me of this fact after you read the rest of this article.

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!

Collectors who regularly attend conventions are most likely familiar with Mattel’s popular Hot Wheels Vending Machine that has become a feature attraction over the years. Standing in a massive line of fellow diecast enthusiasts while waiting for a chance to see what mysterious Hot Wheels goodness will fall from the innards of the giant metal box is one activity that many collectors look forward to at each event.

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!

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!

Johnny Lightning and Diecastspace have announced a first ever Super Convention chase
contest that will happen at the 2011 Super Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada next week. During the convention, 50 Johnny Lightning cars will be randomly handed out and on Saturday, February 26, one lucky winner will be awarded a prize pack valued at $1000!

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.

There are plenty of surprises in store for the 2011 DiecastSpace Super Convention coming to Las Vegas this coming February. The latest fun tidbit to be released is that “Woodie” will be the very first diecast car to be inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame!

Owned by John Rhodes (aka Oggie Doggie), Woodie has been on the move since 2002 and has traveled from British Columbia to Newfoundland in Canada, visited ALL 50 United States including Puerto Rico and has been to 6 of the 7 Continents (missing only Antarctica).

Find out more about Woodie and his adventures at www.woodiesadventure.com. Information on tickets and accommodations for the 2011 Super Convention can be found on ToyCarConventions.com.

This week DiecastSpace announced a new exciting event for 2011 that will focus on fans of the uber-popular Hot Wheels Volkswagen Drag Bus. On May 13, 14 and 15th the illustrious Trump Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey will play host to the first-ever VIP Drag Bus Getaway.

This amazing collector opportunity is only open to the FIRST 25 PEOPLE to register. The ticket is $1000 per person which includes, hotel accommodations for two nights, a special VIP party on Friday night, a special dinner on Saturday night,  (5) Exclusive VW Drag Buses, a VIP Event button-down shirt and a host of other cool giveaways and functions to take part in.

The VIP Drag Bus Getaway weekend will always remain a 25 person event regardless of how many people want to attend. Collectors who are unable to register before it sells out will be able to try again the following year.

Tickets for this amazing collector weekend will be available starting on Saturday, October 9th 2010 at 10AM PST (1pm EST) and again, this is only open to the FIRST 25 PEOPLE. Purchases can be made by going to www.toycarconventions.com and clicking on conventions. You can also call in your ticket order at 1-877-832-2779 but be early, as there is already a ton of buzz about this going around!

Attendees of the first-ever Canadian Convention kicking off on September 9th in Niagra Falls, Ontario will have the opportunity to obtain two great limited edition Pope Designs creations made in celebration of the event.

The Drag Bus is limited to just 25 pieces (20 Standard, 5 Diamond Edition) of which 20 (16 Standard, 4 Diamond Edition) will be for sale at the convention, and they will be available for $100 each. The time and place of the sale will be posted on the final convention schedule available during registration.

The Dairy Delivery is limited to just 10 pieces and will be sold out of Bryan Pope’s room for $85 each. Convention attendees should look for Pope Designs flyers at the hotel for the location of Bryan’s room.

Stay up to date on all of the latest Pope creations by signing up for the mailing list over on the official Pope Designs website.

Attendees of the first-ever Canadian Diecast Convention will now have one more exciting event to attend as the 1:1 scale Hot Wheels Ford Mustang Color Shifter will be making at stop in Niagara Ontario on Saturday, September 11th.

The Mustang is covered in the very same thermochromatic paint that is used on 1:64 scale Hot Wheels Color Shifters and will change from blue to white when exposed to hot or cold water. The Mustang’s appearance is part of a cross-country tour that stops at more than 50 festivals and events across Canada to promote the Hot Wheels Color Shifter products.

This event will give convention goers and children a chance to water down the full-size car and see its color change before their very eyes. Perhaps even Hot Wheels Designer Larry Wood will get a chance at shooting the water canon at it!

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this fantastic new event at the first-ever Canadian Diecast Convention coming to the Sheraton at the Falls on September 9-12, 2010! Information on tickets and accommodations for the convention can be found on ToyCarConventions.com.

The list of exclusive and limited edition pieces that will be showing up at this year’s Summer Smash just keeps growing and growing. Check out this amazing CMC 1:18 scale Audi 225 Roadster that will be part of the charity auction courtesy of Joe Kelly Jr. and The Car Room Magazine.

This piece is a pre-production hand-sample that came direct from CMC. Its one of only three that were ever made, AND its the only pre-pro that was ever made in the color combination of white and red with unpainted wheels. Check out this list of amazing features:

• Over 1,600 individual parts
  Working steel spring suspension
  Working steering
  Opening stamped-steel louvered hood with real spring catches
  Opening trunk
  Removable spare tire
  Leather seats
  Materials list includes copper, brass, stainless steel, mild steel, leather, styrene, rubber, vinyl, and more

This piece was featured in the April / May 2009 issue of The Car Room Magazine as well as in an episode of "Playing With Cars." Its estimated to be worth over $500, so this should certainly bring in a good amount of money at the charity auction.

Here’s the episode of Playing With Cars that the Audi was featured in:

Be sure to check out the official Summer Smash website for more information on tickets and accomadations.

“Earlier this month I shared the photos of the fantastic 1 of 1 EVOs that Dave Chang is bringing to this year’s Summer Smash for the charity auction. Shortly after, information and photos began to surface showing details of a “little” project Dave had brewing for the Fastest Downhill car contest at the convention. It quickly became apparent that a very special “World’s Fastest” Downhill EVO was being built with some special features that just might make it one tough competitor at this year’s competition. Here’s what Dave had to say about the EVO and the contest over on his personal blog:

What started out as an engineering challenge for us, we have found out this baby is too low to the ground and will not fit on the standard downhill track.

So I’ll personally build another one with a lot of cutting and adjusting, and hopefully with enough ground clearance to make it to the finish line.

1st Place for this Summer Smash Downhill Challenge will be this original EVO built for the race! A 1′ off EVO SS with the CNC’d Brass Rims, plus a Pre-production EVO “BIG TOW”

Rules are: Anything goes as this race is the “World’s Fastest Challenge”

But- The vehicle must be technically altered and cannot be stock. Technically altered mean it must be drilled out with some form of modification for speed.”

I’m sure there are quite a few race candidates with their eyes on the prize with those two amazing trophy pieces on the line. Rest assured that I’ll be there snaping pictures and taking video during this great event.

Be sure to visit the official Hot Wheels Summer Smash website for tickets and information on events and accomodations. Act fast if you haven’t made arrangements yet, as there’s just under a week left until Summer Smash III rolls into Warwick, Rhode Island.

These shots of 6, yes SIX custom creations from Jimmy “The Boxman” Chavez surfaced today, and from the looks of things, attendees of the 2010 Hot Wheels Summer Smash will certainly have their hands full trying to decide which of these to take home!

Once again, Boxman has managed to create a unique packaging design that manages to work perfectly with three different themed designs – Dark Shark, Summer Smash Surfing and 3D Tiki. Collectors who attended the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention got a chance to see Jimmy’s incredible 3-D backing cards, and this new 3-D Tiki design will allow Summer Smash attendees to see the visual effects first-hand as well.

Each casting is limited to just 10 pieces and will be available to Summer Smash attendees on a first come, first served basis. Pricing of each piece is still to be determined.

Click any image to see the larger version

Be sure to visit the official Hot Wheels Summer Smash website for information on tickets and accommodations.

This year’s 2010 Summer Smash invades Warwick, Rhode Island in just a few weeks, and shots of the many cars that will be available at the event have started to surface. Liberty Promotions returns to the Smash as the primary convention car manufacturer, and after a look at the pictures below, I’m sure you’ll agree that the attending collectors are certainly in for a treat!

Pictured here are the standard version of the Summer Smash Drag Bus and the 2010 Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club car. Click any image to see the larger version.

Tickets for the 2010 Summer Smash are still available at the official Hot Wheels Summer Smash website. Accommodations at the Crowne Plaza Hotel are almost sold out for this year. Collectors buying tickets after the rooms sell out will be booked into an overflow hotel down the street.

As previously reported, Liberty Promotions has a lot in store for the attendees of the 2010 Magical Weekend of Cars which rolls into Orlando, Florida in just over a months time. Pictures of the official MWoC Drag Bus were released a short while ago and will be available to convention goers starting on June 24th.

Can’t make it to the convention? Online quantities will be available to Liberty Legionaires starting with Colossus level members on June 24th as well. However, if you’ve been on the fence when it comes to joining the fun at the convention itself, then you’re definitely in luck. DiecastSpace and Liberty Promotions have teamed up to offer collectors all the “indecisive” collectors out there a little incentive to see what the Magical Weekend of Cars is all about.

Head over to the 2010 MWoC Drag Bus page on LibertyPromotions.com and you’ll find a special coupon code that will save you 20% off your ticket purchase to the Magical Weekend over at ToyCarConventions.com.

I recently returned from the DiecastSpace Super Convention in Las Vegas, and I had a great time! It was so nice to get away and hang with old friends [and some new ones] who are just like me, obsessed with little cars! I don’t have to feel like I collect nuclear waste like I do with my non-diecast collecting friends; although most of them have come to accept my collection and rarely bust me about it. Not never, just rarely.

While I was in Las Vegas I met with several people who commented that they had read and liked my Convention Do’s and Don’ts article a lot; so it got me wondering, did I follow my own tips? Everything will be rated on a scale of 1 to 5, 1 meaning didn’t accomplish at all, 5 meaning accomplished completely and 2,3,4 somewhere in between. Let’s find out!

DO: PLAN, PLAN, and PLAN ahead.

DON’T: Wait until the last minute

SCORE: 5

I have to give myself a 5 here due to the fact of the great prices I paid for transport to LV and while I was there. I monitored airfare very carefully and eventually paid only $228.00 round-trip from NJ to LV!!!! Also I continually monitored rental cars prices eventually paying only $83.00 for five days for a mid-size car!!! Furthermore, I was arriving one day earlier than my package stay covered so I continually monitored the price for a room at the host hotel and settled on $37.00 for the one night when the convention rate was $55.00! I also remembered to print all of my confirmation paperwork to speed me through any bumps!

DO: Every event that interests you or you can afford to do

DON’T: Deny yourself or hesitate.

SCORE: 5

The package I had included pretty much every event at the convention. The only event I didn’t go to was not because I didn’t want to or missed the buy in; it was because I couldn’t afford it.

DO: Bring LOTS of CASH and in various denominations.

DON’T: Rely on an ATM.

SCORE: 4

I brought only the allowance I could afford for food/cars/entertainment and had to hit the ATM only once on the last night to do some gambling. It was a good thing because for such a large hotel [Circus Circus] there weren’t many ATMs inside.

DO: Ask for payment before you leave home from friends for cars you bring back

DON’T: feel bad about it.

SCORE: N/A

I wasn’t bringing anything back for anyone and I only picked up cars for myself.

DO: Be realistic if you’re going to be flipping convention/event cars whether it’s back home or at the event.

DON’T: Think every convention/event car is a money maker.

SCORE: N/A

I’m not planning on flipping any convention cars

DO: Bring a diecast price guide like Tomart’s or the very least Lee’s.

DON’T: Think everyone is honest in their valuations.

SCORE: 5

I brought my Tomart’s, didn’t have to use it, but I brought it. But I know if I forgot it I would need it so I am counting it.

DO: Bring good walking shoes!!!

DON’T: and you’ll be sorry!

SCORE: 5

My sneakers had gel insoles and my Crocs were brand new, so I never had an issue.

DO: Pack accordingly.

DON’T: Overpack; especially if you are flying.

SCORE: 3

He’s where I fell down! I forgot my camera and I was sorry for it! There were many great shots I would have liked to get. I also packed too many socks and T-shirts thinking it would be overly hot outside, it wasn’t. I did have enough everything else without going over and still enough room in my suitcase for other things.

DO: Pack a bag in your bag

DON’T: Bring small suitcases

SCORE: N/A

This doesn’t count because… (see next tip)

DO: Invest in a HOT-CASE.

DON’T: Think it won’t help

SCORE: 5

I brought a HOT-CASE and carry bag as my carry-on luggage and my loose car case in my suitcase. When I came home, my HOT-CASE weighed almost 10 pounds! 10 pounds less than would have been in my suitcase and I didn’t have to pay the airline’s second suitcase charge.

DO: Bring a variety of Protecto Paks.

DON’T: Rely on vendors at the convention

SCORE: N/A

I didn’t bring any thinking my HOT-CASE would be sufficient and it was. I really wasn’t going for many extra cars other than one’s tied to events so I planned accordingly.

DO: Invest in a good, compact, multiple bulb LED flashlight.

DON’T: Think it won’t help.

SCORE: 5

Brought it in my HOT-CASE loose car case and it helped out in several situations.

DO: Create a floor list to write down what rooms you’ve been in or where contacts are staying.

DON’T: Rely on your memory.

SCORE: 5

I brought floor sheets for approximately 5 floors of anticipated room to room trading but didn’t need them since R2R was a bit sparse. But I did bring them!

DO: Always be respectful when walking into someone’s room.

DON’T: be rude.

SCORE: 5

There weren’t many rooms open but the ones that were I was always cordial and when I needed to go back I was greeted warmly by the room’s owner!

DO: Buy it if you like it and the price is good

DON’T: Deny yourself or hesitate and say you’ll think about it or come back…it won’t be there!!!

SCORE: 5

I bought several new variations of the Delivery/Larry’s/Wayne’s/Phil’s Garage series that I hadn’t gotten yet for decent prices and was glad I did since they weren’t there later when I looked again and they weren’t replenished by their sellers.

DO: Zero in on a car you like

DON’T: Hesitate

SCORE: N/A

This really didn’t occur since R2R was sparse.

DO: Try to get a better price

DON’T: be afraid to negotiate

SCORE: 5

I actually negotiated several times for a friend of mine to get him something I know he needed.

DO: Be wary of un-priced cars

DON’T: be afraid to walk away if you don’t like the price.

SCORE: N/A

This wasn’t much of an issue at this convention.

DO: Take full advantage of a hospitality room

DON’T: Think you’re abusing the privilege

SCORE: N/A

There wasn’t any hospitality room at this convention.

DO: Hang a DO NOT DISTURB sign all day/night on your door

DON’T: Take chances if you have any misgivings

SCORE: 5

I followed this rule every night, and was able to keep full account of what I bought without having to put it away every time I expected the hotel staff to come in to clean.

DO: Go up to go down.

DON’T: get locked out of the elevator

SCORE: 5

If I could give myself a 10 for this I would. The convention was on the promenade level [2^nd floor] of the hotel and my hotel room was in the Floors 23-35 elevator bank that also went to floors 2 and 1. Many times during the week when I wanted to go to my room on the 35^th floor from the 2^nd floor, the elevator was going down to 1 first so I hopped on and rode it down then back up, usually stopping again at 2. Several times the car was already full from 1 to 2 so that the same people who didn’t jump on when I did still had to wait for another car!

DO: Expect to be on lines

DON’T: get exasperated.

SCORE: 2

I didn’t get exasperated when I was on a line but only when I was trying to control a line. I let the people on line get the best of me so I failed this one. I didn’t give myself a 1 because some of the people later apologized to me for what had earlier transpired.

DO: Expect people to be holding places in line for their friends and letting said friends in the line when they show up!

DON’T: Get annoyed at this.

SCORE: 5

Every line I was on for an event, this happened to me and by me. Everyone handled it with great spirit.

DO: Talk to people you don’t know and get to know a little about them

DON’T: Be a stick in the mud.

SCORE: 5

I met a good number of new friends; Rand and Brandon father and son team and of course Henry/Jean Ann from Canada plus several other people who were nice friendly folks with great stories of collecting!

DO: Be a little wary of convention T-shirt sizes

DON’T: Feel the squeeze.

SCORE: 5

I made sure I called my wife to see if she wanted her usual shirt size or one bigger for comfort before I forged ahead and bought one. I also bought a shirt for my six year old son at the Hard Rock and heeded the salesperson’s advice to buy one size larger!

So what is my overall score for the tips that applied to me at this convention?

An 84 out of a possible 90 points [16 tips]! That 93% or an A-! Not too bad but I can do better!

I want to hear from anyone who went the DiecastSpace Super Convention in Las Vegas and find out your score. Don’t forget that something that didn’t apply to me may apply to you and vice versa. Leave your results in the comments section below. There are a possible 120 [5 points x 14 tips] applicable points so GOOD LUCK!

I love it when our little hobby of die-cast car collecting gets pushed a little further out into the mainstream, and that’s exactly what happened in the latest issue of Car and Driver magazine. Freelance C&D writer, Brett Berk has written a great piece that gives readers a deep dive into what its like to be a hard-core Hot Wheels collector.

While the article mainly focuses on the collectors and experience of the 23rd-annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention, I did have the opportunity to meet Brett last summer when he attended the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 convention in Connecticut while doing research. The article shares perspectives from many different Hot Wheels collectors and gives readers a nice broad view of the hobby. And if “viewing the hobby” is what you like, then be sure to browse through the 60+ photos (captured by Ted Soqui) that captured the Hot Wheels collecting experience.

Subscribers of the print magazine got an advanced look at the article. Fortunately for the non-subscribers, the article is now available for viewing online at the Car & Driver website.

Click here to jump over to the article on the Car & Driver website.

With the new year well underway, I wanted to focus on something that might be especially helpful to collectors in 2010. This year is ushering in the greatest number of diecast conventions in a long time with Diecastspace.com sponsoring the Super Convention this month in Las Vegas, The Magical Weekend of Cars in June in Orlando, FL and the first ever Canadian convention in September. Hot Wheels focused collectors will attend the Strauss Nationals in St. Louis MO. this April, the Strauss main convention in CA. in the fall and Summer Smash III coming this August in RI. There’s also JL Fest, Autofest, and the Gathering of Friends for Matchbox collectors in New Mexico. International collectors can look forward to Hot Wheels conventions in Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. Add on all the growing number of various other smaller events all around the U.S. (and the rest of the world) and collectors will have more choices than ever to experience a convention first hand.

And yet I am sure it is may be an intimidating task to actually go to one of these small, medium, or especially large events without trepidation or fear of not knowing how to plan ahead or what to do while you’re there. With that in mind, I wanted to share with you my DO’s and DON’Ts list of convention happenings based upon my 8 years of convention going experience. Some of these may seem simple enough that you would think everyone should know it already; but it can take just one thing that you didn’t think of to affect your good time.

There’s a lot to digest, so I’ll be breaking up this advice into a multi-part series. I hope there is something on this list will make even the seasoned convention-goer go “HMMMM” I never thought of that!

BEFORE YOU GET THERE TIPS

DO: PLAN, PLAN, and PLAN ahead.

DON’T: Wait until the last minute.

This applies not only to the individual events at a convention but to any outside events you may want to attend or transportation needed to get to those events. Popular convention events or even popular event times sell out quickly; you may be left out in the cold. This is especially true if you are going with others; it’s great to be at the same event together and not get split up. Also, if you are flying seriously consider renting a car if the venue the convention is at is off the beaten track like an airport hotel If you are going to travel or room with others, the cost will be greatly be deferred. Plus you may want to look up what restaurants/bars may be in the area, most hotels don’t have a great variety of cuisine or price ranges you may like. Once you get to the hotel, the front desk can tell you areas to avoid. I didn’t head the desk clerk’s warning once in Ohio and almost got mugged!

DO: Every event that interests you or you can afford to do

DON’T: Deny yourself or hesitate.

If it’s your first time going to any convention; events are a great way to meet people and feel part of the collective festive atmosphere. Don’t let anyone talk you out of something; see for yourself. Plus don’t forget the price to an event where the event is run for a charitable organization or usually the convention auction bids can be tax deductible!

If it’s not your first time going to a convention; continue to go to events you like rather than backing off since no two events will ever be alike from convention to convention. You may miss out on a great car you want.

This leads me too….

DO: Bring LOTS of CASH and in various denominations.

DON’T: Rely on an ATM.

Even though you more than likely can buy convention cars with a credit/debit card when you register at a convention; 99% of room to room vendors take only cash. Plus any raffles the convention holds; usually for some great stuff; or cars for charity cars are cash only. Going to the hotel ATM [and most hotels don’t have many] can get expensive with fees or quickly runs out of cash. More than likely, your bank is not in the area of the convention and the nearest ATM may be a long walk/drive away with a high fee [especially if the hotel is near the airport; you’re kind of isolated.]

I remember a couple of years ago; the hotel ATM ran out of cash by 1PM on a busy Saturday and the hotel wasn’t prepped to have it refilled until the next day; people were frantic! The hotel was off the beaten path and walking to an ATM wasn’t really an option.

DO: Ask for payment before you leave home from friends for cars you bring back

DON’T: feel bad about it.

Not asking for the cash up front will only cut into your funds while you’re there and make you have to either go to the ATM more often [and we already discussed those pitfalls] or go without. All the prices for the convention cars should be in your pre-received convention packet so you know how much to charge. Whether you add tax or a small profit is up to you. The price of things adds up quickly!

DO: Be realistic if you’re going to be flipping convention/event cars whether it’s back home or at the event.

DON’T: Think every convention/event car is a money maker.

Don’t think that just because a car is from a convention event that it will be a moneymaker if you try to flip it. Some cars aren’t worth the price of admission to an event. If you aren’t a flipper then you’ll be fine and collect the car because of you enjoyed your experience. If you are a flipper be forewarned…you may get burned. Plus there are many more people than just you trying to flip the same car. I don’t flip, I just buy for people back home but I have seen how people have triumphed with flipping and where they have crashed and burned. It’s not pretty.

DO: Bring a diecast price guide like Tomart’s or the very least Lee’s.

DON’T: Think everyone is honest in their valuations.

No matter what anyone selling a car tells you; just have the guide with you to get a good idea of its value. It will give you piece of mind.

DO: Bring good walking shoes!!! Especially the ladies!!!

DON’T: and you’ll be sorry!

You are on you feet from the minute you leave you hotel room in the morning to the minute you head hits the pillow at 1:30am that night, [yes rooms are open that late].

You will be standing in lines for events, walking the floors room to rooming, going to eat either inside/outside the hotel, even sightseeing if you plan to, it all goes back to planning.

DO: Pack accordingly.

DON’T: Overpack; especially if you are flying.

You won’t need to bring a lot of different clothes to a convention. The majority of the time you will see most people in T-Shirts, shorts, and jeans. [Check the future weather cast re jackets/coats]. You may want to bring a polo or buttoned down shirt [especially if it’s a cool diecast or automotive themed one] to wear to the dinner but otherwise don’t load up on clothes. Take it from a confirmed over-packer; you may not use half the stuff you bring. Also, don’t forget to pack your camera/video camera. You won’t regret it later. I’ve forgotten my camera already and I have regretted what I didn’t get a picture of to this day.

Plus, you’ll need the space for cars which brings me to…

DO: Pack a bag in your bag

DON’T: Bring small suitcases

My buddy Mike from NH taught me this trick back in 2001. I went to my first CA Strauss convention and got short on my luggage space. It was just after 9-11 and restriction abounded regarding size/shape of bags and I was scared to bring a really big suitcase, plus I under estimated what I would buy once I was there. If you are a first time conventioneer you will be tempted to buy a lot!!!!! I had to go to Wal-Mart and buy a small suitcase to accommodate what I bought. Most convention cars are in there own protecto paks and are bulky to pack in a suitcase and you don’t want to pack fragile blistercards or loose cars wrapped in toilet paper in a regular case for fear of damage.

Bring one large suitcase with a rolled up duffel bag inside. It won’t take up a lot of space and you won’t be charged for 2 suitcases when you fly out and if you don’t need it, back it goes rolled up. It’ll save you a lot of grief. Now this brings me too…..

DO: Bring a variety of Protecto Paks.

DON’T: Rely on vendors at the convention.

Many of the fragile treasures you buy may not have protectos and can’t be packed by themselves. Some older blisters don’t fit into newer protectos so plan accordingly. I have found that the older full front protectos are great for a carrying a couple of cars in baggies and header cards [like ROAKs]! Protecto pak vendors may not be there or run out of popular sizes early. Most people can sell you a few but its better to prepare beforehand.

Think about bringing a pair of scissors [in your checked bag only please] and a couple of sheets of bubble wrap for cars in acrylic case; DOLLAR TREE stores offer small rolls that work great. My buddy Bryan has shown me that blue painters tape is a better alternative to any other tape in wrapping cars up since it is designed to come off easily from what it is stuck too without damaging the car, plus its strong while its in use. But this brings me too….

DO: Invest in a HOT-CASE.

DON’T: Think it won’t help.

This is not a shameless plug for HOT-CASES but an actual testimonial. They help you out a lot! The 24 cars carry case for loose cars is great to carry around if you plan to buy loose cars for it protects them as you go rooming. Believe me, toilet paper, tissue, or paper towel wrapping quickly shred or unravel and plastic shopping bags get banged up and torn in elevators and doorways faster than you think. The carry case fits into any carry on or checked bag. Invest in an actual HOT CASE box and carry bag for that HOT CASE. It fits into any airplane overhead compartment or under the airline seat in front of you and can hold a lot of convention cars. You can carry it on the plane as a carry-on. I usually have my backpack and the HOT CASE bag as carry-ons or the case will fit flat into most 30-32” suitcases.

DO: Invest in a good, compact, multiple bulb LED flashlight.

DON’T: Think it won’t help.

Again a learned tip from my NJ collector buddies Kenny and Carl. A nice, compact LED flashlight with multiple bulbs can assist greatly in determining the condition of loose cars especially REDLINES!!! Hotel room lighting is awful and don’t rely on vendors to bring a good light either. First ask permission to examine the car you are looking at, find a shadowed part of the room [or even hunch over with the car in you palm], and shine the flashlight over every nook and cranny of that car because every flaw, toning, chip, etc., etc., will immediately pop out. It can save you the annoyance of realizing later you bought a dud.

DO: Create a floor list to write down what rooms you’ve been in or where contacts are staying.

DON’T: Rely on your memory.

Simply put; it gets overwhelming. Even in a small convention, you will never remember all the rooms you have been in, want to go back to, or have no need to see again.

I’ll give a great example. Three years ago the Strauss west coast convention was held in Garden Grove CA in a hotel that had two towers. The North tower was where the official convention room block [cheaper rooms] were which stretched from between floors 4 thru 8. There were a lot of seller’s rooms on floors 3 and 9 as well as a smattering of rooms on higher floors. So you figure 7 floors [3 thru 9] with approximately 20 [conservatively] rooms open on each floor; that makes 140 rooms just in the North Tower. Plus the South towers had at least 60 rooms open as well so add those together you get 200 rooms of Hot Wheels. Unless you have a documented photographic memory; you won’t remember everything/everyone you saw/met and where it/they were! Some conventions now give you a small pad with your welcome package to help you navigate the hotel; but I have attached a floor sheet spreadsheet [at the end of this article] that really works. My wife came up with it in 2002 in Irvine CA after she couldn’t stand walking into the same room over and over again and hear me and my buddy say “Oh we’ve seen this before, nothing here”. Plus I have tinkered with it over the years. Use it, learn it, live it, know it, it works! It’s best to 3-hole punch the floor sheets I have provided and put them in a binder. The binder will give you a strong base to write on, those little pads won’t.

Well, that’s it for now. Like I said, its a lot to digest, but I hope you’ve enjoyed them so far. Join me next time in Part 2 where I’ll reveal all my DO and DON’T tips for after you arrive at the convention.

Got a tip of your own to add? I encourage you to share them wit the rest of the readers via the comments section below.

Download the Floor Sheet file here [Microsoft Excel Format]

First, I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Joe Altieri, and I live in Northern New Jersey.  I truly consider myself a die-cast ”collector” and not a hoarder, scalper, or flipper!  Jeff Glasson has asked me to write some columns on the life of a typical die-cast collector and get your feedback on the hobby through my articles. I hope that once you read this article you’ll continue to read future ones to come. Thanks for reading “Diecast Stories from the Average Joe Collector.”

In recent years I’ve noticed something interesting happening to me every time I attend a die-cast show or convention; I am approached by a fellow collectors [whether I know actually know them or they are brought over to me by a friend] to either take me over to a vendor’s table or room to get my opinion on an impending sale, to show me a just purchased treasure to get my opinion on the condition or price paid, or to ask a question about products from any of the many 1:64 scale manufacturers of die-cast. I have been frequently told that I was the deciding factor either for or against a particular purchase. I am not trying to “toot my own horn” or boast about what I do or do not know about die-cast, but it always gets me thinking about how and what I collect now as opposed to when I began collecting and throughout the interim years.

It has been almost 26 years since I began collecting die-cast and over 19 years since I truly caught the die-cast collecting “bug” and met my first Hot Wheels collecting comrade, my great friend Bill, who was and is my mentor of all things Hot Wheels. So I guess I have seen a lot of collectors, trends, and die-cast companies come and go, wither and resurrect, or completely change themselves altogether. I have always been a history buff; whether it’s the real life history of the world around us or the history of the cars I love to collect. I love to absorb this knowledge as much as I can, but find myself having to omit a lot of information for lack of brain space or for want on that knowledge.

I can’t be a variation almanac like so many of today’s collectors are [God bless your memories] with all the wheels changes, window colors changes, body color changes chassis color/material changes and point of origin as I would like to be.

I don’t seek out variations for my collection unless they are physically pointed out to me while standing at the rack or at a show, and I can’t rattle off things like “the Muscle Madness ’68 Nova comes in all small wheels, all big wheels, and large front wheels/small rear wheels” or vice versa. But, I can pretty much rattle off every ’57 Chevy variation since 1977 or what each Dream Halloween or Toy Fair car has been or how much I did or didn’t pay for a particular car.

I’ve come through a succession of models that I’ve focused all of my attention on as well. First, it was old and new Matchbox. Then I added old and new Hot Wheels and new Johnny Lightnings when they were reintroduced in the 1990’s. All the while I kept up with new and old Majorette and Tomica models thrown in for good measure. It all became maddening! Yet, I would still buy any model, old or new, from any manufacturer that caught my eye. I was a full “completist” and had to have every model I could afford from those aforementioned manufacturers. During that time I was able to keep every model I had in my head as well as on ancient Apple computer spreadsheet. At times I thought my head would explode or at the very least brain matter would start to ooze from my ears!

In 2001 I attended my first Hot Wheels convention – the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 2 in Connecticut – and my mind was blown wide open!  There were so many people collecting what I did all together in the same place, with special events and best of all; the room to room trading!!!  That was something I had never experienced before. I was then completely hooked on conventions from that point forward.

While at WWHW2 I heard about larger convention that meets every year in California run buy a guy named Mike Strauss. I got some info while in CT and hurriedly sent in my application to the event as soon as I got home. Unfortunately 9/11 happened that September, and I thought I may never be able to go to this Hot Wheels Mecca I had begun to believe in. Fortunately, the restrictions were lifted and off I flew to Irvine California, all by myself; intimidated, but ready to learn!  During the convention I was lucky enough to meet my buddy Mike from NH – someone who is still one of my best friends in the Hot Wheel and real world.

Mike had been going to Strauss conventions since 1998 and knew all the in, outs, and quirks associated with them. We became fast friends and my feet were set upon the path of convention knowledge. Needless to say, the rest is history for I have attended every east and west coast Strauss event since Irvine 2001 (save for Dallas 2004 when my son had just been born). After Irvine 2001 I attended the Wild Weekend of Hot wheels 3 in 2002 where I got to know another best friend of mine, Bryan from NC. I have also attended the Wicked Weekend of Hot Wheels 1 and 2, the annual Macungie PA outdoor toy event, as well as more recently introduced conventions like Summer Smash in Rhode Island, the Mexico City Hot Wheelers convention, and the DiecastSpace.com Super Convention in Las Vegas and Atlanta.

When I was still a completist, conventions were all about “the hunt” for everything I didn’t have.  But since having divested myself of over 3000+ pieces of Matchbox and over 1000+ pieces of Johnny Lightning I have been able to enjoy collecting even more. I no longer need to have every mainline Hot Wheels. I now prefer nice redlines or special limited cars like convention and toy fair pieces. I also have grown very fond of collecting discontinued “orphan makes.” Those include the cars I had as a kid like Playart, Zylmex, and Corgi Junior, as well as makes with limited availability in the U.S. like Tomica, Majorette, and Siku. Likewise, convention-going has changed from hunting for everything I can get my hands on, to meeting up with old and new friends and talking about the state of collecting, about other collectors who have come and gone or just sitting around eating, drinking and making each other laugh!

Many things affect the way we collect. The economy, die-cast companies’ fortunes and product decisions, to the size of our own wallets change the way we collect; and that’s not a bad thing. Any changes should be accepted and embraced if you want to keep on doing and collecting whatever you love.

So have I changed as collector? That answer would have to be a resounding YES!  I’m glad I have changed, evolved, backed off or whatever you want to call it. Its made me a happier collector and a more grateful one at that.

How have/haven’t you changed as collector since you started out in this great hobby? Let’s hear you story via the comments section below.

Attendees of this past weekend’s 23rd Annual Hot Wheels Convention in Los Angeles bared witness to more than just the die-cast cars they know and love. Mattel’s Chris Parker, known for his full beard and long flowing hair, allowed the entire length to be cut off during the convention to benefit the Locks of Love organization.

Chris’s long hair was certainly part of his zany and fun personality, but I think the new look won’t change his character too much! Congrats to Chris on a job well done with this generous donation to charity!

Joe Kelly Jr. from The Car Room Magazine was in attendance at the 2009 Hot Wheels Summer Smash and captured a series of interviews and video footage (thanks Ralph!!) that I’ll be sharing with you over the course of the next week. Here’s the first in the series featuring and interview with Hot Wheels author Mike Zarnock.

Despite the 1 hour delay due to technical difficulties (ala crazy hotel internet) we managed to bang out the first ever Saturday Nitro with a live studio audience! It definitely added a little extra excitement to the show that brought things to a whole new level. We also tried live streaming some video, but had some difficulties with the sound. Thats what you get for trying to add bonus features in the zero hour!

This show features special guests like Chris Walker, Lou Tanahara, Jim Lombari, Mike Zarnock, Lee Pearlman, Joe Kelly Jr and more!

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.

It looks like we’re still being treated to a few more surprises with just over a week left until the start of Hot Wheels Summer Smash 2 in Warwick, Rhode Island! This time around its a sweet look at Vince “V-Man” Mosley’s Summer Smash Drag Bus and Dairy. I can’t wait to see these in person! It certainly looks like Summer Smash attendees will have plenty of limited edition customs to choose from this year!

Visit the official Hot Wheel Summer Smash website for information on tickets, accommodations and event activities. Please note that the Warwick Crowne Plaza has been sold out and additional rooms are being made available at alternate hotels nearby.

Thats right – DiecastSpace.com has decided to bring its first non-US convention to Canada in 2010! Just a few weeks ago the announcement of the first Canadian convention was made and now the official convention website has been launched where collectors can find out more about the convention events, get information about accommodations and of course, buy tickets!

This in-room trading focused event will take place at the Sheraton Falls View Hotel in Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada on September 9-12th 2010. Many great sponsors have already jumped on board and there will certainly be more to come. Stay tuned for more information coming soon about this great event!

[via thecollectoruniverse.com]

Just a few more posts to share as I wrap up the coverage of the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6. Here’s a mega-slidshow of the shots I took during the weekend. The slideshow is not organized in any way. Please click here and visit my WWHW6 collection on flickr.com to see the shots broken down by sets.

While some of us were whooping it up in Connecticut at The Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels, and others were chillin’ at home, Chris “Night Stalker” Walker was tearing up the far east at the Hot Wheels Custom Car Show in Japan! Here’s what CHris had to say about the trip in his latest e-mail newsletter:

“Hello all, I just got back from the Yokohama Japan, Hot Wheels Custom Car Show. I would say I am glad to be home in the US, but I have mixed feelings about that. I love home, but Japan is great. And everyone treats you so well there, it feels sad to leave. Almost as if I have extended family in the land of the rising sun! But I will be back in November. It was a great time for sure.

So pics of that, a few pics of the event, and of course various sites are on my website www.NightStalkerCustoms.com in the events section”

As Chris mentioned, there are a TON of great pictures posted on his website. Be sure to check them out!

Just wanted to share this great picture of the new Hot Wheels Summer Smash Deco Delivery that convention attendees can get their hands on at the end of the month. My previous shots displayed the Deco all caged up in its card and blister. I think its looking even better when its been set free!

Click the image to see a larger version

Be sure to visit the official Hot Wheels Summer Smash web site for information on tickets, accommodations and activities at the Smash!

Great additions to the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention are already starting to roll in! In case you missed it in the DCS e-mail blast, both Chip Foose and Carson Lev will be the guest of honor at next year’s Legends dinner! Here’s the lowdown from the DCS:

“The Legends Dinner from the first Super Convention was one to dream about, Larry Wood, Tom Daniel and George Barris all shared the same stage. So how could we possibly make this event any better?

Special thanks goes to Alex’s Toy Chest for making this a phenomenal addition to the Super Convention!”

Tickets for the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention are on sale now at http://www.spinyourtires.com.

The truck is packed and we’re hitting the road!

Posted via email from Diecast Convention Updates

With just a few weeks to go, the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 convention car line-up continues to grow! The staff has recently secured a limited run of 750 Custom Convoys from the Hot Wheels Classics line.

The name “Custom Convoy” might not ring a bell because its a brand new casting in the 2009 Classics line-up. This version appearing at the Wild Weekend will be painted in Spectraflane pink – a color that is exclusive to the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6!

This premium car will be given to the first 100 ticket purchasers and first 100 H.O.T Package purchasers as part of their ticket purchase. The remainder will be available for purchase throughout the weekend.

Tickets for the Wild Weekend are available on the official web site or by calling 860.558.3136 to buy them directly.

[via wwhw6.com]

The Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels staff has confirmed that Chris Parker from Mattel will be coming to the convention with the vending machine in tow! Those who have purchased vending machine pulls before know that its always fun and exciting to see what drops from behind the frosted glass. Equally as fun are the antics and commentary added to the event by Chris as each piece falls! Rodger Dodger!!!

Tickets for the Wild Weekend are available on the official web site or by calling 860.558.3136 to buy them directly.

[via wwhw6.com]

I’m sure those who attended the GMP Experience during the Hotlanta convention would agree that it was quite possibly the highlight of the weekend. The event was spectacular from start to finish. Everything was top notch – from Tom Long’s (GMP’s President) gracious hosting, to delicious the BBQ and the amazing parting gift. Oh, did I mention the cars!?! Attendees got a first-hand look at almost every model that GMP makes. I think more than a few collectors left with a future GMP purchase on their brains! Not too shabby for a $25 premium event!

If that weren’t enough, the trip also included a side excursion to Milton Robson’s private 1:1 scale car collection. Getting a first-hand look at his spectacular award-winning collection of muscle cars and classics was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Here are some photo sets of both the GMP Tour and the side trip to the Robson collection. Enjoy!

The GMP Experience

Milton Robson’s Private Car Collection

This time we have a special round-table style, two-hour re-cap of the DiecastSpace.com Hotlanta Collector Experience with special guests Joe Altieri, Lou Tanahara, Eric Tscherne and Joe Kelly Jr. Each guest brings a unique perspective to their experiences at the convention. We even devote some time talking about the potential the next Collector Experience will have in 2010 at Walt Disney World, Florida. Enjoy!

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.

From Mild to Spicy to Hot, the customs contest had some pretty strong entries from Amateur, Admin and Pro classes. Here’s a large set of all the participating pieces:

New England favorite Cruisn’ Bruce Palmer will be hosting the Satudary Cruise at the 2009 Summer Smash this August. Bruce is at the core of cruise night and car show promotion in Southern New England. Don’t believe me? Check out his site via the link below, and you’ll certainly be impressed. There’s going to be as much fun outside the hotel as there is inside at this year’s Smash!

Visit the official Summer Smash 2 website for information about convention tickets, accommodations and activities.

[via crusinbruce.com]

The dust has settled from the die-cast whirlwind know as the Hotlanta Collector Experience that roared through Georgia a week ago. This smaller, more intimate event could almost be considered “Son of the Super Convention,” which is not to say that it was any less of an show. In fact, the DiecastSpace.com Admin team did an amazing job of listening to the attendee feedback from the 2009 Super Convention and applying it to the Collector Experience.

Registration was streamlined, plenty of time for in-room trading was added to the schedule, and the quality of the convention cars spot-on all the way around. Without a doubt, the weekend was a great success and one that those in attendance will not soon forget. I’ve got plenty of pictures to share and will be posting sets through-out the next few days.

For starters, here are a few shots from the first pre-convention session run by Mike Zarnock on Thursday evening. The session was called “What’s It Worth?” and spawned some great conversations amongst the attendees on how collectors differ when it comes to determining what a specific piece is worth. Mattel’s Chris Parker started some great collector interaction by posing questions about the HotWheelsCollectors.com
Redline Club cars as well.

Friday morning got off to a great start with the opening session which included CJ’s announcement of the 2010 Collector Experience in Walt Disney World, Florida!

The official 2009 Hot Wheels Summer Smash website got a facelift this afternoon and is looking pretty nice! The new site is easier to navigate and features well defined areas for the convention’s events once they are all finalized and scheduled. Collectors should take not that the site also has a page for this year’s convention cars. Oh, did I forget to mention that two of the Liberty Promotions cars have been revealed..?! What are you waiting for – go check’em out!

[via summersmashri.com]

One of the cool changes at the Hotlanta Collector Experience (coming up later this week!) is the switch from the traditional poker tournament to a more family friendly UNO Tournament! Making this move will definitely streamline the event and will make it more accessible to convention attendees of all ages!

Not sure how to play UNO? Here’s a quick refresher of the basics. The rules being used at the convention have been slightly tweaked so one UNO deck can be used per table. Please read them and, if you have a deck available, practice the game using these rules. The streamlined rules aren’t too far from the original game rules.

OBJECT:
To be the first player to win 5 rounds of UNO or the most rounds in 5 rounds. Each table will have a winner, who will go onto the next UNO round..Winners from Tables 1 to 5 and 6 to 10 will play in the Final Table round against each other, and the winner of the Final Table will be the DiecastSpace UNO champion.

HOW TO START:
Each player is dealt 5 cards(instead of the standard 7 cards) Afterwards, the top card of the DRAW pile is turned over, which starts the DISCARD pile.
The first player has to match the card in the DISCARD pile either by number, color or word.

For example, if the card is a red 7, player must throw down a red card or any color 7. Or the player can throw down a Wild Card. If player doesn’t have anything to match, he must pick a card from the DRAW pile, If player can use the drawn card, they can use it. If not, the next player goes next.

If you have one card left, you must yell “UNO”. Failure to do this, results in the player picking up two cards from the DRAW pile. They can play their drawn cards or next player plays.

The first player has no cards left, the round is over and is the winner for the round. First Player with 5 rounds won, or the most rounds won, is the winner for Table and goes to the Final Table Round. All the rest of the players leave and cant continue in the competition.

CHOOSING A DEALER:
Each player picks up a card. The player who picks the highest number deals. If you pick a “Word” card, this doesn’t count. Players with “Word” cards cannot redraw another card from the DRAW pile. The player to the left of the dealer starts the game.

CARD MEANINGS:

Reverse Card:
Simply reverse the direction of play.The play going from the left,now goes to the right and vice-a-versa.

Skip Card:
Player that is next after this card is played, has their turn skipped, and the next player from the left or right of them, plays next.

Wild Card:
The player using this card, can call out any color choice. This card can be used even if the player has another playable card in their hand.

Wild Draw Four Card:
The player that uses this card, calls the color of their choice, & the next player has to pick up four cards(4). The player can use any cards they picked up to discard, if not, their turn is down.

NOTE: The cards pictured are older, and newer cards may have updated designs, but the symbols remain relatively the same.

The recent announcement of Redlines Online‘s sponsorship of Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 is sure to excite Redline collectors, but the pairing will also bring the opportunity for collectors to see some some of the rarest Hot Wheels cars in existence. Here are some of the cool rare cars that will appear at the convention (as listed on wwhw6.com):

“…For example, from the Redline era you will see a brown Custom Charger, one of only two known to exist; a silver Custom Charger prototype; a purple Olds 442; a pink Rodger Dodger pre-production model, one of only two known to exist; the first Toy Fair Van made, a hand-painted prototype; and a red Open Hood Scoop Mustang in the package! These are just to name a few…”

The Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 staff also released this official press release about the sponsorship:

WATERBURY, CT — Redlines Online (www.redlinesonline.com), the popular collectors web site for aficionados of vintage Hot Wheels Redline cars, has been named the official sponsor of Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels® 6. Redlines Online is owned by noted Hot Wheels® collector Sid Belzberg and his wife Alicia. Sid’s personal Redline collection contains some of the rarest Hot Wheels® cars in existence, many of which will be on display at Wild Weekend 6.

As a result of the Redlines Online sponsorship, the energy and creativity focused on Wild Weekend 6 is at an all-time high. “The partnership between Redlines Online and Wild Weekend 6 is a perfect fit… Sid and Alicia Belzberg are passionate collectors, and as the new owners of the Redlines Online site, their passion will transform a good web site into a great one. We are very grateful for their generous sponsorship of Wild Weekend 6, and we’re looking forward to working with them,” said Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels® 6 promoter Randy Price.

Be sure to visit the official Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 website for more information of event tickets and activities.

[via wwhw6.com]

This incredible limited edition poster from MiQ Willmott will be just one of the cool things collectors can get their hands on during the 2009 Hotlanta Collector Experience next week. The poster is limited to just 100 copies and will be given out for FREE at MiQ’s scheduled autograph sessions.

Click the image to see the larger verison

[via diecastspacecommunity.com]

As I mentioned previously, Lightning Fest 2009 is shaping up to bigger and better than ever, and the official announcement that John Schneider will be making a celebrity guest appearance at this year’s fest is the proof in the pudding. Here’s the official word from Johnny Lightning:

“John Schneider, the star of TV shows like The Dukes of Hazzard, Nip/Tuck and Smallville will be a special guest at Lightning Fest 2009 and will help to light up the eastern Iowa skies once again for two days straight come August 7th and 8th. JL fans and fanatics from far and wide will converge at the intersections of Highways 136 & 20 for Lightning Fest 2009. For more information, visit www.collector.johnnylightning.com“.

- JL Design Team

Now that’s some exciting news!

[via http://www.collector.johnnylightning.com]

If you had any reservations about attending this August’s 2nd Annual Hot Wheels Summer Smash in Warwick, Rhode Island, then this e-sheet of the Mattel-produced Deco Delivery will definitely tip you in the right direction! The Deco Delivery casting was designed by Larry Wood and will soon be released as a part of Classics Series 5. The Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club will be the first in the country to see it as a premium limited to 1000 pieces. The graphics for this Summer Smash piece were done by Wayne Scott.

Visit the official Hot Wheels Summer Smash website for information on tickets and hotel accommodations.

Click the image to see a larger version

The e-sheet for the upcoming Wild Weekend Street Rodder has just been released, and its certainly looking hot! The car is done up in Spectraflame light green with traditional flame tampos on both sides. It also features deep-dish chrome wheels and Redline Real Rider tires. There are only 2000 of these cars available, and it comes with your Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 ticket purchase.

Speaking of tickets, I’ve been told that ticket packages are selling fast. As of the date of this post there are less than 25 H.O.T. Packages left! Purchasing the H.O.T. Package will guarantee you get a special Code 3 car designed by Chris “Nightstalker” Walker. Also don’t forget that you must book your hotel room by May 15th to lock in your discounted room rate of only $95 per night.

Click the image to see a larger version

[via 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.

Here’s a selection of shots from the autograph sessions at the 2009 Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals in Reston, VA. The designers at the sessions included Larry Wood, Phil Riehlman, Howard Rees, Wayne Scott and Mike McClone.