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!

Dips in the economy aside, its a really good time to be a diecast collector. There have never been more options to attend a live event and connect with fellow collectors for some fun in this hobby that we all know and love. This year features large events that will definitely peak your interest no matter what brand or scale you collect. Here’s a quick rundown of each in order of occurrence including links out to their respective sites to get more information:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pope Designs continues their 5th Anniversary celebrations with the release of this limited edition “Atlantic City” VW Drag Bus. Limited to just 30 pieces, this bus was created as an offering to the attendees of the upcoming Diecastspace Dragbus Getaway at the Trump Taj Mahal Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ.

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

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

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

Click either image to see the larger version

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

The 2011 DCX Expo rolls into the Fairplex in Pomona, CA as part of the RCX Expo on March 19th and 20th, and in celebration of the event Diehard-Diecast.com is offering up a limited run of custom VW Drag Buses. In years past these buses had only been made available to collectors who were physically attending the expo. This year two different versions of the bus have been created to accommodate both those who can make it and those who can only order online.

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

Click any image to see the larger version

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

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

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

Collectors in the Ohio area should take not of this great Spring event hosted by the Northeast Ohio Hot Wheels Club. There will be room to room trading, 90+ vendor/dealer tables, an event car, a customs contest, downhill racing, and much more.

Here are the details:

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

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!

Special thanks to Mark Kasimoff (aka RaceGrooves) for shooting this great video highlighting the Hot Wheels/Kmart Collector Day experience and for taking viewers through a nice up-close look at the cars that he purchased. Collectors need to start making more videos like this!

Greenlight Collectibles recently announce their participation in the “invitation-only” Boston Area Toy Collectors annual dinner event where they will have a pre-production version of their 1965 Ford Galaxie featuring the Westwood Massachusetts Police Department that will appear in Series 5 of the Hot Pursuit line. Here are all the details from GreenLight’s official press release:

GreenLight Collectibles will exhibit at the 10^th Annual Boston Area Toy Collectors Club

This Prestigious Annual National Toy Event will add GreenLight to their line-up of toy companies displayed for Hobby Enthusiasts

Boston, MA (August 17, 2010) As a company that can transcend so many merchandising categories, GreenLight feels honored that it can fit into so many different facets of the hobby industry.  Greenlight is first and foremost a diecast collectibles item, for its high quality, low production run and selective availability in the market.  However, GreenLight is also an automotive enthusiast product and a toy collectors pride and joy.

The Boston Area Toy Collectors Club (BATCC) holds an annual event dating back ten years, in which through invitation only, members and their guests are treated to exhibits, speakers, giveaways and sneak peeks into some of the most popular toy manufactures in the country.  The BATCC and GreenLight have worked together for the 10^th Annual National Collectible Toy Event to introduce new and up-coming product as well as make some local news.

1:64 Hot Pursuit is one of GreenLight’s most successful series, the series is a collection of Police themed vehicles all officially licensed by the representing police department.  Massachusetts’s town of Westwood will have an influential part of 1:64 Hot Pursuit as their 1965 Ford Galaxie, will be included in the up-coming Series 5 assortment.  GreenLight will present a pre-production mock-up of the model at the Toy Collectors Event and the Westford Police Department will take this opportunity to pose for photographs with the early mock-up and possibly make headlines in the diecast and police industry.

GreenLight has also acted on furthering their 18^th scale offerings with their highly anticipated release of the 2010 Mustang GT and Shelby GT500’s.  Both cars are available in two color schemes and both have graced the covers of The Car Room Magazine Vol.2, No.3 and The Diecast Magazine Issue #8.  GreenLight will provide a model of the 1:18 2010 Torch Red Mustang Shelby GT 500 to be displayed along with The Diecast Magazine Cover, for which it was spotlighted.

Through exhibiting at the 10^th Annual National Collectible Toy Event GreenLight hopes to introduce its product to a new group of toy hobbyists as well as reach out to current diecast enthusiasts with their ever growing product lines and expanding range of merchandise. Happy Collecting!

GreenLight has also arranged for a variety of their scaled models to be awarded as raffle prizes and silent auction pieces.

If you would like to be sent an invitation to this year’s Event and see pictures from previous Boston Area Toy Collector Club Events please visit www.bostontoyclub.com

For more information on GreenLight Collectibles please visit www.greenlighttoys.com

I’ll be attending the BATCC event later this month with The Car Room Magazine, so stay tuned for photos of the pre-production piece and more.

Wizard Entertainment is well known in the world of all things “pop culture” for publishing Wizard magazine and ToyFare magazine, as well as producing numerous Comic Con events across the United States each year. DiecastSpace has officially partnered with Wizard to strengthen the diecast collectibles presence at their events. Wizard World Comic Cons typically draw between 70,000 and 100,000 attendees over each four day event.

DiecastSpace’s involvement will begin with the Chicago Comic Con running August 19-22, 2010.

Wizard released the this official announcement on their site yesterday:

The world of diecast toy cars will have a strong presence at Wizard World Chicago Comic Con as DiecastSpace.com, the No. 1 Online Social Network for diecast car collectors and organizers of four major conventions in North America, will serve as official diecast partner at the event, August 19-22, at the Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

DiecastSpace.com will produce limited edition custom collectible cars for the Chicago Comic Con, that will be available at their booth. Their existing relationships with major diecast brands such as Hot Wheels®, Johnny Lightning, Greenlight Collectibles and many others will bring a wide variety of automotive collectible products, events and celebrity to the Wizard World Comic Con. Collectors and fans are invited to check back on WizardWorld.com as the event nears for other exciting news about DiecastSpace’s participation.

DiecastSpace.com just wrapped up its Magical Weekend of Cars convention in Orlando, Fla. This year into next, it will manage events in Niagara Falls, Canada (Sept. 9-12); Dallas (Nov. 4-7); and the “Super Convention” in Las Vegas (Feb. 24-27, 2011) that features the annual Diecast Hall of Fame ceremony.

Chicago Comic Con runs from August 19-22, 2010 at the Rosemont Convention Center. This major pop-culture convention brings together fans of comics, toys, collectibles and offers a chance to see actors, writers, artists that each industry has to offer.

For more Chicago Comic Con guest and programming updates, become a fan of CHICAGO COMIC CON on Facebook!

Save up to 15 percent off the price of tickets by ordering your tickets in advance. Tickets are more at the door.

GET CHICAGO COMIC CON TICKETS NOW!

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.

Joe Kelly Jr. from The Car Room Magazine had a great conversation about Hot Wheels Redlines and Redline restorations with Connecticut Valley Diecast Vice President, Bob Stickels. Yes, indeed – the same Bob from “Sticks Redline Garage” here on DiecastAUDIO. Enjoy!

Thanks again to Ralph Riccardi for manning the camera and all the great editing!

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

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

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

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

The Class of 2010 will be as follows:

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

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

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

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

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

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

RAOK Award
• Jim Lombari

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

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

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]

Collectors of Mattel’s Cars movie collectibles will be happy to hear that the “World of Cars” collector event will return to participating Kmart locations on Saturday, June 20, 2009. Just like the standard Hot Wheels days at Kmart, this event will feature a great mix of exclusives, chase vehicles and “first to markets” from the Cars collectibles line. The exclusive character cars will also feature real rubber tires.

Attendees of this summer’s Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 certainly have no shortage of events to choose from and its shaping up to be one heck of a weekend. One such event will be Neil Rambaldi’s Redline Poker Club Tournament. The tournament will include two levels of play:

Open Admission

• - Texas Hold’em-style play
• - Entrants capped at 50 Players
• - $100 Buy-in
• - Winner will receive a very limited
• - Mattel-produced VW Drag Bus “Poker Edition”

Private Game

• - Limited to 16 Players
• - $200 Buy-in
• - Winner receives a “Poker Edition” VW Bus, special trophy, and $1000 worth of BP’d Redlines!

If you’re any good at poker at all, then one look at the Mattel-produced winner’s bus will be all the persuading you need to enter the game! Act fast, as seats are limited.

Click the image to see a larger version

Registration for either of these games can be done thru email via contact@wwhw6.com

[via wwhw6.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]

For most Hot Wheels collectors, having an original authentic Beach Bomb in their collection is only a dream. This summer you’ll have a chance to make that dream come true at the Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels, because some will WIN this AUTHENTIC Rear Loading Beach Bomb from the Bruce Pascal Collection for just $50!

Here are the details directly from the official Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 web site:

All Rear Loading Beach Bomb photos on this site were supplied by Bruce Pascal, and are used courtesy of HWProtos.com. For more useful information on prototypes, redlines, and other early Hot Wheels, visit their web site at www.hwprotos.com.

Please visit the official Wild Weekend of Hot Wheels 6 site for information on ticket purchases and for additional photos of the Beach Bomb.

[via wwhw6.com]

WDBJ7.com featured a short spot about this coming weekend’s Hot Wheels University that will be taking place at Hollins University in Virginia. Here’s what they had to say about the event on the WDBJ7 website:

“If you enjoyed playing with Hot Wheels as a kid or continue collecting today, Hollins University is the place to be this weekend.

Speaking of kids, a number of free events will keep them entertained including a coloring contest, scavenger hunt, kids races.”

Hot Wheels University is put on by Star City Hot Wheels out of Roanoke, Virgina.
[via WDBJ7.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 first ever Diecast Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the 2009 DiecastSpace.com Super Convention was definitely a memorable event. The hour+ long ceremony is a bit too long to post online all at once, so I’m working on breaking it up into manageable chunks. Until that process is done you can enjoy this video montage I put together for the end of the presentation. Enjoy!

Special thanks to my sponsor, DiecastSpace.com for making my trip to the convention possible!

The 2009 Diecast Super Convention has seen tremendous interest and growth since its inception. While originally scheduled to be held at the Hooters Hotel and Casino, the convention has quickly grown to the point where more space will be a necessity! As a result, DiecastSpace.com has announced that the convention is moving to the Circus Circus Las Vegas Hotel. Not only will convention goers find the newly renovated accommodations more spacious, but they’ll enjoy a nice drop in price as well!

If you’ve already booked your room at Hooters, then you’ll need to cancel your reservation at Hooters, and contact Circus Circus ASAP to reserve your room. Many convention-goers have done this already and have reported that the process is very easy. If you still have yet to book a room, then be sure to call 1-800-634-3450 and mention “Group Code B02DCS.” The new room rate is just $76 per night (plus tax) which is a considerable savings from their normal rate of $199! Room reservations from the convention will be available until February 15th.

If the new fabulous accommodations weren’t enough, collectors will be thrilled to know that Mattel and the Hot Wheels brand will be joining the festivities in February! So far you can look forward to Mattel hosting their very won FREE party to include food and live music as well as sponsoring the Hot Wing eating contest. They will also be sponsoring the Customs Contest Awards ceremony which will now include cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place! Word on the street is that Mattel might also be bringing a few other surprises and you can be sure that I’ll be letting you know as soon as they can be confirmed.

Be sure to visit www.spinyourtires.com for more information on the 2009 Super Convention!

[via www.spinyourtires.com]

I feel fortunate to live in New England and be a diecast collector. My location in Massachusetts allows me to access about 6 states within a two hour drive, and that opens up an opportunity to connect with many of the clubs that have been established in those areas.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of being invited down to the 2008 Connecticut Valley Diecast (CVD) Holiday Dinner. Club President Ken Cwikla and his staff put together an amazing day full of diecast activities and surprises. It was an honor to join Mike Zarnock and Bob Parker (unfortunately Charlie Mack could not attend) as part of the special guests in attendance. The morning began with the CVD monthly meeting that featured a packed room filled with buy/sell/trade tables and the club’s fantastic downhill racetrack. The Chinese Auction featured many great items to tempt collectors such as a Since ’68 40th Anniversary set and a Burgundy Sledster that was graciously donated by Luis Tanahara and The Custom Crew.

The meeting ended at noon and everyone moved upstairs to take part in the holiday dinner. The dinner tickets also served as part of multiple raffle drawings that were pulled while everyone enjoyed the buffet. After dinner, Ken Cwikla presented the members of the club staff with some surprise (and well deserved) thank you gifts for all their hard work during the year. Ken was also presented with a 1:18 scale Orange Challenger that was signed by the staff and special guests.

The afternoon continued with a few short speeches by Bob Parker and Mike Zarnock. Both of them provided interesting backgrounds on their careers as well as what collectors have in store for events that they will be a part of in 2009. Mike even hinted that he’ll be making a very exciting announcement (involving Mattel?!) in the near future! I also stepped up to the mic to fill collectors in on what has been happening with diecastAUDIO and the great guests we’ve been having on Saturday Nitro Live. Speeches aside, the special guest who got the most attention was good ol’ Saint Nick who arrived in time to hand out some great gifts to the kids. The day wrapped up with autograph session with Bob and Mike where collectors could order copies of their books and have an opportunity to ask questions in a more up close and personal fashion.

Connecticut Valley Diecast is a great family-friendly club and the staff did an amazing job putting on such a great event. I highly recommend that you check out the club’s monthly meetings if you live anywhere in the New England area. They meet on the first Sunday of the month in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. A meeting schedule and directions can be found on the CVD website. Definitely check them out – you’ll be glad you did!

On November 4th, Shane Whittenbarger from DiecastSPace.com and I will be heading out to Las Vegas for the SEMA show. While we’re there we’ll be promoting DiecastSpace.com, Saturday Nitro, the Super Convention and diecastAUDIO! I’ll be traveling with the video and still camera in tow, so expect to see lots of great content coming your way in the next week or so. I’ll try to get some posts up during the show if time permits. Otherwise, you can expect more than enough to drool over after I return!

Our home base during the show will be at The Custom Crew booth with Big Lou and Bossco. If you’re planning on attending, be sure to stop by and say hi!

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

[via diecastspace.com]

There’s a storm brewing with guaranteed lightning and it will be striking the RC2 Outlet Store in Dyersville, Iowa on September 12th and 13th 2008. That right folks, Lightning Fest is back!

Along with the new location, is a great line-up of all new activities for collectors to take part in. The new activities include:

• - The Johnny Lightning car show
• - Buy, Sell and Trade at the exhibitor show
• - Special sales the RC2 Outlet Store
• - The RC2 Johnny Lightning showroom featuring new product offerings and themes on display
• - Preview of the new 2009 product line-up and the new 40th Anniversary program
• - Meet and Greet with Tom Zahorsky and the JL team
• - Previews of other RC2 lines (ERTL, John Deere, The First Years and Learning Curve)
• - The JL stunt exhibit featuring the JLX radio-controlled car
• - Daily raffles for JL product, T-shirts and a few extremely rare collectibles
• - Great music, food and fun at Dyersville’s Downtown Friday Night
      featuring live music by The Easy Street Band from 6-9 p.m. (weather permitting)

Of course, no Lightning Fest would be complete without an official limited edition car to take home. This year’s Lightning Fest car is a brilliant red 2000 Dodge Viper GTS, complete with Lightning Fest logos! The piece features a black interior, black rims with chrome trim rings, and includes a certificate of authenticity that the car is 1 of just 200.

Best of all, admission to the entire show is FREE! Be sure to visit www.johnnylightning.com for more info and the latest details. To register a car for the car show or reserve a table in the exhibition hall, please email clreiter@rc2corp.com

[via johnnylightning.com]