Just as American collectors will be waking from their “Turkey-induced food comas,” Pope Designs will be launching this year’s Christmas Bus sale. Pope’s 2011 Santa Express VW Drag Bus will officially go on-sale this Friday, November 25th with a limited edition quantity of just 16 pieces.

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

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

A copy of this Summer Smash 4 poster surfaced towards the end of last week and features renders of the many of the custom cars being produced for this year’s convention. The gas pump packaging is clearly a Jimmy “The Boxman” Chavez creation which is a good indication that at least a few (if not all) of these pieces will be coming from the package master.

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

VW Drag Bus Fans will be happy to see that the Regular and Rebel Run Editions of Liberty Promotion’s Diecast Hall of Fame Bus are now available to all Liberty Legion membership levels. Both versions of the bus were originally scheduled to be on sale last February during the 2011 DiecastSpace Super Convention along with the “Ceremonial Edition” which was only available to attendees of the Hall of Fame Ceremony.

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

Click here to jump over to the Liberty Promotions sale page

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

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

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.

Diehard-Diecast.com’s exclusive Fire Series has launched with this fantastic limited edition Volkswagen Fire Bus. The piece is available in both Basic and Chase versions, both of which were designed by Lou Tanahara. The Basic version comes with plastic wheels and a white top. The Chase version features rubber Real Rider tires and a Pearl White top. Each drag bus comes packaged in a custom Diehard-Diecast blister card and will sell for $80 (USD).

Chase pieces will be randomly inserted into orders. Collectors can expect a 1-in-10 chance of receiving a chase piece.

Click any image to see the larger version

Click here to jump over to the Fire Series page on Diehard-Diecast.com

Collectors who have eagerly been waiting to see what type of holiday creation Chris “NightStalker” Walker comes up with this year will be pleasantly surprised to see that this year’s sale will include three different castings to choose from! Each casting will be sold individually and will not be offered as a set.

A run-down of each piece is shown below. Click on any image to see the larger version.

Rudolph’s Rod Shop Panel:

Painted in pearl red with real rider tires. Rudolph’s Custom Rod Shop graphics adorn the sides and top of this little gem. These are limited to only 10 and come numbered in an acrylic case.

Price is $55.

Alien Projects Custom Convoy:

Dressed in pearl white and green paint with red real-riders. “Happy Holidays from Alien Projects” graphics on the side as a little homage to Alien Projects.  Limited to only 10 and numbered in an acrylic case.

Price is $65.

NightStalker’s Holiday VW Bus:

Painted with candy spectraflame red over chrome with Pro Circuit wheels.  Custom Holiday graphics adorn this wonderful piece. Comes limited to 20 and numbered in an acrylic case.

Price is $75.

Two notable aspects of this sale are the prices and the “added bonus.” Chris will be offering up each piece at a price point that ranges between $55 and $75 depending on the casting. Your wallet will certainly like that! He has also hinted that each person who makes a purchase will get a special “die-cast treat” as well. Now that’s some holiday spirit!

The sale starts on Thursday, December 2nd at 6PM PST (9PM EST) on the Night Stalker Customs website. A purchasing button will become active when the sale begins. Chris advises that if the sale button doesn’t show up, your computer may be "cached."  Dump your cookies and reset your browser to see the updated page.

Pope Designs is preparing for an extra special holiday season this year as Christmas 2010 will mark their 5th anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, a new version of the Kringle Delivery Service VW Drag Bus has been created. The original graphics from the first version sold four Christmas seasons ago have been updated and applied to a great selection of two-tone colors.

Collectors of Pope Designs work are well aware of the highly sought after “Diamond Editions” which typically feature real rubber front tires and are produced in a lower quantity. This time around, the Diamond Edition has been eliminated as all the buses in the run will feature real rubber tires and an even number of each color have been produced.

Here are details for the sale:

Where: eBay
Date for Both Auctions: Friday November 26, 20 (Black Friday)
Time for Both Auctions: 9pm EST, 8pm CST, 7pm MST, 6pm PST
Auction #1 Name: Kringle Delivery Frosty Blue Holiday VW Bus 2.0
Auction #2 Name: Kringle Delivery Holiday Gold Holiday VW Bus 2.0
Auction #1 Quantity Available: 15 Combo #1: Frosty Blue
Auction #1 Quantity Available: 15 Combo #2: Holiday Gold
Price: $115 Each
Shipping: $8 (PD ships both domestically and internationally)

Collectors who are lucky enough to purchase both color combinations will get matching production numbers for the set. Please visit the official Pope Designs website for more information on this great sale.

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

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

Click any image to see a larger version

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

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

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

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.

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.

Here’s a last minute reminder for all the VW Drag Bus collectors out there that Chris Walker’s “Bombshell” Drag Bus goes on sale tonight, July 30st at 9pm EST, 6pm PST. This new Night Stalker creation features a classic Bomber Nose art style – a style that has influenced many of Chris’s customs over the years.

Click any image to see the larger version

The bus is dressed in House of Kolor Silver metal-flake with a white top. The side graphics feature a lovely blonde "bombshell" (hubba, hubba!) riding a flaming bomb, and the top is adorned with a second pin-up and signature “kill count” bomb markings. This run is limited to just 20 pieces and each bus comes mounted in an acrylic case. They will be available via http://www.alienprojects.com/NSPromotional.htm for $90 (USD) each on a first come, first served basis. The sale link will become visible on the page when the sale starts. Be sure to clear your browser’s cache to ensure the button will show up

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.

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

Click the image to see a larger version

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

To say that Liberty Promotions is participating in the upcoming DiecastSpace Magical Weekend of Cars would be gross understatement. Fans of Liberty’s products, design and commitment to high quality standards will not want to miss the many fantastic events they have planned for the show at Disney this summer.

Here’s a rundown of what collectors can look forward to:

The Liberty Legion Exclusive:

Liberty Legion Members will be able to snag another Limited-edition Hot Wheels^® VW Drag Bus designed to celebrate the Magical Weekend of Cars. Collectors who might not be Legion members can join for free at the convention in order to purchase this bus. Can’t make it to the Florida? Liberty Promotions will also offer the Drag Bus on their website during the convention and will ship it the following week!

Magical Weekend Registration Cars:

Liberty Promotions is also producing two excellent cars that will be part of the Magical Weekend registration package. Each registration pack will include both of the following castings:

• - Hot Wheels^® ’67 Camaro
• - Hot Wheels^® Dairy Delivery

Charity VW Drag Bus:

Liberty Promotions will also be creating the Official charity Hot Wheels^® VW Drag Bus that will be available only to convention attendees who purchase the Drag Bus Breakfast add-on ticket.

But wait, there’s more..and its FREE!

Stop by the Liberty Promotions booth and take advantage of these great freebies:

• - Spin the prize wheel and you’re guaranteed to win!  Hit the Super Prize space and you’ll win something really rare or valuable!
• - Every kid who comes to the booth gets a free car!
• - Free Liberty Legion rank patches! (Discoverus, Commendus, Prominus, & Titanus shield patches available.)
• - Free Liberty Legion buttons!

Liberty Promotions Treasure Quest:

Last, but certainly not least Liberty has created a unique event that is sure to be one of the major highlights of the weekend. Go on a quest for hidden treasure!  Scrolls have been hidden around the hotel resort!  Which means it’s up to you to locate a scroll leading you to the Liberty Loot. 

• - Clues for finding the scrolls will be released throughout the convention according to the following schedule:
  • Wednesday, June 23rd at 10pm
  • Thursday, June 24th at 6pm
  • Friday, June 25th at 8pm
• - Each scroll is a certificate for one extremely limited (only 25 made!) Liberty Promotions car (the loot).

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Well Jeff, you’ve got me all excited about all these new limited edition cars that will be coming this summer, but where are the pictures..?!?! All in good time my fellow collectors. Rest assured that you’ll be able to see these new pieces right here as soon as they become available.

Until then, be sure to visit ToyCarConventions.com to get all the latest information on event tickets and accommodations. This is going to be one event that even Mickey and Minnie won’t miss!

Chris Walker has been a busy boy. Not only did he produce several of the excellent event cars at the recent 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention while launching the first run of his new Dreamliner casting, but he also managed to produce a limited run of “Shelby authorized” VW Drag Buses.

Up until now, these pieces were only available to the attendees of the Super Convention. Only a small quantity (less than 10) remain and will be made available on a first come, first served basis via the Alien Projects website. This is the 3rd Shelby bus from Chris, and this time they are painted black with the yellow graphics and feature Terlingua decos. Each piece is set in an acrylic case and numbered.

The sale link will go live on Friday 26, 2010 at 9pm EST (6pm PST). Each remaining bus will be sold for $125. I was fortunate enough to have my raffle number called during the invitation-only Shelby party which yielded me one of these beauties. They are definitely worth your hard earned dollar.

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

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

The 2009 holiday offering from Liberty Promotions is sure to keep your collection warm this winter season. The Regular Run is limited to 1300 pieces and features candy apple red paint, green windows and green-line real rider tires. The Rebel Run version is limited to 200 pieces and features winter green paint, red windows and red-line tires.

Liberty Legion members can purchase the Winter Wagon based on the following schedule:

• Colossus & Titanus: Monday, November 30th at 9am CST
• Prominus: Wednesday, December 2nd at 9am CST
• Commendus: Friday, December 4th at 9am CST
• Discoverus: Monday, December 7th at 9am CST

Make the jump over to the Liberty Promotions website for more details and ordering information.

This year’s Christmas offering from Pope Designs arrives just in time for when most of us will finally be emerging from our Thanksgiving food comas (here in the states anyway)! When the sale begins, collectors will have their choice between Drag Bus and Dairy Delivery castings – a first for Pope.

Each casting will be offered via separate eBay auctions. Collectors who managed to purchase one of each, will receive matching numbered pieces.

Between the pair of castings, there were 20 Drag buses produced of which 18 will be available and 15 Dairy Deliveries produced of which 14 will be available. The Bus will sell for $100 (+ $8 shipping) and the Dairy for $80 (+ $8 shipping)

The sale starts on Friday November, 27 2009 at 9pm EST (6pm PST) via the eBay seller id: pope-designs. Be sure to visit the PopeDesigns.com “Upcoming Sales” page for more images and additional information on this great sale!

[via popedesigns.com]

This Friday, October 30th, Chris “Night Stalker” Walker will be offering up his first time ever Halloween themed custom. Appropriately dubbed the “Psycho Sled,” this VW Drag Bus comes painted in a deep purple candy metallic with orange flake with excellent ghoulish graphics that are right  on par for the Halloween season.

Each piece comes mounted in an acrylic case and will be numbered. The run is limited to 20 buses and will sell for $95 each. The sale itself starts at 9pm EST (6pm PST) on Friday, October 30th. The link to buy will become active on the sale page at that time.

More pictures are available at Chris’s Alien Projects website. Good luck to those who will be trying to obtain this bus! Better get those mouse-clicking fingers warmed up!

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

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

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

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

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

[via popedesigns.com]

Joe Kelly Jr. from The Car Room Magazine talks to Pro Diecast Customizer Chris “Night Stalker” Walker about his background and early influences for his one-of-a-kind designs.

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

Labor day has come and gone, the kids are back to school, and the evening temperatures here in the Northeast are beginning to cool down to autumn-like levels. With Halloween just a short month and a half away, collectors can expect to see a few limited edition custom pieces pop up in celebration of the cavity-promoting holiday.

The first to appear and make you salivate is the DiecastSpace “Drool Ghoul” Drag Bus. The graphics and paint were designed and executed by Chris Walker. The run is limited to just 25 pieces and goes on sale this Friday (09/18/09) at 6pm PST (9pm EST) on DiecastSpace.com for $80 each (plus $6 shipping).

Click the image to see a larger version

[via diecastspace.com]

Sure, the 2010 DiecastSpace Super Convention is still about 5 months away, but that just means there will be 5 months of exciting announcements coming your way with details about all the exciting things that will be part of the event. One of those events is a newly rumored “carnival-style” party to be thrown by Liberty Promotions.

So far there are only a few details to share. The first is that Liberty Promotions will be creating a limited edition VW drab bus specifically for this event. This bus is currently slated to be limited to just 250 pieces! Attendees will also have the opportunity to spin the Liberty Promotions prize wheel for an additional limited edition car. If that isn’t enough to peak your interest, then rest assured that there will be other activities and chance to win even more great prizes through-out the party.

How much do you think admission to such an event would cost? Collectors of Liberty Promotions buses know that their “Rebel Run” buses are equally limited as this party bus will be AND they typically sell on the secondary market for more than $100! Well, the current party ticket price is set to be just $60. Not too shabby for the bus alone, but even better with the added bonuses. Plus, there’s more to be announced.

Stay tuned for more information on when tickets for this special addition to the convention will be available. Until then, you can find information about tickets and accommodations for the convention itself on the official Super Convention website.

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.

Those who are familiar with Neil Rambaldi’s Redline Poker Tournaments know that the act of winning comes with more perks than just bragging rights. The potential of winning one of Neil’s Mattel-produced Redline Poker Buses is well worth the price of admission to his events. However, if you play play like I do, then the chances of winning that top prize are slim to none!

For that very reason I was pretty psyched to learn that Paul Biddle from The Toy Peddler will be sending one of those coveted buses to Summer Smash to be given away to one lucky attendee. The drawing is open to all members of The Toy Peddler attending the convention that sign up, along with all new members that register while there. You will have the choice of winning the Bus or 250.00 dollars cash. Just drop your registration in the Toy Peddler box at Summer Smash for your chance to win!

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

Just in case you aren’t on Chris “Night Stalker” Walker’s email list yet (and why aren’t you..?!), you might be interested in taking a look at his newest custom to honor his 2009 induction into the Diecast Hall of Fame. He even cast a replica of the top of the Hall of Fame ring that each person received as part of their induction!

Here’s what Chris had to say about the bus:

“In celebration of my being inducted into the Die-cast hall of Fame, I created a special car to commemorate that. My favorite casting, with my favorite color and graphics. Spectra-flame Pink over chrome, with gold accents. Gold Chassis details, wing, rocker panel, and gold wheels with real riders. This has got to be one of my favorite customs so far. The pink on this one just glows.

This one comes in an acrylic case numbered. Real Rider tires… HOT! I will offer some of these for sale on the website coming this Monday, July 27th. So you guys will get first crack at them as usual. So get them while they’re hot folks.”

This bus is limited to 20 pieces and will be sold for $125 each on a first come, first served basis starting at 6pm PST/9pm EST on Monday July 27th, 2009 on Chris’s official site.

[via alienprojects.com]

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

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

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

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

[via popedesigns.com]

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

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

[via hotwheelssummersmash.com]

Liberty Promotions returns with their next sale featuring a return of the “Surfin” series with the super cool “Cal Woodie” and “Waikiki Wagon.” The standard issue Cal Woodie comes in ocean teal while the Rebel Run version will sport classic white. The Wakiki Wagon standard issue will be adorned in cool coral while the Rebel Run will be dressed in violet.

Both buses are certainly looking great especially with the whitewalls. And how bout that side-mounted surfboard?! Sweet! Here are a few shots to peek your interest.

The standard run consists of 1,300 pieces and the Rebel Run is limited to just 200 pieces. Liberty Legion members will get 2000 points for this purchase while supplies last.

The sale schedule for Liberty Legion members is a follows:

Colossus: starts June 8 at 9am central
Titanus: starts June 8 at 9am central
Prominus: starts June 10 at 9am central
Commendus: starts June 12 at 9am central
Discoverus: starts June 12 at 9am central

Please visit the Liberty Promotions website for more information and additional pictures of these awesome buses. Hang 10!

[via libertypromotions.com]

All it takes is one look at the work of Jimmy “The Boxman” Chavez to know that this is one creative guy who continues to innovate in the area of custom diecast presentation. This time around, Boxman returns with some really sweet diecast offerings to chew on – literally!

The idea for creating these Double Bubble themed pieces has been kicking around in Jimmy’s mind for the last five years. His original concept involved creating a package that resembled the traditional round shaped bubble gum machine. As the project began to come to light, he discovered that the 1950′s vending style gum-ball machines were square, which made for a more realistic blister shape. All the graphics on the blister card and tampos for these pieces were designed by Jimmy as well.

Click any image to see the larger versions

The thing that truly makes this release special is that each one is made on a “build-to-order” basis. Orders for both the VW Drag Bus and Dairy Delivery version can be placed through DieHard-DieCast.

[via diehard-diecast.com]

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]

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

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

Click the image to see a larger version

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

Click the image to see a larger version

[via www.wwhw6.com]

The e-sheet madness continues with all four of the pieces that Chris Walker is producing for the 2009 Hotlanta Collector Experience in June. You certainly can’t go wrong with casting like these and I think you’ll are that they’re looking great!

Each car will be part of a designated event/ticket at the convention. Here’s the breakdown:

• Bingo / Boneshaker
• Convention Ticket / VW Drag Truck
• DiecastSpace Party / ’67 Camaro
• Nightstalker Experience / VW Drag Bus

[via diecastspace.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.

Several of the convention pieces for the upcoming Hotlanta Collector Experience have been announced and based on the looks of things, this is turning out to be one heck of a show! An e-sheet for the Pope Designs Legends Dinner Camaro has been posted on DiecastSpace.com for the past few weeks and a Drag Truck from Nightstalker Customs was also announced. The e-sheet for the Drag Truck should be available soon.

This week, a picture of the convention exclusive Batmobile (Limited to 50 with Real Riders!) has surfaced and the RAOK Party Drag Bus from Pope Designs was also just revealed. Pile that on top of the online-only Camaro SS from Johnny Lighting and you can start to see the great level of quality this event will provide! Be sure to visit the Official Collector Experience website for more information on all the cars that will be available at the show.

Click any image to view them up close

[via diecastspace.com]

Liberty Promotions popular Superflames Series returns with issue #2 – The Burnout Bus. The regular run will consist of 1300 pieces and features bright green flame on a gloss black body. A second glance also shows the reverse pattern on black flame on bright green! The Rebel Run version consists of 200 pieces and will be blue on black (and black on blue!). As always, Rebel Runs are randomly inserted into orders.

Here is the sale schedule for Liberty Legion club members:

• – Titanus: Starts Friday January 9th at 9am CST
• – Prominus: Starts Monday January 12th at 9am CST
• – Commendus: Starts Thursday January 15th at 9am CST
• – Discoverus: Starts Monday January 19th at 9am CST

The price is set at $26.99 each. Be sure to act fast as Liberty buses sell out every time!

[via libertypromotions.com]

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

[via diecastspace.com]

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

Click to see the full image

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

[via diecastspace.com]

Ok, I promise…this will be the only corny pun in this post…but, Hot Wheels Summer Smash 2008 was a “SMASHING” success! An amazing crowd of die cast collectors and enthusiasts took over the two floors and two ballrooms at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick Rhode Island for what was simply the best die cast event New England has seen in years.

Attendees were introduced to non-stop die cast fun right after leaving the registration table where each ticket holder got to spin the Liberty Promotion wheel of chance to walk away with one of over 12 different limited edition die cast pieces including the occasional Drag Bus! In-room trading got off to an early start on Friday afternoon and convention-goers continued to offer up a wide variety of both old and new collectibles from their rooms through-out the weekend.

Saturday offered up a wide variety of events for both kids and adults. Kids downhill and Sizzlers racing kicked off the morning and rolled straight into a visit from the Oscar Meyer WienerMobile as well as Batman and the Batmobile! An additional cast of characters including Spiderman, Shrek and many others joined the mix. One of the highlights for the kids was the opportunity to participate in Batman training school where Batman taught the kids some basic moves, and they were able to help Batman ward off an evil ninja.

The adults enjoyed a variety of racing in addition to the custom contest and the “Create Your Own Custom” seminars. Of course, the highlight of the day was the Summer Smash dinner and charity auction. Despite getting off to a late start, the dinner went smoothly. Convention guests Mike Zarnock, Bob Parker, Lee Pearlman, George Soulakis and David Chang all made brief speeches and got things rolling right into the auction which ran all the way to midnight! Needless to say, the auction attendees didn’t get much in-room trading done on Saturday night – not that the auction left them with any money left to buy!

Sunday’s toy show capped off a great weekend by bringing in fresh faces from the public as well as a few new vendors who weren’t part of the convention. By the time 2pm rolled around, the glazed look on the staff’s eyes indicated it was time to pack up and go. Jim Lombari and his staff deserve a standing ovation for the incredible amount of hard work they put into turning the one day Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club Expo into the full weekend Hot Wheels Summer Smash! I can’t wait to do it all again next year!

For those who might not have followed along with my photo posts throughout the weekend, you can still go check out all the slideshows on the Summer Smash page. Be sure to click on the “Shows” tab at the top of the widget to see all the sets of photos that can be viewed.

diecastAUDIO Bus Update
I’m also proud to report that all 20 of the Pope Designs diecastAUDIO Drag Buses have been sold. 9 of the 10 that went on sale on eBay went in under 2 minutes with the 10th holding out for 44 minutes. During the live sale, 8 of the 10 were sold right away and the remaining 2 went later that night. Thanks again to Bryan Pope for all the hard work in making the diecastAUDIO bus a reality!

David Chang Charity EVO Update
For those who might not have followed the David Chang Pre-Production EVO charity auction on eBay, the winning bid came in at a whopping $1005.00! You can see the auction results here.

We’re only one day away from the start of Hot Wheels Summer Smash 2008 in Warwick, Rhode Island and the excitement is building! Liberty Promotions is playing a huge part in the Smash by producing many of the awesome convention cars that will be available to convention attendees. An e-mail blast from Liberty has confirmed that the official Summer Smash Drag Bus will be made available to members of the Liberty Legion starting with “Titanus” level members who can purchase on Saturday, August 23rd.

What the bus actually looks like will be kept a secret until it is revealed live at Summer Smash on Friday, August 22nd. Until then, Liberty is only letting collectors know that “sparkling sunbursts light up the sides of this bus, and the stylish Hot Wheels Summer Smash logo adorns the roof.”

Pictures of the bus will be made available on the Liberty Promotions website once the bus in unveiled. Alternatively, you can follow all the action from the convention right here on diecastAUDIO where we’ll be posting photos and video to share the fun with all you can;t be there in person.

Its with great pride and pleasure that I introduce to you, the first ever diecastAUDIO VW Drag Bus! This ultra-limited piece is the result of the hard work and incredible talents of Bryan Pope of Pope Designs and had been designed to appeal to diecastAUDIO and VW Drag bus fans alike. Not only is this the first time I’ve ever commissioned a piece of die-cast that will be available to collectors, but its also the official debut of the brand new website logo that was also created by Pope Designs!

The diecastAUDIO VW Drag Bus sports a sun-kissed silver custom paint job, hand painted details and will be mounted in an acrylic case – all for only $80.00! We also couldn’t let these special debuts go by without cranking up the exclusivity of the bus by making sure that there’s a Diamond Edition as well! The Diamond Edition will feature white letter, Real Rider tires to set it apart from the standard edition.

Unlike the traditional offerings from Pope Designs, there will be 2 ways that everyone can try to obtain this exclusive bus. It will be sold ONLINE and LIVE at this year’s inaugural SUMMER SMASH Convention in Rhode Island. There will be a total of 25 buses produced in all, with 20 available for sale. We will hold back (1) Diamond Edition and (4) Regular models for special guests. Here are the details of the sale:

Online
• Date: Friday, August 22nd 2008
• Time: 9PM EST, 6PM PST
• Where: eBay, Seller Name: pope-designs
• Sale Name: diecastAUDIO VW Drag Bus
• Quantity: 8 Standard; 2 Diamond
• Price: $80.00 + $10 S/H

Summer Smash

• Date: Friday, August 22nd 2008
• Time: 10PM EST
• Where: Hotel Room TBA
• Seller Name: Bryan Pope
• Quantity: 8 Standard; 2 Diamond
• Price: $80.00, Cash Only!

Pope Designs guarantees all sales of the Diamond Edition version (both online and live at Summer Smash) to be completely random and fair so that everyone has a chance at obtaining one. Once all the buses are sold, no more will be produced, so we hope that everyone interested will be able to purchase one.

Special thanks to Pope Designs for all the time, effort and hard work that went into making this bus a reality!

Take care and we look forward to seeing you at SUMMER SMASH!

[via popedesigns.net]