Click here to jump over and order up a nice hot slice of diecast!

While The Custom Crew is his main focus, he still finds time to work on special projects – the most recent of which is a cool team-up with Johnny Lightning. The result is this sweet looking 1959 Chevy Impala that will be part of the Black with Flames series.

(Pictures courtesy of JohnnyLightning.com)

Long time Jada collectors will notice that the familiar black with green flames design pays homage to two different pieces Lou did a few years ago. Johnny Lightning’s “Black with Flames” series has always been popular, but I have a feeling this piece in particular will be in extra high demand.

The word on the street is that is won’t be the only collaborative effort between JL and Tanahara. Stay tuned for more!

Jada, a company I find very hard to get new information on, has released Wave 12 of their Big Time Muscle line of cars. Do out in February and March. This line consists of a variety of Camaros, Corvettes and Mustangs. See the picture to the right for some examples.

Also, watch for some new Battle Machines coming soon to stores. Take a look at this new Bel-Air Taxi.

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

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

This time around we sit down with diecast and toy designer, Eric Tscherne. We’ll learn about about how Eric got into the business and has built a diverse career that has spanned Mattel, Jada Toys, RC2, and Upper Deck. We’ll also find out about his current and upcoming projects now that he’s freelancing as ET Designs.

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.

Jada says “Big guns, big engines, massive body armor and crazy styling make this collection unique.”, and I have to agree. The images posted so far give off a “Mad Max Meets The Fast and the Furious” feel. I have to give props to Jada for this pretty slick new direction that will hopefully attract both collectors and a younger audience.

Jada’s Battle Machines should be hitting brick and mortar retailers in the next few weeks. Until then, here are some images which are also available from jadatoys.com as downloadable wallpaper for your computer desktop.

Click any image to see the larger version

[via jadaclub.com]

Click any image to see them up close

[via diehard-diecast.com]

• - First time Jada has made a line with exclusive packaging
• - First time Luis Tanahara has designed a package for DieHard-DieCast.com
• - First time for a Jada Toys limited edition this small of a run
• - First time the 47 Ford COE is in this special Liquid Purple
• - First time a Jada LE will be available at only one website

There are only 3000 pieces in this first release. Each piece is available for $5.99 (plus S&H), and combined shipping is available for orders of more than two. Use the link below to jump straight to the order page where you’ll also get a preview of a few other Code 3 designs that are currently in the works!

[via diehard-diecast.com]

After a few technical problems were solved the show got off to a blazing start and continued on for almost a full hour and a half. Lou and I talked about how he got his start in design and the die cast industry, touched upon his years with Jada and his more recent projects at Tanahara Design and the new Custom Crew brand. Of course, we saved the best for last and revealed (almost) all the additional details about his highly anticipated Sledster. I believe one of the only details left to be discovered is what lie inside that gorgeous trailer!

The fun part of using BlogTalkRadio for the live show platform is that the listeners actually get to be a part of the show. Several collectors called into the guest line and were able to ask their questions directly to Lou himself. Collectors also gathered in the chat room and were able to ask from there that I would then pass on to Lou. Once the live show ends, listeners can continue to submit their questions through the Saturday Nitro group on DiecastSpace.com.

Each an every episode of Saturday Nitro will be recorded and made available for everyone to listen to if they can’t be part of the live show. I’ve made the show available here in this post and will also be providing access to this and all future shows via a special Saturday Nitro page here on diecastAUDIO. Of course, you can always find the shows on DiecastSpace.com and their BlogTalkRadio profile pages as well.

Future episodes of Saturday Nitro have already been scheduled and will feature special guests such as Tom Zahorsky from Johnny Lightning, Hot Wheels author Mike Zarnock, Tom Long, owner of GMP Diecast and Lee Pearlman, owner of Liberty Promotions. The hosting duties will be split up between myself and Alan Paradise from DiecastX Magazine.

We hope you enjoy(ed) the first show and we look forward to providing more excellent die cast oriented entertainment in the future!

Last week the folks at Autoblog got to spend time with the Hugger Orange hued Camaro Convertible Concept that GM brought out to California. The result is a great article with plenty of juicy “tid-bits” about what will present in the final production run of the car as well as an amazing photo gallery containing 52 shots of the beauty! Click the link below to make the jump over to their site for the full story.

[via autoblog.com]