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!

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!

Joe Kelly Jr. from The Car Room Magazine talks to Luis Tanahara from The Custom Crew about their Sledster II designs and what collectors can expect to see throughout the rest of the year.

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

Joe Kelly Jr. from The Car Room Magazine got me in front of the camera to talk a little about DiecastAUDIO and the state of the hobby online.

Most Hot Wheels convention-goers will agree that no convention experience would be complete without a Hot Wheels Vending Machine pull and a trip through the autograph line to meet your favorite die-cast designers. Joe Kelly Jr. from The Car Room Magazine witnessed it all and captured some of the fun!

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

This blue version of the Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club Camaro from Liberty Promotions has been spotted selling for upwards of $300 on eBay. Limited to just 50, correction – 25 pieces (!!!), this might just be the most sought-after club car in recent years!

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.

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If you’re attending this year’s Summer Smash in Warwick, Rhode Island and have always wanted to make the jump into collecting vintage Redlines, then here’s one opportunity that might just help get you over the “sticker shock” of Redline collecting. Stick’s Redline Garage is generously offering up one of their original restored Heavy Chevy Redlines for the Saturday night charity auction. Not only will the winning bidder be walking away with a lovingly restored Redline, but they will also be helping raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation!

All these cars pictured below will be on display during the show, and one will be selected and auctioned off. The selected car will also come along with custom theme packaging. Stick’s Redlines are high quality restoration and very collectible, so this will certainly make a great addition to anyones collection.

Note: The club car pictured is an original and will not be part of the selection for the auction.

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 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!

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

Click either image to see the larger version

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

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]

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]

Up until now we have only been privy to the e-sheet of the upcoming Hot Wheels Deco Delivery that will make its “first timer as a limited edition premium” debut at the Summer Smash this August. However, Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club President Jim Lombari had a special treat for those attending the June meeting this week. Mattel shipped Jim the first sample to share, and I was there with camera in-hand to snap these first pictures of what is sure to be one highly desirable collector piece.

While very Jim was very tempted to rip it out of the package for a better look, it was decided that the sample would stay safely sealed so that it could become part of the Make-a-Wish Charity auction that will be held during the convention. For now, here’s some decent in-package close-ups to drool over!

The combination of Larry Wood’s design and Wayne Scott’s graphics make this a really sharp piece. The run is limited to 1000 pieces and they will be available for $20 each (plus tax) at the 2009 Hot Wheels Summer Smash.

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]

Rhode Island Hot Wheels Club President Jim Lombari has confirmed that Hot Wheels designer Jun Imai will be attending the 2nd Annual Hot Wheels Summer Smash in Warwick, Rhode Island this August. Jun is responsible for many popular Hot Wheels designs dating back to 2005. Such castings include the recent 510 Blue Bird, “Brit Speed,” “Nerve Hammer” and the 77 Custom Dodge Van. He also worked on the popular “Accelaracer” and Modern Classics lines. The Hot Wheels section of Wikia has a good list of his many accomplishments.

Attending this year’s Summer Smash will give collectors the opportunity to meet Jun in person, ask him questions and get his autograph. More information on tickets and scheduled events are available on the official Summer Smash web site.

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