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Welcome to
Hollywood Die-Cast. Within this website you will find the most
definitive gallery of die-cast toys based on cars and vehicles from TV and
movies. The focus of this website is
1:64 scale, though there are some exceptions. My
collection is NOT for sale. The site is meant to be purely informational for
collectors like myself.
 
1/25/11
- JL is at it again!
I saw a post on Facebook from Johnny
Lightning announcing its JL 2.0 Release 13 wave (above, left.) One
particular casting caught my eye. Look at the '69 Dodge Daytona
pictured in the bottom, left corner of the image above. Does it look
familiar? It sure looks like the Dodge Daytona from the 2001 movie
Joe Dirt (above, right.) This one is going to be VERY popular with
collectors. I've gotten plenty of e-mails in the past regarding this
particular car and I know it was on a lot of wish lists. This is great
news for Hollywood car collectors!
     
1/25/11
- Super, Man!
I haven't had much luck finding Mattel's
line of DC Comics cars that are part of the Hot Wheels Nostalgia line.
While shopping at a Meijer store, I thought I found some, only to realize
these are different. The cardbacks are different, the castings are
different, and there are only three of them (so far): Superman, Joker
and Green Lantern. My favorite is the Joker car. Check out that
grill. Have you ever seen a more appropriate grill to represent the
Joker's sinister smile? Although these are a cool find, the hunt
continues for the Nostalgia DC Comics cars in my area.
  
1/22/11
- Barrett-Jackson 2012
Barrett-Jackson's 2012 auction in
Scottsdale, AZ took place over the weekend (Jan.20-22). For me, the
highlight of the weekend was seeing the very first General Lee (named Lee1)
go up for auction. This is the car that can be seen jumping (82 feet)
over Rosco's police cruiser in the opening credits of every episode of
The Dukes of Hazzard. As the story goes, when the car landed
(above, right) it was totaled and never used again. It sat in a
junkyard for 23 years before it was rescued and restored (above, left.)
It even has its original windshield, which was cracked in the jump.
Shockingly, when the hammer fell, the car sold for only $120,000, which is a
STEAL. Apparently, golfer Bubba Watson came away with the car.
 The
only other significant Hollywood car that went up on the auction block was
this beautiful replica of The Monkeemobile. It sold for a shockingly
low price of $40,000. It's a bargain considering one of the original
Monkeemobiles sold for $360,000 in 2008. That car currently resides in
Southeastern Michigan.
   
1/9/11
- Holy Moly!
This has to be one of my all-time
favorite offerings from Mattel's Cars line. As part of the
Deluxe Cars 2 line, Mattel has produced Pope Pinion IV, along with
his Popemobile, which I think is awesome! Maybe I'm partial to this
one because I actually DID see Pope John Paul II as he drove past me in his
Popemobile in 1987! Check out the photo at right.
 1/9/11
- Who ya gonna call?
Kevin Clark got his hands on the new
1:18 & 1:43 scale Hot Wheels Ecto-1 and sent me the pic at left comparing
several different versions of the famous ride from Ghostbusters.
Starting at the bottom left and going clockwise we have the 1:50 scale
Hallmark ornament, the 1:25 Polar Lights model, 1:18 scale Hot Wheels
Ecto-1, 1:21 Joy Ride Ecto-1 and, finally, the 1:43 scale version from Hot
Wheels. Thanks for the pic, Kevin.
12/31/11
- 2011: The Year in Review
As 2011 comes to an end, it's time to
take a look back at all the Hollywood car-happenings that took place
throughout the year. As we already discussed (below) it was a great
year for car movies, with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Fast Five
and Drive enjoying varying levels of commercial and/or critical
success. In toy stores, Johnny Lightning continued releasing
"unofficial" star cars, GreenLight gave us dioramas and TWO new Hollywood
series, Mattel's Cars line disappeared from shelves to make room for
Cars 2 product, and Mattel continued to give us entertainment-related
cars in its Hot Wheels main line. All this and much, much more as we
take a stroll down memory lane and look back at the the year 2011.
CLICK HERE
 12/29/11
- KITT Confirmed for 2012
Photos of KITT from Knight Rider
have surfaced on a website called
www.t-hunted.com, confirming that it will be included as part of Mattel's
Hot Wheels main line in 2012. It was rumored to have been included in
2011, but was replaced by the van from The A-Team.
Unfortunately, the wheels aren't very accurate. For accurate wheels
you'll have to pick up Johnny Lightning's 1984 Pontiac Firebird.
2011 Hallmark Ornament - 1966 Batmobile
12/24/11 - Merry Christmas from Hollywood Die-Cast!
Before I head off to spend the holiday
with family, I just want to wish everyone who visits this website Happy
Holidays and Merry Christmas! May your stocking runneth over with toy
cars and goodies! As the new year approaches, we'll take a look back
at all that's happened in the world of Hollywood cars and toys in 2011.
   
12/22/11
- An Homage to Director John Lasseter
I know I've neglected my duties in
reporting new Cars 2 news, but frankly, there hasn't been much to
report. Mattel really hasn't bombarded the toy aisles with new product
since the release of the first few waves, unlike the FIRST movie, when it
seemed like new releases hit stores almost every month. Since the
initial frenzy back in May, the only new characters to hit stores were found
in gift sets and multi-packs, which was a little frustrating. Not many
parents want to buy a gift set that includes many characters they've already
bought, only to get one new character. However, stopping into a K-Mart
store near work, I found something I just couldn't pass up. Pictured
above, left, is a two-pack I've never seen before. The two-pack
includes Jeff Gorvette and John Lassetire. That's right. Mattel
has FINALLY paid tribute to the director of the Cars movies, John
Lasseter, with his own character. Very cool. I also picked up
the Francesco Bernoulli two-pack, which includes his crew chief decked out
in Italy's red, green and white colors, since K-Mart was holding a Buy
One, Get the Second Half Off sale.
 
12/19/11
- A Very Hot Wheels Christmas
Waaaaay back in April Mattel solicited
orders from Red Line Club Members for a retro version of Ecto-1 from
Ghostbusters. Well, today I got an early Christmas present in the
mail. Complete with "chrome-plated chassis, newly formulated
Spectraflame color and Neo-Classics wheels" this thing is jaw-dropping.
It'll go nicely with the RLC retro Batmobile that shipped in October of 2008
(below.)
 
12/17/11
- Top Grossing Car Movies of 2011
Well, as 2011 winds down it's time to
start looking back at the year that was. 2011 was a pretty great year
for car movies. Which ones came out on top at the box office and which
ones sputtered? Let's take a look at the domestic grosses for car
movies that came out during the year:
|
2. |
$352 million |
 |
Released in July, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
was the second-highest grossing film of 2011, behind the final Harry
Potter film. In my opinion, (and most seem to agree) it was
the best entry in the Transformers series. Surprisingly, it
ranks second in the series, behind Revenge of the Fallen, which
topped $400 million in 2009. |
|
6. |
$209 million |
 |
Fast Five opened HUGE in April with an $86
million weekend, thanks, in part, to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson joining
the cast. And like the movie mentioned above, most agree it was
the best in the franchise so far. It went on to gross over $200
million to become the highest earner, passing 2009's Fast & Furious. |
|
7. |
$191 million |
 |
The long-awaited sequel to Pixar's Cars
finally hit theaters in June and was greeted by fair to poor reviews.
Most called it Pixar's weakest effort and although it ranks #7 for 2011,
it ranks #11 among Pixar's top-grossing films, surpassing only A
Bug's Life. Personally, I thought it was very entertaining. |
|
10. |
$176 million |
 |
Although some would argue Captain America isn't a
"car" movie, it did feature some great action sequences, including a
James Bond-like motorcycle chase. It ranked #10 for the year,
which surprises me, because it was, by far, my favorite movie of the
year. It was topped by Thor, but fared better than
X-Men: First Class and Green Lantern. |
|
30. |
$98 million |
 |
On January 14, Seth Rogen's version of The Green
Hornet arrived in theaters to generally poor reviews. It was
great to see The Black Beauty on the big screen, but let's face it, Seth
Rogen is no Van Williams. |
|
82. |
$34 million |
 |
My SECOND favorite movie of the year didn't fare too
well at the box office. Drive only nabbed $34 million to
rank #82 for the year, despite positive reviews. Ryan Gosling was
terrific as the mechanic by day, getaway driver by night. Although
a little too ultra-violent for some people's tastes, it was one of the
most stylish movies of the year, and featured a hypnotic soundtrack. |
|
89. |
$29 million |
 |
What would a Top Car Movies list be
without an appearance by Jason Statham? Statham is one of my
favorite action heroes, but unfortunately, his movies don't fare too
well at the box office. Released way back in January, The
Mechanic only brought in $29 million to finish at #89.
Statham's top-grossing movie so far was 2003's The Italian Job
($106 million.) |
|
130. |
$10.7 million |
 |
And finally, Nicholas Cage's Drive Angry 3D
just flat out tanked at the box office, netting just under $11 million
following its release in February. I have to admit, although not a
great movie, it did have some campy appeal. Give it a chance on
DVD if you haven't seen it yet. |
Again, 2011 was a pretty great year for car movies, featuring some very
entertaining and high-grossing movies. How is 2012 shaping up?
Well, the most anticipated film of 2012 appears to be the final Batman
installment The Dark Knight Rises, which I'm sure will be the highest
grossing film of the year. Among those battling to come in second to
Batman will be: The Ghost Rider sequel (2/17); another Bourne
movie, The Bourne Legacy (8/3) will surely feature some amazing car
chases; Expendables 2 boasts a cast that makes this installment look
even better than the first one; and finally, Liam Neeson returns for the
sequel to 2008's surprise hit Taken which will arrive in theaters in
October of 2012. See you at the movies! (Thanks to
www.boxofficemojo.com
for the information used above.)
 
12/4/11
- "California, Here We Come!"
My thanks goes out to Bruce who brought
this to my attention. Since I started collecting Hollywood die-cast
cars, my Wish List has dwindled down to a handful of cars. One of
those near the top of my Wish List is the '55 Pontiac Star Chief featured in
TV show I Love Lucy, driven across country by the Ricardos and
Mertzes on their way to Los Angeles. It seems my wish has come true,
at least in 1:18 scale. Sun Star has released a beautiful die-cast
version of the car in Nautilus Blue/White Mist, complete with removable
figures of the Ricardos and Mertzes. It's a little pricey at around
$100, but this is a MUST-HAVE for my collection. The episodes where
Lucy and the gang visit Los Angeles are my favorites, and are the reason I
have such a love for Hollywood.
 
 
11/27/11
- Holy Multipack, Batman!
I haven't had much luck finding Mattel's
DC die-cast cars in my area, and now I find out there's yet another thing I
haven't found. Arturo Garcia of San Antonio sent me images of a Batman
4-pack he found at his local WalMart. It includes die-cast vehicles
sporting artwork of Batman, Robin, Penguin & Catwoman. This is
DEFINITELY on my Christmas Wish List!
11/27/11
- Cars Director's Edition
If you're looking for that perfect gift
for the Cars fan in your family, look no further than this incredible
collection of DVDs that includes Cars, Cars 2 & Mater's Tall Tales.
As an added bonus, you'll also get a die-cast version of John Lassetire,
named after director John Lasseter and member of Jeff Gorvette's pit crew.
    
11/8/11
- GreenLight Hollywood: The Sequel
Stopping into a local Meijer store, I
stumbled onto 5 of the 6 vehicles that make up the second release of
GreenLight's Hollywood series. Pictured above, from left, is Reggie's
Pontiac GTO from the 1977 film Slap Shot, Kevin's Pontiac GTO Judge
and Benny's Chevrolet Cheyenne from the 1993 movie Dazed & Confused,
Rio Police Dodge Charger from Fast Five, and Gibb's Dodge Challenger
from NCIS. Missing from the pegs was Bandit's Trans-Am from
Smokey & The Bandit II. It's an interesting assortment of cars,
with Bandit's Trans-Am probably proving the most popular of this assortment,
even though the second installment of the Bandit series is mediocre
at best. Slap Shot ranks among the greatest sports comedies
ever made, so I don't mind the inclusion of Reggie's (Paul Newman) Pontiac
GTO, although I don't remember the car from the movie (it's been a while
since I've seen it.) The Dazed & Confused vehicles are well
done and will be popular with collectors. There are several others
cars from Fast Five I would like to have seen before the Rio Police
car, but hopefully they'll get around to them. The Dodge Challenger
from NCIS is a great-looking car, but c'mon. This ranks down
there with the Charger from CSI: Miami. Is anybody really
clamoring for cars from these procedural cop dramas? I don't think so.
 11/09/11
UPDATE: I found the sixth and final member of the series
when I stopped into my local Toys R Us. The 1980 Pontiac Trans-Am from
Smokey & The Bandit II was hanging on the pegs with the other cars.
It's a great-looking car, and although the FIRST movie is one of my all-time
favorite movies, I'm just not a fan of the sequel. I'm sure it
will be popular with collectors, however.
11/3/11
- Cars That Never Were
A couple of years ago I wrote an article
for this website on The Cars That
Never Were, listing all the Hollywood die-cast car prototypes and
concepts that never went into production. Among those listed was a
rumored 1:64 scale version of The Car. Way back in 2003,
Diamond Distributors had announced that The Car would be included in
RC2's entertainment series. But when cases shipped, The Car
wasn't included. Eventually, The Car would be released in 1:18
scale, but never in 1:64 scale. I asked Johnny Lightning's Tom
Zahorsky if he could provide any info on this, and he insisted that he had a
1:64 scale die-cast prototype somewhere in his collection, but just couldn't
find it. The story fell into the category of "Urban Legend" until NOW!
Tom Z. finally dug up the one-of-a-kind prototype and posted a photo of it
on his blog at
JohnnyLightning.com. (He gave me permission to repost it above.)
When I saw it, my jaw fell open. It is a thing of beauty! If
only we collectors could've added this to our collection! Who knows,
maybe someday...but for now, we'll just have to stare in awe at this amazing
and incredibly rare prototype!
Archives:
2/03
3/03
4/03 5/03
6/03 7/03
8/03 9/03
10/03 11/03
12/03
1/04
2/04 3/04
4/04 5/04
6/04 7/04
8/04 9/04
10/04 11/04
12/04
1/05
2/05 3/05
4/05 5/05
6/05 7/05
8/05 9/05
10/05 11/05
12/05
1/06
2/06
3/06 4/06
5/06 6/06
7/06 8/06
9/06 10/06
11/06 12/06
1/07 2/07
3/07 4/07
5/07 6/07
7/07 8/07
9/07 10/07
11/07 12/07
1/08 2/08
3/08 4/08
5/08 6/08
7/08 8/08
9/08 10/08
11/08 12/08
1/09
2/09 3/09
4/09 5/09
6/09 7/09
8/09 9/09
10/09 11/09
12/09
1/10 2/10
3/10 4/10
5/10 6/10
7/10 8/10
9/10 10/10
11/10 12/10
2011
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