February '05 News Archive

2/28/05 - Nobody Does It Better
RC2 has consistently blown me away with their 1:18 scale entertainment cars.  The Aston Martin DB5 was an impressive way to kick off their James Bond line.  Expect the Mustang Mach I from Diamonds are Forever (above), Aston Martin Vanquish and Jaguar XKR Roadster from Die Another Day to soon follow.  Listed, but not pictured on the RC2 website is the Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me.  I wondered, "Would it be the road version or the submarine version?"  Then I clicked on the Sneak Peeks page and literally GASPED when I saw the tooling model for the Lotus Esprit.  I'm sure you will, too.

http://www.ertltoys.com/brand/sneak_peeks/sneak_peeks_lotus_espirit.shtml

2/25/05 - Greatest Movie Car - Poll Results!
Well, after 10 days, it's time to report the status of the poll for Movies' Greatest Cars.  This race has been very interesting to follow.  Herbie took the lead out of the gate, but after a few days, the voting was spread out pretty evenly, with no clear-cut winner.  The lead continued to change from day to day.  Even now, the voting is MUCH closer than it was throughout our TV car poll.  Here are the current top five cars, which is by no means final:

1) The Batmobile (1989) with 17% of the vote.
2) V8 Interceptor from Mad Max with 15% of the vote.
Tied for third are the Delorean from Back to the Future and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5
and still garnering a nice share of the votes is Herbie the Love Bug.

Probably the biggest surprise for me is lack of support for the Mustang from Bullitt.  Among the ten cars on the list, it's only ahead of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

There have been a few write-in votes, but nothing significant to affect the top ten.  Believe it or not, I've received votes for The General Lee and K.I.T.T.   Remember folks, this poll is for favorite MOVIE car, not TV car.  Yeah, Yeah, I know.... The Dukes of Hazzard MOVIE will be released in theaters this summer, but I still think The General Lee will always be remembered as a great TV car, and the film will eventually fade into obscurity.

There's still time to affect the outcome of the poll.  Click HERE and cast your vote TODAY!

2/25/05 - Latest Acquisitions
Following a nice tax refund, I've bought a few new DVDs and a found some hard-to-find die-cast items on eBay (after paying bills of course).  Some recent purchases include (from top left):

- Jurassic Park Helicopter:  Made by Hot Wheels, it's the only officially licensed die-cast vehicle from the FIRST film.  It's fairly rare, but it is now part of my collection.  ($20.20 plus shipping)

- The Fast & The Furious Transporter:  I used to see this semi-truck in stores all the time, but upon realizing it's based on a truck that actually appeared in the film, I couldn't find it anywhere.  I thought it would be easy to find on eBay, but it rarely turned up for auction.   I was finally able to pick it up fairly cheaply using Buy It Now.  ($7.00 plus shipping)  UPDATE:  Upon watching the DVD, I discovered that the only thing this truck has in common with the truck in the film is the fact that it's white and says RODGERS on the side.  It's a completely different make and model of semi.  Oh well.

- Only Fools & Horses Reliant Regal Super Van III:  Although this is a 1:43 scale die-cast version, I wanted to add it to my collection on the sole basis that has placed NUMBER FOUR on the list of the U.K.'s Greatest TV cars, BEATING OUT THE BATMOBILE.  It really is a neat-looking piece, though. I'm in search of a plastic version that I believe is 1:64 scale or close to it.  I don't believe this vehicle exists in 1:64 die-cast metal.  (about $22.00 American, shipping included)

I have one more item on the way from Australia.  I won't tell you what it is until it arrives, but I will tell you it's another British import and it's fairly rare.  I can't wait for it to get here!

2/20/05 - Transformers:  The Movie
Growing up, I somehow missed out on the whole Transformers thing.  I thought the toys were cool and I occasionally watched the cartoon series, but never got caught up in it.  But as its 2006 release date approaches, I find myself getting excited about the Spielberg-produced film.  If you have any doubts about whether or not Hollywood can realistically depict a modern car transforming into a robot, click on the following link.  Your fears will vanish. 

http://theembassyvfx.com/citroen.html

2/15/05 - Movies' Greatest Cars!
Well,  it's official.  Dennis and I got the invitation this morning to take part in the "sequel" to TV's Greatest Cars.  We'll be traveling to Ohio in March to videotape our part in Movies' Greatest Cars.  The program will air later this year in the U.K. on Sky Television.  This is pretty exciting news!  In celebration, I've created a new Hollywood Die-Cast poll.  What is YOUR favorite movie car of all-time?  I've provided ten cars to choose from, but if you feel strongly about a car not on the list, please feel free to e-mail me with your write-in vote.  Keep in mind this poll will NOT affect the results of the TV program.  The residents of the U.K. have already spoken and the list has already been created.  This poll is just for my own amusement.  Click HERE and cast your vote.  You can only vote ONCE.  I'll post the results periodically.  Thanks in advance for taking the time to vote.  It's your civic duty.

2/14/05 - Yet Another Variation
Another HW Batman 2-Pack has been unveiled.  This time it's Batman VS Scarecrow, which includes a grey w/yellow canopy Batmobile.  Click on the following link for more info:

http://www.hotwheelscollectors.com/showroom/sneak/

2/12/05 - TV's Greatest Cars - U.K.
Last summer, my buddy Dennis and I were invited to travel to Tennessee to be interviewed for a program featuring TV's Greatest Cars.  Produced by Brian Waddell Productions LTD. for Sky Television, the program aired in December in the U.K. and drew impressive ratings.  Asst. Producer Veronica McNeill was kind enough to send me a DVD copy of the program and I have to say I was thrilled with the finished product.  Clocking in at 90 minutes (without commercials) the program was very entertaining and even funny at times, with great footage and interesting interviews.  As the top 30 cars were counted down (as voted upon by U.K. residents) various personalities commented on the cars presented.

In addition to Dennis and myself (above left), appearing in the program were Mickey Dolenz, Adam West, George Barris, Patrick Macnee and Antonio "Huggy Bear" Vargas, among others.  Some of the cast of The Dukes of Hazzard are featured as well, shot during Dukes Fest '04. 

The top ten cars were as follows:

1) The General Lee
2) K.I.T.T.
3) Starsky & Hutch Gran Torino
4) Only Fools & Horses Trotter Van
5) The Batmobile
6) cars featured in The Avengers
7) Magnum P.I. Ferrari
8) The A-Team Van
9) cars featured in Miami Vice
10) Mr. Bean's Mini

Other notable cars placing in the top 30 were The Monkeemobile (29), The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Piranha (27), The Fall Guy's Pickup Truck (25), The Saint's Volvo P1800 (29), The Beverly Hillbillies truck (18), and Lady Penelope's FAB1 Rolls Royce from The Thunderbirds (13).

It is such an honor to appear in the program with such legends and it was so much fun working with the crew from Ireland.  Dennis and I are hoping to take part in the follow-up:  Film's Greatest Cars, which has begun production.  Thanks again to Veronica McNeill and all those involved. 

2/6/05 - Finally.... K.I.T.T. is MINE!
I am finally able to add K.I.T.T. to my collection of 1:18 cars.  This car has been almost IMPOSSIBLE to find in my area.  A local hobby store was able to order one for me upon my request.  Maybe I paid a little more than I should've, but it was worth it.  If I had to limit myself to 5 cars in this scale, K.I.T.T. would be one of the five I own.  Once again, Joy Ride (RC2) has pulled out all the stops in the creation of this car.  The interior is SO detailed.  The working red scanner on the front makes me grin like an idiot.  This car is so detailed, I expected to say "hello" when I removed it from it's packaging.  Check out the thumbnails above.  I can't wait to find out what RC2 has in store for us in 2005. 

2/4/05 - Hollywood on Wheels 6 IN HAND!!!
I owe a HUGE thank you to the kind folks at Collector's Net USA.  They sent me a courtesy set of Hollywood on Wheels 6!!!  I was so excited to rip into the box and pull out a complete set.  Now that I've held them in my hand, here is my initial review:

Cars I'm most excited about:
- Vanishing Point '70 Dodge Challenger:  I recently bought this classic film on DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it.  You'll have to see the movie to appreciate this die-cast car.
- Charlie's Angels '69 Chevy Camaro:  A fun, stylish movie that's pure eye-candy.  The Camaro was featured prominently and is now on display at the Star Cars Museum in Gatlinburg, TN. 
- 2 Fast 2 Furious Nissan Skyline Custom:  Prominently featured during the 4-car race at the beginning of the movie, my Fast & Furious collection could not be complete without this car.

Cars already in my collection, but improved upon by Johnny Lighting:
- Smokey & The Bandit '77 Trans-Am:  Classic movie, black interior, cool wheels = a must-have.
- The Dukes of Hazzard:  Daisy's Jeep and Daisy's Roadrunner:  Though ERTL had released these cars in 1:64 scale a few years ago, Johnny Lightning did a nice job of including details that make these new versions unique.  My only gripe is that the Jeep has a "Daisy" tampo, when it should actually  read "Dixie" above the front wheels.  That's a strange oversight.

For those of you who missed out on them the first time:
- Gone in 60 Seconds '73 Mustang Mach I:  RC2's version, released a few years ago, was almost IMPOSSIBLE to find at retail, and rarely shows up on eBay.  Here is your chance to add this car to your collection, which represents THE greatest car chase ever put to film.
- The Love Bug:  Upon its first release, Herbie vanished from store pegs faster than bottled water during a blackout.  Here is your chance if you missed out.  There are 2 Herbies per case.

Cars I could've gone WITHOUT:
- The Italian Job '69 Yenko Nova:  A nice-looking car, but WAY too obscure for me.
- The Fast & The Furious '03 Nissan 350Z:  Huh?

Biggest Disappointment:
- The General Lee:  I was really hoping that if JL ever got the rights to include The General in Hollywood on Wheels, they would do it RIGHT.  Sadly, JL cut corners.  The wheels are inaccurate, and there is no push bar on the front end.  Even though it's an improvement on ERTL's previous releases, I'm disappointed JL didn't go ALL OUT with this opportunity. 

Overall, Hollywood on Wheels 6 ranks as the best of this series to date.  Brand new offerings, mixed with re-releases for those who might've missed out the first time they were offered by ERTL.  As soon as I put these in my display and take new photos, I'll post the pics.

Again, thanks to Collector's Net USA!!!

2/4/05 - Talking Cars in February!
It's that time of the month when I share a few of the e-mails I've received over the last few weeks.  This month's topics include:  Sanford & Son, Star Trek, Hot Wheels, Hollywood on Wheels 6, two-lane blacktop, and 3 (The Dale Earnhardt Story).  On a side note, my website is experiencing a noticeable increase in visitors over the last few weeks.  I'm AVERAGING over 1000 visitors per DAY.  I'm wondering what caused this.  Was it the TV program that aired in the UK in December?  Send me an e-mail and let me know how you found my site.  In the meantime, click HERE to read this month's Q&A.

2/1/05 - Holy Variations Batman!
For those of you who are trying to collect every variation of the Hot Wheels Batmobiles, be on the lookout for another version of the Keaton-style Batmobile.  The HW Batman VS Mr. Freeze 2-pack should be hitting store pegs very soon.  The 2-pack includes a flat black w/black wheels version of the Keaton Batmobile (pictured above). 

In other Batman news, the second wave of Corgi's comic-book Batmobiles has begun appearing in stores.  I picked up the blue 1980's Batmobile (pictured below) because it reminded me of the old Superfriends Batmobile.  Corgi's line of Batmobiles are offered in 1:43 scale. 

... and finally...... HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!!!   Today marks the SECOND anniversary of Hollywood Die-Cast on the internet.  Thanks to all of you who have shared info and photos over the past two years, helping to make this site the most definitive resource for those who collect TV and movie-related die-cast cars.  The number of visitors to this site has SPIKED over the last few weeks, averaging 1000 visitors per DAY!!!!   Thanks for your support!