March

3/29/05 - Coming in June from Diamond
I picked up the April edition of the Previews Catalog offering items shipping in June. Apparently in anticipation of the release of new The Dukes of Hazzard movie, the General Lee will be hitting stores in three different scales, including 1:18, 1:25 and a 1:64 3-Pack that also includes Boss Hogg's Caddy Convertible and Sheriff's Cruiser. I'm assuming these are all RC2 re-releases. The 3-car set will ship in June. The other cars are available now.

Diamond is also taking orders for Joy Ride's 1:18 scale version of The Blues Brothers car, scheduled to ship in July. You can see the tooling model for this car by clicking on the following link:

3/27/05 - Wow! What a Week!
It's Easter Sunday and I'm back in Michigan after spending a week in California with my pal Dennis. What an amazing week! We experienced things most tourists can only HOPE to experience. I saw things I've always wanted to see, did things I've always wanted to do and had celebrity sightings galore! Click HERE for more stories and photos.

3/19/05 - California, Here We Come!
Well, Dennis and I are off to Hollywood to do our part for Movies' Greatest Cars, the follow-up to TV's Greatest Cars. I've packed up my die-cast cars and we're meeting up with the video crew from Ireland on Thursday. The program will air on Sky Television later this year in the U.K. I'll be back next weekend with photos and stories to share. See you then!

3/15/05 - Fast, Furious and Finally Finished!
The arrival of Brian's Ford F150 Pickup Truck in the mail yesterday allows me to complete my collection of RC2 cars that actually appeared on-screen in The Fast & The Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious. You'd be surprised how difficult it was to find some of these cars. I never saw the later series (9, 10, 11 & 12) in stores and the hard-to-find cars RARELY showed up on eBay. I'm glad Johnny Lightning released the Nissan Skyline Custom as part of HOW6 or there would've been a gaping hole in my collection. You can view my entire personal collection by clicking on the link in the top right corner that says, "My Collection." For a complete list of RC2's Fast & Furious cars, click HERE.

3/14/05 - Talking Corgi
When it comes to entertainment-related die-cast cars, Corgi was a pioneer, and after decades, is still producing awesome TV and movie cars today. The Batmobile, The Monkeemobile and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 were some of Corgi's early releases in 1:64 and 1:43 scale and are highly prized collectibles today, fetching top dollar at auction. Bill Manzke has recently been appointed American Corgi Collector Club Director for Corgi USA. He is also the author of two books dedicated to Corgi toys (pictured above). Bill is my go-to guy whenever I have a question about Corgi cars. He was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to respond to a series of questions about Corgi's entertainment-related die-cast cars. Click HERE to read the full interview.

3/11/05 - Faster than Fast! Smarter than Smart!
How cool is this? If you've seen my Top 10 Wish List, you may have noticed Wonderbug sitting in the number 10 position. I know it's a little obscure, but I watched Wonderbug religiously every Saturday morning when I was a kid. Well, check out this cool custom from Louis F. He writes:

"First off, you have a great site. I pop in almost every day to see what's new. I know this is not a die-cast but it is on your wish list. I built this Wonderbug for racing at www.wirlracing.com. It is made out of wood, brass and aluminum. The stripes are not show-accurate but it was all I could find. It has retractable wings and when you push down on the shifter the front fenders raise up. I hope you like it.

Thanks for sharing Louis. That is fantastic. I've been meaning to customize a 1:64 scale Wonderbug for my collection and now you've inspired me to make sure I get that done. I have quite a few custom projects I need to work on this spring or summer. If anyone else has customs you'd like to share, please send me a pic. I'm thinking of creating a Cool Customs Gallery. (Hey Louis, now how about a Schlep Car?)

3/9/05 - British Imports Arrive!
Despite coming from two different continents, two of my newest acquisitions arrived on the same day! First, coming all the way from the UK, is a 1:64 scale rendition of the Reliant Regal Supervan III (above left) from Only Fools and Horses. Although it displays nicely alongside the other cars in my collection, it's made of plastic and the wheels don't roll. Other than that, it has great detail.

Also waiting for me when I came home today was Mr. Bean's Mini (above right). This 1:64 scale die-cast was a Fujifilm promo and is fairly scarce. It took WEEKS to arrive from Australia. As excited as I was to finally get it in the mail, imagine my horror when it arrived in the following package:

The package was crushed and I could hear the car rolling around inside. Luckily, the car came out virtually unscathed and now proudly sits in my display case. Now if I can only find a 1:64 die-cast version of Anneka Rice's Buggy!!!

3/8/05 - Talking Cars in March!
A new month means a new edition of Talking Cars. Included are a few responses to the Movies' Greatest Cars poll. Other subjects include Mad Max's V8 Interceptor, M*A*S*H, the Batmobile, 1:18 scale cars and a follow up to ESPN's 3. Click HERE and enjoy, and please, keep the e-mails coming.

3/8/05 - Collectors' Collections
Oscar Garcia of Mexico sent a photo to add to the Collectors' Collections Gallery. Imagine coming into work every day and have those beauties to stare at. I don't think I'd get much work done.
Oscar writes:

Hi Joe, who says that toy car collections are only for your house?
Mine is right at my office and at this moment is 31 cars strong.
At my office I only have 1/18's (However I have 1/64's and 1/43's at home)
and I made it a rule that only real cars from Movies and TV are included
(Cars that really exist, no from cartoons).

Cheers.
Oscar Garcia
Guadalajara, Mexico

3/5/05 - Holy Microscope, Batman!
I received my Black Nite Crimefighter Mobile (or whatever you want to legally call it) in the mail on Friday from Forum member TonyMoe. It's a 1:64 scale resin model kit. It looks like I have my work cut out for me. The kit includes tiny little parts allowing someone with steady hands to replicate a certain car we all know and love. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Update: Here's what the kit will look like finished. At least, that's what it looks like when TONY finishes it. I can't guarantee I'll get the same results, but we'll see.