March '06 News Archive

3/30/06 - Sponsor News
Movie Car Mania announces they've gotten the above 1:18 cars in stock.  Click the link at the top right column to visit the site.  Check out their entire list of MOVIE/TV SHOWS.

3/29/06 - RC2 News for 2006
Sarah at RC2 has responded to my e-mail asking for info regarding 2006. 
Here's what she had to say:

"For The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, we have 1:55 scale products coming out."

Hollywood on Wheels roster to be on shelves in Dec 2006:

Brady Bunch - Greg's Convertible
Speed Racer - Mach V
Speed Racer - Racer X Shooting Star
Speed Racer - Assassin's Car
Speed Racer - The Fastest Car
Star Trek - Decloaking Klingon D7 Battlecruiser
Star Trek - U.S.S. Yamato
Blues Brothers - '74 Dodge Monaco 

"Please note, all the Speed Racer cars are all re-releases."

And in regards to rumors concerning a 1:18 scale van from The A-Team:

"I can tell you that we have not had the license since 2004, and currently, there are no plans surrounding The A-Team license."

Thanks to Sarah for her quick reply.

3/29/06 - Wish List Updated!
The Hollywood Die-Cast Top 10 Wish List has now become the Top 20 Wish List.  The top ten have remained the same, but numbers 11 through 20 now reflect the results of the recent poll and are therefore deemed The People's Choice.  The poll will remain open and should things change, I'll reflect the changes in the Wish List.  Click on the link in the left column to view.

3/28/06 - The Stars of Cars
Thanks to a tip from Metro Privratsky, I'm able to share this pic found on the Hot Wheels Collector website. Check out the new assortment of cars from the upcoming Pixar movie Cars.  The movie opens June 9th.  I'm hoping the movie is good. The trailers look amazing.  It'll be fun searching for cars from this assortment.

In other movie car news, Diamond Comics is soliciting orders in this month's edition of Previews for die-cast cars from The Fast & The Furious:  Tokyo Drift.  These 1:64 scale cars will feature opening hoods, detailed interiors and working suspensions.  Scheduled to ship in June.  I'm not sure if RC2 has the license for this third installment of the franchise.  I'll try to find out.

3/24/06 - The Big Boys
Since the inception of this website, I've focused on 1:64 scale TV & movie cars for several reasons. There is such a huge variety of popular and obscure cars available in 1:64 scale and they're easy to display as well as affordable (for the most part).  But since starting my 1:64 scale collection, I couldn't help but pick up a few 1:18 scale cars along the way.  The detail of 1:18 scale cars is awe-inspiring (and don't forget the coolness factor).  To date, I have 27 cars and counting.  I'm quickly running out of space, however. 

Well, apparently, many of you are also fans of 1:18 scale cars, judging by the e-mails I receive and the pics that have been submitted by fellow collectors.  I can't put it off any longer.  It's time to create the 1:18 scale section of Hollywood Die-Cast!  It's a work-in-progress and I'm hoping for your help.  It starts with a complete checklist.  I've spent some time creating a list of over 150 1:18 scale TV and movie cars (with special thanks to Rich for helping me create a complete list of cars from The Fast & The Furious movies).  It was far more work than I imagined.  I need you to review the list and see if there's anything I've left off.  Once I feel the list is complete, I'll start gathering photos to create the 1:18 scale gallery.  Once you've had a chance to look it over, post your comments in the forum or send me an e-mail.  Please keep in mind that I only want to include officially-licensed 1:18 scale die-cast metal cars and vehicles.  Thanks in advance for your help. Click on the 1:18 graphic above to see the list.

3/22/06 - Collectors' Collections
Bud Burleson of Salem, Oregon submits pics of his impressive collection of Ecto-1A variants.  Looks like I'm going to have to update my Ghostbusters page!  Thanks for sharing, Bud.  Click HERE to see all of Bud's pics and all past submissions to the Collectors' Collections Gallery.

3/15/06 - Wish List Poll - Part Two!
Due to popular demand, I've taken the top vote-getters from the Wish List Poll, and added the write-in candidates I've received over the past week.  Only this time, vote for AS MANY cars as you want to!  The top ten vote-getters this time around will be added to the Hollywood Die-Cast Wish List as The People's Choice Cars!  (for a total of twenty cars).  Click HERE and get to voting!

3/12/06 - Talking Cars in March
It's been awhile since the last edition of Talking Cars. Time to get caught up.  This time around, the subjects include:  Knight Rider, The Dukes of Hazzard, Star Trek: Voyager, Mad Max, The Fast & The Furious, West Coast Choppers, Black Moon Rising, Batman Begins, Gone in 60 Seconds, and M*A*S*H* (among others.)  Click HERE and enjoy.

3/11/06 - Rock Art Review
The kind folks over at www.collectorsnetusa.com sent me a set of Johnny Lightning's Rock Art Series 1 and asked me to submit a review to post on their website.  I carefully looked them over and sent them my opinion of this series.  Unfortunately, despite being a huge Elvis fan, I can't say my review was too positive.  Click HERE to read it.  Also, I added new pics of the Elvis cars to the Elvis section of Hollywood Die-Cast.  My thanks to staff over at CollectorsNetUSA.  By the way, while browsing their website, I noticed a few announcements.  Apparently, we can expect Johnny Lightning's TV Land/Hollywood on Wheels in November, a new James Bond series in September, Rock Art Series 2 in July, and Marvel/Halo in June.  It should be an interesting year for collectors.

3/9/06 - Collectors' Collections
A new submission has been added to the Collectors' Collections Gallery.  Sean Sullivan of Maryland sent me pictures of his impressive collection of vehicles.  Click HERE to see all the submissions to-date.  If you'd like to have photos of  your collection posted in the gallery, send well-lit digital photos to me via e-mail.

3/7/06 - Biggest Poll Ever!
Okay, you're all well aware of my Top 10 Wish List.  I get e-mails with suggestions all the time.  My response has always been, "It's my list, so there."   Well, now is your chance to add a new entry to that list.  I've created my biggest poll ever!  Twenty, COUNT 'EM, TWENTY cars are featured on this new poll.  The car that gets the most votes will be added to the list in the #10 spot, replacing Wonderbug.  I'll add the car when a clear-cut winner has been determined.  Remember, the focus of this site is 1:64 scale, so that's what the wish list is referring to.  Some of the cars on the new poll have been made in 1:18 scale, but not 1:64 scale yet.  Here are thumbnails of some of the cars on the list:

Be sure to read the existing Top 10 Wish List so I don't get angry e-mails about cars that were left off the new poll.  You can only vote for one car.  If you DON'T see a car on the list, send me an e-mail and I will count it.  If you're wondering why Ecto-1 is on the list, it's because Johnny Lightning's 1:64 scale version is Ecto-1A from Ghostbusters 2.  Ecto-1 has only exists in die-cast form in 1:18 scale so far.  Personally, I'd love to see ALL OF THE ABOVE made, but one can dream.  Now, click HERE and vote!

3/8 UPDATE:  I've already received several e-mails pointing out my glaring oversight regarding cars I've left off the new poll. Those include:  Thelma & Louise Thunderbird Convertible, The Wraith Turbo Interceptor, Corvette Summer Custom Corvette and the Phantasm Cuda (among others).  Apparently, I'm due for a follow-up poll.  After a week or two, I'll take the top-ten vote getters from this poll, and add all write-in candidates.  With the great response I've gotten so far, I'm thinking of changing my Top Ten Wish List into a Top TWENTY Wish List.  Keep those e-mails coming!

3/6/06 - Grease is the Word
The always-keen eye of Metro Privratsky spotted an auction for this very cool and very rare set of motorcycles from the 1982 film Grease 2.  This is the first time I've seen an actual photo of these motorcyles.  They are part of Kidco's Tough Wheels line and are 1:26 scale, considerably larger than the cars that were included in this series.  This set recently sold on eBay for GBP 30, or $52.59 in American dollars.  Visit the Grease gallery to see more pics.

3/4/06 - Autorama 2006
I had the opportunity to attend the Press Preview of the 2006 Autorama in Detroit along with the host of the local TV series Art & Design, John Sauve'.  There were so many cool things to see, I hardly know where to begin.  Let's start with the amazing TV cars that were on display.

There weren't any spokespeople present to tell me about these cars, so I'm not sure which Batmobile replica was present.  I can say that the pinstriping looked a little too orange for my taste, but the car was beautiful to see nevertheless.  The Munsters' Koach appeared to be the one kept at George Barris' shop in North Hollywood, though I can't be certain.  If anyone can provide details about these cars, I'd appreciate an e-mail.  It was still cool to see my two favorite TV cars sitting side by side. The General Lee was also on display to coincide with a visit from Ben "Cooter" Jones.

The late Ed "Big Daddy" Roth was honored at Autorama this year as "Builder of the Year."  On display were many of his creations, including the famous Beatnik Bandit, on loan from the National Auto Museum in Reno, Nevada.  A beautiful replica of the Mysterion was also on display, built by Dave Schuten.

"The Aeroliner"


Above are a few cool customs that caught my eye as we wandered around the floor of Cobo Hall. 

And finally, we had the pleasure of meeting Piero DeLuca, creator of the DVD series Mad Fabricators Society.  He had such a great success story to tell.  After losing his job as an editor, Piero found success producing documentaries about hot rods and custom cars, featuring the work of George Barris, Ed Roth and the Alexander Brothers, among others.  Three volumes are available.  Click HERE for more information.

3/2/06 - "Chicks dig the car."
I know this has been out for a few years now, but I just picked this up and decided to add it to the Batman gallery.  It's not an official TV car, but I've always felt it would be cool if Batman drove a Prowler.  As a matter of fact, I tried unsuccessfully to get a Prowler for my little Batman short film (to view, click on the link at the bottom of the left column.)  I think the Dark Knight Prowler is a nice addition to my Batman collection.