2006:
The Year in Review

2006 started off with the release of Elvis Rock Art cars from Johnny Lightning.  When I found them in stores, I didn't care too much for the gaudy colors and simple artwork.  I did pick up the Shelby Cobra (pictured above) since it's similar to the car featured in the film Spinout.  Strangely, however, the replica album cover that was included with the car was from the film Viva Las Vegas.

Hasbro continued their popular line of Titanium vehicles from the Star Wars movies in 2006.  The scale for these vehicles is all over the place, so I just pick up the ones I like, including vehicles that fall near the 1:64 scale, like the Speeder Bikes.  Later in the year, Hasbro would add Battlestar Galactica to this line.

In January, I also found RC2's 1:18 scale Lotus Esprit on clearance when my favorite die-cast store closed its doors. This piece instantly became one of my favorites in my collection, since you can convert it into submarine mode.

In February, Hollywood Die-Cast celebrated its third anniversary with a scavenger hunt contest.  Visitors had to search the pages of the website to find the answers to questions.  Metro Privratsky won RC2's 1:18 scale Aston Martin DB5, and Casey Johnson won the Hot Wheels Batman Begins two-pack.

Johnny Lightning continued its Star Trek line when Series 3 hit stores in February.  Although made of plastic (with a metal base) these vehicles seem to be popular with collectors.

In February it was announced that Daniel Craig would replace Pierce Brosnan as 007 in Casino Royale.  My initial reaction was disappointment.  But after having seen the film eight months later, I was pleasantly surprised with Craig's take on the character.

In late March, Hot Wheels unveiled a photo of die-cast cars from the Pixar film Cars.  The film's release was still a few months away, but I could sense the excitement already being generated.  Little did I know at the time that completing my Cars collection would become a quest. 

Also in late March, a rep at RC2 revealed the Hollywood on Wheels line-up, which was slated to hit stores in December of '06:

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 

Collectors weren't overly impressed with the roster of re-releases and the line-up was promptly canceled.  No announcements have been made about the future of the Hollywood on Wheels line.

In April, Johnny Lightning announced a new series of James Bond cars.  Although some were re-releases, some of them were new offerings.  Despite enthusiasm generated by fans, the series was unexplainably canceled later in '06.

In May, product from Cars started to appear in stores.  Hot Wheels hit this one out of the park.  Although slightly larger than 1:64 scale (approx. 1:55) these cars proved extremely popular with collectors, kids and parents.  As soon as they hit stores, they'd quickly vanish, making it fairly difficult to put together a complete set.  Hot Wheels also released four different playsets, offering a fun way to display the cars.

That same month RC2 released 1:55 scale cars from the third film in The Fast and The Furious franchise. These proved to be not as popular as Hot Wheels' Cars line, as they continue to linger on store shelves many months later. 

Also in May, Jada Toys announced its entry into the 1:64 scale entertainment market with the release of two cars from the enormously popular film Scarface.

Probably, the highlight of my year was visiting Dukes Fest '06 in Tennessee with my buddy Rich in June.  Although insanely crowded, it was so great to see Tom Wopat and John  Schneider together again (above left.)

Pixar's Cars finally hit the big screen in June and I was tremendously impressed.  I loved the story and the characters and marveled at the animation, which I feel is the best I've seen to date.  Six months later I added the DVD to my collection and proclaimed Cars to be one of my all-time favorite movies.

Also in June, it came to my attention that Cooter's Place struck a deal with Matchbox to create the first-ever Hazzard County Garage wrecker in 1:64 scale.  Only available online, it was a nice addition to my Dukes of Hazzard collection.

Superman Returns hit theaters in June to mixed reviews.  Matchbox hopped on board with the release of two 5-packs and the Metropolis Adventure Set (pictured above.)  The set included a '65 Mustang GT that was briefly featured in the film.

In July, rumors started to run rampant on the internet that Mattel had nailed down the rights to produce the 1966 Batmobile designed by George Barris.  Initial reactions were skepticism and disbelief, but rumors were confirmed as FACT in the fall by Mattel.  This easily is the most exciting news for entertainment die-cast car collectors in a long, long time. 

One of my favorite movies in 2006, Talladega Nights:  The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, hit theaters in August.  It was the hardest I've laughed at a movie in a long time.  Motorsports Authentics released a boxed set of race cars from the film later in the year, and Winner's Circle offered cars from the movie as part of its NASCAR line in December. 

An interesting trend began in August with the release of Heart Like a Wheel on DVD which included an exclusive 1:64 replica of Shirley Muldowney's dragster made by Hot Wheels.  A die-cast Mach 5 could be found with the Speed Racer Volume 4 DVD at the same time.  I hope this trend continues into 2007.

Hollywood Die-Cast received its ONE MILLIONTH VISITOR in September of 2006.  Wow!

1:55 scale die-cast replicas of Speed Racer's Mach 5 and Racer X's Shooting star were found in stores in September.  Each included a mini-figure.

After a long hiatus, Hot Wheels revived the hunt for Batmobile variants in October.  I stumbled onto the black & gold variation and added it to my collection of Hot Wheels Batmobiles. 

Packaging pics of Johnny Lightning's upcoming series of 1:64 scale cars from The Dukes of Hazzard were revealed in October.  This was welcomed news following the disappointing news of cancellation of JL's Hollywood on Wheels, TV Land and James Bond series.  JL's Dukes case assortment, slated for release in '07 will include:

Three of the following:
1969 Charger General Lee

Two each of the following:
Daisy's Jeep CJ
Daisy's 1972 Roadrunner
General Lee 1969 Dodge Charger Dirty Version
Cooter's 1970 Camaro

One each of the following:
Dodge 1977 Monaco Police Car

Also in October, Jada Toys continued to impress with the announcement of the impending release of a 1:18 scale die-cast Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 from The Godfather.

In November, it was revealed that Hot Wheels would include the Batmobile from the animated series The Batman in its Mystery line of cars.  Unfortunately, because of the black blister packaging, you had no idea what you were getting until you opened it, leading to opened blisters found in stores.  For those who aren't interested in going through the trouble, this same Batmobile began to show up in two-packs in December. 

RC2 released a 1:18 scale version of the Aston Martin DBS in November, to coincide with the relase of the latest James Bond flick Casino Royale.  Although a beautiful car, it wasn't used too creatively in the movie, appearing only briefly before getting destroyed in a spectacular crash. 

Also in conjuction with the release of the film, I created a poll asking visitors to vote for their favorite Bond theme.  Although voting was fairly spread out, Live and Let Die, by Paul McCartney & Wings, was the clear-cut winner.

Although in stores for months, I finally found the 1:64 scale Shelby GT 500E (better known as Eleanor) in December.  Released by Shelby Collectibles, this particular version blows away the version released by Hot Wheels several years earlier as part of a Gone in 60 Seconds boxed set.  Shelby Collectibles also released a 1:18 scale version in 2006 which was a huge hit with collectors. 

In December, an auction appeared on eBay offering an unpainted "test run" of the '66 Batmobile from Hot Wheels. (It sold for $305.)  This gave collectors a sneak peek of what to expect from Hot Wheels as part of their basic line.  More detailed versions, in various scales, will be offered throughout 2007. 

2007 is going to be an exciting year for Batman fans, as new product from Hot Wheels began to show up in stores at the end of 2006.  The Batman Begins Gotham City 5-pack (at right) as well as a new version of the Batman Blaster playset, which includes an exclusive black and yellow Batmobile (below) are just a few examples to keep your eyes peeled for in '07.