The Year in Review

2009 began with me searching for the Faster Than Ever version of the '66 Batmobile. I eventually found it mid-month.  Surprisingly, this was the ONLY version of the Batmobile that was offered by Mattel in 1:64 scale in 2009.

Also in January, I found this 3-pack from Cars, which included what ranks as one of my favorite versions of Lightning McQueen.  This would be just the first of MANY Cars purchases in 2009.  The following are Cars I've added to my collection this past year, but by no means EVERYTHING Mattel offered in 2009:

John Schneider kicked off 2009 by smashing and stomping on a bunch of 1:18 scale General Lees.  He then used a spray adhesive to cover the cars in California dirt.  Call him crazy, but the car he numbered 01 sold for over $900 on eBay!

Holy Sardine, Batman!  In February, I got a package in the mail from my sponsor Movie Car Mania.  Mattel continued its 1:55 Bat-Line with the release of the Bat Boat.  Of course, I also had to get the Batmobile with trailer hitch to tow it.  What a great looking combo!

Later that month, I got a tour of the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI.  The highlight of the tour was seeing the car that was the basis of the ominous killing machine featured in The Wraith.

As Easter drew near in March, Target offered eggs-clusive Cars eggs for the first time since 2007. 

In March I attended the Detroit Autorama, where I had a chance to chat with the legendary George Barris.  I also got to see a full-sized Mach 5 and BOTH versions of KITT from Knight Rider.  Oh yeah, I also was able to pick up Highway 61's Vanishing Point Challenger for a STEAL.  I checked a recent eBay auction to see this car sell for almost $200.  Wow.

As March wound down, I discovered that the pickup truck featured in Clint Eastwood's movie Gran Torino was up for sale on eBay.  I was able to contact the owner and arrange to see it in person.  It was such a thrill to see this truck and actually sit in it!  Gran Torino was one of the best movies of the year and filmed right here in the Metro Detroit area.  The auction originally failed to meet the owner's reserve, so I don't think it ever sold.  Check out this VIDEO I produced.

Mattel's Batman line continued to impress with the release of the '89 Batmobile.  Michael Keaton's ride hit stores in April.  In July, the camo Tumbler and Super Friends Batmobile were a welcomed addition to this line.

The fourth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise had its release date moved up to April 3rd.  The reunion of the stars of the first film, including Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, jump started that movie's total gross with a $70 million opening weekend!  I thoroughly enjoyed the film with its emphasis on American Muscle and I'm looking forward to the sequel, hinted at by the movie's cliffhanger ending.  Unfortunately, a planned line of die-cast cars from Johnny Lightning never saw the light of day.

In anticipation of the newest Star Trek movie, Mattel released a set of die-cast ships from the previous movies and TV series.  They began to hit stores in mid-April.  The movie arrived in theaters in May to critical acclaim.

Also in April, Jason (AKA Hollywood Detective) was lucky enough to attend a Back to the Future reunion attended by many of the trilogy's stars.  I wasn't able to attend, but I sure wish I could've been there.  Maybe next year!

In May, I attended the Motor City Comic Con where I had the pleasure of hanging out with John Schneider and Catherine Bach from The Dukes of Hazzard.  My interview with John can be found on YouTube.

In June, the Cars line featuring lenticular eyes began to show up in stores.  Although an interesting concept, they fail to impress when you see them in person.  The initial wave depicted the characters blinking.  Later waves featured shifting eyes.  Regardless, I've passed on this line and hope Mattel doesn't fully switch over to the "blinky eyes." 

In June K-Mart hosted its second Cars Collectors Event.  Included in the cases were racecars with "synthetic rubber tires" as well as other new cars, including a Chase Mario Andretti with the CORRECT red rims.  FINALLY!

On June 24th, Transformers:  Revenge of the Fallen hit movie theaters, two years after the first movie.  The sequel was a loud, confusing mess of a movie with only one redeeming aspect:  Megan Fox.  Shockingly, the movie went on to become the highest grossing movie of 2009, taking in over $400 million.  Ugh.

June 25th was a shocking and sad day for the entertainment industry and the world.  It's still hard to believe we lost two icons on the same day, although the passing of Farrah Fawcett was overshadowed a bit by the sudden death of Michael Jackson.  Both will be missed.

On July 1st, I almost had a heart attack when I walked into a Toys R Us and found the 1:87 scale version of the '66 Batmobile.  Reports started coming in May that this beauty was hitting stores, but I was having no luck finding it.  I tried bidding on eBay but was consistently outbid as prices averaged $20!  Imagine my shock to find one at retail for $3.99.  Surprisingly, I've NEVER seen another one in stores since!

It was Christmas in July as Hallmark unveiled its line of 2009 ornaments.  I picked up Ecto-1 in July and in October I found Cousin Eddie's RV from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  I was surprised to learn that these ornaments have pretty much vanished from shelves and the RV has been selling at or near $50 on eBay.  I'm glad I got mine when I did!

Later in July, Hasbro's Transformers RPMs started appearing in stores.  This was the first time vehicles from the Transformers movies were offered in non-transforming car form.  Although 1:64 scale (for the most part) I was disappointed to discover these cars were made of plastic.  However, they do have some weight to them and display nicely among my 1:64 scale collection.  Initially, there were four sets of 2-packs.  Later in the month, singles hit stores followed by more 2-packs.  I expect more to follow in 2010.

The San Diego Comic Con arrived in July with exciting news and awesome exclusives.  Seth Rogan was on hand to unveil the Black Beauty from his Green Hornet movie.  It's great to see they're staying true to the original TV series by using a Chrysler Imperial.  I've read the release date keeps getting pushed back and the movie is now slated for a December 2010 release.  Also at Comic Con, we were urged to start saving our pennies to keep up with the numerous releases slated for Mattel's Cars line and Batman line that were on display.  Exclusives included a Rescue Mater 3-pack (with Dalmation Mia & Tia) and a very nice boxed set that included the Bat-Pod from The Dark Knight.

In August, I was honored to have a portion of my collection on display at the Orion Township Public Library here in Michigan.  I was asked to put my collection on display to coincide with the numerous car shows that take place during the summer in Michigan.  The cars were on display during the entire month of August and I'm told it was the most popular display they've ever had!

Also in August the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inducted seven new members:  Al Unser, Jr., Kenny Bernstein, David Hobbs, "Humpy" Wheeler, Scott Parker, Les Richter and the late Joe Weatherly.  Since I videotape the event every year, I was able to meet several legends of racing and added to my ever-growing collection of autographed die-cast cars. 

The Woodward Dream Cruise took place in August and an impressive collection of cars from TV and movies gathered together in one area, including Mel's Monkeemobile and the Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters.

At the end of August, I was completely surprised to find 1:43 scale cars from Motor Max at WalMart.  Included in the line were cars from Grease, Rain Man and The Usual Suspects. Some cars were found in awesome dioramas with figures.  I'm told the Ford Taurus from Robocop hit stores later in the year, although I haven't found it yet.

Another great surprise came in September when I stumbled onto a 1:12 scale Bat-Cycle with sidecar and go-kart!  What a great addition to my large scale collection!

I got my first taste of the Cars Toon line in September when I picked up the awesome boxed sets pictured above.  I had told myself I wasn't going to collect the Toon line, but I just couldn't resist.  I eventually started picking up the singles, as well.  Later in the year, all the Mater's Tall Tales shorts were shown on TV for the first time creating a new legion of fans. 

One of the highlights of the year for me was meeting Gene Simmons of KISS fame in September.  A friend of mine invited me to a taping of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels in Detroit.  Gene autographed a die-cast car for me.  Look for me in the episode in the spring of 2010.

After a long delay the Diamond-Exclusive Delorean Time Machine FINALLY began shipping to comic book stores (and later Toys R Us stores) in September.  At 1:15 scale, the car is spectacular with lights and sound effects from the Back to the Future movies. 

On October 17, K-Mart held its third Cars Collectors Event (the second of 2009) by offering another exclusive wave of racecars with synthetic rubber tires.  Unfortunately, all the cars were already released as part of a boxed set or a mail-in exclusive.  Still, patience paid off for those who didn't shell out big bucks originally.

In November, collectors were able to buy a 1:64 scale version of the Camaro featured in the Papa John's commercials.  Made by Johnny Lightning, one dollar of every car purchased went to the Marine's Toys for Tots program.  I ordered mine through the Papa John's website.  Not only is it a great addition to my collection, it's nice to know I'm helping out a great cause.

Also in November it was announced that Green Light will be releasing a 1:64 scale Bullitt diorama featuring the Mustang and Charger from the classic chase scene.  I'm told by a reliable source that more entertainment-related releases can be expected in 2010.

In December, the long-awaited ELITE version of the 1:18 scale '89 Batmobile began hitting stores.  I'm hoping to get one for myself when they arrive at Movie Car Mania.

Also in December my buddies and I took a road trip to Cleveland to visit the house featured in the movie A Christmas Story.  It was one of my favorite road trips ever as we went inside the house and museum and saw props from the movie, including the Oldsmobile pictured above.  It wasn't THE family Olds, but it was the same make and model.  I'm hoping to track down the original family Sedan someday. 

And finally, probably the BIGGEST announcement of the year came at the very tail end of the year:  Mattel will be producing Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters as part of its basic line.  This will be the first EVER version of Ecto-1 offered in 1:64 scale.  Expect the hunt to begin in January!

2009 was a fantastic year for collectors and I have a feeling 2010 will be even better.  We can expect more from Mattel as they continue to churn out additions to their Cars and Batman lines. Much of what was shown at Comic Con hasn't even hit stores yet.  I'm hoping to pick up the few remaining racecars to complete my Speedway of the South set.  I've also seen images of Hasbro's Transformers RPMs line that haven't hit stores, so we can expect more next year.  I'm excited with anticipation of what's to come from Green Light.  We know we'll be getting a Bullitt diorama, but more announcements will be made following licensing approval. 

Movies to look forward to in 2010 include Iron Man 2 in May, The A-Team and Toy Story 3 in June, The Expendables (starring Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Steve Austin & Dolph Lundgren - HOLY MOLY) in August, and The Green Hornet in December.  And if MacGruber doesn't feature some fun car chases, I'll be disappointed!

A very happy 2010 to you and yours!