www.hollywood-diecast.com

9/2/10 - A Yen for Cars
I stopped into Toys R Us today and found two more Cars characters from the Tokyo Mater animated short. This time I found Kabuto Ninja and Cho (2 for $6.99.) With these two that brings the total to six characters released so far from Tokyo Mater with more on the way (seven if you count the Dragon McQueen that was released with the collectors guide.) The pics above have been added to the Story Tellers/Toons Gallery.

9/1/10 - 2010 Dream Cruise
I was on vacation last week so I'm a little behind, but here is the video I put together on the 2010 Woodward Dream Cruise. The video covers the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday evening and the Berkley Cruisefest, which featured many cars from TV and film. George Barris was the Grand Marshal.

8/31/10 - Moment of Impact Diorama
I decided to have a little fun with the camera tonight. After receiving Johnny Lightning's Death Proof Nova a week ago I decided to search for a Honda Civic similar to the one the girls drove in the movie. Searching eBay I discovered that Johnny Lightning also makes a Civic that's close enough to the movie car. Using nail polish remover, I removed the white racing stripes on the Civic. With a little trick photography and some Photoshop, I tried to recreate the moment of impact from Death Proof. I think it turned out pretty cool. Now if I can only find a little teeny tiny Rubber Duck hood ornament.

8/30/10 - Hot Wheels News
Visiting the Hot Wheels Collectors Forum I saw some interesting pics in the Sneak Peeks section. It looks like the Batmobile from The Batman animated series is returning to the lineup in the Track Stars line. This time it will have a black and red color scheme. There are also pics of the Danicar designed by Danica Patrick. Both will be hitting stores in mid October. I don't have permission to repost the pics so click HERE to see them.

8/29/10 - Brought to you by the letter M
I found the latest wave from the Cars Final Lap Collection at Target today. Coincidentally, all the characters' names start with the letter M. Pictured above, from left, are boom operator Matti, Matthew "True Blue" McCrew, Marty Brakeburst and Marlon "Clutches" McKay (in non-blinky-eyes form.) I'm still searching for the previous FLC wave that includes Bert, Arnie, Flo with Tray and non-blinky Shovel McQueen.

I've decided to reorganize the Cars Gallery. With literally HUNDREDS of images, the page was getting too big and took too long to load. I decided to break the gallery into sub-categories. Now when you visit the Cars page you'll be given a list of options:

Desert Scene - This page includes characters that were first introduced way back in 2006 when the line first hit stores.

Supercharged - Although many of the main characters were re-released on Supercharged cards, this page only includes characters that were new to the Cars line.

World of Cars - Again, many characters were re-released on WOC packaging, but this page only inlcudes characters that were new to the Cars line.

Race-O-Rama - This page includes only new characters that were introduced to the Cars line on ROR packaging.

Final Lap Collection - This page only includes characters that were introduced to the Cars line in this Target-Exclusive offering. Some of these characters were also introduced in the "blinky-eyes" line, but I prefer the non-blinky eyes characters.

Story Tellers/Toons - This page includes characters from the Story Tellers and Toons line that were introduced in books and animated shorts.

K-Mart Collectors Event - This page includes characters that were only offered at K-Mart Collectors events.

Launchers - This page only includes race cars that appeared for the first time as a launcher.

Holiday Themes - This page only includes holiday-themed packaging, including Halloween, Easter and Christmas.

Mega Size - This page only includes characters introduced on Oversized or Mega Size packaging.

Chase Cars - This page only includes characters that were offered on Chase packaging.

Miscellaneous - This page includes multi-packs, boxed sets, playsets and certain exclusives.

Currently, I don't have pages dedicated to Haulers and Blinky-Eyes, since I don't really collect those. I'll probably eventually create a Haulers page, but for the most part, the Blinky-Eyes cars have been offered in non-blinky versions. There are other online resources that are FAR more thorough that include every character, every variation and every packaging change. Please send me an e-mail if you feel something was left out that should be included.

8/29/10 - Chasing Cars
I found another Chase car at Toys R Us on Saturday. This time it's Filmore with organic gas cans. This gets me caught up on Chase cars for now. It looks like the next Chase car will be Lightning McQueen with Paint Mask. (His wheels are covered and taped.)

8/27/10 - Transformers Battle Series 2
I popped into Toys R Us and found these new Transformers 2-packs. These aren't die-cast metal. They're plastic like the RPMs line although I guess Hasbro isn't calling them RPMs anymore. They're now part of the Speed Stars line. I found five of the six sets.

	01 of 06 - Sideswipe VS Wreckloose
	02 of 06 - Nightwatch Bumblebee VS Patrol Barricade
	03 of 06 - Optimus Prime VS Bonecrusher
	04 of 06 - Optimus Prime (Variant) VS Desert Long Haul
	05 of 06 - Jetfire VS Megatron
Not Found	06 of 06 - Enforcer Ironhide VS Mixmaster

8/26/10 - A White-Hot Juggernaut at 200 Miles Per Hour!
I got a nice little birthday present today (from myself.) I ordered Johnny Lightning's Death Proof Nova online and it arrived in the mail today. I was so surprised when I found out JL had released this as part of their main line and I'm excited to be able to add this to my collection. This car has ranked on the Wish List during the year so look for a new poll soon to help decide what should replace it on the list.

8/24/10 - More Dream Cruise Pics
The aroma of exhaust still hangs heavy in the air as the 2010 Woodward Dream Cruise is now a memory. Rain on Saturday didn't keep people from lining the streets to check out all the awesome cars, including the amazing Hollywood cars that were out and about. My friend Michael sent me a few images he snapped on Friday and Saturday. I'm already looking forward to NEXT year!

8/21/10 - Cars Cubed
I walked into Toys R Us today and was stunned to find a Cars Cube sitting in the aisle FULLY STOCKED, untouched by human hands! Not one piece was missing from the cube so, apparently, I was the first person to give it a careful once-over. To my disappointment, there weren't many new things in the cube. I was really hoping to find Bessie, which I haven't seen in stores yet, but she was nowhere to be found. Instead, I did stumble on to four new Deluxe characters from the Cars Toon line. Pictured above, from left are Mater as The Tormentor, Lightning McQueen as Frightening McMean, Rasta Carian and Dr. Feel Bad. These characters appear in the short wrestling spoof Monster Truck Mater, which can be seen in its entirety HERE.

8/20/10 - Let's Go Cruisin'!
If you love cars then there's no better place to be than the Woodward Dream Cruise in Michigan! On Friday evening, things officially got underway with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Ferndale, Michigan, where it all began. Later that evening, the city of Berkley hosted their annual Cruisefest event with a spectacular parade of classic cars. The legendary George Barris was the parade's Grand Marshal and he rode in the back of the Monkeemobile (above, right.) The very same Monkeemobile that was housed in his North Hollywood shop for 40 years. The car now resides here in Michigan. Following the Monkeemobile were The A-Team van, the Batmobile, General Lee, Ecto-1 and Herbie the Love Bug, among others. While I shot video my nephew Grant quickly fired off the pictures you see above. I'll post the video in a few days. It was a great event and, believe it or not, the fun continues all day Saturday as cars drive along a 16 mile stretch of Woodward Avenue. I plan on shooting more video on Saturday. Maybe I'll see you somewhere along Woodward!

8/17/10 - Does It Come in Red?
I found this stunning new Hot Wheels release at WalMart today, a Ferrari 308 GTS. If Mattel decides to follow this up with a red version then we collectors will have the ultimate version of the Ferrari from the TV series Magnum P.I. COME ON MATTEL!

8/19 UPDATE: Apparently, it DOES come in red. Danny Finical sent me a pic of the car you see at left. Unfortunately, it has a black interior, but a swap with the interior from the blue version shouldn't be TOO difficult.

8/16/10 - Danica + Hot Wheels = Fun!
I saw this commercial for the first time during the NASCAR Nationwide race at MIS last weekend. Danica Patrick revealed her new Hot Wheels-themed car a few days before the race. If you haven't seen the commercial, it's now posted online for your enjoyment.

8/14/10 - Death Proof Nova???
This was first brought to my attention in the Forum a couple of days ago. I thought it was some sort of elaborate custom, but several sources confirm it's the real deal. Apparently, Johnny Lightning has included the Chevy Nova from Death Proof in its Forever 64 series.

8/11/10 - Tron Legacy
Somehow I overlooked this when I was trying to find out what exclusives were being offered at Comic Con. Disney was offering an exclusive 1:50 scale die-cast version of Sam's Light Cycle from the upcoming film Tron Legacy. Don't fret if you missed it. Thanks to a heads-up from Eric, I found out that an entire line of 1:50 scale Tron Legacy vehicles will soon be coming to a store near you. There are pics over at Entertainment Earth.

8/10/10 - Metal Detected!
Just when I was about to give up hope that Hasbro would release these here in the US, I walk into Toys R Us and BAM, there they are. The Transformers Metal Heroes line has FINALLY landed on American soil. Pictured above, from left, are Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Barricade, Ironhide, Soundwave and Jetfire, all made of die-cast metal. I also found Bumblebee from the NEST Global Alliance Series (whatever that is.) The packaging promises "More Vehicles on the Way!"

8/10/10 - Domo arigato.
Get to your nearest Toys R Us! What were empty pegs just a few days ago are now overflowing with toy goodness. Not only did I find the latest Cars Toon releases from the animated short Tokyo Mater (above), but they were on sale to boot! The Cars Toon line is on sale two for $6.99. Not too shabby.

8/8/10 - Chasing Cars
I heard reports that recent Cars releases have been showing up at stores like K-Mart, Big Lots and Kohl's. I went into Kohl's today looking for Mega Size Bessie. I didn't find her, but I did find Chase Rust-Eze McQueen. That was a nice surprise.

8/7/10 - Now You See It... Now You Don't.
While out and about on this Saturday afternoon, I popped into a comic shop about a mile away from my new place. I stumbled onto two awesome finds. I was stunned to see, or NOT see, Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet from Comic Con. This has to be one of the silliest things I've ever spent money on since I started collecting. There's nothing in the package! NOTHING! The outline of a jet that you see in the image above is actually a recessed clear plastic tray. There's a plastic ring to securely fasten the ... um ... invisible jet in place. Apparently, this whole thing started out as an April Fool's joke earlier this year. Mattel decided to go ahead with the concept and sell an empty package. BRILLIANT! The above images have been added to the Cartoons/Comics Gallery.

My other find is the Penguin Batmobile from Mattel's 1:50 scale line of Bat-Vehicles. This version is based on an episode from the 1966 TV series in which Burgess Meredith's Penguin steals the Batmobile. I have NEVER seen this at any of the major retailers I visit on a regular basis. I was pretty surprised to find this hanging on a peg at the comic book shop. With this purchase I believe I'm caught up on the 1:50 scale line for now and I'm looking forward to the upcoming releases announced by Mattel.

8/7/10 - He Ain't the Sharpest Knife...
I finally found the final character to complete the Hot Wheels Toy Story 3 line of vehicles. I'm not sure why Turbo Chunk was so hard to find, but today while at K-Mart I saw a full case of Toy Story 3 cars and pulled Chunk out of the case. It looks like Toy Story 3 will earn the title of biggest movie of 2010 with a domestic gross of almost $400 million. Click HERE to see all the Toy Story die-cast cars to-date.

8/2/10 - Home of the Brave... and the Bold!
Well, I haven't found this in stores yet, but I couldn't wait, so I went the eBay route. What we have here is the beautiful Batmobile from the Cartoon Network animated series The Brave and The Bold. This ranks right up there with my favorite Batmobiles from Mattel. It really is a thing of beauty. I love the Bat-Face grill and the single fin in the rear. It's the first new Batmobile in the Hot Wheels main line in a long, long time. Mattel has done a lot of great things since they obtained the Batman license right around the same time I started this website in 2003! Gosh, I actually miss hunting down all the different styles and color variations of years past. Click HERE to take a stroll down Memory Lane.

8/2/10 - Faster...and More Furiouser?

Just as I was sitting here lamenting the lack of car-centric movies this year I stumbled onto this trailer for the movie Faster, starring Dwayne Johnson. I hadn't heard anything about this movie. From the trailer, I couldn't tell if Dwayne "Driver" Johnson was a good guy or a bad guy. But I checked IMDB for the synopsis:

"An ex-con sets out to avenge his brother's death after they were double-crossed during a heist years ago. During his campaign, however, he's tracked by a veteran cop and an egocentric hit man."

Faster will be in theaters in November. Click HERE to visit the movie's official website.

7/31/10 - Officially Unofficial
Johnny Lightning's Tom Z. tipped me off to a couple more "unofficial" star cars. Above, left, this 1950 Chevy Panel Delivery Van bears the familiar Cooter's logo. Ben Jones, who played Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard, has stores in Nashville, Gatlinburg and Branson, MO. This would make an interesting addition to your Dukes of Hazzard die-cast collection. The car above, right, put a huge grin on my face when I figured out what it was. All Tom Z. said in his e-mail was that it's "from one of your favorite TV shows." After doing a little Googling, I DISCOVERED that this was one of the many cars abused by the cast of Mythbusters! This particular car is known for crashing through a fence while being driven by remote control ... with Adam in the back seat!

7/30/10 - "Bustin' makes me feel good."
A special package arrived in the mail today (amazing, considering I've had three packages stolen since I've moved into my new apartment.) I'm glad I was home to intercept this one. The 2010 San Diego Comic Con Exclusive Ecto-1 from Mattel has materialized. Actually, I got it on eBay since I couldn't get anyone to pick one up for me who was going to Comic Con. The packaging is amazing. Once you take it out of the white box, the inner box is a replica of the trap from the movie. Nice touch! I love everything about this version: the painted details, the clear windows and ESPECIALLY the white wall tires!

I'm a little upset at Mattel for making this such a hard-to-get exclusive. The demand was strong since it sold out quickly at Comic Con. Now it's the eBay sellers and scalpers who are reaping the rewards. I read one post in the Hot Wheels Collectors Forum from a guy who somehow bought a BUNCH of them. It's just not fair. I paid quite a bit for mine, but at least I have one now.

8/1/10 UPDATE: This version of Ecto-1 replaces Johnny Lighting's version of Ecto-1A on the Top Ten Best list.

7/28/10 - Back to the Future - Japan!
My thanks go out to Jesper Juhl, who alerted me to this eBay auction. Apparently, the 1:64 scale Delorean Time Machine seen above is available at Universal Studios Japan in conjunction with Back to the Future: The Ride. With the exception of the wheels, it looks fairly well done. Hopefully, these will become common on eBay and I'll try to add one to my collection. In the meantime, check out THIS AUCTION.

7/25/10 - 2010 Concours d'Elegance of America
Earlier today I had the privilege of shooting video at the 31st Annual Concours d'Elegance of America at Meadow Brook. The event is one of the largest in the U.S. and boasts a gathering of the most exotic, rare, valuable and beautiful automobiles you will ever see, including one-of-a-kind marvels.

Take, for example, the car pictured at left. The 1960 DiDia 150 was built exclusively for singer/actor Bobby Darin who arrived at the 1960 Academy Awards in STYLE! Little did I know, however, that I would come face to face with a Hollywood car with an impressive list of credentials. Pictured below is a 1953 Nash Healey Convertible once owned by Dick Powell, the crooner who starred in several Busby Berkeley musicals (pictured below, left, with frequent co-star Ruby Keeler.) The same car was driven by William Holden in the 1954 movie Sabrina. It also appeared in the 1955 movie The Fast and The Furious. And, if you look closely at the image below, right, you'll see Superman himself, George Reeves behind the wheel of the car. It appeared in several episodes of The Adventures of Superman.

7/19/10 - Next K-Mart Cars Event?
Several keen-eyed observers at the Cars the Toys Forum noticed some interesting auctions springing up on eBay. Faux Wheel Drive, Gask-Its and Tach-O-Mint are being offered with rubber tires. So what does this mean? Well, those three cars (along with the Apple car) are the remaining race cars yet to be released at retail stores. Showing up with rubber tires on eBay is fairly good evidence these cars will be included in the next K-Mart Cars Collectors Event. If it's true, this is GREAT news, considering the last two K-Mart events offered nothing new. The next event will probably take place in October and if these cars are included, that will leave only the Apple car from the Speedway of the South set not to be released at retail stores.

7/18/10 - Garage Sale Find!
While hitting various garage sales over the weekend I found the above gem. Jill Munroe's '76 Ford Mustang Cobra II from Charlie's Angels is a tough find. If and when it does show up on eBay it usually sells for $25 or more. I snagged it for a mere $5. I used to have one when this wave of Hollywood on Wheels first hit stores in 2003 but I gave it to a friend. After Farrah Fawcett's passing I tried to get one for my collection but the prices had skyrocketed. Sometimes patience pays off.

On the TV series each Angel drove a Ford. Of course, Farrah Fawcett's character Jill Munroe drove the Mustang Cobra, but did you know Kelly Garrett (Jaclyn Smith) drove a '76 Ford Mustang II Ghia? And poor Sabrina Duncan (Kate Jackson) got stuck with an orange '77 Ford Pinto. I would love to see a die-cast car company release all three of these as a boxed set.

7/17/10 - Batmobile Shipping!
Several auctions have sprung up on eBay indicating the Hot Wheels The Brave & The Bold Batmobile is now hitting stores around the country. Nowhere does it mention The Brave & The Bold on the packaging. Instead, just scan the pegs for a yellow-striped card sporting the #49 in the top right corner. On eBay the car is being listed as 2010 HW Premiere Batmobile. I hope these are easier to find in stores than the now-legendary Ghostbusters Ecto-1.

7/14/10 - Comic Con Exclusives!
Wow, I just found out today that some amazing exclusives will be available at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con July 22-25. First up, we have a highly detailed 1:64 scale version of Ecto-1 from Mattel's Hot Wheels line (above.) Check out those beautiful white walls! Incredible! Next, we have Tokyo Mater with flames (below, left.) And finally, I don't know where this one came from, but I LOVE it, we have Wonder Woman's Invisible Jet! Check it out, it's just a clear piece of plastic, but it's brilliant! I'm not able to attend Comic Con, so I'm hoping any of my friends out there who will be attending will be able to pick these up for me. I'm dying to add these to my collection. Send me an e-mail and I'll be able to PayPal you the funds if you have an account.

7/14/10 - Just Add Water!
This was posted in the Hot Wheels Collector Forum. Mattel has released The Dark Knight Batmobile as part of its Hot Wheels Color Shifters line. Apparently, when you add water, the car changes from Camo to Black. I'll be on the lookout for this one during my toy runs. And don't forget, the die-cast Batmobile from The Brave & The Bold will be hitting stores in the next couple of weeks.

7/7/10 - Diamonds are Forever
My friend Chris D'Alessandro has done it again. He took a Hot Wheels Bugatti Veyron and created something you might want to keep in a safe deposit box. Check out his eBay page. The video really shows the car sparkle. Chris does amazing custom work and has created a couple of great cars for me.

7/7/10 - Down Under
I haven't posted much in the past week for two reasons: One, I've recently moved, and two, I haven't found much new stuff at the stores. The only thing I've found over the past week was the '73 Ford Falcon XB from Hot Wheels. The cardback reads: With fat muscular lines, Ford v8 engine and front spoiler and hood scoops, this Australian muscle car was made for down under duels. Of course, this car is famous for being the base car of Mad Max's Pursuit Special. Check out this thread in the forum that shows with a few modifications, and some hand-crafted metal parts, you too can create Max's ride.

6/30/10 - Rubbin' is Racing
Days of Thunder was released 20 years ago this week. I was living in California when it hit theaters and I remember the NASCAR community was up-in-arms about how their drivers were portrayed in the film. NASCAR drivers were good sports and didn't intentionally wreck anyone, they claimed. It's funny how things have changed. Now, whenever I catch a race on a lazy Sunday afternoon, drivers are tapping, hitting, and spinning other drivers into the wall. Post-race interviews mention revenge and retaliation. Announcers yell repeatedly, "It's llike Days of Thunder out there!" I, for one, couldn't be happier. It's fun to watch! There's no doubt the movie has influenced racing, including how the race is covered with in-car cameras to put you in the passenger seat.

In hindsight, Days of Thunder ranks among the most exciting racing movies ever made and features an amazing ensemble cast, including Tom Cruise as Cole Trickle, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and, one of my favorites, John C. Reilly! Both Matchbox and Racing Champions produced five different racecars from the film, but Matchbox also produced transporters and a Speedway Set. Click HERE to visit the Days of Thunder gallery and remember, never pass on the outside!

6/28/10 - Spitting Image!
Today, I found three new entries to the Cars Final Lap Series while shopping at Target, and trust me, these are pretty obscure. First, we have Lightning McQueen with cone (yawn.) Next up, we have Johnny and Jamie. Who are Johnny and Jamie you ask? Look at the still image below. In the bottom right corner there are two cars spitting over the edge. Those are Johnny and Jamie. This release tells me that Mattel's Cars line is, um, running out of gas.

6/28/10 - The Home of the Brave ... and the Bold.
Finally! Mattel has unveiled photos of its latest incarnation of the Batmobile. This time the car is inspired by the animated series The Brave & The Bold which premiered on Cartoon Network in 2008. It's a really unique design and I'm looking forward to adding it to my Batmobile collection when it hits stores in July. Click HERE to see pics.

6/27/10 - Mythbusters Spy Car
Mythbusters is currently one of my favorite programs on television and over the past few years they've tackled some fun car myths, including creating a working passenger ejection seat. Well, the episode I caught tonight instantly ranks among my favorites (it originally aired in April but somehow I missed it.) Jamie and Adam decided to test some spy car gadgets designed to deter someone in pursuit. Interestingly, I suggested this topic in the Mythbusters forum several times, most recently in March of 2009. Now I'm not taking credit for the idea, but it's nice to see they finally got around to it.

First, they tested the effectiveness of tire spikes. The spikes did puncture the tires, but didn't deflate them and were ineffective. Visitors to the Mythbusters Message Board cried foul and suggested they use hollow spikes next time. Next, they tried a smokescreen. On the first attempt, the interior of Jamie's car filled with smoke, almost causing him to crash into a wall. After mounting the smoke canisters differently, the device proved quite effective. Then, the Mazda Miata dumped vegetable oil on the road. The pursuing car lost traction, but still kept up. Later in the program, in a Spy VS Spy moment, Jamie and Adam secretly developed his own contraption to outwit his pursuer. Adam tried to deploy a parachute, which looked great, but was ineffective. Jamie devised what he called the "tailgater terminator." Again, the device SHOULD have been effective, but in the end, Jamie was nabbed. I'd like to see the guys revisit this particular myth and devote an entire episode to developing a working Spy Car! For more information on Mythbusters click HERE.

6/23/10 - Chasing Cars
I found a new Cars character hanging on the pegs at Toys R Us. Marlon "Clutches" McKay was all by himself. No other new characters were hanging on the pegs. Marlon is the latest character offered as part of the "blinky eyes" series.

6/22/10 - "Wanna see something cool?"
The trailer for new Green Hornet movie has appeared online. I was curious how Seth Rogen (who often plays a slacker in movies) would step into the role of Britt Reid. Seeing the trailer, it seems Britt Reid is, well, a slacker. But when his father is killed, Britt is moved to do something with his life and with the help of Kato (Jay Chou) The Green Hornet is born. This should be an interesting spin on the superhero genre. Cameron Diaz has a role, too, and I hope she gets the chance to show off the kick-ass skills she demonstrated in Charlie's Angels (2000.) The Black Beauty (above) is featured heavily in the trailer and shows off its arsenal of weapons, which is awesome news. Unfortunately, it appears the release date has been moved back (AGAIN) this time to January 2011. I'm assuming it's because the movie will be released in 3-D. Click on the image above to see the trailer at the official website..

Also, rumor has it that Auto Art has the license to produce The Black Beauty in 1:18 scale. I'll post here when I get official confirmation.

6/21/10 - Go with the Flo
I finally found the jaw-dropping Flo's V8 Cafe' 5-car Gift Pack at a local Toys R Us. Not only are Flo, Mia & Tia new castings (holding trays) but there is a brand new character, as well: Hank Hallsum (a repainted Dexter Hoover.) The best thing about it? NO BLINKY EYES! This is a welcomed addition to my Cars collection. Kudos to Mattel for this one!

6/19/10 - Flea Market Finds
While I was out and about today I decided to stop in at the Dixieland Flea Market for the first time in a long time. I spotted a vendor selling a lot of die-cast cars and decided to take a look. I came home with a few cool, older pieces. Pictured above is a complete set of cars from the 1990 movie Dick Tracy. I've always liked the colorful artwork on this set. I wish Ertl would've produced more cars from this movie.

Also, I found this boxed set of vehicles from Batman Returns, also made by Ertl. The packaging isn't in GREAT shape but the vehicles are pristine. The grand total for all these cars? $16. I'm going to have to hit flea markets more often. It's fun to find old things at a great price.

6/17/10 - Striped Tomato
When I first started collecting, I ripped open packages to display my die-cast cars loose in a display case. As the years passed I had some regrets destroying some of the more interesting cardbacks. In my quest to pick up vintage pieces with unique artwork I was finally able to add the above piece to my collection: Corgi Jr.'s Ford Torino from Starsky & Hutch. I've placed quite a few bids over the past year or so, but got consistently outbid until I finally won this on eBay for a decent price. The above pics have been added to the Starsky & Hutch Gallery.

6/14/10 - "...it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks..."
I'm finally able to add a piece to my collection that I've been trying to get for a long time now. Ertl produced a 1:64 scale Bluesmobile way back in 1980. The paint job is horrible and Johnny Lightning did a FAR better job on the car. But what I love about the Ertl version is the cardback. Check out the image above featuring Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi. This one will definitely stay in its package and display nicely with my 1:18 scale Bluesmobile I recently got from sponsor Movie Car Mania. "It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

6/14/10 - Nice Butte
With all the time I spend in the toy aisles at all the major retailers it's shocking and frustrating when I just can't seem to find a certain piece. After awhile, I just give up and resort to eBay. Recent examples are Chase Bling Bling McQueen (with Piston Cup), Final Lap Wrecked Mood Springs & Jay Limo, and the piece you see above. I have never, EVER seen Chase Van with Stickers at any store. So I caved and bought one on eBay. When it arrived, IT HAD NO STICKER! Apparently, Mattel shipped out a TON of Vans WITHOUT STICKERS! ARGH! So I was told to search auctions that mentioned "Nice Butte." So I bid again and THIS TIME the correct Van arrived. You have to look closely at the rear of the van to spot the sticker on the bumper(above, right.) Sometimes this hobby can be SO frustrating.

6/12/10 - CLS Car Show
I drove out to Wayne, Michigan today to check in with my friends at the Community Living Services car show. Among the Hollywood cars that were on display were Mel's Monkeemobile, Mike's Ghostbusters replica and a beautiful replica of the Ford Gran Torino from Starsky & Hutch. Unfortunately, the rains came soon after I arrived and everyone scrambled for cover. We threw a plastic tarp over the Monkeemobile and waited for the clouds to pass. Community Living Services is a fantastic organization and my appreciation goes out to my friends who brought their cars out. Click HERE to find out more about CLS.

6/12/10 - We All Scream for Starscream
When the Transformers RPMs 2-Packs were released by Hasbro in 2009, each set was numbered 01 of 08, 02 of 08 and so on. Initially, I found 6 of the 8 pairs, but had no luck finding the last two pairs. I had totally forgotten about them until I walked into an out-of-the-way K-Mart. As I wandered around the die-cast aisle, I saw some unfamiliar RPMs. FINALLY, the 2 pairs I've been missing: 07 - Ironhide VS Starscream and 08 - Rollbar VS Sideways. The new pics have been added to the Transformers Movie Gallery.

6/12/10 - Back from K-Mart
I just got back from K-Mart's Cars Collector's Event and I have to say it was a complete snoozer. It was the first event of 2010 (the last one taking place in October of 2009) and it was the lightest turnout ever. There were only three adults and one child waiting for the event to start. K-Mart staff pulled out a whopping 12 cases so there were plenty to go around, but unfortunately, there was nothing in the cases to get excited about. Sadly, THREE of the cars are making their SECOND appearance at the event. Transberry Juice, Sputter Stop and Spare O Mint all made an appearance in 2008. Fiber Fuel and Vitoline have been previously released as launchers. Gasprin was offered in a 2-Pack with Towcap a few years ago. Dale, Jr. and RPM have been hanging on pegs since 2007. Granted, these all have synthetic rubber tires, but apparently, that's just not enough to bring collectors into the stores. The reason for the low turnout, in my opinion, is the lack of NEW CHARACTERS! The K-Mart event used to be exciting because it was a chance to pull new characters and chase cars right out of the case. But since the last two events have offered nothing but re-releases, I'm afraid the event has lost its appeal. I hope the people responsible for the event make some major changes for the next event which will probably take place in the fall, if it takes place at all.

6/11/10 - Joining the Bat Family...
I heard the 1:50 scale "Penguin-Mobile" has hit stores, so I popped into Toys R Us today looking for it. Instead, I found something I didn't know had hit stores yet: the 1:50 scale Batboat from Batman Returns. What a nice Bat-Suprise!

6/11/10 - The A-Team: My Review
I had the privilege of attending a press screening of The A-Team on Tuesday morning. I can't imagine anyone in that theater was more excited than me to see the big screen adaptation of the beloved TV series. The movie got to the action as the opening credits were still appearing on the screen, and it barely took a breather the rest of the way. Much of the action defied the laws of physics but it was all in good fun. The casting is what saves this movie. Liam Neeson plays Hannibal Smith with a gleam in his eye and seems to be enjoying every minute of it. Bradley Cooper brings a likeable ruggedness to the character of Face. Sharlto Copley (of District 9) puts his own spin on the lunacy of Murdock. And while Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is no Mr. T, he's likeable in the role of B.A. Baracus, although, I think his character came across as too soft and not bad-ass enough. The only actor that seemed to be miscast was Jessica Biel, who is just too darned beautiful to be a convincing military Captain. I liked the quick pacing of the editing (as the scene would jump back and forth from Hannibal's plan to the team actually carrying it out) and there were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but the story of stolen currency plates just seemed underwhelming. I guess money is always a catalyst to make people do bad things, but I wished more was at stake in this movie. I wanted The A-Team to do battle with a more formidable foe. I liked the movie, but left wanting more. Hopefully, a sequel will meet my needs.

Now here's the part that REALLY irked me. When we meet B.A. Baracus, we the audience are duped into thinking he's rescuing a damsel in distress. Instead, when he says, "Whassup girl, did you miss me?" the camera reveals he's talking to his beloved red-striped GMC van. Later, B.A. is behind the wheel of the van when he meets Hannibal Smith for the first time. Hannibal convinces B.A. to help him liberate Face from his captors. I couldn't help but grin when the van crashes onto the scene, forcing the enemy to scatter. This was probably my favorite moment in the movie, and I was hoping for more. But then, shockingly, just minutes into the film, the van is destroyed as Murdock joins the team. It's "pancaked" by a falling rooftop air conditioning unit. I kept hoping the van would somehow reappear later in the movie during a pivotal moment, but to my disappointment, we never see the van again in the movie. I was stunned. I don't quite understand why the writers felt compelled to destroy so early in the movie what I feel is equivalent to a main character! The van is the fifth member of this crack commando unit! I can only hope that B.A. is presented with a new van at the start of the next installment, if there is one.

6/10/10 - Connect with me on Facebook.
Well, I've finally gotten around to creating a Facebook page for Hollywood Die-Cast. I've had my own personal page for a couple of years now and it's been fun connecting with family and friends. I figured it's time to network with those of you who share my passion for TV and movie cars. Click on the link at left and feel free to post your thoughts, opinions, photos and links related to Hollywood cars!

6/10/10 - Follow Me to K-Mart!
Just a reminder that the next K-Mart Cars Collector's Event is scheduled to take place THIS Saturday, June 12th at 11am at participating K-Mart stores. I've been to every event so far and I'll be there this Saturday, despite the disappointing selection. People seem to be excited about Dale, Jr. being offered, but everything else has already been released in one form or another, only this time with synthetic rubber tires. I have a feeling this wave will be hanging on the K-Mart pegs until the next event rolls around and HOPEFULLY next time they will give us one or two cars that haven't been offered already. See you at K-Mart!

6/9/10 - "I love it when a plan comes together."
While making the toy rounds today I stumbled across The A-Team Van at Target and Toys R Us. It's not die-cast metal, but it'll have to do for now. It's made by a company called Jazwares as a vehicle for their line of 3" action figures. With two double-A batteries (not included) a push of a button plays dialogue and sound effects from the movie and makes the headlights flash. One interesting note: When I saw the movie on Tuesday morning I thought the van was all black with a red stripe. But when I opened the toy, the light hit it just right and I noticed the area above the red stripe is actually a dark gray, just like the van from the original TV series. This toy will have to hold a place in my collection until someone decides to produce a die-cast metal version of this iconic van. By the way, check out this article I wrote for the website www.movieretriever.com.

6/7/10 - Transformers: Metal Heroes
Way back in February of 2010 I saw the first reports of Hasbro releasing a die-cast metal line of Transformers RPMs. Since the initial waves were plastic, I was excited to see Hasbro was releasing a Metal Heroes Series. I checked the stores on a regular basis looking for this new wave without any luck. Fast-forward four months and still no sign of them in stores. On eBay, all the sellers are in countries like Singapore and Taiwan. I'm beginning to wonder if Hasbro has any intention of selling these cars in the US. I bid on Optimus Prime and Bumblebee and they arrived in the mail today. If it wasn't for the Metal Heroes Series text on the packaging these would look no different than their plastic counterparts. But they're METAL and that's what counts! I sure hope Hasbro eventually releases these in the good ol' USA. Until then, you'll have to pick up characters like Jetfire, Soundwave, Ironhide, and Barricade on eBay.

6/7/10 - Sneak Previews!
I picked up the June issue of Previews from Diamond Distributors to see what will be shipping later this year. There were several things that caught my eye:

6/3/10 - Cool Custom!
When I came home from work today I found a package in my mailbox containing a pretty amazing gift. A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from Chris D'Alessandro of Florida. (He's the one who customized my James Dean Porsche Spyder 550 a few years ago.) He offered to customize another car of my choosing. The first one that came to mind was the Hot Wheels Ferrari Daytona Spyder 365 GTS/4 that was included in the Valentine's Day series. The Daytona Spyder is the same make and model that was used in the early seasons of Miami Vice. I mailed it to Chris and after a couple of weeks it arrived at my doorstep. Check out the pics above (the pic on the right shows the car next to Matchbox's Ferrari Testarossa.) The work is just amazing. Here is what Chris said in an e-mail:

"The one thing that's been bothering me about the Daytona that you sent me is the red colored windshield. It would drive me nuts to get the car done and it has red glass. I tore the entire car apart and also some other Hot Wheels of mine and am building an entirely new windshield.....complete with side view mirrors. I will even have the correct license plate on the car. The wire wheels are even being created by me. There's no way we can keep those stock rims."

I'm speechless, Chris. Your work is amazing. I'm not sure how to thank you other than to say, "Thank you." Here's a great Wikipedia Article about the cars of Miami Vice.

6/3/10 - Feeling a quart low?
While at Toys R Us today, I found this cool 3-car set featuring Flo (with tray) and Waitress Mia & Tia. This particular set has blinky-eyes cars. I saw in the Cars the Toys Forum that Toys R Us is currently getting a FIVE-CAR gift set that also includes Mater and Hank Hallsum WITHOUT blinky-eyes (below.) I'll have to keep my eyes open for this gift pack and if I find it, I'll probably return the blinky-eyes set.

6/1/10 - Going Once. Going Twice.... SOLD!
There are a couple of amazing movie cars going up on the auction block and they could be yours ... IF the price is right! First up, we have an Aston Martin DB5 actually driven by Sean Connery in the movies Goldfinger and Thunderball. It has been in a private collection for 40 years but will be up for sale in October of 2010. Estimates say the car may go for $5,000,000! There was another Aston Martin DB5 used in Goldfinger, but I was told it mysteriously disappeared from a locked and guarded airplane hangar. Click HERE to read more.

Also, my dream car is currently up for sale on eBay. An incredibly detailed replica of the Delorean Time Machine seen in Back to the Future can be yours for the Buy It Now price of $60,000. Believe me, if I had the money, I wouldn't hesitate to buy this baby. It has the time circuits, Flux Capacitor, and even Mr. Fusion. Check out the AUCTION. You won't believe your eyes.