First Look: Hot Wheels 2013 Convention RLC Party Exclusive '70 Dodge Power Wagon...

I finally hit a Hot Wheels convention.

Well, kind of.  The Hot Wheels Convention in Garden Grove happened to hit on the same weekend as the can't-miss-for-me Japanese Classic Car Show in Long Beach, so it gave me a chance to have a looksie.

So no events, no VVM's, no dinners, sneak peeks, autograph sessions, waiting in line, etc.  Just a bunch of room-to-room wheelings and dealings and putting some faces to names.

The only other diecast convention I have been to is the Matchbox Gathering of Friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico, every July.  And I have been there six years straight.  It is MUCH smaller than maybe any Hot Wheels event, but that smaller size is one of its strengths.  The group is very close-knit, the focus seems to be more on "gathering" than buying, selling, and accumulating models, and it is very relaxed.

I didn't feel that in Garden Grove, but then again I didn't really experience the entire thing, so I really cannot give any definitive comparison.  Maybe if in the future the Convention falls once again on the same weekend as JCCS I will give it a full shot and actually attend all the events.

But let's talk models.  Like it or not, the exclusive models bring a lot of people out.  They might not be the reason collectors return, but the limited numbers and big, heavy castings sure to appeal to a lot of collectors.  Drag Buses, Chevy Panels, Blown Deliveries.  Collectors can't contain themselves.

But those models, including the Dairy Delivery and new Drag Dairy, don't really appeal to me.  I can get behind the occasional Gulf-deco Drag Bus or clean-looking Blown Delivery, but most of the time those models don't appeal to me.  So the incentive to go is that much smaller.

But then I saw the Dodge Power Wagon made in pink (as is the tradition) for the Friday-night RLC party.  The Power Wagon, seldom used, is a casting I really like (this city boy has a thing for old pickups), and my goodness it looks good in pink.  And that was in photos posted on HWC.  It wasn't until I saw one opened and on display in the room of HWC member "beerchamp" that I knew it was a must-have.  So I got one.  I paid a hefty price for it, but it was worth it.

Why was it worth it?  Uh, easy.  All you have to do is look at the photos...


(Want it?  Your only chance to find the RLC Party Exclusive '70 Dodge Power Wagon is on ebay...)


Hot Wheels '70 Dodge Power Wagon (2013 HW Convention RLC Party exclusive):

Tell me how you can keep this thing in this packaging?

oooooooo....shiny.....

Just Unveiled: Hot Wheels Datsun 510 Bluebird RLC Exclusive in BRE racing livery...

Well I am back from a whirlwind weekend in Los Angeles, highlighted by another fantastic Japanese Classic Car Show on Saturday.  I also was able to pay a visit to the Hyatt in Garden Grove and take in a bit of the Hot Wheels Convention.

I will be sure to show what I came home with here in a little bit, and it was nice to finally put a few faces to names.  One of those names and faces was Mark Kasimoff, more commonly known as Racegrooves on youtube.

Mark and I had a nice chat on our respective endeavors, and it was nice to get to know him.  And just this morning, I got an email from Mark sharing an image that we agreed will excite our Lamley readers.

On Saturday night at the final convention dinner (which I did not attend), Mattel shared some tidbits on what to expect in 2014.  Racegrooves filmed the entire presentation, which you can see in its entirety here:

Mattel Sneak Peaks, Q&A, 2013 Hot Wheels Convention

There are quite a few gems to be seen, including (finally) Marty McFly's Toyota Pickup from the back to the Future Series.  But one really caught our eye, and Mark was nice enough to share the image with us at Lamley.

Say hello to the 2014 RLC Exclusive Datsun 510 Bluebird in BRE Racing livery:

From what we know, the model will be released in spectraflame red with the full John Morton BRE deco, and will will roll on the Neo-Classic Redline wheels.

So yes, the obvious first question:  Is this exactly like the Vintage Racing BRE 510 that was released a few years ago, and has risen to crazy expensive prices on ebay?

Let's take a look:

Livery-wise, yes.  All the details are there, as they were on the Vintage Racing version.  Both have metal bases as well.  Obviously the two distinct differences are the wheels and base color.  Clearly the model spectraflame red will look quite a bit different, and in that way the model will pay homage to both John Morton and his BRE racer as well as nostalgic Hot Wheels.

I love it.  It is great to see Hot Wheels putting more Japanese love into its premium line, and it further solidifies all the chatter that 2014 is the year of JDM at Hot Wheels.

Now how to get it.  To guarantee you can reserve one or two on the day it goes on sale (whenever that will be), you have to be a member of the Redline Club on HWC.  Memberships are sold out for 2013, and 2014 memberships will become available sometime early next year.  They are also reserved for collectors here in the US, which I hope will change someday.

It is our hope here at Lamley that our US-based readers can connect with overseas collectors who want them, and we can all work to get as many as we can to those who want them.  I have no idea how popular this model will be among the US collectors, who tend to favor their Drag Buses and Blown Deliveries, or if it will sell out before it is made available to the general public.

But I hope these can get to those collectors, here in the US and abroad who want them.  Let's figure out something when we know more...