Die Cast - Summer 2012

Experience the new
April 28–29, 2012
long BeAch
convention center, cA
Collectors Expo! by Mike Zarnock
For the past 10 years, RCX has rocked the hobby with a weekend of fun, hands-on excite- ment and an opportunity to meet and talk to some of the top people in the industry. Diecast has always been a part of the show, but this year, we’ll be bringing the new Die Cast X team,
a new level of commitment and a new name: the Die Cast X Collector’s Expo, taking place on April
28-29, 2012, at the Long Beach Convention Center.

What’s the point? It’s simple: like our co-collectors who love RC, we know that diecast collectors have a true passion for the hobby, appreciate automobiles in every scale, and know, as we do, that collecting isn’t just a pastime— it’s a lifestyle. We want to promote the hobby, and that lifestyle, by sharing our common bond. Cars are cool in every scale, and we know that there’s always something for everybody when we all get together.

The Rundown (so faR)

As we went to print, we had confirmation that Jada Toys is sending along a crew, and so is M2 Machines; in fact, head designer Sean Taylor (profiled in the Spring 2012 issue of DCX) will be on hand to talk to collectors about his brand’s impact on the hobby—and the new deal they’ve penned with the incomparable Chip Foose on his new diecast line. Sean will also be bringing a special release to the show— our very own DCX 1969 Camaro Pace Car.

And for the Hot Wheels fans … Larry Wood was a Hot
Wheels designer at Mattel for 40 years, and was inducted
into the first class of the Die Cast Hall of Fame (with me
and Joe Kelly Jr.) in 2009. Larry’s got over 280 differ-
ent Hot Wheels
designs to his
credit—with his
first being the
“Tri-Baby” from
1970—and he’ll be
bringing some of his
rare prototypes, sketches, and even some of his 1:1 cars
to the event. Some of those real cars were made into Hot
Wheels; you probably played with some of them. Eric
Tscherne is a 2011 Inductee of the Die Cast Hall of Fame,
and was a Hot Wheels designer at Mattel from 1998 to
2004, best known for his import tuner type designs.
Eric’s style brought about the “Hot Tunerz” line, which
led to many of the ‘Tooned,”“Fatbax,” and “Hardnozed”
series. Eric designed over 25 different cars during his
tenure with Hot Wheels; after leaving Mattel, he went
on to design the “Chub City,” “Dub City,”“Import Racer”
and “Big Time Muscle” cars for Jada Toys. From there he
worked at Johnny Lightning, where he created the “Full
Throttle” line, featuring designs from Chip Foose and
TLC’s Overhaulin’ TV series.

Top: “I should’ve bought my checklist,” says an eager collec- tor. Middle: Mattel’s Larry Wood. Bottom: Sean Taylor from M2 Machines. Left: David Chang’s exclusive “Evo” event car.