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NASCAR memorabilia auction to help drive awareness of the need for speed in researching a cure and treatment for breast cancer, Brewco Motorsports, in conjunction with VIVA® Towels and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, will host an on-line auction of NASCAR memorabilia, the proceeds from which will go to support the BCRF.
The 10-day eBay.com auction will run October 14 – 23, 2006. Bidders can find a link to the auction and an up-to-date list of available items at (www.brewco.com). Items will include autographed diecast cars, hats, gloves, sheet metal, and more from drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, and others, including Brewco drivers.
The auction is one element of partnership between VIVA®, Brewco, and the BCRF, that will work to raise awareness and dollars to help combat breast cancer. Brewco will run a special VIVA® Towels/BCRF pink paint scheme on Brewco’s No. 27 Busch Series Ford Fusion in the Yellow 300 at Kansas Speedway (September 30) and the Dollar General 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (October 13). The paint scheme will feature the pink ribbon that has come to symbolize breast cancer and the crew and driver will wear special firesuits for the two races.
In addition to the paint scheme and auction, from now through October, VIVA® will also sell pink No. 27 baseball caps online at www.officialraceshop.com. All proceeds from the auction and hat sale will go to support BCRF.
VIVA® is contributing a minimum of $100,000 to BCRF and offering inspirational prints through the month of October to honor the women who struggle with breast cancer.

Source: Insider Racing News 9/27/06

GMP just released a limited edition replica of a 1934 Ford Rat Rod that was created by Crazy Ben, a noted rat rod builder and junk yard owner. In true GMP fashion, the 1:18th scale model was replicated with exacting detail. The little details and nuances are too endless to list. From the flat black paint, skull shift knob, retro white wall slicks, suicide doors, flat-head V-8 and three carburetor pipe stacks, this model is pure "RAT". Yet in true "Rat" form, the model is stripped down to the bare necessities. Except for a few red accents on the engine and interior, this car is all business decked out in mostly flat black paint and matte finished engine and hardware. This is a real cruiser, not a trailer queen. This car is part of a very limited manufacturing run of 1000 cars worldwide . Short run GMP models usually don't last long, so don't miss out on this great car.

Available at Movie Car Mania.

Ewan Arnolda from MovieReplicars.net continues to add new features to his site that is dedicated to movie car replicas. MovieReplicars.net has one of the most extensive collections of movie and TV car replica photos and manufacturer information available on the net. Recently, Ewan added an extended photo showcase that features the 1969 Dodge Charger, the General Lee, from the hit TV show and movie Dukes of Hazzard. The extended showcase shows detailed photos of both the 1:24 and 1:18 versions of the General Lee car. Ewan plans to add more extended showcases in the future and will highlight one of my favorite movie cars, the 1932 Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti in the next showcase. If you are a collector movie and TV car models like me, you will find MovieReplicars.net an invaluable resource.


Both of these cars are available through Movie Car Mania.



Update: MovieReplicars.net posts their extended showcase for the 1932 Deuce Coupe from American Graffiti

The 20th annual Hot Wheels convention will be held on October 11 - 15, 2006 in Orange County, CA. This years convention will feature the world's largest custom Hot Wheels contest, autograph sessions with past and present designers and exclusive limited run Hot Wheels cars. Also, new for this year will be a charity poker tournament. So, if you are a collector of the die cast hobbies most recognizable brands, this show would be a must visit. For more information and ticket info, visit the official convention website.

Jada just announced a new line of die cast collectible cars - "For Sale". This is a very unique looking new line and a departure from their Dub City, V-Dubs and Bigtime Muscle lines. The new line features classic Mustangs, Cadillacs, VW buses and pickup trucks in rusted and primer paint schemes. As Jada states, these 'diecasts are classic old skool to new skool vehicles that could be found in a junkyard or your neighbor's driveway'. These cars are just what most car collectors dream of finding hidden away in a remote barn. These new cars will be offered in 1:64 and 1:24 scales and will be "For Sale" in October.

This week AutoArt released two new 1:12 scale die cast model cars. The first is the #3 1954 Jaguar D-Type Rheims 12hr race winner driven by P.N. Whitehead and K. Wharton. The second is a Metallic Silver Lamborghini Gallardo. Each car is finely detailed and retails for $399.95 each.

The 1/64 scale Hot Wheels cars that captured many a kids fancy from the 60's are now capturing top dollar. Yes, the little cars that used to cost 99 cents and that I would beg my parents to buy are still one of the top collectibles in the model car hobby. Millions of the little cars have found their way into a child's collection, yet very few of the original 60's cars remain. All too many of the cars went the way of my collection - the landfill. What a pity, now the cars that I used to play with for hours making vroom, vroom sounds until my lips turned blue are now selling on eBay for more than $1000. If I only knew when I was pretending to be Godzilla and stomping them into the dirt that these 99 cent playthings would be worth as much as a down payment on a real car. Recently, this 1968 Ice Blue Baracuda sold for $1414.50 on eBay. So, if you are one of the lucky people who still have some of the original Hot Wheels laying around in your junk drawer, count your blessings. As for me, I keep looking under my parents couch everytime I visit just in case one is waiting for me to find it.

With the June 2006 release of the movie "Cars", Pixar Studios continued to add to their list of blockbuster animated features. I was one of the many people who eagerly awaited the release of the film and rushed to see it as soon as it was in theatres. As a collector of movie car replicas and the owner of Movie Car Mania, I was even more pleased to know that a full line of 1:55 scale die cast cars would be released in conjunction with the movies release. I received the first shipment of Cars in May and they disappeared as soon as they were posted into inventory. I was flooded with requests for the cars. Each shipment of new cars sold faster than the prior. The demand for the cars outpaced the supply and Mattel was unable to keep up with the demand.

Throughout this new collector craze, I have been able to interact with some great people who have shared with me their experiences with collecting their sets of Pixar Cars. There were parents, grand parents and siblings who promised their loved ones a complete set of the cars only to find out how difficult a task it would be. People became driven to find that last Lizzie, Nitroade or Leakless to complete their collection. And then there were people like Michael B. from Seattle, who shared his story below, who even took on alter egos of one of the characters to entertain and appease their children.

I'll have you know...my car (a Black Suburban) is now officially called Red. My wife's car (a Nissan) is Sheriff. We have a small boat...it is Strip. My son refers to them all as such...and when we are driving...every time he sees a green car...that's Chick and we're racing it. I don't know whether to love it or hate it. I may need counseling when this is all said and done.
Michael B. - Seattle, Washington.

Alas, we take a brief respite as Mattel gears up for their next release of cars. Mattel and Pixar have whetted our appetites for these little 1:55 scale gems and periodically release new cars to keep us wanting more. I suspect and hope that Mattel will continue to release more cars up to and possibly beyond the November 7th release of the "Cars" DVD.

If you would like to share you collector story, please forward the story to me at the ModBlog.

Pre-order your copy of

"Cars"

Additional resources for movie car replicas, visit these great sites:

www.MovieCarMania.com - Specializes in selling movie car replicas, as well as muscle cars, street rods, F1 cars and classic motorcycles.

www.MovieReplicars.net - Great site that is solely dedicated to diecast, plastic and dioramas of TV/Movie related models

www.Hollywood-Diecast.com - A website where you will find the most definitive gallery of die-cast toys based on cars and vehicles from TV and movies.

Welcome to the eModelli.com ModBlog. ModBlog was built for model car collectors and enthusiasts. Find out the latest model car news, tips, reviews and hobby show information. Occasionally, I will stray into the full scale auto world to report on interesting stories. Also, I welcome you to share your stories on how you became involved in this great hobby of model car collecting.

I hope that you will enjoy the eModelli ModBlog.

Please visit our sponsor Movie Car Mania seller of collectible movie and TV die cast model cars, as well as, muscle cars, classic motorcycles and street rods. www.MovieCarMania.com