My first morning hunt...

Jobe Friday, 3/4/2011

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Was out last night running errands and swung by my closest Walmart. Nothing good on the pegs but found Holiday cars in the clearance section for $1 each! Picked up several cool ones, they're all metal too!

Anyway I was watching some videos the other night of the big time collectors that raid Walmart, target, etc when they open everyday....nuts I said, I'm not that crazy. Well, this morning I decided what the hell, Target opens at 8am and it's just a mile or two out of my way. I was one of 3 guys hunting for Hot Wheels! lol. The pegs were empty because they are having a sale for 79 cents again...cleaned out and not restocked yet but the boxes were sitting there in the aisle. I turned tail and left empty handed, they were still hovering.

Too funny. Not sure if I'll try that again. The walmart is open 24/7, not sure when they stock.

But I see these gigantic displays on the videos online, I've never seen anything like it here and I've been to a handful of Walmarts, Targets, Toys R us. Just usually a couple rows of pegs and that's it. There are a few new 2011's I want, I could care less about finding treasure hunts and the like.

I had to confess...I felt funny waiting for the store to open this morning...but I guess I wasn't alone!


Discussion

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JDC442 3/4/11

The only time I tried doing the 'wait for the store to open' thing was when Toys R Us was doing a 2 or 1 sale. There were at lease half a dozen people there before me and it was madness when the doors opened. I ended up getting a lot of cool cars, but never did that again. If anyone ever wonders why there often aren't any really new/cool cars on the pegs, well this is why.
I like your 'buy only if a dollar or under rule' so you don't risk becoming a actual 'collector' Jobe
I got some of those Christmas Hot Wheels for Christmas and they are super cool, all metal w/ sweet paint jobs.

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Jobe 3/4/11

Yeah, lately the pegs everywhere have just been 1/2 empty or cars I don't care for (alot of 2011 for some reason).
Where are the FTE cars? Mystery cars? I really want a Tucker! I want to find one of those big dump bins of cars...

Yeah, the under $1 rule has worked well so far. I also am buying cars just for the wheels or modification ease sometimes. I really dig the 58 edsel holiday car, and the purple passion wagon...sucker is heavy!

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Jobe 3/4/11

Lunchtime update. I hit a Target and a Walmart on my way back from a jobsite today at lunch. Scored some of the cars I've been looking for...and Target has them on sale for 76 cents, the Walmart had them at 78 cents!

I got my Mini Cooper (2), Ferrari Italia 458 FTE, Enzo, and the Back to the Future Delorean. Also got a few other 2011 cars, circle tracker, and some other odds and ends since they were on sale. Found in walmart, shoved in the back was a 2004 Rocket Oil Special from the Wastelander series. It was really beat up and the front axle was bent....so odd. Wondering if collectors were sneaking in as gags for their friends?

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redlinederby 3/4/11
Site manager

I guess everyone has to try door warming at least once, huh? I have yet to partake in such madness and I don't think I ever will, if for no other reason that I'm never ever up prior to 8a on any given day...and I don't plan to. My sleep is far more valuable than a few THunts...especially since those cars would just get ripped open and thrown down the track!

But I guess that's why I don't like to call myself a collector...at least not in the circle of diecast folks. To my friends I'm a serious collector but I rarely ever diverge from the basic line. The $1 Xmas specials is a good score though, I'll have to walk through my Walmart and see if they have any marked down.

Believe me that I'm not a fellow that gets embarrassed easily but waiting for doors to open at a TRU or Target to raid their Hot Wheels pegs is too much for me. I admire your "I don't care" attitude, Jobe! haha...that's dedication to your art.

Although maybe I should grab my video camera and do an expose on Hot Wheels door warmers! That'd be worth a few good laughs at least. "The Cut-throat World of Collecting"

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Jobe 3/4/11

I think you may be onto something. A mock-u-mentary of the diehard diecast collecting world...

Now if we could only make a Hot Wheels role playing game!

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redlinederby 3/5/11
Site manager

Don't tempt me. It's crossed my mind before. There is a table top game called "Car Wars" that can make use of diecast cars. Haven't played it but I think it's a Mad Max fantasy game where you put guns on your cars and shoot each other, then buy more stuff, etc, etc...

Car Wars - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_Wars

All that said, I'd love to figure out how to create some sort of game out of collecting cars, beyond just racing. I spent some of this weekend learning mobile development and figured out how to get GPS location so something like a Foursquare for Hot Wheels is even more possible to me know. If all goes well, there will be a mobile version of the Fantasy League pretty soon. It won't have all the functionality of the non-mobile version but you'll be able to enter cars and pick brackets.

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Jobe 3/5/11

Ha! I might still have my copy of Car Wars...I played it in middle school! It was made here in Austin by Steve Jackson Games.

Now I better go look for it!

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JDC442 3/5/11

All that said, I'd love to figure out how to create some sort of game out of collecting cars, beyond just racing.

Sounds interesting. Tell me more.
I always thought it would be cool to put together a virtual dream collection which would include some of the old redline originals.

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redlinederby 3/6/11
Site manager

I talk pretty regularly with a guy that works for Steve Jackson Games. He's a toy guy too - @philipjreed - and runs http://battlegrip.com - it's mostly action figure reviews and stuff but he has done some Hot Wheels reviews in the past, which is actually how I found him in the first place...only after did I find out he's a SJG guy. He worked directly on Zombie Dice, I know...which is pretty fun and has a free iPhone app too.

I think I need to move to Texas. Toys, Hot Wheels and games are all there!

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Jobe 3/23/11

Follow up here...was out measuring a few things on a building we're working on at my office.
Got done quickly and swooped by Target right as they opened again.

Same guy I saw last time was 40 feet ahead of me in the parking lot, guess he's a regular!

Found him at the pegs, said hello and asked if there was anything good. He just kind of mumbled no and walked off.
Oh well!

I found a Ferrari California FTE, two more Ferrari Italia 458 FTE's, and a couple of new cars. Honda S2000, another Ferrari...p330? can't remember and some other funky car I thought looked interesting.

that is all...

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JDC442 3/23/11

swooped by Target right as they opened again.

Same guy I saw last time was 40 feet ahead of me in the parking lot, guess he's a regular!

Found him at the pegs, said hello and asked if there was anything good. He just kind of mumbled no and walked off.
Oh well!


See Jobe, that's who you'll become if you get too serious about collecting!

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Jobe 3/23/11

Say it ain't so! At least I take mine out of the package!

I need to curb my buying. I do end up giving away a lot of cars though...and taking them apart...
I"m stopping my personal cars at 4 jammers cases. I thought 3 would be enough!

Maybe I need to start selling my customs on ebay!


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