Photo: THunted
I almost can't remember the last major expo event I visited. My former job usually involved flying to Japan, Germany, France, Italy, and the UK to meet corporate managers in the automotive industry. It was fun, but it wasn't easy.
If you have never attended such an event, I recommend trying it. I particularly enjoyed visiting Frankfurt's Automechanika, the Essen Motor Show, the SEMA Show, and the Tokyo Auto Salon. You'd always see the coolest modified/stock cars, tonnes of diecast models, and hundreds of industry stars. Just wear a comfy pair of shoes and clothes for the job.
I think my record was over 20 miles (32 km) in a single day, browsing through a certain event's halls. I was fond of any event's RC/Model Car sections. And yet, I have never attended a Diecast Expo before. Still, I was lucky that the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon had a line for people looking to buy a special Initial-D release from Tomica, containing the Rotary Brothers' RX-7s.
Going to these events, you may be lucky, too, as there's always something special to look at or even purchase for your collection. The second annual Hot Wheels Malaysia Collectors Convention is coming up fast, as it will take place on the 27th and 28th of July!
I'd love to go there myself and seriously consider attending next year. For now, I'm stuck at home looking at the limited-edition Honda Civic EG, the official convention car for this year. Of course, it's a replica of a 1:1 scale vehicle featuring a relatively simple red, white, and blue livery. It's a limited run of 1,000 units, so I can already imagine how much it will go for once it hits eBay.
Someone asked $850 for last year's Toyota Supra, but that's a 1 out of 500 units model. If you can't make it to Malaysia this month, you've got two more chances to get the Honda at a more affordable cost. That's because it will be available at the Indonesia and Singapore Diecast Expo events. That adds an extra 2,000 units to the market, with 1,500 Civics for the first event and another 500 for the latter.
As far as I can tell from afar, the card art is slightly different for each one. A diehard collector will try to get all three variations, which may cost over $1,500. I'm telling you, buying Convention Cars is a much more costly adventure than it is buying Super Treasure Hunts. Given how things have changed for the Red Line Club in recent years, Convention Cars are some of the rarest money can buy. But the only way to avoid paying a premium price is to pay for airplane tickets and hotels to make it to these events in person.
I think my record was over 20 miles (32 km) in a single day, browsing through a certain event's halls. I was fond of any event's RC/Model Car sections. And yet, I have never attended a Diecast Expo before. Still, I was lucky that the 2016 Tokyo Auto Salon had a line for people looking to buy a special Initial-D release from Tomica, containing the Rotary Brothers' RX-7s.
Going to these events, you may be lucky, too, as there's always something special to look at or even purchase for your collection. The second annual Hot Wheels Malaysia Collectors Convention is coming up fast, as it will take place on the 27th and 28th of July!
I'd love to go there myself and seriously consider attending next year. For now, I'm stuck at home looking at the limited-edition Honda Civic EG, the official convention car for this year. Of course, it's a replica of a 1:1 scale vehicle featuring a relatively simple red, white, and blue livery. It's a limited run of 1,000 units, so I can already imagine how much it will go for once it hits eBay.
Someone asked $850 for last year's Toyota Supra, but that's a 1 out of 500 units model. If you can't make it to Malaysia this month, you've got two more chances to get the Honda at a more affordable cost. That's because it will be available at the Indonesia and Singapore Diecast Expo events. That adds an extra 2,000 units to the market, with 1,500 Civics for the first event and another 500 for the latter.
As far as I can tell from afar, the card art is slightly different for each one. A diehard collector will try to get all three variations, which may cost over $1,500. I'm telling you, buying Convention Cars is a much more costly adventure than it is buying Super Treasure Hunts. Given how things have changed for the Red Line Club in recent years, Convention Cars are some of the rarest money can buy. But the only way to avoid paying a premium price is to pay for airplane tickets and hotels to make it to these events in person.
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