First Look: Hot Wheels 2015 Nationals Dinner Exclusive Larry Wood Turbine Time...

I didn't attend the dinner last Thursday night. I probably should have.

By all accounts, it was a memorable event. Howard Rees roasted the legendary Larry Wood, and it was old school Hot Wheels heaven for the folks that attended. Of course a major curiosity was what the Dinner Model would be. It would most certainly be a Larry Wood design, but a classic "Elwood" or something new?

It was, in fact, a new model, and initially it brought on a bit of shock. As attendees started posting the model on Facebook and Instagram, the initial response was not enthusiastic, to say the least. The Turbine Time is Larry's latest, and it definitely contains that Larry Wood touch, but the fact that the casting is plastic rubs a lot of collectors the wrong way. And a plastic model does not a Dinner Model make.

But as Dinner attendees returned to their rooms, and as folks at the convention started getting a good look at the model, opinions started to change. The first thing everyone notices was that the body is metal, and that makes this one heavy casting. And after that was determined, folks started focusing on the model itself. The flat black paint, the simple and very retro deco, and detailing, the dark chrome, and those fantastic wheels. We could do a full post on the wheels alone.

So by the time the Convention was coming to a close on Saturday night, the Turbine Time had gone from a dud of an exclusive to a sought-after star. Prices started to rise, and the model started flying out of rooms. If you would have asked me on Thursday night if I would buy one, it would have been an emphatic "No!", but by Saturday I was burrowing through rooms trying to find the best deal on one.

And thankfully I found one. This model is marvelous. It might look nice on the card, but it looks amazing loose. So that is what we did, and we are excited to show it off. The model was obviously designed by Larry Wood, but it has come to life thanks to designer Steve Vandervate, who created the deco.

We have no idea whether another Turbine Time will enter the Lamley collection, but at least this one will stay. I am tempted to say it is the star model of the convention, but a fancy Greenwood Vette might have something to say about that.

We have a feeling a few of you might want one. eBay is essentially the only way