Another large update as the site continues to grow, been a little while but as usual we have been working to add some great new items.    We also have a few additional in the works..........

April 2009

Quick update:

            Replacing Broken Glass by Gerry Lauzon.  Gary shows, in the second of his series, how to replace broken glass on a damaged die cast. 

March 2009

Our update for March 2009 includes three new How-To's:

            Repairing Damaged Glass by Gerry Lauzon.  Gary shows how to restore clear plastic glass to an almost new state. 

            Converting a JL "Zinger" by MINI-MOTORS, Inc. in which they de-zinger the traditional Johnny Lightning Zingers and create more realistic cars. 

            A Matchbox Premiere Transition by MINI-MOTORS, Inc. which shows the transition from a regular Matchbox to a World Class Matchbox. 

1stPix Diecast Dioramas has sent us some pictures to post of the great diorama layout they built - check it out  > Click Here <

We also did some housekeeping on the site. 

Previous highlights include:

Another incredible diorama build by Vaughn H called The Shop .    Hope you enjoy this project as well!!

Added an incredible diorama build called The Saw Mill by Vaughn H.    The details here are awesome and incredibly realistic.  Hope you enjoy this project.

A restructured format has been put in place.  Everything is still here, just structured better for the new customizer and the advanced customizer.  Hopefully you will find the the site easier to navigate. 

A new idea came to us in our last update called  Printables.   Jason R has now updated his original layout and provided us with two more layouts - an additional Parking Lot and a Gas Station layout.  We thank Jason for these additional pieces.................  

A main page has been added for The Checklists.  This promises to be a HUGE project and we have all ready been working diligently to get that started.  We will be presenting pieces as they become available. 

A new section has been designated called DECALS  -  and true to its title it pertains to just that.  Starting off the new section is a piece we compiled about removing some of tose ugly the manufacturers put on the die cast - Tampo Removal.    We will also be adding a full detailed feature about using the Testors Decal Kit - that will be up shortly. 

We added an in-house piece for our Diorama area on the building of a display table using very simple building techniques -  Making a Display .

Lastly, at the request of some folks who had viewed some of our picture from some recent real car shows we have been at, we added a REAL car section and have posted three links to shows and museums we have been to.  Those can be accessed from our home page and are toward the lower portion of the tool bar.  These are high def pictures and each page may take a while to load on lower speed connections.  Hope you like them. 

That is it!!  Another huge update, we hope you will enjoy. 

Thanks to everyone for your support and help!!

Coming Soon: 

The Collection which will showcase some spectacular die cast collections.

Mini-Motors, Inc.    

Email:  mini-motors@comcast.net

July 2007

A new idea for Hot World comes in the form of what we are calling Printables.   Jason R has contributed a parking lot printout that he created for use in displaying his castings.  While printed flat, this awesome layout is great for an office desk or shelf, just to add some realism to your collection and it also gives an organized method for displaying.  "Keep between the white lines!" 

New project from Sini - The Making of a Mazda Lantis - Sini has out done himself this time by creating a casting not made in 1/64th scale from scratch.  This one can't be missed. 

A second new Project has been submitted by Mark M.   In Creating a Land Rover Defender 110, Mark creates a 110 from two exsiting castings.  This was completed prior to the casting of the pieces by Matchbox in 2006/2007.  Great feature and a lot of tips that can be applied to other projects. 

We have also spent an extensive amount of time adjusting all the pictures on the site to a larger sizing.  We are hoping this will help with the viewing of the features and provide clearer pictures for those of you with the larger format monitors.  This change has been made throughout the site. 

We have also updated our Links with a few new sites.  Hope you enjoy them. 

September 2006

Two new Scale-Master How-To's - He has outdone himself once again.   HWs Transparent Chevelle and Restoring a Lesney Ferrari.  We also added a new Scale-Master Gallery to display some of Scale's favorite pieces....

Steve Mason has contributed a Gallery of his diorama as well as How-To instructions for building Shop Furniture.  Great pictures and instructions. 

Gary Wilcox has put together a GREAT piece on chemical use which we added to our Safety Page - Great overview of the chemicals we hobbyist use everyday.

Our Scale Reference includes a new conversion chart with more specific references to measures that pertain to each scale.  This was contributed by a gentleman named Andrew. 

A number of new ideas for paint stands and a casting work cradle have been added for your reference -  Coat Hanger,  Wooden Dowel and  Turntable

March 2005 

ANOTHER New How-To by Scale-Master - Conversion of the new "Jackhamer" Acceleracer to '50s Cruiser.  Another premium piece from the master himself!!  Don't miss it 

Added a number of links to our supports and viewers sites - check them all out  >HERE<

February 2005 

New How-To by Scale-Master - Conversion of the new Mustang Acceleracer to Eleanor.  Another premium piece from the master himself!!  Don't miss it 

Updated the Photography Page to include some of the more advanced mega pixels camera to memory conversion.  Will be working on a total ravamp of this page in coming months.  

Added a link to KB Kustoms Custom Message board on our sites page.  

We hope you like all of the new changes and enjoy the new pieces that have been added.  

December 2004

In an effort to make one of the best message boards there is, Hot World Customs has teamed up with Joe's Diecast Shack to consolidate into ONE central Message Board.   We will also be partnering with Joe's Diecast Shack (the main site) to bring all of the custom information to Hot World Customs and move all of the articles and general diecast information to Joe's Diecast Shack.  We have worked with the Shack on a plan that will partner the two sites and allow for each to flourish with the information they know best!

In addition to the above we have consolidated all of the custom information from Joe's here on Hot World Customs.  All of our articles and manufacturer information has been removed and future pieces will be available at Joe's.  

Hot World is excited to be involved with Joe's and invite all of you to be a part of the fun!

Additional additions:

Many new step-by-step projects in our How-To Section!

Our 1/64th Truck Section includes Showcase 1 and Showcase 2 pictorials, How to Stretch a Tractor Truck tutorial and how to make Stacks for your truck.  All are great expansion pieces to our existing Truck area.  

We also added a special are dedicated to Mark "Scale-Master" Jones - an extremely talented decal maker/painter - his transitions are phenomenal and worth checking out - his menu page is listed under The Scale-Master on the tool bar.

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We are continuing to look for more and more areas for expansion.  And more and more information to include - if you have contributions or areas you would like to see please contact us at the email listed below.  We appreciate all comments and suggestions.   We are also looking for a limited number of sponsors to help maintain the site.  

The INFORMATION area is presented in two ways: First, one huge step-by-step process that you can follow through with your project from beginning to end.  Or, Second, you can easily jump right to the particular section that interests you in the Tool Bar to the left. We hope you find this site easy to navigate, informative, and invaluable. 

This site was designed for customs by customizers for referencing customizing information.   We've tried to cover  most every question you may have, answer many you may have never thought of, and document this vast information base with many step-by-step photos. Our hope is that both novice and expert customizers will refer back to this site time and time again and use this as "The Master Custom Reference Site".

Thank You to the huge contributor's efforts.  In particular, Fred B. and all the individuals who made the original Van Designs site such a success and those who have contributed to this new site and will keep the momentum rolling.  This is truly a testament to incredible outcomes, when a group of people who share the same passion can combine all of their knowledge.  This website was in no way intended to be a competitor to any other customizing site. We all share the same interest, and it is our belief that a site such as this only adds to the customizing excitement and to the world of little cars! 

Thank you one and all!!

Thanks again for checking us out and for supporting our sponsors who really make this happen, they are listed below. 

Sincerely,

The Hot World Customs Team

Let us know what you think mini-motors@comcast.net

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