Caroll Shelby, who's Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR form inspired KITT in the 2008 series, passed away Thursday night in Dallas - he was 89. Shelby's first success came in the 1906's with the Shelby Cobra, which was a line of high performance vehicles that challenged the speeds of Ferraris and Porsches. More on USA Today
With the countdown to this years San Diego Comic Con underway, Mattel has begun to reveal this years exclusives. And while they don't have any picture available yet - they have confirmed via their Matty Collector website, that there will be a Hot Wheels® K.I.T.T. Knight Industries Two Thousand exclusive available at the show and limited run afterwards. We're of couse in touch with them, and will keep you updated as more information gets revealed.
Diamond Select Toys has been having a banner year for the Knight Rider fans, first with the release of their Minimate series, then the KITT license plates, and now this. Coming this fall, we'll see the release of a 1:15 KITT, complete with doors that open (and fit a 3 3/4" figure), and electric lights and sounds.
As far as we know right now there will be two variants. The standard KITT only will be available this October, while a variant with Michael Knight action figure will be available in January. You can pre-order the KITT version from these retailers for $50.00 on average. The Michael Knight one from Entertainment Earth for $59.99.
We'll have more info in the weeks ahead, including a look at the electronics and interior! Looking forward to seeing what Diamond Select cooks up next!
Be sure to have your DVRs set this week, as the voice of our good pal KITT makes an appearance on Grey's Anatomy! William Daniels, who just celebrated his 85th birthday last month, will be playing the proctor as the shows residents take their medical exams. Be sure to watch the preview for this weeks episode to catch an early glipse. Grey's Anatomy airs this Thursday at 9/8c.
We were recently lucky to catch up with the team behind the upcoming 1/18 diecast of KITT, from Hot Wheels Elite! They say KITT is doing well, and provided us these images of the latest KITT tooling model that they just received from their engineers. Note that these images aren't a final product, but rather a work in progress as they constantly refine to get a perfect accurate model.
And if that wasn't exciting enough, they've also shared a recent video of the scanner light in progress! This is just one of the many features this product will have in addition to:
Pretty beautiful stuff so far, can't wait to see how it turns out! It's currently scheduled for release in the last quarter of 2012.
The Knight Rider Festival is just over a month away celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Knight Rider! It is taking place on May 18th and 19th in Fremont Street, Las Vegas. Now in it's fourth year, the Festival's primary mission is to be a free event for the fans to benefit the Children's Miracle Network and make a difference in a child's life.
This year, producer Paul Casey has combined Knight Rider Festival with Las Vegas Car Stars, to create a colossal event with an amazing assortment of both stars and cars. Be sure to check out the special guests for the latest agreed stars - new surprises being added every day!
If you are a replica car owner or even a classic car owner, you still have time to register, so be sure to sign up and not miss out on all the fun stuff in store.
Discounted rooms are still available, however staying on property this year does not get you into the VIP party, that is a separate fee - which is more flexible allowing everyone to experience the festival the way they want to.
We'll be there live covering it again, and can't wait to meet some new faces and see some old friends!
The first officially licensed replica "KNIGHT" plate, is now available from Diamond Select Toys! Printed on sheet metal, and then pressed to achieve the classic plate feel - it's the perfect signature piece for either the Knight Rider Festival coming up in May or the Southern Knights Atlanta in July. Retails for $35.
This is the third product release this year, they also do the Minimates line which we reviewed back in Janurary. Coming in May is the release of the Toys R Us version of the Minimates KITT (with red shirt Michael and classic KITT mode). And be sure to be on the look out in Previews for the latest on the electronic KITT, with retailer exclusive version.
You can find your nearest comic retailer via comicshoplocator.com
Toy Fair 2012 is going on this week in New York City, and Diamond Select Toys - the company behind the awesome Minimates - took the opportunity to show an updated 1:15 KITT and SPM KITT. With the press portion beginning today, we are beginning to see some photos of their booth containing these models.
These aren't the final models, so obvious defects remain - however they are more further along than what we were last seen at SDCC. Also check out the license plates for KARR and KITT, a nice collectable for many fans. Enjoy!
[ thanks to ASMzine.com for reporting! ]
Happy Birthday to Catherine Hickland! Catherine played Michael Knight's fiancee and (short-lived) wife Stevie in three of Knight Rider fans' favorite episodes. She was also married in real life to David Hasselhoff. In recent years she has become a tremendous friend to the Knight Rider fandom, and even has her own KITT replica. She is a big supporter of the Knight RIder Festival in her home town of Las Vegas.
Here's a bio of her as published in Parade Magazine back in 1999. She currently hosts a comedy-hypnosis show in Las Vegas.
Happy Birthday, Catherine!
It had been rumored for more than a year that Hot Wheels would be doing the Elite treatment for Knight Rider. Today we have our first official confirmation from the Nuremberg Toy Fair that things are moving along nicely, with a hopeful 2012 release.
It started with the HotwheelsElite twitter account teasing us with a view of a tall poster with Michael Knight and the phrase "Nobody Tells Me What To Do. Except My Car." with two display cases with silver KITTs inside.
Thankfully the site toycollector.com got a much closer look, and we get our first up close peak at these models. The models shown here are tooling models, but the attention to detail so far looks amazing! Can't wait to get our hands on these.
In addition to these two Elite models, we've been told that there will also be a 1:64th scale KITT for the 2012 Hot Wheels First Editions line. No specific release date or pricing has been released, however Hot Wheels Elite is saying that both the 1:18 and the 1:43 will be limited to 10,000 pieces.
[thanks to jjsocrazy and motor_head !]
If you've been itching to get your hand on these toonified creations from Minimates now finally is your chance. They've became available in your local comic shop recently, and from what we hear have been tough to keep in stock. Check out comic shop locator to find a retailer nearest you, or at a speciality store online. Remember that MSRP is $14.95, so be careful to not over pay.
Diamond Select Toys was kind enough to send us some of them our way for review, and boy are these items well done! Currently available is the SPM KITT with Michael in blue shirt, and KARR with Garthe Knight (the standard KITT with Michael in red shirt is a Toys R Us exclusive not released). While the scale does prevent them from replicating every exacting detail, there was a lot of little nice touches that made me smile. From little things like Michael Knight having his wrist comlink, to a pretty successful execution of a dash and upper and lower consoles. The cars themselves have working doors, while the figures are pretty posable, allowing you to bend them into any staged situation you wish. And while KARR and Garthe never teamed up in the series, you know that is where the writers were going to take it eventually!
There is some minor assembly required, primarily in applying decals. Be sure to give extra time and care when applying them in the interior due to the cramped working area.
For the diehard fan, or for the young kids at home, there is no reason not to buy this and enjoy. Hours of fun is about to be had, DST and Minimates have a great product on their hand, we can't wait to see what comes next.
We are giving away one SPM KITT with Michael Knight and one KARR with Garthe Knight to a lucky reader thanks to DST! Simply fill out the form below to enter.
We will be meeting up with Diamond Select Toys at the Toy Fair in NYC next month, where they plan to reveal some updates of their licenses including Knight Rider!
Glen Larson at a Knights of the West Coast car show, 2008
Not only does 2012 mark the 30th anniversary of Knight Rider, but also the 75th birthday of Glen A. Larson. By creating Knight Rider in the 1980s, he captured the imagination of the world, and empowered them to believe that one man can make a difference.
We would like to take a moment for fans like ourselves whom he inspired, to say "Happy Birthday!" and we look forward to what the ride has ahead.
Watch Glen A. Larson receive honors at Knight Rider Festival.
Starlog magazine ran this profile of him in 1997:
[Glen Larson's] greatest success was Knight Rider, which put Hasselhoff behind the wheel of K.I.T.T., a Pontiac Trans Am with a mind of its own...Knight Rider appealed to Larson because it fulfilled a part of him that enjoys science fiction, particularly when it becomes science fact. "K.I.T.T. was the first car in America that had L.E.D. readouts on the dashboard," he notes proudly. "And it could also steer and brake itself. Now we're looking at automobiles that have radar-activated brakes and steering. So it's fun to contemplate where we can go. Many of the things we developed for K.I.T.T. were done by young designers who did work for Mattel and others. We didn't go to the usual Hollywood shops to design an interior. It's fun to stretch the envelope a bit, and we're doing that with NightMan, taking him beyond what has been done. It may not be on the shelf right now, but these are things humans could develop."
NBC revised Knight Rider several years ago in the TV movie pilot Knight Rider 2000, but Larson (who wasn't involved) was disappointed by the results. "They missed the point," he observes. "I don't think they understood the series or what made it work in the first place. They went off in the wrong direction. The audience was there, but the movie didn't appeal to them." The property is being reprised anew this fall as Team Knight Rider, and Larson hopes they do a better job this time.
Douglas Snauffer - Starlog, October 1997
Knight Rider collectibles are about to be brought to a whole new level, with an upcoming release by Minimates! Popular with collectors for their unique playfulness, they create products that are faithful to the spirt of the licence, while varying as needed for a 2" inch figure scale, appealing to the simple collector and fanboys alike.
We've been teased with images from their Knight Rider license prototypes for several months. They have just released some shots taken with the final production models. Gone is the matte finish, mold lines, and what we are left with is a slick product that we can't wait to get our hands on. In the gallery above, any images on the white background are from the original prototypes, while the city shots are final production items.
We spoke with Diamond Select Toys about them, and got some clarification on where you'll be able to obtain these. There will be three models will be available starting in January, but some may be harder to find than others:
Minimates has other Knight Rider products in the pipeline (including a version with electronics), so if these items sell well - there will be more to come! We will let you know when we learn more.
It's that time of year again! Time to start planning your trip to Las Vegas for Knight Rider Festival IV, celebrating 30 years of Knight Rider. Once again, a block of discounted rooms has been set aside at The Golden Nugget Hotel. Make your reservation now - The Golden Nugget is at the heart of the activity for the weekend and it's a great place to stay.
The Knight Rider Festival takes place May 18-19, 2012.
Call the Golden Nugget Hotel at 1-800-634-3454
Book with the Las Vegas Star Cars group, code #1EH24D
As 2011 comes to a close, we just wanted to take a moment to hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and will have an enjoyable new year!
We wanted to apologize for the silence here as of late. As you are sure aware, sometimes life takes you to crazy places that force you to take some time away. And while we've been working on amazing things in our absence (that we'll soon one day be able to share), it was unfair of us to do so without warning.
For 2012, on the year of the 30th Anniversary of Knight Rider, exciting things will happen. Can't wait to share the ride with you.
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