| Collecting diecast vehicles consists of acquiring | | | | July 1956 under the supervision of Mettoy Playcraft |
| specific items based on your particular interests, such | | | | Ltd. in Swansea, Wales, along with Dinky Toys, and |
| as airplanes, cars, trains, ship models, etc. Although | | | | the American Tootsie Toys, which is one of the |
| some people just accumulate them, this is a | | | | most wanted brands of collectors worldwide. |
| passionate hobby for most folks, in which the | | | | However, there are many other popular |
| genuine collector organizes carefully those items to | | | | manufacturers from the United States, Japan, |
| catalog them and proudly display them. The depth | | | | Germany, France, Italy, Spain, etc. |
| and breadth of every collection is as unique as every | | | | Rarely a diecast collector completes a collection |
| collector is, and they are the ones that determine if a | | | | because new models of cars are always available, |
| collection will focus on a specific subtopic within their | | | | and collecting never stops, you can always expand or |
| area of general interests or if they only want to | | | | start an entirely new collection in a subtopic, such as |
| accumulate determined items. As an example, a | | | | cars, then sport cars, vans, etc. From Hot Wheels to |
| collector may collect diecast vehicles trying to | | | | Matchbox and from Bandai to Tomica, including all the |
| accumulate any or all of them, while another individual | | | | other brands, diecasts models include popular |
| could prefer collecting only a model, brand or | | | | automobile marques. Packard, MG, Morris, Hillman, |
| marquee. | | | | Austin, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Citroen, Opel, Triumph, |
| Diecast vehicles and toys are an example of a | | | | Talbot, Gwynne, Vauxhall, Reliant, Singer, Bristol, |
| collection that is never-ending. When you start | | | | Wolseley, Innocenti, Healey, Siddeley, BSA, Darracq, |
| collecting these vehicles it is like traveling back in time | | | | Crossley, Jowett, Frazer Nash, Northern, Renault, |
| until the early decades of the 20th century when | | | | Ford, Chrysler, and the classics Jaguar, Mercedes |
| manufacturers such as Tootsie Toys in the United | | | | Benz and Rolls Royce, just to name a few. |
| States, or Dinky Toys in the United Kingdom first | | | | Broadening a collection is not that hard, even when |
| produced the first diecast toys. Because the term | | | | focusing on a single marquee, because there are |
| "diecast" refers to any product produced using the | | | | different models from the twenties, thirties, forties, |
| casting method, the first models on the market were | | | | fifties, sixties, seventies, etc. Hence, every diecast |
| small cars or vans without plastic windows. | | | | Collector has a world of possibilities when gathering |
| Over time, the vehicles were made of plastic and | | | | diecast models from almost any period of time as |
| metal, more commonly an alloy of zinc and aluminum, | | | | early as models from 1885, when the first automobile |
| including not only cars but also scale models of | | | | driven by internal combustion was introduced by |
| airplanes and trains, although automobiles are still the | | | | German inventor Karl Friedrich Benz, to actual models |
| favorites among all of them. With more than 50 | | | | in modern car showcases. |
| popular brands including Altaya, Bandai, Brooklin, CMC, | | | | Diecast vehicles come in various scales, the most |
| Dragon Wings, Exoto, Guisval, Ixo, Jada, Johnny | | | | popular ranging from 1:28 to 1:64 scale, although |
| Ligntning, Kyosho, Lledo, Matchbox, Minichamps, | | | | many collectors prefer focusing their collections on |
| Norev, Plasticos Argentinos, Racing Champions, | | | | the 1:43 and 1:50 scales. Diecast toys were originally |
| RCCA, Revell, Tekno, Tomica, UT Models, Vitesse, | | | | designed for children, but the collecting boom started |
| and the popular Hot Wheels introduced by Mattel, | | | | during the 1950's when grown children stated to keep |
| among others. | | | | their cars instead of throwing them away and adults |
| Like with other popular collecting fields, diecast | | | | discovered them as valuable collectible items. |
| collecting has specialized commercial dealers that | | | | There is computer software that is made just for |
| trade vehicles and related accessories. In fact, many | | | | collecting diecast vehicles. Anyone who has a small or |
| individuals start collecting cars as a hobby to become | | | | large diecast vehicle collection can easily keep track |
| dealers at a later date, either turning this hobby into | | | | of what vehicle they have, the color, condition, cost, |
| a profession, or as a means to get extremely rare | | | | value, scale and lots of other info for each record |
| vehicles for their own collections, while they help | | | | (vehicle). This is the most easiest to use software of |
| other collectors in their pursuit of showcase-model | | | | it's kind, and it is made 100% for diecast collecting. |
| cars. In the United Kingdom, there are teams | | | | The software is described in detail and you can |
| specialized in visiting small and larger toy fairs to | | | | download a free demo version of it at this website |
| acquire incredible cars, in good conditions from Dinky | | | | address: |
| Toys and Corgi, the main British collectibles | | | | By Robert W. Benjamin |
| companies. Dinky Toys was first introduced in early | | | | Copyright © 2006 |
| 1934 by Meccano Ltd of Liverpool, England, | | | | You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter |
| presenting a new line of modeled miniatures, as | | | | or on your website as long as it is reprinted in its |
| diecast vehicles were first known. | | | | entirety and without modification except for |
| Corgi Toys began producing scale model cars until | | | | formatting needs or grammar corrections. |