Colin's Toybox: Introductory Post

Many car enthusiasts know that getting a foot into this amazing hobby is started at an early age. For me, that "early age" came very young. Before I could actually pronounce words in their entirety, I was mumbling words like "Corsica", and "Tempo", and I think "Fiero". Like most children growing up in the early-to-mid-1990s, I was drawn to the various Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars that lined the shelves of the local Wal Marts and Targets; unlike a majority of kids my age, I did not really care for the fantasy cars. I greatly preferred the models based on real cars, with realistic paint schemes and non-goofy window and tampo colors.

As I got older, I began to develop a taste for diecasts other than basic Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars; I started buying 1:24, and then a bit later I acquired my first 1:18. But, this where I differed. Some diecast collectors only focus on a specific brand of diecast, while some limit themselves to a particular brand of car, and yet still some only buy for the sake of investment. I am all over the board; I tend to gravitate to cars that I have an interest in. But herein lies the problem. Since my automotive tastes jump all over the board, so does my diecast collection; I have Hot Wheels muscle cars, Matchbox trucks, Johnny Lightning classic cars, and offbrand contemporary cars. Basically, if it has caught my eye in any way, shape or form, it came home with me. And this trend continues today.
With the demise of retail stores stocking diecasts, I have turned to the internet to supplant my collection. On the internet, the selection of cars is far greater than one could hope to ever find in stores; and that's not including ebay. I rarely shop on ebay since it is a hassle for me as I'm a bit iffy on online spending and buying from stranger/non businesses. I have recently developed a favorite site called Milezone. Fast shipping, great selection, and a cool rewards system that lets you return rewards for money and essentially buy cars free once you have enough reward funds.

I used to keep my cars in the original package, and did so for quite a while; then I got to thinking. What good does it do to buy cars and never actually see them? Over the weekend, I plan to open the vast majority of my carded collection, and showcase them here on Sunday nights. I will showcase the first batch of cars next weekend, starting off with a smattering of Hot Wheels cars from my childhood.