Anyone here collect diecast model cars? I do.

[AccordWarrior]

Sparked by a post by owequitit in the "what did you buy today" thread, the topic of 1/18 models came up. I've been a pretty avid 1/18 collector since I was in elementary school. Over the years my collection has grown and shrunk, but with the onset of COVID and having spare time I got back into the hobby a bunch. Here's my collection. I'd love to see yours.

IMG_9668 by Mike M, on Flickr

• Ertl The Fast and the Furious Mazda RX-7 - Dom's
• Ertl The Fast and the Furious Honda Civic - Heist
• Ertl 2 Fast 2 Furious Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution - Brian's
• Ertl 2 Fast 2 Furious R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R
• Ertl The Fast and the Furious Toyota Supra Turbo - Brian's
• Ertl The Fast and the Furious Mitsubishi Eclipse - Brian's
• Greenlight 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT Sedan - Mad Max Interceptor "The First of the V8s"
• Greenlight 1973 Ford XB Falcon GT Coupe - Mad Max Pursuit Special "The Last of the V8s" - Revision #2 with lettered tires
• AUTOart 2006 Subaru WRX STi
• Bbuargo 1997 Chevrolet Corvette modified with BBS LM wheels and modified turn signals
• Hot Wheels Elite 1963 Volkswagen Beelte - The Love Bug
• Hot Wheels Elite 1963 Volkswagen Beetle - Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

IMG_2450 by Mike M, on Flickr

• Revell 1992 Acura NSX
• AUTOart GC Subaru Impreza WRX Sedan (JDM)
• OTTOmobile / Kyosho Mitusbishi GTO
• Kyosho Mazda FD3 RX-7
• Kyosho Z32 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo
• Jouef Evolution Z32 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo
• Solido 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo Targa
• Solido 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo
• AUTOart New Age Impreza WRX Sedan (JDM)
• AUTOart New Age Impreza WRX Wagon (JDM)
• Ottomobile 2008 Subaru WRX STi (JDM)
• Ottomobile 2003 Subaru WRX STi (JDM)

• IMG_1342 by Mike M, on FlickrHot Wheels EK Honda Civic EX Coupe
• Ertl The Fast and the Furious Honda S2000 - Johnny Tran
• Ertl 2 Fast 2 Furious Honda S2000 - Suki
• Ertl 2 Fast 2 Furious Mazda RX-7 - Orange Julius
• Ertl 2 Fast 2 Furious Toyota Supra Turbo - Slap Jack
• Ertl 2 Fast 2 Furious Mitusbishi Eclipse Spyder - Roman

IMG_1773 by Mike M, on Flickr

• Ertl 1969 Oldsmobile Hurst Olds Cutlass
• UT Models 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS
• Ertl 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS LS-6
• Maisto 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
• Ertl 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona
• Ertl 1969 Camaro SS
• Ertl 1969 Plymouth Road Runner
• Ertl 1973 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am SD455
• Bbuargo 1997 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe
• Bbuargo 1992 Dodge RT/10 Roadster

IMG_2451 by Mike M, on Flickr

• UT Models BMW 328i Sedan (E46)
• Bburago Porsche 911 Carrera (993)
• OTTOmobile DC2 Honda Integra Type-R (96 Spec)
• OTTOmobile EK9 Honda Civic Type-R
• Sunstar 1981 DeLorean DMC-12
• Sunstar 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 - Back to the Future Part 2
• Tonka / Polistil Lamborghini Countach 5000QV
• Model Car Group 1982 Ferrari 308 GTS
• UT Models 1996 Porsche Boxster
• Revell Porsche 914
• Maisto Ferrari 348 TS
• Hot Wheels Ferrari F355

IMG_2452 by Mike M, on Flickr

• Hot Wheels Honda CRX
• Ertl 1982 Pontiac Trans Am - KITT
• Maisto 1999 Ford Mustang GT
• Bburago 1997 Chevrolet Corvette (C5).

I need to modify the following:

• Bbuargo Ferrari 288 GTO. I have the Tremonia transkit and the Bburago F40 wheels, so let's hope for the best.

I have the following on pre-odrer:

• OTTOmobile DC2 Honda Integra Type-R (EDM 1998 Spec)

I'm waiting for the follow to be released and / or released in the US

• OTTOmobile R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R
• Greenlight 1974 XB Falcon Sedan Mad Max "Big Bopper"

I have some fun cars in my collection, some I've had for ages, some I've paid entirely too much for. The FnF cars were all $24.99 at Toys R Us when they were brand new. With few exceptions I paid $100+ for each of the cars except Brian's Eclipse and Supra which I had bought back in 2004 when they first came out. I actually sourced Roman's Eclipse for just under $100 when the average transaction price for one of those on eBay was $200-300. My Skyline and Johnny Tran's S2000 were from the UK. The 3000GT is a rare 1 of 300 Otto / Kyosho joint project and the white STi hatch is similar in that it was only sold in Asia. I've had a ton of fun over the past few years tracking a ton of these down.

[owequitit]

That is awesome! I am jealous of some of those Hondas! I'll post mine later once I get a chance to take some pics. I'll try to get the rest of my stuff too.

[CyborgGT]

I mainly stick to Hot Wheels/1:64 because of the space they take up. I have a few larger models (such as that exact 1:18 of Dom's RX-7, and the 1:24 CB9 Accord I posted in the 'latest purchase' thread. I do plan to get a few more in 1:24/1:18 when my funds aren't so wrapped up in my wagon build, but only a small handful of dream cars; can't wait for one of those quality brands to make the new Cayman GT4 RS. I could see myself collecting up a bunch of larger Hondas, though.

My 'rotary' display:

[owequitit]

Most of my stuff is in the form of 1:64, but I gradually collect 1:18 as I find ones I like and I have decided to start dabbling in 1:43 as well.



This is my Toyota/Lexus/Mazda/Subaru shelf. The Lexus LS400 is a Road Tough that I found in a thrift store.



Here is my current Honda shelf. The Civic is obviously the ricey Si model that was offered by Hot Wheels, and the S2000 is a Maisto that I bought when the car came out.



This is my GM/Chrysler/American Odds and ends shelf. No 1:18 here, but I do have some cool M2 stuff that I have collected over the years. I am most likely going to break this shelf down and convert it to Honda also.



This is Porsche shelf #1. As you can see, I am a big fan of the GT3, so I have several. They also happen to be the most common Porsche models available.

-I have a Maisto 911GT 4.0RS
-Welly 997 GT3
-Welly 964 911 Turbo (essentially the Bad Boys car in white)
-Welly 1967 911 Carrera RS
-Ertl 959 that I got when I was 7

There is also a ton of HotWheels/Matchbox odds and ends of all sorts.



The second Porsche shelf also dovetails into Volkswagen (for obvious reasons).

The Bug is just a 1:18 Maisto that I happened across one day.



Here is my Datsun/Nissan shelf.

There is a 1:18 240Z and then a smaller scale 240Z. I also have a new 240Z that is customized (pic below) that I need to put there.



Next is my Ford shelf, where the only 2 1:18 I have are both Maisto in the form of a 1968 Mustang GT and a Ford Bronco Badlands.

The truck and the lead sled are both Ertl ones that my Grandfather picked up at garage sales before he died and kept them in his workshop. Again, there are various cool special edition 1:64 cars that I have found over the years.



This is my Shelby shelf.

-Maisto Shelby GT500
-Shelby Collectibles 1966 GT40 Mark II
-Shelby Collectibles 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe



This is my Germany/Sweden/oddball European shelf

The only 1:18 is the Maisto Z8 which I got many years ago when they had the "build your own" 1:18 for awhile. The rest are mostly HotWheels of various types across the major 3 German luxury brands.



This is my Italian shelf

-Ertl 1966 Ferrari GTB-4
-Maisto Ferrari 348TS
-Maisto Ferrari 458 Italia
-Maisto Ferrari 488GTB
-Lego Ferrari F40



This is my "British" shelf (1 or 2 Frenchies thrown in). No 1:18 scale here yet, but I suppose it will end up being in the form of some sweet Jaguar or Lotus cars eventually.

I've recently picked up a few more, which are supposed to be "Christmas presents" from my kids:



I've also recently decided to start building my Honda racing collection (this is why the GM shelf is going away), but figured I might want to do a smaller scale because I would probably need a whole case based on their success over the decades!



I've started with the '21 and '22 Red Bull Formula 1 team cars for both Verstappen and Perez.

Overall, I have spent years coming across this stuff and as we were talking about in the other thread, it is more about the search and the enjoyment than the actual price of the models. I do have a bunch more random Hot Wheels and stuff in boxes out the in the garage, and eventually, they will end up on the walls of the garage for display.

[owequitit]

I mainly stick to Hot Wheels/1:64 because of the space they take up. I have a few larger models (such as that exact 1:18 of Dom's RX-7, and the 1:24 CB9 Accord I posted in the 'latest purchase' thread. I do plan to get a few more in 1:24/1:18 when my funds aren't so wrapped up in my wagon build, but only a small handful of dream cars; can't wait for one of those quality brands to make the new Cayman GT4 RS. I could see myself collecting up a bunch of larger Hondas, though.

My 'rotary' display:

That clock is epic! I LOVE rotaries. Nearly bought a 1987 RX-7 Turbo II for cheap back in the day, but I was in college and that would have been stupid. Still regret it though.

[CyborgGT]

The rotor itself I happened to find in a junkyard, just chillin' out on top in a 1st-gen RX-7's engine bay. The hole in the middle happened to be perfect for a common size of cheap-o hobbyist clocks found on eBay. A couple layers of electrical tape and it fit snug! I've never owned a rotary myself either, but always been a huge fan. That's another form of 'car art' I like to collect; pieces off of old cars. One of my favorites I've found is a grille from a Datsun 210 wagon; the whole grille and headlight shrouding are all one piece. The turn signals are still in it, but not the headlights; I want to find a pair of those dim hockey-puck closet lights sized well enough to fit.

Your display, though... good god. I'm going to have to spend some time pouring over those photos to note the Hot Wheels I want to hunt down, haha. Seeing the special attention to Porsche and Shelby, we've got very similar taste.

[AccordWarrior]

owequitit I actually had that LS400 many moons ago and got rid of it during a purge. I wish I kept it as I’d be tempted to modify it with a wheel swap, as is somewhat popular on diecast forums these days.

My collecting is focused exclusively on 1/18 models. The 1/24 and smaller cars never caught on for me. I still have 95% of my Hot Wheels / Matchbox cars from when I was a kid, but with the exception of the Hot Wheels Tacomas I have none are on their original cards or anything. We have the same Civic in different paint schemes.

This is the Integra I have on order. I don’t love the back wheel fit in the promo photo, but I bet it will look better in reality.


I just put in a pre-order for this one this morning.


It’s funny, the EDM ITR was supposed to be the last one for the collection, but a cheap R32 was too good to pass up. Kyosho and AUTOart made them but they command $200+. I’m not a big enough fan of the Skyline to pay that (I’ve paid $200+ for a car, but it’s been otherwise special to me…like the JDM ITR and the rare-ish AUTOart Bugeye wagon). I’ve enjoyed adding a bunch of the 90s Japanese halo cars to my collection (The FD, Zs, Supras, GTO, etc) so this fits in well.

My final list would be a CB and if they ever did a Toyota Pickup / Tacoma in 1/18. DDA in Australia is making the Big Bopper from Mad Max but they’re getting $150 plus for them. When they first realized the yellow Interceptor from Mad Max it was AU only and they were trading for about $150. About six months later they were in the states under the Greenlight brand for $75 which is when I bought mine. I’m hoping the same happens with Big Bopper. I don’t have room, but it’s too cool to pass up.

I’ve seen there’s a company that’s readying a fully opening EG6 hatch which is neat. LS Collectibles makes a DA Integra I should be more excited about, but I’m not. $200 plus shipping isn’t really where I want to be right now. I’ve spent probably $2,500 in the past 2.5 years on these things, so I have to draw a line somewhere.

[owequitit]

The rotor itself I happened to find in a junkyard, just chillin' out on top in a 1st-gen RX-7's engine bay. The hole in the middle happened to be perfect for a common size of cheap-o hobbyist clocks found on eBay. A couple layers of electrical tape and it fit snug! I've never owned a rotary myself either, but always been a huge fan. That's another form of 'car art' I like to collect; pieces off of old cars. One of my favorites I've found is a grille from a Datsun 210 wagon; the whole grille and headlight shrouding are all one piece. The turn signals are still in it, but not the headlights; I want to find a pair of those dim hockey-puck closet lights sized well enough to fit.

Your display, though... good god. I'm going to have to spend some time pouring over those photos to note the Hot Wheels I want to hunt down, haha. Seeing the special attention to Porsche and Shelby, we've got very similar taste.

I personally love Shelby and old Ford Mustangs. IMO, Ford and Shelby are sort of linked since he got started by modifying AC cars by adding Ford small blocks and then cars like the GT350 etc. I do plan to add a few more Shelby cars eventually. I would like to add a GT350 and perhaps an original GT500. But there are also the other GT40 versions that competed in LeMans.

[owequitit]

owequitit I actually had that LS400 many moons ago and got rid of it during a purge. I wish I kept it as I’d be tempted to modify it with a wheel swap, as is somewhat popular on diecast forums these days.

My collecting is focused exclusively on 1/18 models. The 1/24 and smaller cars never caught on for me. I still have 95% of my Hot Wheels / Matchbox cars from when I was a kid, but with the exception of the Hot Wheels Tacomas I have none are on their original cards or anything. We have the same Civic in different paint schemes.

This is the Integra I have on order. I don’t love the back wheel fit in the promo photo, but I bet it will look better in reality.


I just put in a pre-order for this one this morning.


It’s funny, the EDM ITR was supposed to be the last one for the collection, but a cheap R32 was too good to pass up. Kyosho and AUTOart made them but they command $200+. I’m not a big enough fan of the Skyline to pay that (I’ve paid $200+ for a car, but it’s been otherwise special to me…like the JDM ITR and the rare-ish AUTOart Bugeye wagon). I’ve enjoyed adding a bunch of the 90s Japanese halo cars to my collection (The FD, Zs, Supras, GTO, etc) so this fits in well.

My final list would be a CB and if they ever did a Toyota Pickup / Tacoma in 1/18. DDA in Australia is making the Big Bopper from Mad Max but they’re getting $150 plus for them. When they first realized the yellow Interceptor from Mad Max it was AU only and they were trading for about $150. About six months later they were in the states under the Greenlight brand for $75 which is when I bought mine. I’m hoping the same happens with Big Bopper. I don’t have room, but it’s too cool to pass up.

I’ve seen there’s a company that’s readying a fully opening EG6 hatch which is neat. LS Collectibles makes a DA Integra I should be more excited about, but I’m not. $200 plus shipping isn’t really where I want to be right now. I’ve spent probably $2,500 in the past 2.5 years on these things, so I have to draw a line somewhere.

I definitely like your 90's Japanese car collection.

What is your experience with resin vs diecast? I always sort of preferred die cast, though I did used to build resin models as well, so I am not necessarily opposed to it.

I hadn't really thought about modifying any of mine, though I have considered modifying 1:64 scale cars. I figure if you tank it, it is only $1.00.

However, you could get really nuts with 1:18 scale in terms of detail.

[AccordWarrior]

I definitely like your 90's Japanese car collection.

What is your experience with resin vs diecast? I always sort of preferred die cast, though I did used to build resin models as well, so I am not necessarily opposed to it.

I hadn't really thought about modifying any of mine, though I have considered modifying 1:64 scale cars. I figure if you tank it, it is only $1.00.

However, you could get really nuts with 1:18 scale in terms of detail.

I'm a member of a Diecast forum and they are obsessed with all things hypercar (look, AUTOart released the newest version of the not-Aventador Aventador but this one is yellow and has a red line on it, let's spend another $200 on this model), so I think that's pushed me to go harder on the stuff I actually like (90s Japanese sports cars being a biggie). I was on a quest to finish the FnF cars made by Ertl, and I've gotten all the import ones they made for the first two movies.

1/18 resin isn't like your build out of a box 1/24-1/25 scale models we built when we were younger. These cars have the same heft and level of detail as a conventional diecast. The only difference is that with the exception of AUTOart composites the resin models are usually sealed (no opening parts). I don't typically open any of my models, so that's a non-issue. The Type R cars are incredibly detailed down the Recaro logos on the seats and defroster lines on the rear windows. If you look at my second case photos with the Subarus at the bottom the Bugeys are AA diecast while the bottom two are Ottomobile resin. Looking quickly can you tell the difference? I can't. Resin also has the bonus of not having issues with paint rash that many diecast models have, especially with the Kyosho models. It also is immune to zinc rot, which can really ruin your day.

I've currently only lightly modified one of my vehicles. If you look at my first and last photos you'll see a pair of navy Bbuargo C5s. I purchased a set of accessory wheels that mimic the BBS LM I have on my 1/1 and I added those along with the Bbuargo tires. I also modified the turn signal lenses to match my clear housing lamps. It's very mild, but still fun.

I do have plans to modify a Bbuargo 288 GTO. The wheels on that model are especially inaccurate. The Bbuargo F40 front wheels are much closer to the actual 288 wheels and serve as a good donor. I ended up buying enough spare wheels to attempt project.

This shows how far people can take 1/18 models

[owequitit]

I'm a member of a Diecast forum and they are obsessed with all things hypercar (look, AUTOart released the newest version of the not-Aventador Aventador but this one is yellow and has a red line on it, let's spend another $200 on this model), so I think that's pushed me to go harder on the stuff I actually like (90s Japanese sports cars being a biggie). I was on a quest to finish the FnF cars made by Ertl, and I've gotten all the import ones they made for the first two movies.

1/18 resin isn't like your build out of a box 1/24-1/25 scale models we built when we were younger. These cars have the same heft and level of detail as a conventional diecast. The only difference is that with the exception of AUTOart composites the resin models are usually sealed (no opening parts). I don't typically open any of my models, so that's a non-issue. The Type R cars are incredibly detailed down the Recaro logos on the seats and defroster lines on the rear windows. If you look at my second case photos with the Subarus at the bottom the Bugeys are AA diecast while the bottom two are Ottomobile resin. Looking quickly can you tell the difference? I can't. Resin also has the bonus of not having issues with paint rash that many diecast models have, especially with the Kyosho models. It also is immune to zinc rot, which can really ruin your day.

I've currently only lightly modified one of my vehicles. If you look at my first and last photos you'll see a pair of navy Bbuargo C5s. I purchased a set of accessory wheels that mimic the BBS LM I have on my 1/1 and I added those along with the Bbuargo tires. I also modified the turn signal lenses to match my clear housing lamps. It's very mild, but still fun.

I do have plans to modify a Bbuargo 288 GTO. The wheels on that model are especially inaccurate. The Bbuargo F40 front wheels are much closer to the actual 288 wheels and serve as a good donor. I ended up buying enough spare wheels to attempt project.

This shows how far people can take 1/18 models

That's good to know, I do tend to open mine up, especially if the engine was noteworthy, but I am not necessarily opposed to resin now that you explained it.

I found that forum last night and wondered if that was one of the ones you were on.

I have gotten to the same point. If I want it, I will eventually get it. I am sure a lot of these won't actually depreciate in value, not that I collect them for that purpose. But if I see something I really want to add the collection, I'll just add it. At this point, space is the limiting factor.

I did notice that you modded your C5 to match the actual car. I picked up on that the first time I scrolled through, because I liked the general design ethos of it, so it stuck in my memory.

[CyborgGT]

In addition to the little space they take up, another advantage to 1:64 scale (especially HW): you can impulse buy multiple and not feel broke afterwards, lol. Grabbed these at the grocery store. I've actually passed up the Miura before, not sure why.

[AccordWarrior]

That's good to know, I do tend to open mine up, especially if the engine was noteworthy, but I am not necessarily opposed to resin now that you explained it.

I found that forum last night and wondered if that was one of the ones you were on.

Yep, I'm MikeyMcFly on there. They love their Lamborghini models on there. Holy poop do they.

I have gotten to the same point. If I want it, I will eventually get it. I am sure a lot of these won't actually depreciate in value, not that I collect them for that purpose. But if I see something I really want to add the collection, I'll just add it. At this point, space is the limiting factor.

More do than you'd think. I mentioned it earlier but Ertl made models of the first three FnF movies and they were selling for $25.00 each at all the stores. If I averaged across all the models I bought, I'm probably somewhere around $125 each for the rest of the collection. I paid $170 for the Skyline from the UK. The AUTOart Bugeye wagon would have been $60 in the mid-2000s and I paid...$230-240 from Germany for it (and I didn't realize until I purchased it that it was missing the passenger side headlamp! I had to buy a spare lamp from AUTOart spares and paint it to match.

I did notice that you modded your C5 to match the actual car. I picked up on that the first time I scrolled through, because I liked the general design ethos of it, so it stuck in my memory.

Sadly the interior plastic and fit of the Bbuago model exceeds GMs.

CyborgGT

If you ever want to venture into high end DC5 models

If you don't mind things not opening and want a Type R variety

[CyborgGT]

CyborgGT

If you ever want to venture into high end DC5 models

If you don't mind things not opening and want a Type R variety

Yes! I haven't yet sprung for any high-end models, but there are a handful of 1:18s I will be getting at some point in the highest quality I can find:

- DC5-R: Obviously, being an RSX owner, it's worthy of something like an AutoArt. I can't see myself ever getting rid of my RSX, I love it.
- NA2 NSX-R: The money-no-object dream car.
- Cayman GT4 RS: Unless the market for them gets stupid, my next real car will most likely be a 987.1 Cayman S (still going for around $30k for a solid one!) once I have the room for a third car, as a substitute for the normal Acura NSX I'd originally planned on working toward. Objectively the Cayman's the better car anyway, but I can't get over how stupid people are for paying $65k+ for an early NSX with 100k miles on it. Anyway, I don't think any of the scale model companies have an RS Cayman out yet, but there's no way it won't be a popular one soon. That car immediately shot up there near the NSX-R for me.
- SN95 Mustang Cobra R: I'm a massive Mustang fan, and the SN95 generation (before or after facelift) has always resonated the most with me.
- Maybe a couple random favorites like an F40, GT40, and 997 non-RS GT3. I really don't want to get carried away with the 1:18 scale, though.

[CyborgGT]

For those interested in models straight from Japan; particularly older, maybe discontinued models of race cars, IG user @littlebitofjapan posts some for sale every now and then: https://www.instagram.com/littlebitofjapan/