| Hi, I'm Wildman Ishii of MOONEYES Signs & Pinstriping Studio.
I'm going to reveal the true story behind Wildman Ishii in my own
words. Divided into 3 stories, this issue of MMM being the first.
The
"Wildman long interview" didn't contain enough details.
As some of you know, I love to collect things and have collected
many things so far. Among those things, there is one collection
which I've kept
collecting for 29 years. I've never quit collecting them and sometimes
Idid it at any cost. What I'm talking about is die cast cars.
Today, there may be lots of die cast car collectors around you.
That's because the treasure hunt has become a trend in Japan these
past few years, and die cast maker's, such as Hot Wheels, Tomica(Japanese)
and so on have developed a lineof merchandise specifically for adults.
Now die cast car collecting has become a common phrase now so I
can say that I'm a die cast car collector and be acknowledged, but
about 20 years ago they regarded me as an eccentric idiot.
If I said I love to collect die cast cars, they would give me an
icy look and call me a "nerd".
Even if I tried to explain with all my might, nobody understood its
greatness, they were speechless. Now a days, many books about die
cast cars, toys and similar things like that are being published
in Japan anddie cast car collectors are finally being recognized. I'm glad to see that I wasn't wrong.
SUBARU 360
|
CORGI/"LOTUS RACING TEAM"
|
I'm not sure what made me such a devoted die cast car collector, but
I remember when I was just a boy, I really loved cars and toys meant
only die cast cars for me. I wasn't interested in any other toys, my mom said.
A book I found
many years ago as a boy completely hooked me on die cast cars after
that. It was in 1975, when I was 11 years old, I bought a small book at a
toy shop in Yokohama which I visited often.
The book was called Monthly Miniature Car Book(It was discontinued
many years ago. If you know of it, you're a true die cast collector.).
There were unbelievable worlds in that book. The book was full of articles, new die cast car news, commentaries,collector
introductions and things like that. "What is this amazing world?",
this 11 years old kid was shocked and impressed.
The most interesting article's were those of discontinued die cast
cars. "Discontinued die cast cars?" I had never heard these words
before, but understood them when I saw the page which displayed old
die cast cars, such as the ones I had played with in mychildhood. They all looked so new.
"The die cast cars would be discontinued after model change like
the real cars. "I understood that I couldn't purchase them attypical
toy shop's as usual". But the people who were introduced in the
book had lots of discontinued die cast cars! That's amazing!
I thought "I need to start my own collection!" That was
the beginning of my collection. It was in 1975.
CORGI/AIRFIX/ "007 JAMES BOND"
TOYOTA 2000GT |
The reason why I started the collection was to find discontinued
die cast cars, my interest was only in the discontinued die cast
cars.
The new ones didn't attract me very much so I've only followed the
discontinued models. I know, the latest die cast cars are built
by the latest technology so they are made with great detail.
Especially recently, the die cast cars which are made for the collecting
crowd are precision made.
They're very small version's of real cars. But that point really
disappointed
me.
If you build die cast replica models of 2004 cars with 2004
technology, that's great, however it's not the same if you build
1950s die cast car model's with 2004 technology, right! You might
think I've been sniffing on to many thinner fumes and they've made
me crazy.
What I say may sound complex, but honestly, I can't stand to own
a 1966 Mustang die cast model unless it was built in the 1960s.
The die cast model must be just as old as the real car.
A die cast 1966 Mustang built in 2004 would look like an imitation
to me and I feel it's lacking personality. I would except a new
2004 Mustang built in 2004.
I only collect die cast cars from the 1960s to the 1970s and have
spent 30 years in the making.
Now the number of cars in my collection is about 2,000. Of that,
95% of them are discontinued. The number is small for my 25 year
collecting history. Probably because I'm only collecting what I
want.
Most of the new collector's buy die cast cars by the carton to collect
different colors of the same car.
I don't like to do that. I don't have boxes of die cast cars in
my closet. Even if the die cast car is very rare, I don't buy any
uninteresting ones.
On the next issue of MMM, I will tell you how I got such old and
rare die cast cars with pictures of my great and somewhat wierd
collection.
Hold your breath! (Only die cast maniacs will read the
next story??, see you next week!!!)
PRAMETA/ '50s Buick 405
|
MODEL PET /'60s TOYOPET CROWN |
The 29 years of Die cast car collecting by
Wildman Ishii >>vol.2<<___
>>Vol.3<< |
