Model Car Memoirs Part.2

 How does one strive for excellence as a die-cast model collector?                                                           

As avid collectors and hobbyists, we secure the goal of looking for the rarest and finest pieces of model cars through thorough scrutinization of the digital and geographical world. The ownership of rarer and more obscure models instills a feeling of joy and enthusiasm which enables us to become more devoted to our hobby. In recent years, India has fostered a growth in the sales of imported diecast cars, and 14 year old me couldnt have wished for news as terrific at the time. I had exhaustively explored the web for these sites where I could get these cars, like the Ferdinand Magellan of the Indian     E-Market. This was the first time I was able to fulfill my fantasy of having vintage carded Hot Wheels cars on my room's walls to gaze at with pride, like a Bond villain admiring his fleet of getaway cars, only three inches across and far less insurable.

                                                    Whenever I had to opportunity to visit the United States, I never wasted the opportunity to snag a good amount of Hot Wheels and NASCAR diecast cars off of ebay, through earnest requests made to my father and my aunt to purchase them for me. In the summer of 2022, I had bought $300 dollars worth of diecast cars. Around eight or ten of these were vintage carded Hot Wheels cars, 95 loose NASCAR diecast cars, a 1:43 Cararama Scale Model of a 1999 Saab 9-5, and an Xbox 360 copy of Need For Speed Shift 2 : Unleashed for good fun. I felt like the most dedicated a hobbyist could possibly be.

Now that I've already written an entire

letter of appreciation towards Hot Wheels cars, it's time to talk about my ever so growing love for NASCAR as a sport, being the reason behind me importing hoarding almost a hundred of their cars. NASCAR is one of the most

difficult sports to compete in. Many people believe it to be nothing more than a pack of cars turning left for 500 miles, but they never take into account what it's really like to be one of those drivers. Imagine doing over 190 mph on a 33 degree banking, struggling to handle a 3,500 pound 8 cylinder monster with upwards of 780 horsepower. You're surrounded by fire-breathing beasts of machines on all four sides, you make one wrong move, and your life is largely at risk. It instills a feeling of danger so strong it's like you're juggling four grenades while balancing yourself on a unicycle on the edge of a volcano pit. Everytime I see this pack of cars move by on my laptop screen, I feel nothing but exhilaration. Each driver making impossible moves while being tailgated at those speeds, like a fierce battle between the most valorant of warriors, with V8 stock cars for stallions, racing suits and helmets for chainmail armor, the 2.5 mile oval track of Daytona for the open fields of Medieval Europe, and the skills of the drivers for the warrior's swords.

Each die-cast model of these stock cars tells you a story of all the battles the drivers of these cars fought. For example, everytime I hold up Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s 1991 Chevrolet Lumina Stock Car, I remember his struggles to win the Daytona 500, all his trials and tribulations he underwent before finally winning the 1998 Daytona 500 7 years later. Collecting these also tells you and the people who see the collection about your passion for the sport, which makes you proud to be a follower of the sport, and as an Indian you definitely stick out like a sore thumb being surrounded by a family of cricket followers.

I mean, who's ever heard of an Indian NASCAR fan?

                                                     

Another way us die-cast collectors strive for excellence is forming communities and relationships both on and off the web to discuss the art of collecting, trade and sell cars, show off our own pieces, and find like-minded people. To us, it's not just a hobby. It's a way of life. This now brings us to the social aspect of collecting model cars. Can you remember which relative or friend of yours gifted you your first ever die-cast car? Can you reminisce about how unforgettable and simple times were when your friend would come over and race Hot Wheels cars with you? All these memories of important people in our lives can be cherished with these cars as souvenirs of our life's events. This can include you. Gifting someone you know who likes cars is really one of the most benevolent things you can do, making the cars souvenirs for people to remember you as someone in their life, whether significant or insignificant. That's precisely what toy cars are. A lot more than molded metal with rolling wheels 3 inches across and nothing less than a treasure to behold, and being part of the experience of collecting it is one part of your life you'll never forget.