Theo, you pose many questions and the answers will be different for each collector. There are thousands of models available (visit www.scale18.com) and the choice of what to collect is indeed difficult. The simple answer is to follow your heart and collect what interests you. That is easier said than done, though.

I started out believing that I would collect diecast models similar to the 1/24 plastic models that I built when I was a boy. These were deluxe open cars of the 1930s, but I found that there were not many diecast models of this type to buy. So I concentrated on open, 2-seat sports cars. Eventually, I became attracted to any car models that represented interesting design and decided that I could not limit myself to just open cars or just sports cars or just cars from one decade. In order to acquire models of such significant cars as the Mercedes-Benz gullwing, the Tucker Torpedo, the 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, and the Model T Ford, I had to stray from my original direction. I expanded my collection to include models from 9 decades, open and closed, 2-seat and 4-seat, 2-door and 4-door, sports and touring, European and American.

Certainly it is easier if you narrow your interest. Collecting models of just one brand, country, type, or era focusses your acquisitions and helps keep you on track. (I know of one collector who only collects red model cars!) It is tempting to stray, however, when a good model outside of your collecting strategy is released. If you visit my website (www.diecastcritic.com) you will see that I try to keep my collection to 2-door (restricting to just 2-seaters would eliminate too many cars, including most American car models), open top cars from the 1930s to the early 1960s. But you will also see that I have some 4-door, some closed roof, and many outside those dates.

Considering what scale to collect, obviously 1/43 models are smaller and cheaper, though, surprisingly, not as much as you might think. (I sometimes wish I had only collected 1/43s because of the space requirements for a large 1/18 collection.) The best ones are quite detailed, although the size difference means that they cannot compete in detail with the best 1/18s. I have many 1/43s (esp. Solido) of cars that I cannot get or do not want in 1/18 scale. A good quality 1/43 may be preferable to a poor quality 1/18.

These days, models are more often released in both scales. However, you will still find models in one scale that are unavailable in the other. There are also other scales such as 1/30, 1/34, 1/24 and so on. If you decide on a narrow collecting focus, such as just boat-tail cars or only station wagons, you will probably not want to restrict yourself to just one scale or even to just diecast. I know of another collector who has hundreds of Jaguars of all scales and types.

Once you have decided on a direction, the question of what to buy comes up. Obviously, you will be limited to what you can get in your area. The choices are expanded if you order through catalogs or over the internet (e.g. eBay), but this tactic usually precludes discount sales and also adds shipping costs which can be significant. If you want to collect everything in your focus, quality of manufacturing will not be a concern. Beginning collectors tend to overlook quality factors in favor of quantity. This is understandable.

But once the collection starts growing and you not only see how fine good quality models can be but also begin to run out of space, you may also start avoiding lower quality models even if they are in your focus area. Some manufacturers are ever-dependable (such as AUTOart, Exoto and Kyosho), but the quality of releases from other manufacturers can vary widely, and price is not necessarily a good indicator. (My website, www.diecastcritic.com, helps guide the collector to what the quality levels of certain manufacturers and models are like.)

If you are collecting as an investment, it is hard to determine which newly released models will become collectors' items. (I would suggest that if this is your only concern, perhaps you should take up stamp- or coin-collecting, which takes up less space, has more standardly-determined values, and is more likely to grow in value.) If you are buying models that are currently valued as collector's items, you will pay a premium price and may actually find the value goes down if that model falls into disfavor.

The one area that seems to be good for investment is racing cars. As I have pointed out on my website, these cars are changed annually and are usually associated with a specific driver who inevitably changes teams, retires, or dies, thus making the model more significant. (Sad but true, your collection can increase in value in an instant if the driver dies while racing. This happened to models of cars driven by, for example, Ayrton Senna, Dale Earnhardt and Greg Moore.)

Ferrari models are a special case because in the late 1990s Ferrari signed an exclusive 5-year deal with Mattel for production of 1/18 scale Ferrari models. The other manufacturers had to stop their production. This meant that some Ferrari models from Bburago, Maisto, Kyosho, UT, etc. went up in price.

For production automobiles, models are dropped from production, colors are discontinued, and from time to time manufacturers go out of business (such as UT, Mira, Guiloy and Anson). This does not necessarily mean that those models will increase in value. I advise collecting for fun and enjoying any increase in value as a side benefit.

Finally, let me say that this hobby, just as other hobbies, should be entertaining and educational. Even though I have had an interest in cars of the past for some time, I can say that collecting these models, as well as reading about them, viewing documentaries about them, and visiting the real ones in museums or car meets, has enhanced my knowledge and enjoyment of automobile history. The models are, after all, just models. If collecting them is going to become an obsession or only viewed as a financial investment, then perhaps you shouldn't get involved.

© Robert Banks / diecastcritic.com