Nostalgia drives toy car craze

Many in Bengaluru invest time, money and effort in collecting miniature cars. It is a childhood passion they now pursue with renewed interest, thanks to choices available online and offline

'Boys and their toys!’ This expression of exasperation might give way to admiration when you get a glimpse of the many miniature car collections in Bengaluru.
This is no kid’s business; it involves hours of scouring, saving up, and maintenance, besides keeping an eye out for new collections. Metrolife spoke to collectors about what drives them.

For Sumeet M, the passion began with his father gifting him toy cars, usually as an incentive for scoring well. His cousin in the US also brought along toy cars, and the hobby quickly became a passion.
For Krishnan Vijayaraghavan, the interest was spurred by seeing his elder brother collect them (“he still has a better collection than me”), while for Jerin George, the miniatures are a trip down memory lane.

Themed collections
Sumeet has 600-plus models in different sizes. “When I started working, I would pick up two or three models every month. Even now, I spend between
Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 every month on miniature cars. The 1:18 models come for Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 a car,” he says.
He stores the models on a small penthouse on his terrace and has a monthly maintenance routine.

“I have waxed, polished and applied ceramic coating for the bigger models to protect them from dust and scratches. The colours also won’t fade that way,” he says.
Jerin, a Spanish language professional, is a recent entrant. “I prefer premium brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari and Porsche. I also collect muscle cars, muscle trucks, hot rod cars. I don’t collect models of cars based on movies or cartoons; my preference is for real brands,” he says. Hot rod cars are typically old, classic or modern American cars with large engines.

He cites the example of Bruce Pascal, a toy cars enthusiast who has amassed the world’s most valuable Hot Wheels collection — worth over a million dollars — as his inspiration. The commercial real estate agent from the USA’s East Coast currently owns 3,500 miniature cars, including 175 unique prototypes that were never released to the public.

Krishnan, on the other hand, is an ardent fan of movie and pop culture memorabilia, which includes cars.
“I have most of the miniature vehicles associated with The Beatles. It was an exclusive collection, so I had to get it from Germany. I have many Batmobiles as well,” he says. The Batmobile is a heavily armoured, weaponised vehicle used by fictional superhero Batman.
Generally, Hot Wheels cars are priced at Rs 100 to 120 but themed or special ones might go up to Rs 1,500, sometimes even Rs 3,000.

Online sources
Flikpart and Amazon are the preferred Indian sites when it comes to ordering miniature cars online.
“Sometimes I order from Japan. There are a few portals where I can order from, like Ali Express. I keep travelling and make it a point to pick up miniature cars from the countries I am visiting,” says Sumeet.

He also visits stores like Toys “R”Us and Hamleys. “And you get 1:64 models from supermarkets like Big Bazaar and More,” he says.
While the quality of the models depends on the brand, Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Greenlight are the trusted names in the market.
“There are Chinese rip-offs, with the same brand name, but the price and the quality are low. Anyone will be able to make out the difference,” he says.
The model size starts from 1:87. The size 1:12 is quite huge and it is not available in India. “You have to order it online from Germany or Japan and other such countries. The biggest challenge is the customs. Sometimes shipments also go missing. It has happened a few times; it’s been almost two years and I am not able to track where they are,” says Sumeet.

Krishnan has found rare cars at Big Bazaar. “It all depends on your luck. The Model Store in Forum Koramangala has some of the best collections in the city . But some models are very expensive,” he says.

Or you can always exchange with friends. “I once gave my friend a James Bond Aston Martin Hot Wheels and he gave me a Scooby Doo Mystery Machine model,” he recalls.

Jerin is part of social media pages where he gets regular updates. “Otherwise, the shopkeepers in my area let me know when they get fresh stocks since I am a regular,” he says.

Know what to buy
Krishnan doesn’t believe in splurging but the quality is of paramount importance. “If it looks too cheap or too shiny and if the finish isn’t that good, I avoid it. Many Chinese companies are making miniatures,” he says.

Value never depreciates
Krishnan says that most of his collections, especially The Beatles one, have gone up in value. “I have created several Lego car models. Their price has gone up 10 times. Maybe if things go bad down the line, I might consider selling some of those,” he says, laughing.

Collectors’ club completes a year

Aditya Menon founded the Beantown Model Collectors Club in 2018 and it now has 20 members.

Most members started collecting cars as children and revived their interest as grown-ups. Aditya’s own collection is inclined towards F1s, Ferraris and supercars.

“The models are more like an investment, and the appreciation you get from others is priceless. Members mostly pick up exclusive models that are hard to come by. We exchange, sell and trade within ourselves so each one usually picks up two models — one for keeping and one for selling,” he says.

The youngest member is 19 years old and the oldest 61. “Our group is looking at promoting awareness about the hobby. We want to give talks at schools and teach children they can start this hobby early on,” he says.

Anyone with an interest in collecting miniature cars can join the club, which has theme-based meets on the second Sunday of every month. “People in our group collect not just cars but also planes, trains, tractors and so on,” says Aditya.

Beantown Model Car

Collectors’ Club details:

Email: [e-mail]

Facebook: beantownmodelcollectorsclub

Instagram: @beantownmcc

Phone: [phone]