Chaim Haffner - September 2014 • DiecastSociety.com

Chaim Haffner – September 2014

Tell us what this hobby means to you? 13 questions answered by you, Chaim Haffner from Manchester, United Kingdom

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1) What first got you collecting diecast? How long have you been collecting? What is your total model count as of today?

I’ve always been pretty obsessed with cars. My parents keep telling me that when I was just a couple of years old, I could already identify pretty much every car on UK roads at the time and it seems the genes have been passed on to my 9 month old son who only wants to watch the cars going past whilst we walk him in his buggy (stroller)! It was always a family tradition on Sunday evening at 8pm for my dad to sit us down in front of the TV and watch Top Gear – we weren’t allowed to speak at all LOL. Naturally I had loads of the little Matchbox cars when I was a kid and quickly graduated to 1:18 – I find it great to hold a model in my hands and admire it from every angle, both inside and out. I have only been a serious collector for the past 8 or 9 years now and currently have 101 models in my collection, with 3 on order from GT Spirit and Otto. I am so obsessed with cars that I have every Top Gear Magazine issue ever printed (bar a few of the multiple cover issues) all wrapped up in protective sleeves – see pics below.

2) What was your first diecast or memory?

I don’t remember exactly what my first diecast car was, but my earliest memories of my collection are the Jaguar XK8 convertible, Mercedes CLK GT AMG Street Version and a Ferrari 550 Maranello.

3) What is your favourite scale, and why?

At the moment, I only collect scale 1:18, because I think it gives you that perfect blend of size, level of detail (depending on the manufacturer, of course) and also price. There is not always the vast range of models available in 1:18 as there are in smaller scales, however. I wouldn’t mind starting to collect some 1:12 models in the not too distant future and I have also been browsing Amalgam’s website and looking at their great 1:8 models (if only I could afford them!). I want to get the white 1:8 Pocher Lamborghini Aventador to build myself when I get a bit of spare cash – in fact, it was when I was looking into this model that I stumbled upon Diecast Society :)!!

4) What are some of your favourite models to date? Did you share any photos with us?

I am a self obsessed Bugatti Veyron nut, with 15 models by AUTOart and Minichamps so far, plus the Chiron concept car. You can see pictures of all 4 colourways of the AUTOart showcar edition they released a while ago below. I am also loving my BMW M3 GTS by GT Spirit – it is my first model from them and the orange paintwork just jumps out at you and the overall execution is great.

5) Is there a model that has eluded you, a holy grail of sorts?

I have been trying to get hold of an AUTOArt Bugatti Veyron Pur Sang (the aluminium/black one) for a while. Every so often one has popped up on eBay, but it has sold for outside my budget. If anyone reading this has one to sell me, hit me up. I’d also like to have the set of the Ferrari F40, F50, Enzo and LaFerrari by Hot Wheels Elite/Kyosho high end, because I think its a great lineage with so much history to have.

6) What is your favourite brand/manufacture, and why?

I’d say AUTOart. They have the best combination of range of models and sheer quality – however, I’m not especially pleased that their prices have risen like they have, but that’s what the economic crisis has done to the hobby. I don’t think Minichamps have shown much in the quality departments recently and Kyosho seems to be churning out endless remakes/facelifts/colour variants of the same models.

7) Describe your current theme and what your overall goal is?

My current theme is pretty much supercars and hypercars. If possible, I try to go for special edition/dealer packaging and models in limited production runs. Sometimes I also like to get all the models in a set, for example all the Audi R8 and Mercedes SLS AMG versions released (in dealer packaging of course!). My main goal would be, at the very least, to have all Veyron versions produced by AUTOart and I am definitely well on my way.

8) Do you display your collection? If yes, how?

I live in a fairly small apartment and before my son was born I displayed some of my models in IKEA Detolf glass cabinets in my spare room. I found they got quite dusty, so packed them away after a while and have only recently been taking them out to take pictures to share on the forums here. I’m hoping to display them properly when I move into a house one day.

9) Do you have any other hobbies, passions or addictions?

My main obsession is cars, but I’m a serious gadget freak. When I was in high school I would buy a different mobile phone every week and I’m always ordering random stuff off Amazon (blame the Prime membership!). I like a bit of football, snooker and a bit of racing games on the good old XBOX 360. I like to do some car spotting when I can. When I go to London I try and go into town to snap pics of some nice cars there and I’ve also been to Monaco a couple of times and seem some amazing metal!

10) What do you think about the diecast hobby as it stands today?

I think its doing really great. We’ve seen a few newcomers to the game over the past few years, which has been great as some of the more established makers have dropped their standards recently. I think forums like this are great, as it allows people from all over the world share their collections, stories and tips regardless of age, background etc. The manufacturers who are doing their best are coming out with some really great models and the quality seems to be getting better and better.

11) If you could change one thing about the diecast hobby what would that be?

Prices…..I know its probably never going to happen, but if they climb much higher than they are now, I can imagine some people would find it difficult to keep up.

12) Do you modify cars? If yes, what are some examples?

No – most of my models are not especially cheap and wouldn’t want to wreck them. Having said that, I have seen some cool aftermarket kits like the DMC Aventador kit I wouldn’t mind.

13) What is your 1:1 daily driver?

Vauxhall (Opel) Vectra C – 2006.

 

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9 Responses to "Chaim Haffner – September 2014"

  1. KARsten says:

    Welcome to DiecastSociety, Chaim. Nice to see that someone has the same preferences (Bentley, Rolls Royce, hypercars, Top Gear).

  2. Howard90 says:

    great collection!
    seems like you still need a Sang Nior by AutoArt

  3. Howard90 says:

    Great collection!!
    Seems like you still need a Sang Noir by AutoArt also

  4. mcaf123 says:

    Thanks Karsten! I’m a sucker for a girl with nice curves

  5. mcaf123 says:

    Thanks Howard90! I’ve already got the Sang Noir

    • Howard90 says:

      haha, i missed out on a Pur Sang also..
      a local diecast shop had one for $225USD but i passed it down… one of my worst decisions ever.

  6. Marcus says:

    Great collection and hello from a fellow mancunian,my Collection was featured in August 2014

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