Tell us what this hobby means to you? 14 questions answered by you, Wayne Yaskew from West St. Paul, Manitoba Canada.

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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?

My love of racing and fondness for collectibles made the move to diecast a natural fit. I have about 1,100 diecast models (almost 1,000 1:18 Race cars and about 130 1:12 motorcycles).

2) What was your first diecast or memory?

I was gifted a 1956 Chevy Bel-Air 2 door for my 40th birthday in 1996. My first race car was the 1995 Jacques Villeneuve Indy 500 Winner. It was that day I decided my collection would be race cars only.

3) What is your favourite scale, and why?

1:18 for cars and 1:12 for bikes. The size makes for a model that can show off the detail and also brings back memories of the toy cars and models I had when I was a kid.

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

Being Canadian I love the Indy 500 winner of Jacques Villeneuve and F1 cars of his father. The lines of the Nissan R390 are exquisite and the muscular shape of the Jagermeister Kremer Porsche 935 K3 makes for 2 of my faves… Models by CMC are always gorgeous and some of the Exoto F1 cars are also stand-outs. I’ve attached pics of my collection.

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

I still want to get the Parnelli Jones turbine car that nearly won the 500. They’re out there but oh so pricey!

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

The now defunct Carousel One line of Vintage Indy cars is my favourite. They bring back such memories and the vast numbers of styles and colours make for incredible display pieces.

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

Race cars only! And the cars have to do more than go in a straight line, so no drag racers or Land Speed cars.  With over 25 years of collecting and now having my collection on display, I think my goals have been achieved. I may “upgrade” the occasional car but I will not be adding any more shelves or making more space for diecast. (I have about 160 “leftovers” which I plan on selling).

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

I decided I would go for an open-air “floating” shelf look and with glass being cost-prohibitive I opted for frosted Plexiglas. Good on paper, but try and find Plexiglas during a pandemic (or a company who was not too busy building snot-shields to give me the time of day).  Finally, I found the material in Toronto and had it shipped here to Winnipeg. A local plastic company took on the project but told me it would take time. That it did. About a year passed from the time I walked in with some pencil drawings till the day I got my shelves. I went with bonded “L” shaped shelves for the cars that run the full 8-foot sheet length and are joined with acrylic clips I found in Chicago. The shelves were all drilled to correspond with the studs and I used stainless screws and nylon washers to attach them to the walls. For my motorcycle display, I went with one 4×8 sheet with the shelves bonded directly to it.  My contractor buddy did an awesome job of mounting them poker-straight.

And no… I’m not worried about dust. My inspiration for my display came from a friend who has about 600 cars displayed open-air and dust has never been a problem. A little whick with a feather duster from time to time is all that’s required. Nothing beats being able to grab a car off a shelf and spend some one-on-one time with it. No doors to open, no glare to deal with.

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

Where do I start? I collect & restore vintage Japanese superbikes (1000 & 1100cc) I own 14 motorcycles.  I collect hardcover books, racing art and NASA memorabilia. I am also a cigar smoker and bourbon drinker.  I enjoy attending F1, Indy & Historic races and my wife & I also love MotoGP and attend races. And as an ex-Rock Deejay, I love music and concerts.

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

As the population ages, I think fewer people are entering the hobby. I find this sad as the younger generation live more of a disposable lifestyle and are not as nostalgic as the older generations. There will always be collectors of model cars but I fear the hobby is shrinking as it becomes more cost-prohibitive and younger people have less time and space for collections.

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

I’d like to see it return to the heady days of 20 years ago when there were lots of shops and new cars were coming out daily.

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

I have probably done 200 cars in the proper tobacco livery that was popular up until the ban. I have about 100 modified cars in my collection and did another 100 or so for friends and resale. Some were very simple just requiring decal application and a few were full strip & re-paints. My conversions were quite well known in Canada as FoxDen Racing Conversions.

13) What does your spouse, partner or significant other think of your hobby and your collection?

I am lucky to have a fabulous wife who helped catalogue my collection and is very supportive of my hobbies and my eccentricities.

14) What is your daily driver?

Had a 1996 Porsche 911-4 up until recently. I now get around in a late model Honda Accord Touring. I am actively seeking a 70’s North American car to restore or resto-mod.