Posted on by jtl46

10 Instagram accounts you need to follow if you are a diecast collector…

Instagram really has become the diecast hub.

Sure there are tons of groups on Facebook, but almost too many to maneuver through.  It seems Instagram is more manageable.  It is easy to follow who you want, see what people are finding, and get a little diecast education along the way.

I follow quite a few accounts on Instagram, and use hashtags to see a ton of others.  There are some that I consider “must-follows” and thought I would share with you, in case you aren’t following these accounts already.

I am excluding a few.  There are the obvious accounts.  I hope you are following Lamley, and accounts like @matchboxworld, @hotwheelsofficial, @m2machines, and @autoworlddiecast are no-brainers.  There are also a ton of customizers out there that I have featured before, and may do a similar list again soon.  The focus for these 10 accounts is on diecast education.  Many of these accounts are run by long-time collectors, who have a ton of images and info to share.

So here are 10 I really appreciate.  There are obviously a ton more, and feel free to share some of your favorites here or on our IG account.

@cwiersma

While made in Japan, the Matchbox Toyota Celica XX model was also made in red. Japanese made models have a clear plastic roof support cast as part of the windows interior that set over the top of the front seats of the model. Of course, one need only flip the model over to see if it was made in Japan. The model manufacture was moved to Hong Kong where it was still made in red. The clear interior support was gone and the base was changed to reflect Hong Kong. The taillights cast to the base part were modified slightly when the base was changed. Lesney and Matchbox Superfast was on the base along with a 1978 copyright. The model was issued in limited markets (Australian and New Zealand ?) as No. 77 as shown in the sample pic with bix. The model was also issued in US market Speed Sticks 4 packs. #diecastcars #matchbox #vintagetoys #lesneytoys #lesneymatchbox #matchboxsuperfast #lesney
A photo posted by Chuck Wiersma (@cwiersma63) on Oct 8, 2016 at 6:31am PDT

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Chuck Wiersma is one of the most knowledgable Matchbox collectors around, and one of the nicest too.  A former Matchbox Ambassador, he seems to know every detail about every model from the early Lesney days all the way through the current Mattel era.  Every few days he picks out some related Matchbox models and shares all kinds of details.  This is one of several posts he did about Japanese models from Matchbox.  (I would also suggest @jimgallegos here, who runs the Matchbox Gathering Convention and has one of the largest diecast collections around.  His account is private so I can’t embed a link here.)

@matchboxtom

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Like Chuck, Tom Larson is a long-time Matchbox collector with knowledge from all eras, including early Lesney and Models of Yesteryear.  Another good dude who I always enjoy talking to at the Matchbox Gathering.

@ventcis_matchbox

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Yeah, I am a little heavy on Matchbox to start, but another account heavy on Superfast-era Matchbox.  So fun to see all the models from that era, many of which I will never see in person.

@hobbydbdiecast

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This is hobbyDB’s dedicated diecast feed.  I have sung the praises of hobbyDB in the past, and will continue to do so.  And after actually visiting their offices, I can say I have totally caught the vision.  What they are doing could be the best thing our hobby, and collecting in general, has had since eBay. In fact, I am getting involved.  More on that later.

But when the goal is to catalog every diecast model ever made, you surely come across interesting things, and they have started to share them on their Instagram feed.  This Toyota-marked Skyline is a great example.

@mexican_hotwheels

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I love feeds like this, dedicated to a specific part of the hobby.  This one is obviously focused on Mexican made Hot Wheels, and you sense the excitement whenever another discovery is made.  Some awesome rarities here.

@pinkbeachbomb

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Duh.  Bruce Pascal has one of the definitive Hot Wheels Redline collections, including the famous Pink Beach Bomb itself.  I don’t know a ton about about Redlines, so this seems to be the logical place.  So glad he is showing his stuff here.

@majoretteaustralia

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Yes, this is the official account for Majorette in Australia, so you will see a lot of current and upcoming releases, which is awesome.  But they also mix in some vintage Majorette like this fantastic BMW, models which many of us have never seen.

@guillaumewillpics

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An incredibly diverse collection from a true car nut over in Europe.  You never know what he is going to show.

@pudjoang

A photo posted by @pudjoang on Sep 13, 2016 at 7:00am PDT

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Tomica Tomica Tomica Tomica Tomica Tomica.  Almost makes my brain hurt.  And yes, the full seal of approval from our Resident Tomica Expert, Jay Kho.

@davidjtilley

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Of course I needed to add Tilley.  The “ley” of “Lamley” has been one of my best collecting friends for as long as I have been a collector.  Not only does he have a fantastic IG feed, but I am a little proud of it because it took a TON of convincing to get him to join, and I think the hobby is better for it.

DT has an encyclopedic brain when it comes to Matchbox – that is all he collects – and no one is better at linking the new to the old.  He opens everything, and has a thing for shade variations.  Entertaining, obsessive, and informative.

Those are ten.  Any other recommendations?

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