It seems the last year or so, the world of diecast and lapel pins has been experiencing a massive crossover. It makes sense, considering the size and collectibility of both. Some of our favorite brands have jumped into the pin game, including Lamley.
All that comes to a head this weekend, as Leen Customs will drop its “ONESIXFOUR INSPIRED” Capsule at DesignerCon in Anaheim, California. This natural crossover will be an instant hit, and the LeenCult will surely be out in force to get their hands on the 15-pin set. If there are extras, they will be listed soonafter on leencustoms.com, but I wouldn’t count on it.
And the pins are cool. Leen has been crafting auto-inspired pins for years, and in a lot of ways created the art. And these are truly aimed at us. The inspiration for each pin is pulled directly from our hobby, and Leen also gives pin collectors the new dilemma of deciding whether to open the package or not, as these come on specially-created blister cards.
Each pin is individually numbered, limited to 500 each, and there will even be a chase. A special pin created in collaboration with customizer @hotwheelsworks will also be offered, limited to 250, and those that snag it will be eligible to win a 1 of 3 custom.
Add to that a chance for collectors to win original art by artist @undrdogz, who created the card art.
The parallels with diecast are obvious, including the demand for these pins. Leen has stock reserved for each day of the Convention (today, tomorrow, and Sunday), so if you make it one of the days you will have an equal chance. If you are somewhere else, like I am, you might have to settle with enjoying these pics of all 15 pins below. Let’s see what the LeenCult leaves.
(photo credit: Leen Customs)
Limited edition or not, these are silly money for what is essentially a small metal badge.