I’ll admit, there are moments when whole months can pass me by without me seeing or picking up any diecast that catch my eye. 2024 has proved to be probably the quietest year yet in terms of peg finds and the addition of must have new releases for me, and also a slow year for the arrival of rarer, older diecasts that make up the majority of my collection. But despite this, I have fallen even deeper in love with the hobby and Majorette’s influencer event in March was the catalyst.
I have struggled almost all my life to be proud of being a diecast collector. It’s been the reason I spent all my school years being bullied. Yet cars always calmed me down, whether real or scale. And so I stuck with my hobby, albeit quietly. Then in 2019 I found Lamley. I found like minded people. The process of acceptance had begun. And at Majorette that process felt like it had accelerated. It was a real turning point. I can’t put down in words just how much it meant, but I met some amazing people and came away with friends for life and deeper passion for my hobby. I even began to shoot YouTube shorts and videos this year, some of which I’ve used here to give you a better view of the diecast I’ll be discussing.
But even with my love re-ignited, I’ve had a real struggle picking out a top 10! Another year without Schuco 1/64, and various life events reducing the flow of new stuff into my hoard have made things particularly tough. But I’ve managed, and in no particular order but rather appropriately we’re starting with Majorette.
Majorette Citroën HY (Majorette 60th Anniversary edition)
One of the standouts of the first quarter of the year for me was the incredibly cool Majorette Citroën HY. The model finally gave us the Majorette steel wheel we’ve been waiting for and proved the brand are still capable of doing the sort of run of the mill vehicle that made them the love of many collectors in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
(Find the Majorette Citroën HY on Ebay)
Majorette “Racing Car” (BRM P57)
The showpiece of Majorette’s 60th Anniversary year was the “Racing Car”; an updated version of the very first Rail Route Majorette car, the BRM P57. It was a superbly geeky throwback, the kind that gives me a real buzz. The casting is practically unchanged from the 1964 version and all the better for it.
(Find the Majorette Racing Car on Ebay)
Matchbox Moving Parts Bizzarrini Corsa Revival
If there was an award for the best looking diecast of 2024 then this would surely be on the list. The perfect blend of awesome subject, fabulous colour, perfect wheel choice and great detail meant the Bizzarrini was always going to be on this list. The moving part is almost superflous; this is a mighty fine diecast without it.
(Find the Matchbox Moving Parts Bizzarrini on Ebay)
Matchbox Moving Parts Chevrolet C1500
Another Matchbox Moving Parts that caught my eye this year was the very neat Chevrolet C1500. There’s no doubting the C/K series are very cool trucks, and Matchbox have done this single cab perfectly. Light Autumnwood colour, beige interior, steel wheels. The perfect combination for a near perfect diecast.
(Find the Matchbox Moving Parts Chevrolet C1500 on Ebay here)
Pop Race Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R (Calsonic Team Impul, JTC)
Pop Race have always been close to my heart and in 2024 they released so much neat stuff it was hard to keep up! The unbelievable CLK GTR missed my hoard sadly but the R32 is a work of art. And no, I haven’t forgotten Tomica’s version. That is also a mighty fine piece of Zamac. But what swings it for me is the price; the Pop Race retails for well under a third of what a Tomica will set you back. For cost conscious collectors like me this is huge.
(Find the Pop Race Nissan Skyline R32 on Ebay)
Fox64 Škoda 130 LR “Plain body” Koralova Cerven/Coral Red
The Czech Fox Toys company have been making larger scale models for a while now but they took their first step into 1/64 territory in 2024. Two sets of Škoda rally cars were released, comprising four 130 RS and four 130 LR. And honestly any of the eight could have made the cut. But the plain body 130 RS finished in Coral Red was the one I found myself drawn to the most. A very brave move from Fox, and a very cool diecast.
(Find more on the FoxToys site)
Oz Wheels Holden Kingswood custom
A new brand to me in 2024 was Oz Wheels and they made a real impression. They’ve only been around a short time but they’ve already built up a heck of a fan base and I can see why. The Kingswood was the pick of their early releases from me but as fellow Lamley Writer Reece proved recently, there’s a lot more in their range worth looking at.
(Find Oz Wheels on Ebay)
Oto64 Tofaş Şahin
As regular readers will know by now I’m all about the obscure, and they don’t come much more obscure than a Turkish Fiat based saloon. 3D printing has expanded the horizons in the 1/64 world to points where mainstream brands will never venture, and the results are a richer and more varied miniature world for collectors. Oto64’s Tofaş Şahin was a very neat arrival in 2024 and had the added bonus of being fully licensed.
(Stay tuned to the Oto64 Instagram for upcoming new releases)
Almost Real BMW 328
In reality I could have filled every slot in this roundup with cars from Almost Real’s BMW Heritage Collection. Every model in the set is a stunner, but the BMW 328 takes the top spot for me. Never before replicated in 1/64 and beautifully done, the 328 won me over instantly.
(Find Almost Real on Ebay)
Tarmac Works Global 64 AMG GT Black Series
Now this is one that’s on the list just because I think it’s cool. My favourite colour is orange and regular Lamley readers will know my fondness for the AMG GT so why wouldn’t an orange AMG GT Black Series feature on my top 10? Tarmac’s Global 64 range is full of hits but this was one of those diecast I just had to have.
(Find the Tarmac Works AMG GT Black Series on Ebay)
Best of the rest: also rans and rare additions
So this is the part where I cheat and build another top 10 out of stuff that just missed the boat, but really does deserve to be recognised and celebrated.
596Model’s Jeep SJ Wagoneer was incredibly cool, Majorette’s Gendarmerie Alpine A110 definitely needs a mention as does their entire Japan Series, but mainly the Toyota Supra and Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R. MSZ’s CCA range had some very neat releases including the BMW M4 and it’s GT3 counterpart and fellow Chinese brand TSC also caught my attention this year with a brilliant Aston Martin Valkyrie. Welly also released some insanely cool stuff including the Lotus Elan, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Fiat 500C Topolino.
GFCC’s Stunning Ferrari 250 California SWB needs a mention (and a Lamley Daily) of it’s own; it really is that good.
Kyosho have always been a brand I have loved and 2024 bought along my first new 1/64 from the brand in a while in the form of a gorgeous pair of Nismo 400Rs. These are part of the new MOTN range that features a very innovative lighting system, giving collectors a very cool new way of displaying their diecast. Watch out for more additions to the MOTN range and more Kyosho coverage from me in 2025.
And no round up of mine was going to be complete without some sort of Coffaro creation. Dario’s work is of constant interest to me and when he revealed the desperately pretty Auto Union 1000S this year I knew that it had to be included in my roundup. It’s one I really must take a closer look at. One Coffaro Car I did take a closer look at was the IAME Rastrojero and I absolutely adored it.
Vintage rarities and souvenirs
A slow year is still a year, and despite the scarcity of arrivals I did indeed manage to find some gems. I ticked some items off the personal grail list, managing to acquire a 1/66 scale Vespa 400 by Midget Cars of France and a gorgeous Penny Iso Rivolta. A Mercury toys Porsche 908/3 has long been on my list too and 2024 finally gifted me one on a French classified ads site.
And my travels also gave me some fine diecast souvenirs; Rome provided a Polistil RJ Fiat 131 and a Maserati Frua, Ferrari 330 P4 and Maserati 3500 GT by Penny amongst others.
And my trip to Japan yielded some superb finds including a some Tomica “Racing Mate” series cars and the two stunning NSX Type S I featured back in October.
There really was too much to cover from my Japan trip! And hopefully I can bring you some more souvenirs I picked up there on Lamley in 2025, including a closer look at those incredible Tomica Skylines and Racing Mate cars.
Here’s to 2024, the rest of 2025 and a good year of tranquil collecting for all of us!
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