Eldon’s Garage
A Note from Eldon in 2010
My name is Eldon Mitchell, I’m 69 years old, a retired advertising executive and graphic artist. My real passion is collecting model cars, basically sports cars, convertibles, and contemporary vehicles of all types, including trucks.
I began collecting 1/43rd scale die cast models in 1965. Today my basic collection consists of just over 1000 1/43rd scale models. I also have an additional 300+ ‘pieces’ in 1/43rd scale that includes over a dozen dioramas I’ve built, some ‘toy’ vehicles, boats and trailers, helicopters, and figures in ‘O’ scale, some of which I’ve modified. I have another 200 models in other scales, from tiny to large. Over the past few years I have customized most of my duplicates (about 100) and a few that weren’t. All-in-all I have about 1600 pieces in my collection. I chose 1/43rd scale to collect because their size (about 4 inches long) allows good detail yet they don’t take up too much space. It used to be called ‘the collector’s scale’, because it was slightly larger but compatible with model railroad trains and accessories in ‘0’ scale.
I collect model cars for the fun of it, not for any present or future ‘value’. My models range from very inexpensive die cast ‘toys’ to mid-range die cast models to a few relatively expensive hand-built, resin, and white metal models. I don’t actually enjoy the more expensive models that much...they may be accurate models but the wheels don’t roll on most of them. To me, that’s a travesty. My less expensive models are a lot more fun.
The model collecting hobby has changed drastically in the 45 years since I started in several significant ways. When I began collecting die casts most models had ‘working features’ like opening hoods, doors, trunks, and a ‘spring suspension’. They could be purchased for a dollar or two. Today most 1/43rd scale models are just for looks with no ‘working features’ and cost far more, the average being $20-30. There used to be dozens of manufacturers in Britain and Europe. There are only a few major manufacturers still left, but ironically most of the actual models are now produced in China. Another significant change has been the popularity of the much larger 1/18th and 1/24th scales, as well as in smaller scales, such as 1/87th, 1/64th, etc. For a time, 1/43rd was all but neglected. To some degree, it still is. Another change that has driven up the cost are the many resin and ‘hand built’ white metal models available today. These are strictly collectibles meant to remain in covered display cases. It’s not uncommon to pay several hundred dollars for these. Finally, there are a few toy manufacturers still producing die cast models, some of very good quality, others not quite so good, but these are still relatively inexpensive, some still under $10. They are mass-produced and are not considered as ‘collectable’. Roughly 60-75% of my collection falls into this category.
Several years ago I found myself with a large number of duplicates and began tearing a few apart, repainting them and ‘customizing’ them with special wheels, etc. At last count I’ve customized about 100 models. This includes making convertibles out of sedans, pickups, and models of certain cars where no convertibles have been made in ‘my scale’. I’ve even created several ‘stock’ convertibles this way.
About that time I also began wanting a service station where I could display some of them in a realistic setting. I couldn’t find any manufactured ones that I liked, they were all just facades, so I built my own. I detailed the station inside and out, built the gas pumps, and used some parts from smaller dioramas to finish and ‘furnish it’. This was my first diorama. I recently completed my 13th diorama. They include a burger drive-up, a freight terminal, a ‘car show’, a’mansion’, a biker bar, a custom shop, a wrecking yard a ‘car lovers’ house and 10-car garage, a drive-in movie theater, and others. I didn’t set out to build ‘my own little town’ but it has sort of worked out that way.
My collection is quite modest compared to many, although it does fill a good-sized room. Some collectors focus on larger scales for more detail and some only collect one make, Ferrari, for example. I couldn’t quite see the point to just having 10,000 Ferraris. From the outset, I wanted to collect models representative of all makes, foreign and domestic from all over the world, with the emphasis on sports cars and convertibles, but my collection also includes trucks, boats, trailers, motorcycles, and helicopters.
I am to the point where I have just about collected everything I initially wanted. There are a very few particular makes and years that haven’t been produced yet I may acquire if they ever are, but basically I consider my collection ‘almost complete’.
Eldon did add few more models and dioramas over the years. Currently since his death the family is looking to disperse his collection.
