INTRODUCTION & HISTORY MASTER INDEX

MY DIECAST VEHICLES COLLECTION INTRODUCTION & HISTORY

CREDITS, REFERENCES & LINKS SHELVES AND DISPLAY CASES

INTRODUCTION, and HISTORY OF THIS WEB SITE.

I started collecting diecast toy cars in June, 2019, when I saw a 1:64 Greenlight LLV and DJ-5 postal jeeps for sale in the gift section of the USPS web site. I was a mail carrier in Berkeley, CA for a year way back in 1967, and have been a stamp collector since I was ten, so the miniature postal vehicles appealed to me at once. I bought several for myself, and sent some to friends.

Then I noticed other versions, like the KINSMART 1:36 LLV, with doors that open! (The ad says 1:34 - it's actually 1:36. It'smarked on the bottom.)

I looked on eBay, and found many more, and soon I was hooked - I wanted ALL the diecast USPS models.

I enjoyed collecting and displaying the range of scales: Largest: 1:36 Smallest: 1:127

Before long I started to run out of postal models to buy, and CHP police cars caught my attention. I was strict at first - CHP sedans only (I live in California) and 1:64 only (small enough not to take up a lot of space, and large enough to show intricate detail) - but soon I couldn't resist others.

Then it was school buses - fond memories of my childhood.

and motorcycles - just because they look so cool.

I acquired a model of a Bell 47 Helicopter with a large lot, and became obsessed with that aircraft and its relatives. I picked up a few other models I liked as well.

Then it was just a short hop to fire-fighting vehicles.

I made a short detour into 50's Buicks and Corvettes, because those were my favorites when I first discovered cars. Some random purchases led to a beach scene - SURF's UP!

I dabbled in silly little dioramas.

And so on....