DiecastXchange.com Interview with DetourDave
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DX: Dave, on the behalf of DiecastXchange.com, I would like to congratulate you on the return of DetoursDiecast.com. As you were offline for a brief moment, what motivated you to bring the site back to all the collectors who have enjoyed your site?
DD: The answer is in your question, it was quite simply all the collectors that have enjoyed my site. I actually owe a great deal of gratitude to my wife as well for giving me the right motivation to bring it back online.
DX: It must have been hard to go offline as you clearly poured a lot into the site, couple that with the fact that so many collectors enjoyed it.
DD: It was extremely difficult, but due to personal reasons in my life, it was something that I felt necessary to do at the time. The website had consumed the majority of my time and put a great strain on my marriage. Fortunately, things are much better now and I am elated to have it up & running once again.
DX: Glad to know everything worked out for the best for you and the family.
DX: Just looking over the guest book, there seems to be a outpouring of support and relief the site is back. You've made a lot of people happy.
DD: And seeing their comments has made me happy in return. Simply reading how much collectors & enthusiasts continue to enjoy my site makes all the effort I pour into it worthwhile.
DX: When I first started researching the internet for diecast models, your old site is the first site I came across and it was also the first site I bookmarked. Now that Detours Diecast is back online and seems to have picked up right where it left off, whats different about it now than from before?
DD: In a nutshell, DetoursDiecast is much more streamlined that it has ever been. One of the most important things I wanted to do was make the front page of the site quicker to load. On my old site, I had a lot of information crammed onto one page. For broadband users, it really didn't take that long to load, but for dial up users, it was surely a nightmare. Personally, I'm very pleased with the revised front page. It's simple yet functional and the load times are significantly faster.
Posted on April 19th 2004 by DiecastX - DiecastXchange.com Message Forum Administrator
Dave Nicholson is known throughout the diecast community as DetourDave, his name and reputation proceeds him and for good reason. After a brief hiatus Dave has returned with a new site coupled with great content as only Dave could bring. Dave takes some time with the members of DX and the diecast community to share a few words about himself, the new site and the hobby we all love to enjoy.
Visit Dave's site here.
In addition, there was some content dropped from the old site that was deleted due to memory limitations. The majority of the content I dropped was unrelated to diecast and it hadn't received half as many hits as the other diecast related portions of my site. The most significant changes though were made behind the scenes. One of my greater priorities was to make the site as easy to maintain as possible, thus cutting down on the amount of work time I would need to invest in the site. The greatest alteration I made was the Links page I created for the many links I had on my old site which were listed out on just about every page on the old site. This meant if I had any links to add or update, I had to do this on over 50 different pages the links were on. This was usually my most time consuming chore with the site. Now, it's all on one page and I can update or add a link in a matter of minutes.
DX: What can we expect Detours Diecast to offer the diecast community in the upcoming future?
DD: The #1 priority of DetoursDiecast is & will always be to serve the diecast community as a reference tool, with pics & reviews of as many 1/18 scale diecasts as possible. I'm also considering bringing back the News page in the near future. I still have open lines of communication with several manufacturers and online dealers, so running a News page wouldn't be a problem. In addition, DetoursDiecast will continue to serve as a one stop "detour" to the rest of the diecast world, with links to the Internets best manufacturer, dealer, & collector websites - not to mention the many great forums including DiecastXchange.com.
DX: Dave, you seem to have a genuine knowledge of the hobby relating to American Muscle, how long have you been collecting?
DD: Roughly 8 to 9 years. I actually purchased my first 1/18 scale diecast back in 1993 - a Bburago diecast kit for the Viper RT/10 which I snatched off the overhead shelf at a local Wal-Mart by commandeering one of their ladders. I wanted it badly!! LOL!!
I really didn't get as heavy into collecting diecasts though until my wife got me hooked in 1996. She knew how much I loved cars and started buying me Ertl American Muscle diecasts from Toys R Us for my birthday & Christmas. On top of that, I started going to the Spring Carlisle events with my father-in-law & brother-in-law which is not only a huge swap meet for car parts, but is also a great source for finding diecasts. Going to these events exposed me to brands I had never heard of before such as limited edition companies like Supercars, Cannady's, Lane, & GMP (known then as Peachstate). Carlisle is also where I heard of AutoArt for the first time. Not too long after that, my wife & I purchased a new computer, we got Internet access, and, as they say, the rest is history.
DX: How many pieces in your collection?
DD: My collection used to hover around 250 1/18 scale diecasts, although in the past 8 years I've easily had well over 500 to 600 1/18 scale diecasts. At my peak of collecting, I only had room to display 250 cars, so as new ones kept coming in, others had to go in order to make room for the new stuff. Over the years I've had many many diecast sales.
Due to personal issues that came up about 6 months ago, I had to get rid of about 90% of my collection. I currently have 30 1/18 scale diecasts from muscle cars to pony cars & drag racing cars to Nascar cars. The 30 cars I kept are the ones that are either my favorites, or are ones that are most significant to me personally. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy these 30 cars much more now than when they were buried amongst my larger collection.
DX: Have any favorite pieces?
DD: Of course, all 30 of the ones I kept. LOL!! They would include my 70 Chevelles, a couple 70 Olds 442's, my 70 GTO Judge, 67 Camaro, 68 Firebird, 67 Shelby GT500, 70 Camaro, 70 Boss 302 Mustang, 70 Hemi Cuda, a pair of 67 Vettes, a 65 Shelby Cobra 427, several Tony Stewart & Richard Petty Nascar cars, a couple Arnie Beswick GTO funny cars, my Gas Ronda Thunderbolt, and a pair of Hurst exhibition dragsters - the Hurst Hairy Olds & Hemi Under Glass. Of these cars, my #1 favorite would have to be the Exact Detail 1970 Chevelle SS454 convertible hands down.
The 70 Chevelle is my favorite muscle car as well as the most significant in my life and the one I know most about considering I've helped my father-in-law work on 2 of them. Lane's replica of this milestone muscle car is in itself a milestone in the diecast industry. It is arguably one of their most accurate and most detailed diecasts to date, an extraordinary masterpiece. Plus, it is the one diecast most significant to me in my years of collecting as I was presented with the opportunity to write the box text for this model.
DX: As you are relatively young at less than thirty, what attracted you to the Muscle Car Era of the hobby?
DD: The muscle cars themselves. Growing up, I was infatuated with just about any type of performance car, whether it was a Camaro, Firebird, Ferrari, or Porsche. I simply loved cars that looked fast and cars that were fast. As I got older, I fell in love with the Shelby Cobra. I loved the exterior curves & muscular bulges as well as the raw performance of this supercar. That was the first "muscle" car I remember learning about and falling in love with, but my true fascination with the muscle car came later in life, thanks in part to my father-in-law. I met my would-be father-in-law when I was about 15 years old and at the time, he was rebuilding a 67 Firebird. I always enjoyed listening to his stories about the many muscle cars he used to own growing up and riding around with my best friend who is now my brother in law - in the ones he's owned since I've known him. I eventually started going to car shows with him & my brother-in-law which opened my eyes up to many muscle cars I had never heard of nor seen before. Seeing these behemoth's in person further established my passion for Detroit Iron. Going to & now participating in these car shows is something I thoroughly enjoy to this day.
DX: As a young kid growing up did you have any idea that you would be so involved in the hobby to this magnitude?
DD: Absolutely not, although looking back, it's no real surprise I'm enjoying this hobby as much as I am. As I previously stated, I've always loved cars. In addition, I've been an artist all my life and I've always been fascinated with details & scale models. In a sense, these things are an art form of their own. Given my love for cars and my love for detailed models, the diecast hobby has become a natural passion of mine.
DX: Soooooo....How many Ferraris and Lamborghini's do you have in your collection? (laughing with sarcasm)
DD: You'd be surprised. Currently, none, but when my collecting habits really took off back in the late 90's, I had a few. My collection was originally split between American Muscle, LeMans race cars, Rally cars, and exotics/supercars. I had several Ferrari's from Bburago & Hot Wheels, a couple Lamborghini Diablos from Maisto, and several other LeMans & Rally cars from Maisto and AutoArt. As it became more and more difficult to keep up with each new release in each genre, I realized I needed to narrow my focus and that was when I decided to sell off all of my non-American Muscle cars and went strictly in the direction of Detroit Iron.
Even so, I've always had a fascination for these exotic cars and in fact, shortly after I consolidated my collection back in October, I actually added a couple of the 365 GTB/4 Ferrari's from Kyosho as well as the red Lamborghini Countach 5000S from AutoArt. Sadly though, as newer muscle car releases were added to the collection, these exotics, like the ones that went years before them, were expunged from the collection.
DX: For those that don't know, you wrote the box text for the Lane/Exact Detail 1970 Chevelle as well as wrote an article for the Replica magazine, which must have been a great opportunity for you. Tell us how all that came about.
DD: Those were great opportunities indeed. The articles I wrote for the Replica magazine were my first official assignments related to the diecast hobby. Craig Purcell, then editor of the Replica, had contacted me shortly after I launched my website back in 1999. He had read some of my reviews I had posted on my website as well as various message boards and came to me to see if I'd be interested in contributing to his magazine. The first article I wrote was for Ertls Arnie Beswick 69 GTO funny car. Craig was clearly pleased with the article I wrote as I continued to write articles that were used for both the Replica magazine as well as Ertl's Diecast Express website. Craig is no longer with Ertl or the Replica, but he & I have kept in touch over the years and he is truly a great friend.
No matter how many articles I wrote for Ertl, or however many dealers used my work to promote their products, the greatest opportunity I've had in this hobby is without a doubt the box text I wrote for Lanes Exact Detail 1970 Chevelle. This was the first time I'd ever had an official responsibility on a manufacturer's release, and I owe a great deal of gratitude to Mr. Lane & Eric Trapp - Lanes lead product design manager for the Exact Detail series. A friend of Eric's put me in touch with him a couple years ago and mentioned Eric wanted to talk with me as he had become a fan of my website and the reviews I was writing for the Exact Detail cars. Since that time, Eric & I have developed a great friendship. At times, we'd wind up talking more about our weekends & families than diecast cars. Eric is a knowledgeable car guy, and an asset to this hobby, but even moreso, he is truly a great friend. He has given me many great opportunities over the years and I'm forever grateful that he opened the door for me and allowed me to write the box text for the 70 Chevelle.
DX: Will we see more articles and write ups along these lines from you anytime soon?
DD: I hope so. I've built a tremendous relationship with Lane and I'm confident Eric will invite me back to write the text for future releases. In fact, the text I wrote for the cranberry red 1970 Chevelle SS454 convertible will be used again on the upcoming black & white 1970 Chevelle SS454 convertible as well as the upcoming cranberry red 1970 Chevelle SS454 hardtop. Eric mentioned he may ask me to write up something new for the 4th release in the Exact Detail 1970 Chevelle series.
Above & beyond that, I have obtained several contacts inside the journalism world - names to individuals & editors of various automotive publications. My desire is to put together some of my better writing samples and submit them to these contacts with the goal in mind of landing a column with one of these publications.
DX: As you have many experiences with the hobby on various levels, how has the hobby changed from when you first started collecting to now?
DD: Primarily, I think there has been a huge increase in the quality of the models, not only in fit & finish, but details as well as working features. Ertl, who used to own the "bang for the buck" title is no longer the well respected company it once was and companies like Highway 61 & AutoArt have since taken over this designation. There has been an obvious shift in collectors who used to buy from companies like Ertl, Maisto, & Yat Ming who are now buying from companies like Lane, GMP, Highway 61, AutoArt, CMC, & Exoto. Today's trend is clearly quality over quantity.
Even so, there has been a considerable increase in production. Years ago you'd be lucky to have a small handful of releases to pick through every couple months, but today, it seems like the average is almost one release every month from each manufacturer, making it a challenge for some collectors to keep up, especially when you have a large quantity of replicas offering high quality.
DX: As I have opened my eyes in a lot of aspects to this hobby, I have noticed there are a lot of new collectors who are helping mold and shape this hobby in the form of small manufacturing companies, publications, websites and specialty services. From your experience with working with manufacturers, what kind of impact will this new breed of collector/enthusiast/opportunist have on the hobby from your perspective?
DD: I think it will continue to help promote & grow the hobby in general. I have watched the diecast hobby grow as hundreds of new collectors are introduced to the hobby each year. There has also been an increase in public awareness of the hobby thanks to newspaper & magazine articles, to a select number of television spots.
I believe as the hobby continues to grow, we may also see new manufacturers hit the scene. We recently watched the birth & rapid growth of new manufacturers such as Highway 61. In addition, as we continue to see more online dealers offer their own limited editions, I think it would be safe to assume that some of these dealers may eventually introduce their own line of diecasts. Lane & GMP are just two companies that started out as dealers, contracting limited editions with Ertl before producing their own diecast lines. How long until we see other dealers like Supercars or National Diecasters follow suit, launching their own lines?
DX: Out of that growth, how much of it will be of the Muscle Cars of the past?
DD: I think there is plenty of room for growth for just about all genres of the diecast hobby. There are countless numbers of cars in each field that have yet to be produced, providing the manufacturers with an long list of possibilities.
In addition, we have seen a few manufacturers revisiting existing molds and reproducing them using today's standards for quality & details. Take for example Lanes 1970 Chevelle. Many companies have already done the 70 Chevelle, but none have done it to the caliber of the Lanes Exact Detail version. Same with the AutoArt 1953 Corvette. Mira did one, so did Ertl, but none of them truly did this monumental sports car the justice it so rightly deserved as AutoArt did. I think we will continue to see many older diecasts revisited & improved by other manufacturers, giving them plenty to work on and plenty to keep our wallets empty.
DX: Any particular model that you would like to see made or reproduced?
DD: Right now, I'm most anxious for Lane's 1970 Chevelle SS454 hardtop. The convertibles were incredible, and I believe they were the first 1970 Chevelle SS454 convertibles manufactured in 1/18 scale, but I prefer the hardtops. Right now, all we have in a hardtop is the Ertl & Welly versions. The 70 Chevelle is truly a milestone of the muscle car era and it pleases me to see it get the attention it deserves.
Another one on the top of my list that I'd like to see reproduced is the 69 Camaro. Granted, Ertl has done this car to death, but this is yet another car that truly deserves the attention of a high detail manufacturer, no matter how many times its been done in 1/18th scale.
DX: As the hobby is filled with many positives relating to the replicas we all love so much, there are also negatives as well. As a collector, what are some of those negatives that is slowing the growth of the hobby down?
DD: I don't like to focus on the negatives as much, but since you brought it up. One of the biggest negatives that comes to mind is the dealers selling models on eBay for prices below wholesale. The way I understand it, there are a number of dealers that buy up a large quantity of models to get a greater discount and wind up selling the surplus on eBay for next to nothing. By getting a greater discount, they're able to make a greater profit on the models they sell at regular price.
We all love to get a great deal, and eBay is the place to get it for sure, but these types of auctions are hurting the value of these cars as well as the dealers that sell them. If the dealers can't sell their models because someone can get it cheaper on eBay, then eventually they won't buy as many from that manufacturer in the future. If the manufacturers can't sell their models, they'll start making less, and eventually some may start losing money and eventually drop out of the hobby. Granted, this is all hypothetical, but I know of a couple manufacturers that are trying hard to put an end to these practices and reestablish the value of their models.
Along the same lines of cost, while the increase in quality & details is a plus for the hobby, it is surely seen as a negative by some as well. With the increase of details & features comes an increase in manufacturing costs which results in an increase in the retail price. Lane, GMP, & Exoto offer some of the nicest & most detailed diecasts on the market, but many collectors can't afford to collect them. Highway 61 & AutoArt have established a successful niche in the market by offering a high detail replica at an intermediate level cost. They're able to do this by producing their models with significantly higher production runs which in turn offsets the higher manufacturing costs of a high detail replica thus allowing these manufacturers the ability to sell their models at a lower price point. Whether or not we'll see companies like Lane or GMP ever enter this niche is anyone's guess, but for now, both companies are committed to offering collectible limited editions which will keep the price of these models right around the $100 mark.
DX: Ok Dave...for all the money in the pot. Name your favorite Muscle Car that hasn't been made yet?
DD: Without a doubt, the 71 Charger. My father had one of these when I was born and we had it until I was about 5 years old. I don't remember much about it, if it was a stock Charger or an R/T, but I remember it was a beautiful shade of blue with a white interior and when I went for a ride with my Dad, he would make it gallop. This is the first muscle car I remember riding in.
DX: Any chances we will see it in the near future?
DD: Yup!! Word is, Revell has it on their drawing board now and we should be seeing it sometime towards the end of the year. I have no idea what level of detail it'll have or what color combinations they have planned for it, but I'm hoping for a blue version with a white interior. Either way, I'll be getting one of these when they release.
DX: Dave on the behalf of DiecastXchange.com, I would like to welcome DetoursDiecast.com and yourself back. Not that you ever left. But many wishes to yourself and the site. Take care and see you on the forums.
DD: Thank you Darrick for DiecastXchange.com and for taking the time to do this interview. It's greatly appreciated and I wish you and your forum, as well as all of its great members, continued success!!
DX: Thanks for the kind words Dave.
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