Since the beginning, we’ve shared a love of diecast. Our very first item added to the database was the Corgi Toys Ford Mustang Mach 1 from the James Bond movie Diamonds are Forever. Since then, with the help of our volunteers, we’ve added more than 600,000 database items (and hobbyDB members now own more than 45 million collectibles!). With thousands of variants and subvariants, the database has helped thousands of collectors to better understand what they have, and be able to price at the current market value. We are so grateful for the support coming from the diecast community, becaus ..read more

From Carroll Shelby to Larry Wood and all pioneers between, the Model Car Hall of Fame has gathered together enthusiasts from across the scale vehicle world to celebrate all the best in the hobby (by now around 250 individuals, brands and models). Ever since taking over management in 2017, the hobbyDB team has loved every moment of being able to facilitate the recognition of so many revolutionaries of the diecast industry. We also have worked hard to make the Hall better by quadrupling the award categories to 26, expanding the Selection Committee, and inviting the community to be more involved ..read more

Ever since The Toy Peddler and hobbyDB became part of the same family a few years ago, we knew that eventually we would have to decide which marketplace “version” would be the best for everyone – hobbyDB or TTP. Well, the great news after tons of discussion with both the TTP community and those at hobbyDB, we have all sided with the Token (credit) System that TTP currently has. Great news for those of us at TTP, we stay the same, just get better! The old credit system on TTP is staying the same, just the name for “credits” will change. Shortly, credits will be called “tokens”—as later we will ..read more

As our second crowdfunding initiative kicks off, we’re excited to welcome Bruce Pascal as the round’s lead investor. With more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience, Pascal is best known in the business community as a real estate veteran who has handled some of the most complex and largest lease transactions in the nation’s capital. He is currently the Executive Managing Director at Cushman and Wakefield, the 3rd largest real estate company in the world with revenues of US$8.8 billion last year. Pascal’s award list is impressive and includes the “Broker of the Year” and “Leasing T ..read more

You, our members, are the heart of The Toy Peddler. Without you, TTP would not nearly be the site it is today. Many of you have been a part of TTP since the beginning. For more than 20 years, The Toy Peddler has served as the ultimate place to buy and sell Diecast. With inexpensive upfront fees, no taxes for buyers, and plenty of free social media exposure, TTP continues to serve the diecast community and provide a better alternative to eBay. Since TTP became a part of the hobbyDB family, we’ve always wanted members to be able to own a part of the project. So when crowdfunding became possible ..read more

Mike McKittrick talks about his long career at Mattel that started in the in May of 1968. It was his job straight out of High School and he found himself on the factory floor in Hawthorne, CA. Come hear stories about the earliest days of Hot Wheels and his career at Mattel that spanned all the way to Malaysia in 1995. Hosted by Bruce Pascal, Mike also answered questions for the select few chosen to attend the zoom conference. This is great for anyone who wants to learn what it was like at Mattel in 1968. Mike McKittrick started on the Hot Wheels factory floor in May of 1968…that was his clai ..read more

For Eric Elrod there is nothing cooler than Hot Wheels. You know, those miniature die-cast customized cars that Mattel began making for Generation X-ers back in 1968? The company has produced more than 6 billion of the 1:64 scale toy cars over the past 53 years. And you could be a lucky grownup if you hung on to some of those from the early years. “The Hot Wheels community has taken off,” says Elrod, who operates Elrod Stud Welding in Lebanon, Tennessee. “Their maker, Mattel, is really great at keeping the love for Hot Wheels going and does a really good job of creating and encouraging co ..read more

Howard Rees: Mattel’s Marvelous Redline Designer! Howard Rees was born in 1941, and went to the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, where he earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts Degree in 1964. Later he accepted a position with Ford Motor Company in England. After leaving England he continued to work with Ford in Detroit, designing the ever popular Mustang line. Cold, long, Michigan winters drove him back to California. In 1967, Howard was driving past the Mattel Headquarters in the city of Hawthorne, and decided to stop to visit a friend who was working there. While visiting his friend ..read more

For Eric Elrod there is nothing cooler than Hot Wheels. You know, those miniature die-cast customized cars that Mattel began making for Generation X-ers back in 1968? The company has produced more than 6 billion of the 1:64 scale toy cars over the past 53 years. And you could be a lucky grownup if you hung on to some of those from the early years. “The Hot Wheels community has taken off,” says Elrod, who operates Elrod Stud Welding in Lebanon, Tennessee. “Their maker, Mattel, is really great at keeping the love for Hot Wheels going and does a really good job of creating and encouraging co ..read more

If there’s one name synonymous with Hot Wheels, it’s Larry Wood. Nicknamed “Mr. Hot Wheels,” Larry spent five decades with the company as Chief Designer and consultant, innovating such diecast classics as the ‘49 Merc, Ramblin’ Wrecker and the Boyd Coddington collector set. We’re excited to share that our sister site hobbyDB will be unveiling five of his never-before-seen designs entitled “The Ones That Got Away”. Want to see them?? You’re going to have to wait until April 19… Until then, follow hobbyDB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for potential sneak peeks! The ..read more