The Fine Line between Toy and Collectable

A humble case in point. When many of the brands we collect came into being, they started off as toys. Matchbox, Hotwheels, Schuco, etc. started of life as a kids dream toy has now turned into a massive collectable economy. Sales, trades, auctions happen on a daily basis around the world and the money that floats between continents collectively is staggering. But, most of them started out as toys.

So what qualifies the turn from toy to collector item?

Rarity? Detail? Rolling Wheels, non rolling wheels? Is there any set criteria?

Purists will say with a hefty egotistical voice that detail and price define a collectable. But then there would be only a few 1000 collectors on the planet earth comparing their super high end Amalgam Models and puffing their chest out on social media. (this is no fault of the AMALGAM MODELS they do brilliant models).

I say a gentlemanly “funk that”.

In car culture, we respect everyone’s effort unless it looks absolutely hideous. As for collecting if YOU think it looks good enough for your collection, if it gives you more joy than the amount of ‘likes’ you get on TikTok then you’ve hit the sweet spot of collecting and found peace with your collection.

As for me #MSZ is severely blurring the lines for I thought was the difference between toy and collectable.

ANOTHER GT-R35!?!?!?

I have an addiction. I drove an actual GT-R NISMO Package and now i’m severely hooked. My father in the 90’s owned a 1973 Kenmeri sky blue 2000 GT-R, which I still look out for to this day. I really wish I had known the value of some of the cars my father owned but back then they were still underground sleepers, creepers and garage fairy tales.

Obviously I have large collection of GT-R 35’s in all scales (except 1/18, an annoying fact) This is the new release from upcoming brand MSZ. Importantly they concentrate on model cars and they have the licenses for the all the brands which is super important.

Pro’s and Cons

Pros

MSZ constantly surprises me! Their DTM line is really comparable quality wise to bigger older players in the market. The newer releases are better in terms of details. This GT-R though is really something. It’s the 50th Anniversary version, which comes with the chunky white stripe, the 50th Anniversary badge (sticker) on the rear and the blue trimmed special alloy wheel that came with the package. Even the sparkly paint is really well done and clear coated. This is looking better than some of the higher priced models, BIGGER models that we have.

Pro’s & Con’s result: Well balanced.

The shape of the car has been replicated quite well. No unsightly lines. In fact the exterior detail is really good and you can double that for emphasis. De-fogger lines on the rear glass, little attention to a few details like that makes this go a long way.

Con’s

Truth be told there are two mould issues that I found on the bodywork, but ONLY if I was looking at this car with a magnifying glass every time. The rear spoiler could be refined a bit more. And I wish the air intake vents around the car were hollowed out, that would look hot. There has been some improvement on MSZ wheels overall. Now the hubs and the disc brakes are not one flat moulded plastic, but now two separate pieces.

Overall the Pro’s outweigh the Con’s with price being the cherry on the top!

Engine Revs, Lights & Action

WAIT!?!?!? WHAT!?!?!? No No NO! This has to be a toy! It’s got pull back action. So? It has lights! One less thing to Photoshop. Off late there has been a rise of action photography that has artistes creating intricate pieces and adding light effects to the cars. THIS COMES WITH THE LIGHTS WORKING!!!!

The Engine Rev noises are not for me and probably the only thing I wouldn’t want on this. Because to activate the lights you have to also engage the sound which my sons can pick up at a distance and then make a bee line to my office.

It is impossible to ignore the effort that has made this quite good looking. Give it a home.

Conclusion

Great price great casting. A lot of attention to detail on the exterior, the interior, well as the Italians say, forget about it. But importantly it looks good on a shelf, its a great starting point and as you progress to bigger better things you will start to thin out the herd and pass some of these down. Personally I like this a lot and would certainly recommend it to any GT-R fan / collector.