Summary: My name is Ric Sykes -- also known as ricallen in the world of diecast collector forums -- and I would like to welcome you to The Diecast Gallery, my 1:43 scale diecast collection website!

I have been collecting diecasts for most of my life in one form or another, starting with Matchbox cars when I was 2-years old (circa 1970). My collection has shifted focus several times over the years, but the passion for automobiles -- and as such, diecasts -- has always remained strong. And there are a number of terrific collectors out there that I can also blame for causing my collection to continue to grow!

My collection: Presently, my collection consists primarily of 1:43 scale diecast vehicles, representing many automobile manufacturers and diecast brands. Over the course of the years, I have also collected 1:18 scale cars and motorcycles as well, with the latter reaching nearly 400 at its peak! However, my greatest enjoyment has definitely come from the smaller scale items. This is due to the tremendous variety of vehicles available (which is really incredible) and the ability to keep a lot more of them displayed! They tend to bring me back to my childhood days of collecting 1:64 Matchbox vehicles, though without crashing them into one another like I may have back then! And the amount of detail that some manufacturers can build into these "little cars" is often quite amazing!

Types of vehicles: My tastes vary considerably, and this is certainly reflected within my collection! I love to collect the types of cars I might see on the road on any given day -- either today or those I remember from my childhood -- as well as cars that I might be lucky to ever actually see in person! And if the car is an "oddball", you can bet that it is one I would consider adding to the ever-growing collection! To call my collection "ecclectic" would certainly be a fair representation. All it will take is a visit to the Collection Photo Gallery to convince anyone of that, as the variety of vehicles is considerable!

Want to learn more? If you are interested in getting involved with others in the diecast collecting community, then take a few moments to check out some of the diecast forums that are out there! Not only will you find an incredible array of diecast vehicle collections, you will also find some truly terrific people! Just check out the Links page to see a small sampling.