Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Good morning, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, and the rest of the world. You've tuned in to the Mac CD morning show. I am your host Telia Pierre. And as per usual, we're going to start to show off the same way we start every show off with a moment of gratitude. I know that you could be doing a million other things with your time. So the fact that you choose to spend it with us truly does mean the world to me. So thank you on that note, Tana hitting with the intro.
Speaker 1 00:00:21 So she caught me, loves near listened to the next city morning shower.
Speaker 0 00:00:30 Okay. And we're back. Listen, we're just going to get right to it. Cause I know Tanner is extremely excited about this episode. As you know, I don't introduce my guests. I let them do that themselves. So sir, can you please tell everybody at home who you are and what you're about?
Speaker 3 00:00:42 Hi, my name is Camille. Um, I'm a Dyke as enthusiastic, one of the craziest ones in Fort Mac, I guess. Uh, and I've been, uh, a die-cast collector, enthusiastic, uh, everything die-cast me for all my life. Um, I live in Fort Mac, um, up in take wood and uh, just, uh, promoting die-cast because I think Fort Mac needs this.
Speaker 0 00:01:09 Okay. So for everybody at home, let's just talk about it. Some people might not know what that even means. What is, what does die-cast mean?
Speaker 3 00:01:15 Die-cast die-cast means a cast office, certain object, basically, if you see cars there, uh, made custard and a different metals things, alloys, aluminum steel used to, uh, produced a die-cast. Um, and obviously in the very higher ends views goals who are in diamond study.
Speaker 0 00:01:38 Right? Right now you've brought cars here. So like when die-cast like, from when I think about it, it's more cars, but you can get it in planes or a bolt or anything. Where does your, where was your field of expertise? Do you like primarily like the cars? Are you getting everything?
Speaker 3 00:01:54 There you go. So, um, I don't restrict myself to just scars. I restrict myself to everything. Die-cast be it, cars, boats, airplanes. Be it dragsters, be it, uh, die-cast dolls. I mean, you can I've I've got a passion for die-cast. I can touch that thing and I'd be happy somehow. Th th th th it talks to me.
Speaker 0 00:02:18 So how did this start for you? But,
Speaker 3 00:02:20 Uh, this started a very young age. Um, my dad, he was a, um, a captain on a cargo ship and he used to go all over the world. So as kids, we used to get these die-cast stories that we should save. Some of those went through the roof. I mean, the ones I had in 1970 disease, eighties, if I still had them today, um, uh, it would have been good. Really good.
Speaker 0 00:02:48 Yeah. You know what? You probably wouldn't have given away though. He probably would have held on to him.
Speaker 3 00:02:51 Yeah. There's a funny story to that because, uh, I was born in basically raised in my younger years in Pakistan. That's what my background is from. And, uh, do you seem to very rare, there are people whose parents work overseas or, or, you know, they, they associates like my dad was, uh, you can't really buy this stuff. This comes in as gifts. Um, so I was the only kid on the block, uh, who had a die-cast collection, like this kind, you get the cheaper plastic ones and all that. But when you see this and you see, um, north America, really the, the whole, the whole gaming world and everything starts with north America and Europe, the west, and this is part of the west, which was not available in the east. And actually it's not available till today. So that's where the NFTs are coming. Right?
Speaker 0 00:03:40 Yeah. So let's talk about that. Let's like, nobody's ready for that. They thought they were listening to die cast and that's traditional. Now you're talking about NFTs something I know a decent amount about. So as soon as you said that, I'm like, oh, you peak my interest. I was, I bid, we were bidding on the NFT for the original hot wheels that they were putting out. So let me hear what you're talking about for your NFT.
Speaker 3 00:04:03 As you know, I'm not going to go too deep into it. It's just in the development phase. Um, I am also grasping all the concepts around it. It is pretty new. Uh, it's supposed to be, so what an D does is basically as just for the viewers here, um, is going to put your product originality or history of it on the web where people can buy itself into it. And, um, up to now, as I've done my research, it hasn't been, uh, launched in, I guess yet. I mean, Christie's, and the bigger auction houses did go into art and preserving the arts. So why can't be preserved this because you see a lot of fake stuff is also coming out a lot of, so, uh, as a die-cast collector, I would end up buying, uh, maybe say from different sources as eBay, Facebook, anybody could GG anybody selling anything.
Speaker 3 00:04:55 And it catches my eye and this words, I think, okay, it's, it's, it needs to be in my collection, actually, all of them need to be, but there's a difference between hoarding and collecting. It's an honest struggle. It isn't honest, you see one and you like it and you think, wow, I want that. And what if I never see it again? You probably won't ever see it again, unless you were in the shop. Uh, Fort Mac is a dirt because in that way, um, you see if you go to Edmonton academy anyway, you see this huge hobby shops and people are, people are not looking at their watches, but in there, I certainly don't look at my watch. I look at my watch when I'm at Ikea with, you know, or in a grocery store, but I don't look at my watch in a hobby store.
Speaker 3 00:05:40 It's, um, it's, it's the same effect as a casino. You walk in there and the atmosphere just takes over and takes you from that real world into this world of, uh, dimensions, fantasy wants. It's just a want really, nobody needs a die-cast, but everybody wants, um, I've got people who've got, um, I've I've oh, the best thing about Dyke has, because I'm a social person like to meet people. I w I've been in Fort Mac since two eight. Um, I think I'm, I was, um, I'm just going to go into a funny story with just a little bit off the die-cast there. Yeah. Um, I joined the, um, my employer that my employer is a city. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that now, but my employer, the city I loved is one of it is the best employer I've ever worked for.
Speaker 3 00:06:26 Worked up north. I worked in Toronto, you know, I've had, uh, I've traveled the world. So putting all the experience together, our M Tom's up, uh, I moved from Toronto to here, never degraded it. Fort Mac has been an awesome place, but it misses a whole lot of culture. A die-cast is part of that culture, uh, sports and gaming. So, uh, we, uh, there are people who've started up chess games and everything, right? So I want to be the die-cast guy. I know I have Dean's largest collection in Fort mag because I know the largest collectors here. And I know people who runs into like a few hundred cars, but, um, I think I comfortably beat them by another few hundred anyway. So, uh, I, as we said, uh, we go into the, there's a fine line between holding and collecting, right? So when I reached that fine line, after 35 years, it took me 35 years to realize that I've crossed over from that collecting to the holding side.
Speaker 3 00:07:24 Uh, when you, when you haven't opened a box of something you've really like 10 years ago, and you haven't even opened it in 10 years and you just keep looking at it and, and cleaning dust off, it makes sure it looks like perfect. Uh, 10 years later, uh, that means you're going into that hoarding stage stop. They are still toys. They're still toys, but you know what, uh, people, um, like I, as a hobby, I started exploring this. I put it in a Facebook. I think I'm the only guy who has YMM die-cast as a, as a, as a Facebook page where, you know, I get people interested and, oh my God, do we have an interest in that? Um, uh, sweet antiques downtown is a, um, is a antique shop. And, uh, it's run by a very entrepreneurial couple. And, you know, in Fort Mac, if I wanted to go, retail is this is not a retail thing.
Speaker 3 00:08:18 This is more of a education slash uh, a dialogue, a meeting of die-cast minds. Uh it's it's because there's nothing as such together. I plan to go into Mac. I didn't have a die-cast convention where people go, you know what? People can bring their cars and bring their bikes and bring their boats. And, and, um, uh, maybe I can give them, like, you know, they have the road shows, anti-growth shows and everything. So I've got 35 years worth of experience into die-cast in a way specifically die-cast um, I would know you're a $6 million, $7 million, uh, Lamborghini. If I saw it, a normal person would just think it's gold-plated, but it's actually 24 goals, 24 K, but there's so much in there that Fort Mac deeds die-cast. I mean, during COVID let's talk about COVID. What were people doing stuck at home? What was I doing? Cleaning my cars, building them, stacking them again. I see them again. I mean, uh, we need, uh, we need a glass case for those. I mean, they, they can just not be
Speaker 0 00:09:22 For everybody at home. He's pointing at Tanner's hot wheel collection.
Speaker 3 00:09:27 Really? It's a 1 64 collection Tyler's got, and it's totally cool. It's hot wheel. Mattel's that all the old schools, you have a majorette in there by any chance? Uh, I do not. No corgi. Uh, Nope. All right. So
Speaker 0 00:09:40 They're geeking out hard, right? Yeah.
Speaker 4 00:09:44 This has been my favorite episode. Like when you got your penny Hardaway Jersey, this is my,
Speaker 0 00:09:50 Yeah, you're a penny Hardaway Jersey. For real. It's a cool thing that you're getting because Tanner collects hot wheels and he's very passionate about them. And so because of that, I've started to get into it myself. And I remember the first time myself and Tanner went to purchase some hot wheels. Um, I was just like, yeah, I don't care. Just buy whatever you want. Like, and I wasn't really paying attention. And then the second time I was just like, oh, you know, thumbing through the shelves. And I was like, oh, look at this. This is kind of neat. And fast forward till literally yesterday, I'm down at Walmart with him in this bin, just like going through, and you're 100%, right. You're not looking at your time. You get lost in it. And it's, it's just fun. It's just fun. And there's not too many things in life that just give you like that moment of being a child again and just whimsy basically. And I find with like hot wheels and die-cast, it's something that you can get into and it doesn't necessarily have to be the most expensive thing. A hot wheel is a dollar. Correct. You could go to a garage sale, get one for a few cents. Or like you said, you can go find a Lamborghini that's made out of 24, karat gold it's worth X amount of millions. So it's something that everybody can get involved in. And it genuinely is fun.
Speaker 3 00:11:05 Gentlemanly. It's fun. Um, it's, it's, it's just like anything else, like Scrabble or, or, um, uh, making puzzles, or you can get the whole family involved in this. Um, as you said, being a kid. Yes, that's right. You do, uh, people who've got associated with. I th I don't think there's any kid in the world who's not owned a car, a small dinky car toy. I don't care if you come from Bangladesh or you come from Germany or you come from Switzerland. I think every kid in the world, uh, like probably every girl, unless she was a tomboy would own a dog. Every kid would own a dinky car or a toy car or a truck or something in that sense, like, um, the, the world change after cartoons and DC comics. So we had a Spider-Man figures and we had all those, but those were in, and there's a different, completely different, uh, mindset for those, as well as the collector in the die-cast. Um, this is a, if I'm not wrong over $23 billion a year in America,
Speaker 0 00:12:10 I doubt don't doubt
Speaker 3 00:12:11 That as an entrepreneur part of it, the second part of it is like, um, you don't ha I mean, it does bring you back to the childhood. Yes. But I have collectors here who are, who build their own heart rods. Right. Who build their own, um, you know, they, they take an old car from a junk yard, put it back together, and now, um, they come down and say, buy sweet antiques, just, just for the heck of it, Camille it, and they see that exact thing they built in there and it's sitting right there and like, so I have the actual thing there. And I have the, the, the, the die-cast there. It just blows people's minds. Uh, as, as I said, the scales off it, uh, there are collectors who will only collect 1 64 scales there's collectors who will only collect 1 24, 1 40 threes, or one 30 twos. I collect everything because I think all of this deserves a space somewhere. Um, it is a hobby, like, you know, I do a lot of fishing, kayaking, all the other stuff, but I found it in COVID. Yeah. The whole day went by with me, trying to put together cars and listening to the history of it and, and, and comparing them and just rolling them on the ground. The pleasure that comes out of just rolling a die-cast called the ground simple as that, the lives simple.
Speaker 0 00:13:28 You're preaching to the choir, you get a track and you get to watch it, do the loop or whatever, you know, the one thing you have, and I want to talk about it a little bit. Cause I didn't even know this was a thing you have that Mustang there. And so depending on like the cars that we have, like I've seen levels of detail in all of them, correct. And we have a few cartwheels and matchbox and everything in the house. Cause cause of Tanner, that thing has carpet in it. It does that's I did not know that they would go into that level of detail.
Speaker 3 00:14:00 This is a GMP Mustang. It's uh, all the details. I usually so any for any die-cast collectors you're most of the details on the, on the cars are available here, including the name of the maker, the scale and everything. So this is a GMP Mustang. Um, obviously by if you can see even the under body is done so intricately as it would have been done in the real car, right? It is crazy. I mean, even the straps around the tanks and everything now, GMP had this thing. I had a Ford, a GMP and Ford got it together. And adult that point, the exact carpet from the Ford, they were given to the GMP. So if you were to open the back of this car and you would touch it, it's a, it's a touchstone, it's an actual carpet.
Speaker 0 00:14:47 It's actual carpet inside. Yeah. And it's the same carpet that would have been used in that Year. And it's inside too. So you guys can't feel at home, but like when you open the side doors and you start to feel like the bottom where the mat is, it's legitimate carpet, like the level of detail to this. And when I know, I know the cameras are not going to be able to pick up the engine, but just the inside of the engine is like, unbelievable.
Speaker 3 00:15:12 If you touch those wires, they're rubber. They're not plastic. So they actually, from the Mustang, they just sliced them down and they use the wires even rubber. Right? You're not like, so, I mean, obviously that model right now goes for about 800 to $1,200 depending on the session. And there's a GMP is one of the higher brands is auto art. They compete with that. Um, uh, M two has come up for it now too. But now you're going back to the GMPs and the auto arts. Um, they are exact precise details. That's exactly one 18 is not one 18.5 is not one 19. So this is how the scales go. Um, uh, 1 64 comparison to this, um, is one of the smallest skills you can buy. Um, this is a hard collector, then it goes up to a 1 32. Um, and then it goes up 24, by the way. Um, this is fairly it's listeners for the excellent show. Uh, we are going to answer a question. What is de most expensive die-cast car.
Speaker 0 00:16:23 Okay. So this is, this is the contest. So what we're doing the first person. So this is the question. What's the question.
Speaker 3 00:16:28 The question is what is the most expensive die-cast car in the world? Okay.
Speaker 0 00:16:34 And for the first person who writes underneath this episode in the comments, the most expensive, most expensive die-cast car in the world is the following. We'll win this. Uh, die-cast. Now this is only for on Facebook. So if you're watching this on YouTube or listening to it on Spotify, this is only a contest for Facebook. So if you know what the most expensive die-cast model car is, please in the comments section, let's see if you can win that die-cast car. Alright, so now moving on. Cause Tanner, I know he's been chomping at the bit. He has a segment called the Mac city minute where he asks guests questions. I know he wants to ask you some questions. So Tanner hidden with the max 80 minute.
Speaker 4 00:17:14 Alrighty, question. Number one. What is one thing that keeps you loving die-cast
Speaker 3 00:17:21 It's the actual cast? Uh, once they produce a number of die-cast that's finished, that cost is not produced anymore. It becomes a one of a kind, even though like there were thousands of it produced, but after 20 years, how many survive? Right? It's the actual cast and some casts are just irreplaceable.
Speaker 4 00:17:41 Question number two. What is your favorite? Die-cast in your collection? All of them. That is the right answer. Question. Number three. What is one reason you think anyone can get into die-cast?
Speaker 3 00:17:56 Uh, if you drive a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, an airplane, a boat, a tank, anything. I'm pretty sure there's a model of die-cast made for it that you can enjoy in your living room all day, all night, all through COVID all through the four seasons through minus 50. And by the way, this thing doesn't, uh, doesn't deteriorate that easy they're made of aluminum and aloes so, um, yeah.
Speaker 4 00:18:25 Question number four. What is your unicorn chase? Cat.
Speaker 3 00:18:30 What is my unicorn chase? Die-cast it's the first time I heard that,
Speaker 4 00:18:34 Like, what is the, the, the car that you would say is the most sought after for your collection in any car? If you could have the most expensive least expensive, most rare. What is that ultimate? Don't say the
Speaker 0 00:18:46 Most. Don't say the most, because that will give away the answer to the content.
Speaker 3 00:18:49 Yeah, no, uh, firstly for me, if you're asking tenor, um, my very first car, which I ever owned, I was a 16 year old 17 year old was a Toyota Corona, 1971. I have been trying to find that the last, a white in color, uh, Toyota Corona in 1971, white in color, my grandfather owned it from brand new. He gave it to me and uh, I've been trying to find that Toyota Corona in a die-cast. I haven't found it yet. I found Corollas and other ones, but not the Toyota Corona. Yeah. I've never seen it. So I don't even know if they make it right. I take a second mortgage to get technically that's the fine line between hoarding and collecting. Right. But I would literally take a second mortgage to get that car.
Speaker 4 00:19:38 And your final question. What is your favorite story from your time collecting? Die-cast?
Speaker 3 00:19:45 Uh, my favorite story from my time collecting that, cause there's, there's, there's, there's too many. I've I've like, uh, in my, in my, uh, if anybody comes to me and they, they come with kids and we have a dialogue, um, I give that child a free die-cast regardless of if you buy it or not. Uh, I also promote a lot of, uh, um, like I'm trying to promote, um, Santa, um, what's it called? Santa as a mystery gifts and everything. Yeah. So those two, but um, yeah. When a child comes, when a parent comes with a child and they, you know, it's the parent that's going to buy, it's happened a lot of times, oh, I've got my kid with me, please bring him along. And then the kid comes in and he starts touching the car, get all NZ about it. And I said, if he doesn't touch it, if he doesn't break it, I'm not happy.
Speaker 3 00:20:35 The kid breaks it. He gets it for free. If the kid does not break it, he walks away. He or she walks away with a die-cast guard, regardless if the parent bought anything or not. And that is the epic for me. It puts a smile on that person's face. And it, I can't say it in words now I've got that kicked kid. Are that person hooked onto die-cast for the rest of their life? I mean, I said who, this is the most, this is, this is the most pleasurable moment out of a die-cast here. I do this. I'm so happy. This pose, believe me, zero energy, zero emissions can go wrong with,
Speaker 0 00:21:14 I love it. Okay. Listen, I know we've already gone over the 20 minutes and that happens sometimes. It's all right. Um, everybody gets a shameless shout out or plug before they leave though. So please tell people how they can get in contact with you, how they can get involved in die-cast yeah. Go you're up
Speaker 3 00:21:33 Well to promote die-cast more die-cast um, I am, die-cast a webpage on, uh, of all people who are interested in die-cast. I do promote a lot of die-cast up there. Um, as I said, um, sweet antiques downtown, uh, they were very nice enough to, um, afford me a room at a very, very, very, very reasonable prices because, um, I don't want to really go into retail. Um, I'm not, I have a job. This is all part of the passion. And due to, to pay thousands of dollars in rent to, to, to, to forward that passion was what was holding me back from these people run an antique shop. They have the only antique shop in Fort Mac and
Speaker 0 00:22:18 Yes,
Speaker 3 00:22:19 That's right. And this entrepreneur, that one lady who sells, uh, paints out of the one room, she rents one lady sells clothes in persons, out of the one room she ends. Um, I have a, I don't call it a retail. I call it a dialogue room. It's a die-cast dialogue room. Even if you want, if anybody wants to bring something up there and they want to get in touch with me and they want an evaluation on it, or it's time that it needs to be passed on to a new admirer or a collector, I would certainly be the first person to, to want to have a dialogue with that person. And see, I do a lot of swaps shops. Don't do swaps.
Speaker 4 00:22:59 The fact that I am learning about this shop is very dangerous for my entire being.
Speaker 3 00:23:06 Um, you know what? I've had people come to me in Fort Mac Marie and I'm, I'm not going to talk into the selling part of it, but, um, they're amazed with the amount and the quality and the variety of die-cast that have is it's a one stop die-cast heaven, and I've just done it to make a dialogue. It's not for retail to start to make money. It's just to get die-cast out here.
Speaker 4 00:23:31 It's a it's heaven for my being in hell for my bank.
Speaker 0 00:23:36 That's what that place is you asking for a raise? I can see it,
Speaker 4 00:23:40 Dude. I'm not going to be here to ask for a raise by I'm just going to be in that room.
Speaker 3 00:23:45 So for anybody listening to that show to, to, to, to Elliot show here, um, please do
Speaker 0 00:23:52 Yeah. Go and explore your has options there. If you have something which you would like to swap trade, give bias out and contact with you. Hey,
Speaker 3 00:24:01 If anybody wants to donate it, please don't let it go to the landfill or something. I will take donations. I do pass it on to third world countries, such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh. Anytime I go there, I take a whole bunch of die-cast toys. Even if they are beaten up and they're are missing wheels. You wouldn't believe the, the, the smile, uh, of the, the, that comes on those little kids' faces in their countries. Like I go to Pakistan is a country I was born in. I traveled all over the world and you know, I'm a die-cast ambassador. I just take up any, you know, like people sell totes of die-cast for five, 10 bucks towards they broken cars and everything. I take them over to the east. I give them for kids for free. And I make sure that if it was me and I was, I could be called the Santa Claus or around the world, giving die-cast cars to every kid, be not your nice. It doesn't matter.
Speaker 0 00:24:55 Thank you very much for coming on the show. Really do appreciate it. I hope to have you back again and again and again, we can talk for hours about, I know Tanner is definitely going to be booking you again and again again. So this is not the, the first, it's not the last time. We'll see you. I have no doubt about that. And for everybody at home, please get involved with that contest. Let's give that car away. So on that note, Fort McMurray, wood, Buffalo, this has been another episode of the Mac city morning show. Tanner's favorite. No doubt. I hope you're having a great day and we'll see you tomorrow. Peace.
Speaker 5 00:25:26 I just dies that desk. That's another Mac Sydney morning show Dawn.
Speaker 6 00:25:44 Talk about quenching your ugly thirst.
