Christian Falkensteiner is a guy with a singular goal: providing a complete and accurate database of the model cars he loves. Whether it’s matchbox or Citroen Models, Falkensteiner database provides a clear, detailed and painstakingly thorough look at these model’s history. Check out some here, and if you love these models, visit the site yourself and learn more than you ever thought possible. With all his work, Christian is a natural fit for Model Car Historians this year’s Hall of Fame.
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Automotive Artist – Cris Cross
Cars and drawing have always been closely intertwined, after all most car designs to this day begin with a drawing. Cristian Cross is an artist dwelling firmly in the drawing stage, developing a passion for capturing cars with pencils and paint as strong as driving them.
Like many in the slightly younger generation of car people, Cris was captivated early on by network shows on TV about cars. One of these was Chip Foose’s: Overhaulin’. Watching Chip Foose seemingly effortlessly sketch out his idea to overhaul the cars of unsuspecting marks made a huge impression. As Cris says in his biography, he had found a hero.
Cris continues drawing photorealistic portraits of Muscle cars and others, and you can clearly see Foose’s influence on Cris’s own 78 Corvette, featuring bright striking paintwork and large badges bearing Cris’s own name, just like a Foose build.
Cris’s passion has become his living, with his business Draw My Ride offering custom portraits and prints of any car you may desire. Cristian considers this a way to take a snapshot of an enthusiasts passion, capturing a moment in the complex story that any car person has with their ride.
Here’s a quote from Cris about what he does: “There is a lot of joy and satisfaction in drawing. You owe it to the car to do it justice. What people likes seems like a mix of what you thought was cool when you were a little kid and what you think today is impossible to get, what you wouldn’t see unless you made the effort to create or acquire it.”
With undeniable talent, a great appreciation of cars and an inspiring story, we’re happy to welcome Cris to the Hall of Fame.
Automotive Legend – Ken Block
Youtube, drifting…millions of views, likes and shares…if you’re part of modern car culture, or you want to understand it, you’ve got to start with one man: Ken Block. Block got his start in rally, driving with the Vermont SportsCar team back in 2005 and since then he’s competed in WRC, World Rallycross and other series with success. Where Block immediately stands out is in car content.
Gymkhana 1 and 2 took the world by storm. These videos initially came in large part through block and DC Shoes, the company he co-founded. The Gymkhana series takes an obscure Japanese motorsport and adds incredible cinematics, stunts, pure automotive noise and a hefty dose of Monster Energy Drink to create some of the most unique and captivating car culture in history.
Since their debut, gymkhana have only gotten better and more outrageous, featuring the same beautiful, daring stunts in downtown LA, Downtown London, Downtown San Francisco, Dubai and even Pikes Peak.
Hoonigan, the Media arm of Ken Block’s operation jump started by his Gymkhana videos, has grown to more than 2 million subscribers and 300 million views. These days, Hoonigan in many ways sets the trend in car culture, it’s merchandise grace everything from race cars to minivans, and it’s editing style has become more ubiquitous in the growing automotive youtube scene.
Not bad for someone who got their start in one of America’s more obscure automotive sports. With the undeniable impact that Ken Block’s talent has made, we’re happy to welcome him to the Hall of Fame as an Automotive Legend.
Slot Car Racer of the Year – Mike Swiss
Mike Swiss is a guy with passion for his favorite hobby, and that hobby is slot cars. Swiss honed his racing skills into multiple national championships and two world championships, proof enough of his talent. Slot cars then carried over into Mike’s career, where he worked as manager of Koford Engineering’s slot car divison for nearly two decades. These days, Mike still isn’t done with slot cars. In 2005, he opened Chicagoland Raceway, the full service slot car racing facility he runs to this day.
Chicagoland hosts everything from Monthly slot car races to diverse weekly events for all levels of experience. Each track at Chicagoland was built by Swiss himself, taking months.
Beyond just racing, the “full service” side comes into play with workstation for building and maintaining cars, an activity Mike frequently gets in on himself.
Mike Swiss has had a lifelong dedication to spreading the joy of slot cars, and we’re happy to have him in the Hall of Fame.
Model Car Entrepreneur – Rodney Smith
Do you enjoy your Johnny Lightning, Hot Wheels, GreenLights and other 1/64 scale cars? You owe a huge thanks to Rodney Smith, Leslie Smith and their groundbreaking company: Matchbox.
Rodney and Leslie smith, buddies since their days in the Royal Navy during WWII, began a partnership in the late 40’s to create toys and diecast. Lesney gained traction with a model of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation coach (complete with horses!) that sold over a million copies.
Rodney helped solidify the companies future by bringing in John “Jack” Odell, an engineer he met at another diecast company. Jack’s breakthrough was to design a toy for his daughter to take to school. The catch was that the school only allowed toys that would fit into a matchbox, so Jack, in an epic “challenge accepted” moment, designed a shrunk down version of the Lesney Road Roller.
This became the first in the 1-75 series, now known as Matchbox. The size, detail and price advantage of a smaller model with less material soon allowed Matchbox to become a dominant player in the diecast car world.
Although Rodney left the company in 1951, he had helped set in motion one of the most iconic toy brands in history. Rodney passed away in 2013, for his work and his legacy, we’re happy to induct Rodney into the Hall of Fame.
Collector of the Year – Jim Gallegos
Jim Gallegos describes himself as a completionist. A few words about his collection, and you’re sure to believe him. In an interview with RR Observer, Gallegos estimated his collection of mainly Matchbox at north of 170 thousand.
With so many models, it’s hard not to become a figurehead in the matchbox community. Far from reluctant, Jim has embraced the role, starting the Matchbox convention that meets in his home town of Albuquerque every year.
Jim has worked in the past as an ambassador for matchbox, and still advises on new designs. For his knowledge, dedication and continued involvement, we’re happy to have Jim in the Hall of Fame as Collector of the Year.