Guest Post from Andy Goodman
Andy organizes car and collector events, collects Hot Wheels, Funko, Jada, M2 and more, works for M2 Machines and has consulted many other toy companies. He is also one of our Inductees (Model Historian in 2014) and has organized a number of the Annual Ceremonies for the Hall. Here he is paying tribute to Roy Nakamura, our 2009 Intriguing Collector Inductee.
“You live life once so enjoy it” Those were some meaningful words spoken to me as a young adult, by a gentleman whom I admired for many years. His name Roy Nakamura – the man who took me from an average collector to a hunter, seeking the rarest and most unique diecast pieces from sources all over the world.
Roy was an avid fan of many brands, but his ultimate rush when collecting was being able to add first shots, pre-productions, paint samples and other unique pieces to his collection. He found it fulfilling to have something original in his hands. He would share his latest acquisitions with many of us back in the good old days on forums such as HobbyTalk and JoesDIecastShack (Ed. Note – both are Community Supporters of the Hall and are still alive and vibrant). Roy would find special pieces from all around the world, purchase multiples if possible, and would then share them with his collecting friends. I will never forget the first time he reached out to me asking for my address, a week later a box shows up with a half dozen various Jada Street Lows that were never released to the public. From time to time for more than a decade we would swap stories, trade cars and surprise each other with cool finds and oddities when possible.
It is surreal that Roy left us nearly 5 years ago. Roy and countless others have made marks on the industry that have impacted collectors, manufacturers and even the direction the hobby has gone. It is for this reason that Central Pennsylvania’s Collector Con has created the Legacy Award. An annual award that will pay homage to a fallen collector so that we can keep their legacy alive for generations to come. Please help us thank Roy Nakamura for all that he did for our hobby of collecting.
If you have a nice image of Roy please add it to a comment below, as this is in effect Roy’s long overdue Obituary on the Hall’s site.
Hot Wheels took the lion’s share of diecast journalism attention in 2018 with their elaborate, year-long 50th Anniversary celebration. With that in the rear view mirror, Johnny Lightning turns the big 5-0 in 2019, with some special retro packaging and old castings in the works. Several people involved in the brand are also celebrated as Inductees of the Model Car Hall of Fame.
Several designers who have contributed to the Johnny Lightning garage are also inductees in the MCHOF.
