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| Dimitris Varelas |
| Some would argue that miniature models were first made for children. These are supposed to be very tasteful children's toys to complete the need of the young to drive. But things aren' t so simple. In the beginning, the manufacturers made toy cars only for children, however with the development of technology, these manufactures reached a very high level of comformity of the original model that adults also became interested of acquiring them and thus creating "personal collections". Judging from the shocking details that these small models have, we understand that surely they are not addressed so much in children but for adults. For adults that can make their interest a collecction, and their collection, passion. The collection of car models is a well known hobby. It is not odd that people always had the tendency to collect objects for their personal pleasute. And many collectors of miniature car models exist both in the world and Hellas. Their ages are from 8 until 80 years..... In Hellas I am from the first individuals that dealt seriously with miniature car models both as a collector but also as a seller. I had from a small age a love for the cars and I showed it by all means! Later on in life my work was the design and manufacture of jewels, something that occupied me for 25 years. In 1987 I discovered model cars of scale 1:18 (length 30 cm roughly). These, because of their relatively big size, it is feasible to turn thir tyres,open the hood, the boot or even see the engine with large detail and conformity. Once I placed in the window of my jewelry shop 18 miniature car models and to my amazement, they were all sold in minimal time interval. Roughly in three days!! These were the three days that I understood that my main employment would change. At the same time my personal collection was growing, which now numbers roughly around 500 pieces, mainly in the scale 1: 18. In my shop I have all copies that are in circulation of this scale together with planes, and motorcycles, that I change making them unique since no company manufactures them in the form which I offer. In the beginning there were many things I did not know about the miniature models. Let us consider that their sizes are separated mainly in three scales. The most hard to find in Hellas was the scale 1: 43 which have a length of 10cm to 12cm and that Hellas collectors found usually frtom foreign manufactures since the cost of manufacturing them in Hellas was very high compared to the low prices of factories in Asia. The difficult times however, wher the collectors faced problems in their passion have passed. Today everything is imported in Hellas. If you wonder, how can someone achieve a passion for miniature car models and become a collector, I would have to say that this happens without you knowing, in the beginning you start with a model that you like and then you search to find more, suddenly without knowing you reach a collection of around 15 pieces. Increasing your collection does nor require you to spend a lot of money. On the contrary price tange from 6 euros to 100 (with the latter being prices of tate pieses). Beacause the small bright miniatures models stand to delightfully together and their collection cost is much less from that the collection of real cars, I am at your dispsal to guide you in this fantasy world..... Dimitris Varelas |