The Car Room Magazine was started in mid-2008 as a way to reach collectors of ready made model cars, trucks, and equipment, regardless of scale, price, or the materials used to make the model in question.  We’ve been hearing some pretty great things about the mag since our first printing - and we’ve been taking heat about the name pretty much from day one.
 
“Why didn’t you call it diecast… something?”, people ask. And that’s a fair question. The answer is, we thought that sounded a bit limiting. Sure, we cover (and frequently covet) diecast models in every scale, but diecast is only a part of the model car collecting hobby. We kind of figured that using the “D” word in our title would guarantee us a place among the other guys - not to mention a hasty re-thinking of our title sometime in the immediate future. Neither of which is what we wanted. And besides… there really is a Car Room. Honest. We see it every day.

So, what inspires someone to start a magazine about model cars? It’s simple (and thanks for asking). After years as a model car reviewer, I’d gotten to know a few folks in the business, had a handful of truly talented friends, and knew that if we all put our heads together, we’d be able to show a new face to the hobby: Grown up. Sophisticated. Enthusiastic. Educated. Maybe even a little smart-assed. A magazine for the serious collector who was able to appreciate everything from the 1:64 pocket-change impulse buy to the mega-dollar models made by the likes of Gerald Wingrove, Manuel Olivé Sans, and Marshall Buck. Speaking of that last fellow; we liked his work (and his skill as a writer and familiarity with the upper reaches of the model car collecting hobby) so much, we asked him to write for us. He said yes. 

Back when we had committed to the project, so had Brian Schindler, yeoman 1:24 scribe and jolly good fellow from the now-defunct Toy Cars & Models; and the equally jolly Frank Quarant, who just liked - make that loved - cars. With that writing team, the early guidance of our (not-so-jolly) print guru Norma Jean Boyle, and the immeasurable talents of one Clay “What Font Do You Want Jolly In?” Miller as a designer, we set forth on what has proven to be one of the most rewarding chapters, collecting wise, of our lives. 

Recent additions Jeff Glasson and Mike Zarnock - the former being the mind behind both our much-loved “10 Questions” interview column and the magnificent web site you are currently browsing, and the latter perhaps the world’s most respected expert on all things Hot Wheels (with a Guinness World Record and a real, live museum exhibit of his own to prove it) have joined our newest (and chronologically oldest) regular contributor - Dick Browne, gentleman statesman for the 1:43 scale. 

Our first issue went to print in June of 2008; we haven’t looked back (or, as it happens, met a deadline) since. And that seems to suit everyone involved just fine. Enjoy your visit. Come back often. 

Thanks for reading The Car Room Magazine.