Hello one, hello all and welcome to another edition of Too Cool for New School, where I talk about things from days of diecasts past.
My inaugural post for this tag idea of mine can be found here, featuring the curious picture above.
Anyways, the first picture is what my top shelf looked like a couple of weeks ago. It’s still quite similar, just with more JDM thrown in. Anyways, what we’re interested in is the little something on the top right corner...
Which is this. An R34 GTR from its glory days at the 2001 Japanese Grand Touring Championship (JGTC). As curious as the packaging is, let’s take a further look.
Turn the can on its side and you get a glimpse of it. I’m sure some of you remember that radio-controlled cars like this were all the rage back in the day, say 10-15 years ago. Everybody wanted an Auldey Race-Tin (I think they had licensed cars) and before long, many rip-offs flooded the markets.
As mine is manufactured by Taiyo R/C, it’s as original as it comes. And as far as I know, this particular series - the Radi-Can - is the starter to the fire that was RC cars in a cylinder. A simple formula was behind endless hours of fun - 2 AA batteries in the car and another pair in the remote control, and you’re ready to roll.
This was a gift on one of my birthdays many moons ago. It’s easily decade old, maybe more by now. I love it and consider it as one of the pinnacle pieces in my collection. Even back then I was a Skyline guy! I remember that the stickers had to be applied on our own and excited kids on their birthdays aren’t really keen to note on details. As long as the car moves, it’s time to hit the road!
Which brings me to the life that this 1/43-ish Skyline has had with me. Sure, it’s not the cleanest nor the garage queen of my collection, but I still cherish it like none other.
Every scratch, every scuff, every dent, everything that was once ‘wrong’ to me eventually became so right.
There were many times where I looked at it and regretted playing it as a child, wishing I had kept it mint instead so it had some ‘value’. Thinking to myself why I ‘ruined’ it by smashing it against walls during those times where I had attempted to drift.
I questioned why I applied the stickers like an idiot. All these factors meant that the car stayed in a dark box for years before my other Skyline came.
As I placed it on my cabinet, I thought of all the times that I looked down on the car because of past mistakes. Then it dawned on me - why look at the ‘what-ifs’ instead of cherishing the things that have happened? I should be happy that the car has given me lots of good times when I was younger (and it still does now, sitting pretty) and focus on that.
Which teaches me a lot about life, really. There’s always things to be happy for when times are bad. There’s always a good thing in spite of what you see now. It may be hard to get into that frame of mind at the start, but trust me once you do, it’s the best thing in the world.
Oh and one more thing. The Skyline still runs. Another lesson - life, it goes on.
See you guys again soon. Viva La LaLD.