Collector Spotlight July 2009: Bryan Kinnamon
A.k.a. "dadoftwins" at HWC™
by HWC Eve
07-07-09
When Bryan Kinnamon, a 36 year-old network administrator from Independence, Kansas, wanted an activity that his family could enjoy together, it didn’t take him long to figure out collecting Hot Wheels® cars was just the thing. Find out how this dad of twins (hence his HWC™ name) keeps his collecting all in the family in this month’s Collector Spotlight!
HWC Eve: How long have you been collecting Hot Wheels® cars, and what got you started?
Bryan Kinnamon: My twin boys, Tyler and Taylor, were born in 2001. As they got older, I started looking for something that we could do together as a family. A guy at work collected Hot Wheels® cars and it seemed like a great thing for us to try. Our first outing to get Hot Wheels® cars was a Kmart Collector Day event. The boys were so excited to get to open their own cases. After that, we spent two years going on 200-mile trips once a month, looking for new cars. Mom even enjoyed it, because she went shopping while we hunted. Great family times.
HWC Eve: How many Hot Wheels® cars do you have?
BK: About 4,500. The first year we collected, we got every variation we could find. When the year was over, we had 475 different variations in the set. And since the sets are actually for both of the boys, there are two sets. The last three years, we have not seen that many variations.
HWC Eve: What does the rest your family think of your collection?
BK: My family used to think I was crazy for playing with little cars, but have since seen the enjoyment that the boys and I have going on hunts for cars. They now tell us whenever they see cars.
HWC Eve: What’s the best Hot Wheels® car in your collection?
BK: The 1979 Spoiler Sport with the Incredible Hulk. I had one as a little tyke. I played with that car until it was a rusted heap. I have always been a huge comic book fan, so that vehicle brought the best of both worlds to me.
HWC Eve: And the latest, greatest Hot Wheels® car release?
BK: The new Real Riders® 1980 Chevy® El Camino™. As a teenager, I always wanted an El Camino™. The Real Riders® version from this year is perfect. The straight black paint with the hood accents make it mean looking, while still being simple and elegant.
HWC Eve: How about the best casting of all time?
BK: The 8 Crate® (who doesn’t like a station wagon), the
Bone Shaker® (the first edition came out the year we starting collecting, and the car is just the right style to bring the old rat rod to the new generation), and the Camaro® Concept. I have always liked the Camaro®, mostly the middle ‘70s versions, and I get so tired of seeing the ‘67 and ‘69. It’s time for a new Camaro® to take the spotlight. The Camaro® Concept is another great example of the old meeting the new.
HWC Eve: Do you belong to a collecting club?
BK: Yes, the Great Traders Mob. It’s a completely online club. We do club raffles and group custom contests. The club is great because we all look out for each other. If you need something, it gives you 50 more sets of eyes to help you find what you are looking for. We also discuss customizing tips. These are great for anyone just starting out in customizing.
HWC Eve: Are you into customizing?
BK: I’ve done about 350 customs, give or take. I started customizing as a step to make it even more fun for me and the boys. We like to brainstorm and come up with new ideas. Whereas most kids have boxes of building blocks, the twins have boxes of car pieces they sit down with and build different cars.
HWC Eve: What’s your best work?
BK: So far, the Evil Twin Mill, the Vette Shaker, and the Snow Shaker (see sidebar images).
HWC Eve: Do you have any other hobbies or collections?
BK: Coaching the boys’ soccer and baseball teams. We buy a lot of duplicate Hot Wheels® cars with the plan to customize them for the boys’ sports teams. We will do a matching custom for everyone on the team, so besides a trophy they get a Hot Wheels® car to remember the season by.
HWC Eve: Last question. What’s your fondest Hot Wheels® memory?
BK: It has to be the Super Convention in Vegas this past February. We all went. It was great taking part in all the experiences and meeting many great people from this website. Everyone was great. One of the biggest enjoyments was watching the boys do the vending machine. They loved the adventure of not knowing what they were going to get, but they knew that no matter what, it was going to be great.
COLLECTOR QUICKSTATS:
- FIRST HOT WHEELS® CAR OWNED: “The Custom Corvette® as a kid. I still remember that red beauty.”
- IN PACK OR OUT OF PACK: “I display all my favorite castings. The main castings get opened and the others I keep in package and rotate them out when something new catches my fancy.”
- MODEL/COLOR 1:1 SCALE CAR OWNED: “A black 1998 Chevy® Tahoe.”
We're always looking for our next collector to spotlight. If you would like to be considered for the Collector’s Spotlight, we’d like to hear from you:
- First answer the questions found here: Spotlight questionnaire
- Include at least ten photos, including one of you! They should be JPG images, and 700 x 500 are best
- E-mail your answers and images to us at Spotlight@HotWheelsCollectors.com
You could be in the spotlight!
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