Collector Spotlight November 2009: Ed Wehbi
November Spotlight: Ed Wehbi!
by HWC Eve
11-11-09
Many collectors have loved ones who understand the deep passion we feel for Hot Wheels® cars. Their families and sweethearts join in the hunt for favorites, or give them for holiday and birthday gifts. Some even go so far as to relinquish a spare room for display space. But others… well, not so much. Read on to find out what Ed Wehbi, a 45 year-old professional airbrush artist from Mesa, Arizona, did when his girl gave him the choice between her and his 15,000 car collection!
HWC Eve: What got you started collecting Hot Wheels® cars?
Ed Wehbi: I was airbrushing at a car show (World of Wheels) and a guy came up to me and asked me if I’d like to buy 30 Hot Wheels® cars for $10 bucks, so I did. When I was a kid, I used to love to collect them but lost them all :-( When my lucky angel showed up with those 30 cars, he brought my childhood memories back. Also, the price was, ummm, 30 cars for $10, so I said to myself I should start collecting again, and what do you know? I haven’t stopped since I bought that collection! I still have those 30 cars in my collection, including my favorites -- a '65 Chevy® Impala™, a '40 Ford, and a Ford Woody.
HWC Eve: Your questionnaire said you’ve been collecting for ten years now. Happy anniversary!
EW: Wow, you are right, I never thought of it. Maybe I should do a custom Hot Wheels® -- the '65 Chevy® Impala™ with 10th anniversary decals on it. I think I’m going to!
HWC Eve: How many Hot Wheels® cars do you have now?
EW: I have around 15,000 1:64 scale cars, and I think around 8,000 of them are Hot Wheels®, but I’m not sure. I know I have 1,000 Treasure Hunts now unopened and 80 Treasure Hunts are open.
HWC Eve: That's a lot of cars. How do you keep track of them all?
EW: It's easy, I play with them every night! Just kidding -- I have a good memory, but once in while I do buy the same cars so they end up as customs. Also, every other day I clean about three shelves of cars so I see what I have and remember what to buy.
HWC Eve: How do you display your cars? Do you open them?
EW: I have nine bookcases and I added extra shelves (17 shelves in each), plus I use the top of the bookcase. I have an extra room and those bookcases fit perfectly in the room. Almost every car I buy, I open it and display it -- from the regular Hot Wheels® to the 100%
Hot Wheels®, to the two-car sets or 4-car sets, and special editions. I like to enjoy them, but I do save most of the boxes.
HWC Eve: What’s the best Hot Wheels® car in your collection?
EW: I love all of them, but my favorites are Nissans and Datsuns. First, I own a Nissan 350Z. Also, I bought a ‘71 Datsun for $500, but that car is still in storage. When I’m done with the PT Cruiser I’m working on, I'll be starting on that car. I think the Nissan 350Z is the poor man’s Ferrari. It has a very slick design, especially when you add all the after-market stuff. And it’s not bad horsepower for the price. What's funny is that my good friend’s little boy thinks it's a Lamborghini.
HWC Eve: How about the best Hot Wheels® casting of all time?
EW: All the latest castings are excellent, but I think the Bone Shaker® was a hit. I love this car. It's very, very unique and Mr. Hot Wheels®, Larry wood, did an awesome job designing it before his retirement. So far, I think I own all of the Hot Wheels® Bone Shaker® releases, including the Treasure Hunt and Larry's Garage™, but I’ve got to keep looking here and there to make sure I’m not missing any, like I do with the rest of my collection. I also have eight custom ones.
HWC Eve: Do you belong to a collecting club?
EW: Not now, but I’m thinking to have one when I open my new shop by the end of the year or the beginning of next year (it depends on the economy). The last year and a half, I've been planning to open a unique store in a mall in the greater Phoenix area. This shop will be for airbrushing Hot Wheels® and other cars, car t-shirts and also automobile memorabilia, like tags, street signs, key chains, and car novelties. So as soon I meet new people and friends through the shop, I think the collecting club will start.
HWC Eve: Do you customize? If so, any favorites?
EW: I’ve done about 1,500 of them. My favorite is the Bone Shaker® with blown engine, the Nissans and Datsuns, the '55 Chevy® trucks, the '62 Chevy® trucks, and the '69 Ford Mustang. I like almost all of the customs I do.
HWC Eve: Do you have any other hobbies or collections?
EW: Mainly, I like to collect 1:1 scale cars and 1:64 scale cars, but sometimes I look for trading cards with cars. I’m begging Mattel to reduce the size of the artwork of the cars on the cards to make them the size of the trading cards, like they did before. You could just crop them and save them with all the info on the back. Please, Mattel, do it! The artwork is so beautiful and I hate to throw it away. Also, I like to collect autographed trading cards, from football players to famous people. They are trading cards, but I don't trade them; I keep them for myself :)
HWC Eve: Okay, last question… tell us your fondest Hot Wheels® memory.
EW: I left my ex-fiancé because she wanted me to stop collecting, and sell my collection and my old custom cars. So just for that, she's gone :-)
COLLECTOR QUICKSTATS:
- LATEST, GREATEST HOT WHEELS® CASTING: “I love all new releases and castings, but you know I love Nissans, so my favorite is the '09 Nissan GT-R.”
- MODEL/COLOR 1:1 SCALE CAR OWNED: “I have an '06 Nissan 350Z. I also have an '06 PT Cruiser I’m working on and I’m going to airbrush the Hot Wheels® logo on the back.”
- FIRST HOT WHEELS® CAR: “As an adult, it was from that collection I bought at the car show. I remember it was the '65 Chevy® Impala™.”
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 next!
If you have any questions or comments,
please click on the Discuss icon below and post them.
|