From scratch: Building a die-cast collectible

Die-cast replicas are, for all intents and purposes, NASCAR's signature collectibles. Just as most people automatically associate trading cards with baseball, mention racing collectibles and folks almost invariably think of die-cast.

While the die-cast car itself can trace its roots back to the first half of the 20th century, scale replicas of NASCAR race cars have only been around for about two decades -- and have only known widespread popularity during the past dozen years.

The first stock car racing die-cast cars were actually 1:64 scale generic models released during the late 1960s and throughout the '70s. The first mass-produced driver-specific NASCAR replicas appeared in the early 1980s, albeit sporadically. They were made by several manufacturers, most notably Ertl and Mattel's Hot Wheels brand.

It wasn't until 1989 that the "era of NASCAR die-cast" began in earnest. That's when stock car die-cast pioneer Racing Champions made the first concentrated effort to offer NASCAR fans a continuing year-to-year collection of vehicle replicas. The brand made its debut with the now famous six-car "flat bottom" series -- so named because of the design of the packaging. This 1:64 scale ensemble cast the die -- pun intended -- for the future of racing collectibles.

By the early 1990s, more manufacturers were turning their attention to NASCAR. Brands like Action/RCCA, Revell, Brookfield, Ertl, Hot Wheels and -- later -- Winners Circle and Team Caliber followed Racing Champions' lead and developed product lines of their own. The introduction of the more detailed 1:24 scale attracted even more collectors to the hobby.

As the market has matured, die-cast companies have expanded their product lines to meet the needs of the collector. The creation of the highly detailed Action/RCCA Elite Series in 1997 took the industry to a higher level in terms of authenticity. Other manufacturers quickly responded with their own top-shelf lines like the Team Caliber Owners Series and Racing Champions Authentics. Today, each manufacturer offers replicas in a variety of detail levels, price points and scales.

Laying the groundwork

Despite their immense popularity, few collectors are fully aware of the effort that goes into the production of a die-cast metal car, transporter, or bank. These miniature masterpieces have much more in common with their full-size counterparts than similar paint schemes. Like the preparation of a winning race car, the manufacturing of a die-cast collectible is an exact science where even the slightest breakdown in communication can have disastrous results.

Of course, the first step is deciding which car to build, and how many of each style and scale to produce. Creating the tooling for a die-cast project is an expensive proposition. It has been estimated that two actual race-ready Winston Cup cars could be built for the cost of putting one die-cast program into production.

"It is very expensive indeed," confirmed John Nelson, die-cast operations manager for Team Caliber. "If you were to start from scratch, design one 1:24 scale car in one body style, create the tooling and build the car with all the detail and graphics of Team Caliber's Owners Series, the cost would be $125,000 -- 175,000."

In the interest of cost-effectiveness, manufacturers tend to lean toward makes and models that were used by a variety of drivers. Then, one tool can be used to create a plethora of different driver/car combinations.

"The more cars you can build and sell, the easier it is to absorb the initial cost of tooling," said Nelson.

Setting production numbers can be extremely tricky. On one hand, manufacturers want to build enough cars to meet the demand of the consumer. But at the same time, they must keep quantities low enough to insure long-term collectibility.

Before a project ever gets off the drawing board, there are a number of legal matters that must be addressed. Obviously, the manufacturer must secure licensing contracts with drivers and/or car owners. But it doesn't stop there. Every logo you see on a race car is trademarked. Hence, agreements must be reached with every trademark owner -- from the primary sponsor right on down to the contingency sponsors whose decals adorn the front fenders.

Once contractual agreements are in place, the collectible-to-be moves onto the designer's drawing board. Many industry insiders consider this the most critical stage of product development. Authenticity is paramount at this point. The factories that build die-cast cars are located in China. Most of the workers there wouldn't recognize a NASCAR Winston Cup car if it passed them on the street.

"Communication is the key," Nelson explained. "We have to get everything right on our end in order for the factory to get it right on its end. We make several trips to China per year, and representatives from the factory come over here a couple of times a year. So, we maintain a good line of communication."

First, the actual race car is photographed from every conceivable angle. Researchers spend hours measuring every aspect of the car's body and how it sits in relation to the ground. On older vehicles, designers refer to photographers' archives and often rely on cars in museums and private collections for measurements.

"We are currently developing a series based on some of the older Chevrolet Monte Carlos," said Nelson. "Engineers from the factory came over from Hong Kong, and we spent a two days pouring over the Monte Carlos at the Hendrick Motorsports Museum measuring, taking photographs, shooting video... We covered every inch of those cars."

Once all the specifications and reference photos and drawings have been obtained, the project moves to the art department. Each manufacturer has its own design team that depends on state-of-the-art software to generate a virtual blueprint of the collectible -- including the graphics package.

Tooling up

After those renderings get final approval, they are forwarded to the manufacturing plant, where skilled craftsman use the artwork to fabricate a series of scale model prototypes. The first model is hand-carved in clay or resin. This piece may be sent back and forth between the U.S. and China several times, with adjustments and changes made each time to accurately reflect actual body configuration and overall posture.

A scale plastic model is the next generation of the die-cast prototype, and it too goes through a series of adjustments. Upon approval of the scale model, the project moves into the tooling process. Basically, the tool is a high-grade steel mold. It contains cavities into which molten metal can be injected. Like the scale models from which it was derived, the original tool must be fine-tuned -- a process that can take months.

"The tooling has to be approved not only by us, but also by the car manufacturer -- whether it be Ford, GM or Dodge," said Nelson. "So we may have to make several adjustments to the tool before it is approved."

As the collectible gets closer to production, more detailed samples -- complete with paint and computer generated graphics -- are produced. Again, prototypes are sent back and forth and alterations made to bring the die-cast replica up to desired specifications.

"We send product samples to the teams for approval of things like color, placement of decals... things of that nature," Nelson explained. "Sometimes both the team and sponsor must approve the piece. For example, with Mark Martin cars, Roush Racing approves all of its trademarks, while the people at Pfizer approve all of theirs."

When every aspect of the final prototype is satisfactory, production goes into full swing.

Body shells and other major parts are cast first. Once they have cooled, the cars are hand-filed to remove imperfections, then machine-polished, cleaned and prepared for painting and final assembly.

Finishing touches

The painting process is quite similar to the procedure used on real cars. Only the highest grade primer and finish coat are used. Both the paint and the car are electrostatically charged to insure optimum bonding, and the primer and paint are baked onto the product. The universally-accepted Pantone Matching System is used to replicate colors accurately.

"In some cases, we may take a chip of paint from the actual car to achieve a perfect match in some of the more difficult cases," Nelson noted. "Collectors are very discriminating. They have a good eye for detail. So it's important for everything to be as near-perfect as possible."

As the piece moves toward the final stages of production, graphics are applied using several procedures. Large areas -- such as full-body striping -- are administered during the painting process using a hand-fabricated copper template known as a spray mask.

Decals are replicated using a method called Tampo printing. This process was developed decades ago by the bottle industry. It involves screen-printing an image onto a metal plate, then using a flexible rubber pad to transfer the image onto the product.

After it receives the full complement of cosmetics, the die-cast car goes into final assembly, where workers add the chassis, interior, windows, wheels, etc. The die-casts are then packaged for the journey into the hands of eager collectors.

To be sure, launching a new die-cast program isn't only expensive; it is very time-consuming -- even under ideal circumstances.

"From the initial concept of a new program until the first piece hits the shelf usually takes an average of six months -- sometimes a little longer," said Nelson. "That includes creating the artwork, the tool building, making the samples, everything. We are always aware of upcoming changes in body styles, so that gives us a head start. And once that first car is built, the process speeds up considerably. For example in most cases, teams will provide us with renderings of what a specific paint scheme will look like months before it ever hits the race track. That keeps us ahead of the game and allows us to get the car to the collector as quickly as possible."

While production procedures may vary a bit from manufacturer to manufacturer, the goal of all is essentially the same: to offer the collector the most authentic replica possible in the shortest amount of time without compromising quality.