I have been working with this guy Larry for three years. He used to be my boss before a “restructure” and he became a project manager. He and I are very tight, and have had lunch together practically every day for 3 years. We know each other pretty well. Not hanging out all weekend friends, but we know each other pretty well. 

He comes into my office yesterday and says “What do you know about the Red Baron?” My brain instantly said “Helmet on wheels, came out in 1970, featured in Toy Story”. But this was Larry asking. Couldn’t have been about that, so I said; “Snoopy’s arch enemy”. For effect, I shook my fist at him and shouted “CURSE YOU RED BARON!!”.

He just gave me his look, and he made a statement that started one of the most difficult conversations I have ever had to get into.

“No, you goof. The Hot Wheels car. The Red Baron.” 

Seems his 10 year old son had purchased the highway 35 set with the DVD and has decided that he wants to collect the entire Highway 35 set of cars. My first reaction was “Oh Christ, I hope there’s no VW Bug in the series”. But then I calmed down to “Hey, cool.”

Larry said he had been having trouble finding that one and that his son had taken a bit of a shine to that casting from the pictures. He asked me if I had it yet, or if I could find him one. “I know they are out, my son has seen them on Ebay”. 

This is a can of worms. This is that can of worms being opened. 

Have you ever had to explain to someone outside the collector world *why* certain thing will be hard to find if found at all? I can tell you, it ain’t easy. 

Fortunately he made the statement early on that “I’m not going to buy it on Ebay, that’s just stupid to pay 20 bucks for something that is five in the stores.” 

But I had to explain that Ebay itself was WHY he couldn’t find it in the stores. I tried to explain “Team Grubby” (the four local flea market guys) and how they case the stores and buy up everything of certain castings. I explained how they pay off employees and get first crack at the new stuff. I explained how, often in a particular series there will be ONE car that is the most desired and that one car is snarfed up in mass quantities (and in this series, IMO, that car is the Red Baron) so anyone who wishes to complete the collection HAS to come to them with cash, loads of it. I explained that a lot of times I have to trade for stuff I want, but because of the fierce competition around here I don’t even have anything to trade right now. 

And as I was explaining all this, and reading his facial expressions, I realize something. I sound like a lunatic. And he couldn’t believe all the trouble that people where going through. 

Why the hell am I putting myself through all this? Is it really worth it? To know that the ONLY way I can really have everything I want is to go on disability and shop all day every day and set up a flea market table to make my money, is that really worth it? 

Well, yes. For me. As I roll a Milestones Bug around my desk to relax, I know every car I get is a treasure and it is absolutely worth it. 

But what about his 10 year old son? This kid just likes the toys, and is exactly the person for whom these things were created. And he is getting shafted. For him to complete a collection, Dad has to help in the form of Ebay or flea markets or convincing a co-worker to come up with some alternate way of obtaining it. How bad does that suck? And think of poor Larry, having to explain to his ten year old why the Red Baron may be hard to find. I know what it’s like trying to explain to my six year old something that is cut and dried and logical (like why she can’t put peanut butter on her hot dog), how in the heck do you explain to a ten year old that something that was made with him in mind that should be readily available at retail will probably not be found for a long time if at all? How do you explain the secondary market? How do explain why buying on Ebay for 4 times the value is making it worse? All the kid wants is that damn car. 

I went home yesterday and pulled out a decent redline Red Baron that I got in a mass buy a few years back. I’m waiting for Larry to come over so I can give him that one and hope it will tide the boy over until I can locate the one he wants. I’m going on a road trip to Lynchburg VA for the 4^th, and the trip takes me past 6 Wal Marts. I’m sure I’ll find the Red Baron. But all the while I am thinking how lame it is that it has to come to that. The kid just wants the car. 

And to borrow a page from Snoopy: *shaking fist* CURSE YOU SCALPER PUNKS!!!!

--43Goalie