It started at home, as a dad
In 2024 I was trying to organize my son's Hot Wheels collection. Back then he already had almost 200 cars. Today the collection is much bigger. Every new car raised the same questions: do we already own this one, are we missing a variation, where is that special model he loves?
I have loved miniature cars since I was a kid and I am a big motorsport fan. Over time I stopped being just the dad who buys Hot Wheels and became a collector myself. I started hunting for specific models, complete series and variations, and it became obvious that our collection deserved something better than random notes and spreadsheets.
From a LinkedIn post to a community signal
In 2024 I shared a short reflection on LinkedIn asking why there was no official API or proper digital catalog for Hot Wheels.
Shortly after, I went to the Hot Wheels community on Reddit and joined a discussion about mobile catalog apps for collectors. You can still find that thread here: Reddit · Is there a mobile catalog app for Hot Wheels?
The answers were clear: collectors around the world were trying to solve the same problem with spreadsheets, photo folders and scattered lists. It wasn’t just my pain as a dad. It was a gap in the hobby itself.
Listening to the community
From the beginning, the community has been essential. Feedback on Reddit, comments on social media and conversations with experienced collectors helped shape what the app should do.
People asked for richer details than just name and year, flexibility for customs and rarities, and support for multiple brands such as Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Mini GT, Tomica, Maisto, Greenlight, Zuru, M2, Jada, Johnny Lightning and many others.
Die Cast Club is a commercial project with a clear product vision, but many of its features come directly from what collectors shared openly about what was missing in other apps.
From hobby to product
The goal of Die Cast Club is to become the digital hub for die-cast collectors: a place to catalog collections, avoid duplicates, follow series and releases, and keep notes and stories for each miniature.
Development is intentionally careful. Even if it takes time, each step considers what the community has said it would like to see in the app.
Technology, AI and the future
Die Cast Club is being built with modern technologies so it can live where collectors are: first on Android and iOS, then on Desktop, and later also on the Web.
AI will play an important role. We are training models to help with tasks like image-based recognition of miniatures, smart suggestions and assisting with large collections, always with the goal of reducing manual work instead of adding friction.
An invitation
Die Cast Club began in 2024 with a dad trying to organize his son's cars, grew with the passion of a collector who loves motorsport, and has been shaped by the voice of the community.
If you have ever lost track of your own collection, bought a duplicate or wished for a serious app for this hobby, you are exactly who this project is being built for.