Buz Kirkel
Distributor
Once an American collector enthusiast gets the buzz, it’s amazing what they can achieve, as Buz Kirkel has shown.
Buz started collecting model cars around 1983 to use on his Lionel O-gauge train layout. The first white metal car he bought was a Brooklin Models 1948 Tucker which he still has to this day. He recalls that his family was very poor and $80 was a lot of money then, but he just had to have that car!
Subject ID: 82950
MoreOnce an American collector enthusiast gets the buzz, it’s amazing what they can achieve, as Buz Kirkel has shown.
Buz started collecting model cars around 1983 to use on his Lionel O-gauge train layout. The first white metal car he bought was a Brooklin Models 1948 Tucker which he still has to this day. He recalls that his family was very poor and $80 was a lot of money then, but he just had to have that car!
He progressed from being a collector to a Brooklin dealer ten years later, around 1993. Building his business, Buz has acquired the Highway Travellers range of ten models, originally by Paul Patterson. He later added Western Models and eventually all of the other major lines to his stock available.
In 2005 Henk van Asten, owner of Conquest/Madison Models in the Netherlands, decided to retire and agreed to sell Buz his business. Buz continues to have the Conquest/Madison line manufactured for him by SMTS in England. In 2007 when Mike Stephens, owner of Western Models, decided to retire, Buz reached agreement with Mike to purchase the range of American cars from him, and these are now known as Western Models Collectors Editions. The production of this line including all pattern making and casting was then transferred to SMTS. At the time of writing, no. 104 was a very rare 1961 Plymouth Fury.
Buz feels that having been a collector before becoming a dealer gave him a unique perspective on what enthusiasts are looking for in terms of subject matter, quality and customer service. When he bought the two white metal lines, he planned to improve the quality, add more detailing, offer different body styles and develop new cars, rather than maintain the status quo.
Production runs are small, usually 30 units of a particular car and often in 2 or 3 colour choices. After a particular car is built, it may not be made again for 2-3 years and then generally in a new colour scheme.
Buz primarily sells directly to the enthusiast through his sales company Route 66 Model Car Store. His customers are evenly divided between the USA and Europe/rest of the world. Buz uses a number of major toy shows in the US to set up a stall and show his ranges each year.
Subject ID: 82950
Subject ID: 82950
