Jim Gorman’s toy model hobby emerged from a need to buy soybean seed. On a visit to Jim’s friend, Don Kelly, to inquire about buying soybean seed, the subject suddenly shifted. “It began to rain, so hauling seed home in an open pickup truck bed was not the thing to do. Don asked me if I would like to see his farm toy collection in the house. I took the offer and we headed off to the Kelly home. Don’s collection was mostly John Deere tractors and equipment. I thought to myself, ‘That was a nice collection of farm toys,’ but I didn’t dwell on it much.” 
Later that day, Jim went to his local White/Oliver dealer where they stocked welding supplies that were needed at the farm. “When I arrived, I began browsing around the dealer’s store. I noticed a few farm toys that were offered for sale. My interest in farm toys was stirred earlier in the day when I saw Don’s John Deere collection. I pondered a short time and bought a 1/16 scale die-cast White Model 2-135 tractor made by Scale Models. As soon as I bought that first piece, I was hooked on collecting trucks and farm toys! The interest in scale model toys began to grow. I soon started hunting for them. Admittedly, that became an obsession,” Jim related.
The human spirit’s yearning to reminisce is defined in the dictionary: “to indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events or things, remember with pleasure or call to mind.” Jim may not reminisce, but he loves to share past memories through his collection. And so, Jim has crafted trucks, construction machinery and farm equipment of yesteryear and titled his collection, “Precious Memories.”

Customizing, building emerges 
Toy truck hobbyists agree: The quest to find that next special piece invigorates the interest. Early in his collecting days, Jim was on a toy hunting excursion when a light suddenly flickered. 
“I found toys of all kinds; marred, dented, scratched and some were basket cases. When I found something that could be fixed, ideas started rambling through my mind. But, restoring an old toy was not enough. I wanted them like the original, whether a truck, tractor or implement. Adding details make them look better and more enjoyable to own. During my days farming, I did a little repair work on equipment, including pounding out dents and repainting. I figured I could do the same with a toy version. It wasn’t long before I was doing a lot of customizing,” Jim said.
Jim’s friend, Don Kelley, encouraged him and provided help when Jim had questions. “There was one occasion in particular when Don bailed me out of trouble. I got caught baking paint on a model in my wife’s oven. I wanted to enhance the finish, so baking the painted piece seemed very logical. Fortunately, I had removed the tires before I tried baking the paint. That’s a lesson I’ll never forget,” he noted.
Whether customizing or scratch-building, everyone gains experience through trial and error. “Believe me, I’ve made plenty of errors along the way. There’s always someone close by who can assist when you encounter a road block. Don and others have assisted me on several occasions. There have been a few pieces that were quite challenging. I’ve been told, ‘You won’t be able to do that.’ A statement like that only makes me more determined. And so, I’ll go after it and try my best,” Jim noted. 

Jamie Larn is a national champion model truck kit builder from Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
In 2009, he returned to building model truck kits after he had given up the hobby at the age of 16, because, he says, “I discovered girls.” He made two cabs to see if he still enjoyed the hobby, and if he had retained the skill. The cabs will probably not become part of any finished models, but what he achieved with them set him on his way to being among the best modelers in New Zealand.
Jamie has only completed three truck models since he began building kit sets again, and is currently working on number four. Each model takes him approximately 14-18 months to make, as he works on them in his spare time at nights or during the weekends. 
“I don’t persist if I am not in the mood for it,” he says, “because I know I won’t be happy with it.”
His sons, Toby, age 8, and Fraser, age 5, like watching their dad at work on his models. Jamie hopes that his sons will one day enjoy the hobby of model truck building as much as he does.
Knowledge from working on trucks as a diesel mechanic has helped Jamie with adding details to his models.
His favorite kit set brand is Italeri from Italy. In his workroom, he has shelves of Italeri kit sets in 1/24 scale awaiting his attention. There is also a 1/25 scale plastic Volvo tipper from the Finnish toymaker Emek that might provide parts for one of his future models, and other toy trucks earmarked for the same use. 
“I have enough to keep me occupied until I’m 120,” he says. 
Jamie’s particular interest is in trucks from the 1970-1980 era that were driven from Europe into Middle Eastern countries. He has yet to make any models of trucks familiar on New Zealand or Australian roads. To further help him with getting models to look accurate, he has thousands of truck photos he has taken since he was 10 years old. Even before that age, the interest was there. “I’ve had an interest in trucks since I was a very small boy,” he says.

Want to read the rest of the story?  It's available in the May TT&C 2018 magazine!
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