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Ryu A O
n March 23, 2021, the diecast world lost one of its driving forces. After a prolonged fight with cancer, Ryu Asada drove off into the sunset at the age of 42.
It’s difficult to sum-up the affect that Asada had on the lives of all diecast racers. Many fans of the sport probably just learned his name for the first time last year when a prototype model of a car he designed was given to 3DBotMaker to race in the DRC. For fans of the channel and the sport, that Lancia Delta Integrale, then still in its raw Zamac form, became synonymous with its creator in much the same way that the Escort Rally #8 became known as Steven King. Ryu Asada was far more than a character in 3D’s videos. Since 2004 he designed many of the castings that have populated the tracks of children, collectors, and racers alike. Born in Osaka, Japan, in 1978, Asada came to America to attend the University of Oregon, where he studied Physics. He furthered his education at ArtCenter College of Design. In 2004, after a short stint designing 1:1 cars for Peugeot in France, Asada returned to America and shifted his focus to 1:64 cars at Mattel. Originally a designer for Matchbox, Ryu was occasionally lent to the Hot Wheels side of the corporation starting in 2009. In 2012 he moved to Hot Wheels permanently, and in 2013 he became the lead designer for the main line $1 cars. Ryu Asada’s legacy at Hot Wheels will partly be defined by the rise in popularity of JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) castings. His affinity for Honda, especially made itself clear in the brand’s recent models. Reportedly, he drove a yellow S2000 to work every day. A photo of Asada as a child (upper left) features the exact car he patterned the
1978 - 2021 8 | Diecast Racing Report
