Editor's Note

by Christopher "Kit" Kidder-Mostrom, Editor-in-Chief

I recently read that the “Golden Age” of diecast racing has come to a close. Over in the News Briefs section, you’ll see one of the reasons that declaration was made. One of the things that I associate that term with is comic books, and the issues of yesteryear. So, I’m going to riff for a moment on the potential similarities between the evolution of comic books and their fandom and diecast racing and its participants.

The Golden Age of comics is when most of the major heroes that are part of American pop culture came into being. But, they were not the entertainment powerhouse that they now are. Between then and now, was the Silver Age. In that time period came the development of deeper storylines and backgrounds for the characters that people loved. It’s also the first time that fandom really expanded, thanks to exploring other media, namely TV and Film. And while the characters grew, so did the interest in the books. But, it still remained a medium with a relatively small following. There was also a bit of consolidation among those who put out the comic books. DC and Marvel (the biggest players today) took over smaller presses and incorporated them into what they were doing.

Both the Golden Age and Silver Age of comics were prior to 1970. Many of the people into the X-men in the 1990s weren’t alive yet. Many parents of the fans of the MCU and modern comics weren’t alive yet. Nevertheless, there is a nostalgia for the time gone by, especially among those who were around at the time.

I suspect that this is where the diecast racing community is headed. For many fans and participants, the hobby/ sport hasn’t existed on their radar for very long. Most track their introduction to it back as far as January of 2020 with 3DBotMaker’s DRC videos. And yet, there are guys out there who have been participating in this field for years. And it is their activities that were the bedrock upon which 3DBotMaker was able to build his house.

I believe that the racing world will adapt in the same way that the comics world did. As the way things used to be morphs into the way things are now, new racers and fans will come to know the changed feel of the sport. But, because the old guard so graciously shared their knowledge and expertise, their influence remains a vibrant part of the Silver Age that is now rising to the fore.

Redline Derby has scaled back their operation over the last couple of years. League of Speed is just now returning from an extended hiatus. Diecast 64 has canceled the rest of his season. Nobody seems to know what happened to Kelly Motor Speedway. Life happens, and we all have to adjust. Even those we’ve come to depend on for stability have to adapt to new situations, and there’s no shortage of new situations these days.

But, what’s exciting is that others rise to fill the gaps and add to the community as a whole. Diecast racing’s storyline gains depth. When the RLDRL folded at the end of 2020, Tim LaMontagne of BlueLine Racing proposed putting together a new multi-track series that was similar, but also something completely new. And, if threads on Redline Derby’s discussion boards are any indication, many of the newer racers who you read about on these pages, are eager to be a part of both the older tracks and the completely new ones. This is a sport that had a huge influx of participants and fans in the last 12 to 18 months. That does change things, but so long as we don’t forget our roots, and we learn from those who came before, much will remain of the good of the Gold as we walk forward into the Silver.

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