In the year 1980, I knew what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to amass a collection of the cars of my dreams. I wanted curvaceous classics from decades past, as well as the latest exotics and thundering American musclecars. There was, however, one small problem: I was five years old, and my budget was proportionally tiny. I found my salvation in the form of scale model cars, starting as many young collectors do with Matchbox and Hot Wheels, and then graduating to larger, more detailed models...in my case, a candy-apple red, 1:36-scale Jaguar XJ-S made by the veteran British die-casters, Corgi.

My growth as a young collector coincided with a boom in the die-cast model business, as model companies found ever-better techniques for crafting incredibly detailed cars. By age ten, I had accumulated a small-but-impressive collection of 1:18-scale classics from Italy's Bburago, along with a select few 1:43-scale cars from other European specialists. This was no mean feat: besides being highly constrained by a child's budget, I was limited by geography...simply, there were no quality die-cast retailers in my hometown in west Texas. Out of this frustration grew a dream: someday, I would have a model car shop of my own.

Fast forward to 2015, and here we are: the launch of Model Citizen, the culmination of a lifelong dream to bring the world's most amazing scale model cars to the masses.

I don't believe that precision-built model cars are for the exclusive enjoyment of a narrow band of self-described "collectors," but rather, they are for anyone with octane in their veins, people who want to communicate their love of great automobiles to the world. To my way of thinking, model cars are among the best ways to do this...they are visual totems for our passion

In the days and months ahead, this blog will offer you in-depth information about upcoming model releases, but it is my goal for Model Citizen to be so much more than just a place to buy little cars...I'm here to build a community. I'm incredibly fortunate to be based in Southern California, cradle of American car culture, so in addition to using this space to discuss Model Citizen's products, I'll also bring you coverage of the many automotive events that this area has to offer. I might even throw in a little motorsports commentary along the way...I can get crazy like that.

I founded Model Citizen because for over thirty years, model cars have allowed me the chance to assemble my fantasy garage in scale...they're a way for people of even modest means to hold their dream in the palm of their hands. I hope that our carefully curated selection of scale model cars, as well as the insight I will offer through this blog, will inspire you to put your passion on display.

-Patrick Strong