Michael Zarnock (born April 21, 1958 in

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

) is an American writer of collector guides and articles about

Hot Wheels Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1997, when Mattel bought Tyco Toys, then owner of Matchbox. Many automobile manufacturers have ...

toy cars and accessories. Zarnock is known for a massive Hot Wheels collection that earned him a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

title in 2003 and 2007 for owning the largest collection of different model cars (8,128) and is featured in the 2008 "

Ripley's Believe It or Not! ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...

" book '' Prepare to Be Shocked.'' And the 2011 "

" book "Utterly Crazy!" By his own account he has collected more than 20,000 toy cars; From 2004 to 2010 some had been on display at the Children's Museum of Utica, New York.Children's Museum
, Utica, New York; November 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-11. The local Utica newspaper reported Zarnock as saying: "I’ve been in love with Hot Wheels since 1968."Elizabeth Cooper
"Santa collects wish lists at Holiday on Main Street"
, ''Utica Observer-Dispatch'', 28 November 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-13. In February 2009, Zarnock was inducted into the

Diecast Hall of Fame The Model Car Hall of Fame is an annual awards ceremony for the die-cast toy, scale model and slot car industries. History Founded in 2009, initially as the Diecast Hall of Fame, the Model Car Hall of Fame is an annual award event held in Las V ...

and later that year

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

Hot Wheels reproduced his altered roadster racing car as part of their nostalgic "Drag Strip Demons" series.

Life and work

Born into a working-class family, Zarnock worked 45 hours a week as an auto mechanic while attending John F. Kennedy High School in Utica, New York, where he graduated in 1976. As a teenager he raced

Motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

; while still in high school he built and drove

show car A show car, sometimes called a dream car, is a custom-made automobile created specifically for public display, rather than sale. They are shown at auto shows and other exhibitions. Show cars can either come from car companies or from private indiv ...

s and drag cars. Some of the drag cars were used by other people for illegal street races; Zarnock claims that at one such unsanctioned street race he was

kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

for a time. This story made its way all the way out to Los Angeles where he was asked to write it as a screenplay for actor–producer

Christopher Titus Christopher Todd Titus (born 1964) is an American comedian, podcaster and actor. He grew up in Newark, California. Titus came to network audiences with the eponymous FOX series ''Titus'', of which he was the star, executive producer and co-crea ...

. Zarnock later rewrote the script for publication as a novel."Interview with Michael Zarnock"
in ''Toy Collector'' magazine. Zarnock lives in

Deerfield, New York Deerfield is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,273 at the 2010 census. The Town of Deerfield is on the eastern border of the county and northeast of the City of Utica. History Deerfield was formed from t ...

with his wife Tina and youngest son Cody. His elder son, Christopher, lives in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

and is also a Hot Wheels collector and Customizer. Zarnock's is the author of the ''Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations''

Krause Krause (German for ''ruffle'') is a common German surname. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 64.9% of all known bearers of the surname ''Krause'' were residents of Germany (frequency 1:531), 20.6% of the United States (1:7,541), 3.5% of Brazil ...

, now out of print after two printings (2002 and 2003).''Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations''
Retrieved 2010-01-12. He has subsequently written 12 more books and contributed chapters on Hot Wheels collecting for the ''Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles II & III'' and six editions of ''Toys & Prices''. Zarnock has appeared at schools, conventions, toy shows and Hot Wheels club functions across the United States and Canada, and has also appeared in movies. He made his screen debut in several independent films written by David Dellecese, playing Artie, a sleazy comic book publisher, in the film ''

Detour __NOTOC__ A detour or (British English: diversion) is a (normally temporary) route taking traffic around an area of prohibited or reduced access, such as a construction site. Standard operating procedure for many roads departments is to route an ...

''. He later portrayed talk show host Freddy Grecko in ''The Death of Daniel Whately''''The Death of Daniel Whately''
DVD. Retrieved 2010-01-12. and Chester Greenfield II, the wealthy father of the villain in ''Anchor Eddy's''.

Works

2011–present - ''Contributing Editor'' "Die Cast X Magazine" (Hot Wheels Highway Section)
2009-2010 - ''Associate Editor'' "The Car Room Magazine" (Monthly Hot Wheels Column)
2008-2009 - "Die Cast X Magazine" (Monthly Hot Wheels Column)
2002 to 2008 - "Toy Cars & Models Magazine ." (Monthly Column and Hot Wheels Variation Price Guide)
2002 - "The Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations"
2002 - "The Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles II" (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2003 - "Warman's Hot Wheels . Field Guide"
2004 - "Hot Wheels Variations, The Ultimate Guide, 2nd Edition"
2004 - "Toys & Prices - 11th Edition". (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2005 - "Hot Wheels Accessories, The Ultimate Guide"
2005 - "Toys & Prices - 12th Edition". (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2005 - "The Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles III", (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2006 - "Hot Wheels: A Warman's Companion Guide"
2006 - "Toys & Prices - 13th Edition". (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2007 - "Hot Wheels Variations, The Ultimate Guide 3rd Edition"
2007 - "Toys & Prices - 14th Edition". (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2007 - "Warman's Hot Wheels Field Guide 2nd Edition"
2008 - "Toys & Prices - 15th Edition". (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2009 - "Toys & Prices - 16th Edition". (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters)
2009 - "Hot Wheels: A Warman's Companion Guide 2nd Edition"
2009 - "Once Upon a Street Race" (Based on the true story of the time Mike got kidnapped at a street race!)
2010 - "Hot Wheels Variations, The Ultimate Guide 4th. Edition"
2010 - "Warman's Hot Wheels Field Guide 3rd Edition"
2011 - "Hot Wheels Prototypes" (Bruce Pascal & Michael Zarnock)
2012 - "Warman's Hot Wheels Field Guide 4th Edition"
2014 - "Hot Wheels Variations 2000-2013 Identification & Price Guide"

Filmography

2004 – Detour - "Catch Your Breath Productions"
2005 - The Death of Daniel Whatley - "Catch Your Breath Productions"
2006 - Anchor Eddy's - "Catch Your Breath Productions"

Notes

External links

Zarnock's websiteZarnock's Facebook Fan Page on FacebookZarnock's YouTube ChannelPodcast interview with Michael Zarnock"Ask Michael" Hot Wheels related questions at "All Experts.com"Clip of Zarnock from "The Death of Daniel Whatley"News interview with Mike Zarnock about his feature in ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!''News Interview with Mike Zarnock about "The Car Room Magazine Internet TV Show"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zarnock, Michael 1958 births American male film actors Living people American podcasters Writers from Utica, New York Hot Wheels People from Deerfield, New York