Arthur Piazza's Miniature World
The beauty of social media is that a person gets exposed to all kinds of things that one might never see otherwise. It is so inspiring to see people find a way to do something creative with the things they love and create a world of their own.
One day a close-up photo from the account of piazza_arthur_piazza popped into the Rustmag Instagram feed of an Aston Martin DB2 Lesney toy with fantastic patina. It was clearly a car that had been played with and loved by some budding gearhead. I was particularly struck by the cars that had been repainted and customized by some child. The love and, dare I say, passion that these toy cars evince is so powerful and compelling. They are works of art.
But it is the photography that really makes the cars sing. Arthur puts the cars in just the right setting to show them to their advantage. The close up nature of the photos means that they have shallow depth of field adding to the quality of the images.
He is not afraid to take cars that have been broken, or disassembled, in play and make something new of them. He is continuing to play with them and this ads the most charming flavor to the photos.
The combination of the cars and beautiful photos had me reaching out to contact Arthur to see if we could put together an article. It turns out that he is an ex-pat from the UK and these cars have been a passion of his since he was young.
After a bit of email back and forth with some questions and answers, here is Arthur in his own words talking about the cars he collects and photographs.
“The instagram account is named for a quote from the 1969 film “The Italian Job”. Michael Caine’s character corrects Arthur’s description of the heist. One of the best car chases on film (though the first Bourne film also has a good Mini chase in Paris). So, I am Arthur, a Mini fan old enough to remember buying early Superfast cars with pocket money.”
Do you drive a vintage car?
“No vintage car at present. I’m a Mini fan and have owned three all together. Great fun to drive and at least back then, cheap to repair. The 850cc was fun, but the fuel injected 1298cc was the best. The Dinky, Corgi and Lesney ones will have to do at present. I haven’t seriously looked for one since moving to the West Coast, but never say never.
“There were always toy cars in the house growing up. Some were new, either Lesney or small Corgi. I can only ever remember one redline, probably not stocked in the shop down the road. A lot came from jumble sales. I suppose that’s where the interest in worn cars came from.”
What is your favorite brand of toy car?
“Favorite brand? Lesney. I grew up with these cars - some were presents, pocket money purchases or jumble sale finds. The rest are from charity shops, being secondhand adds to something to car. And it seems possible to find a the rarer Lesney cars here, everyone seems to look for those early Hot Wheels
“Every scratch, bump, dent or ding is a record of the car being played with. I think that creates a value that can’t be achieved with a mint in box car - mint cars all look the same to me. I especially look out for painted cars. The Aston with the yellow racing Number five came from a car boot sale. A red Aston with grey plastic wheels today would have a certain monetary value, but that yellow five had a far greater value to the original owner.
”A childhood friend of mine owned four Lesney cars that I think were among the best of the late 60s models: the GT40, the Iso Grifo, the Miura and the Berlinetta. We used to race these on a Superfast track in his garden - It has taken almost a lifetime to find the various versions of these cars.
“The photographic setup is no more than the car, a prop and a background. If inside, then colored card and natural light - no artificial lighting. Those outside are at the beach. The light at the beach is perfect for photography. The camera is on the phone. I’m not a technical photographer or artist, but I have a idea of the finished photo before pressing the button. If I can’t get it in a couple of photos, then on to the next one.”
