Stroll over to his 11-year-old son Aiden's bedroom, and you'll see, on the floor, a large pail filled to the brim with Hot Wheels. To augment his collection, Aiden built his own diorama that he affectionately calls "Tonka Town."

"I just like cars," Aiden says with a shrug. "Really, anything with wheels."

Rick admits he takes far better care of the Hot Wheels he possesses today, compared to the ones he had in the late '60s.

"Well, all the ones I had as a kid I probably blew up with firecrackers, whacked them with hammers, or simulated accidents," he laughed. "I have a lot, but I don't have any left over from my childhood.

"I wish I did."

Rick, who has an affinity for old trucks (he was once the proud owner of a 1970 GMC that he had restored), started collecting Hot Wheels again for his son.

"No more big toys for me, now," he said.

While hunting for Hot Wheels to give to Aiden, Rick came across a 1956 Ford panel truck miniature, and thought, "That would look cool on my desk."

"Then the seed was planted," Rick said.

Rick said he has stopped counting his Hot Wheels collection at 1,600 diecasts.

"At one point, I thought it was funny that I had 50 of them, so I built myself a display shelf for them," Rick said. "Then I had to build another one, and another one, and it just kind of snowballed.

"We have a hard time passing a store that we know carries Hot Wheels, without stopping to check to see if anything new."

Rick primarily collects pre-1970s diecast trucks.

"Pickups, panels. that's all I collect are old trucks," he said.

He also has a few rare pieces imported from Japan, including some extremely limited editions.

"There was a car show in Japan that sanctioned Hot Wheels only to make so many pieces for their car show," Rick explained. "I have a little '55 Chevy. and the back opens up and there's a little Harley that slides out."

Rick customized a few of his Hot Wheels. He took them apart, did body modifications, repainted them, and changed their wheels.

"You can make an off-road truck from a low-rider truck - he's actually done that, once," Aiden said, speaking about the bodywork his dad did on one of his more treasured Hot Wheels.

Aiden's collection of 2,000 Hot Wheels features a cornucopia of diecasts.

"He's not so much a collector; he plays with all his," Rick said.

For the past four years, Rick and Aiden have been showing their Hot Wheels collection at the Greater Vancouver Toy and Collectibles Show.

"We've been to a lot of shows," Rick said. "And it's amazing how many people show up at the shows. It's mostly adult men, who are collecting."

Aiden added, "It's pretty funny - at these shows, there's way more adults like my dad than kids. There are probably only one or two other kids who usually are there."

Rick figures nostalgia has a lot to do with the older crowd's affection for Hot Wheels.

The father and son are usually the first two through the door the morning of each show, Rick said.

This Sunday's toy and collectibles show is at the Pitt Meadows Heritage Hall, where diecast, comic books, sports cards, trains, and action figures will be displayed.

Children under 12 receive free admission and a Hot Wheels car.

The hall is at 12460 Harris Rd. For more on the show visit: www.ricktippe.com/diecast/.

tlandreville@mrtimes.com