Michael Zarnock better known as Mike Zarnock is an American actor, author and columnist, who writes collector guides and articles about Hot Wheels® Toy Cars & Accessories. He is also producer/editor and host of "Hot Wheels TV" on YouTube.
Mike’s knowledge and his massive Hot Wheels® collection has earned him notoriety around the world. Whether it's because of the 14 books, numerous chapters in other books and hundreds of magazine articles that he's written about the Hot Wheels® brand or just the sheer magnitude and diversity of his twice held Guinness World Record Hot Wheels® Collection, he's earned the most distinguished label: "One of the world's leading Hot Wheels® authorities." Mike's massive collection, world notoriety and World Records have also raised him to an elite new level of collecting as only a handful of collectors around the world have been classified as a "Super Collector!"
Did you know?
Mike has his own Hot Wheels Coloring Book!
- 2021 Fireball Publishing asked to do the Official Mike Zarnock Hot Wheels Coloring Book!
Mike Zarnock is a 3 Time Guinness World Record holder!
- 2020 - "Most gravity fed loop-the-loops on a Hot Wheels track."
- 2007 - "Largest collection of different model cars."
- 2003 - "Largest collection of different model cars."
Has been featured in 2 "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" books:
- 2011 - "Utterly Crazy!"
- 2008 - "Prepare To Be Shocked!"
There's a Hot Wheels Car with his name on it!
- 2009 - Hot Wheels reproduced Mike's old Race Car as a Hot Wheels Car and included it as part of their nostalgic "Drag Strip Demons Series" as "Mike Zarnock's Altered Roadster".
Mike has a few Hall of Fame Rings Too!
- 2021 - Received the Hall of Honor "Lifetime Achievement Award"!
- 2020 - Inducted into the Hall of Honor as a Hot Wheels Historian!
- 2009 - Inducted into the Diecast Hall of Fame as a Hot Wheels Historian!
Been Featured in TV and Film!
Self (5 Credits)
- 2021 - Host on the History Channel's TV Series "The Toys That Built America" Episode 3 - Toy Car Wars
- 2020 - Self on NBC's Little Big Shots TV Series Episode 1 - Icing on the Cake
- 2018 - Host on the History Channel's TV Documentary - "Hot Wheels: 50th Anniversary Special"
- 2017 - Featured in the film- Redlines to Treasure Hunts: The Cars, The Collectors, The Community.
- 2015 -Featured in - Passion or Obsession: Inside the World of Extreme Collecting.
Actor (3 Credits)
2006 "Anchor Eddy's"
- "Chester Greenfield II," the wealthy father of the main character in the film"Anchor Eddy's"
- Catch Your Breath Productions - Drama, Movie
2004 "The Death of Daniel Whately"
- "Freddy Grecko, talk show host extraordinaire”
- Catch Your Breath Productions - Drama, Movie
2002 "DETOUR"
- "Artie, the sleazy comic book publisher"
- Catch Your Breath Productions - Drama, Movie
Life and work[]
Mike has had a passion for Hot Wheels toy cars and their accessories ever since their release in 1968 when he was 10 years old and has collected them whenever he could find them. It’s come to be that he has spent so much time and effort on his collection that he’s become one of the world’s most respected Historians on the Hot Wheels brand. So much so, that it prompted him to write a best selling Collector Guide series called “The Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations”, published in 2002 by Krause. That book sold out almost instantly and went into a second printing just a year after its release. Since then Mike has written 13 more books, was under contract with “Toy Cars & Models Magazine” for 6 years where he wrote a monthly Hot Wheels column and price guide, written numerous chapters in many other die cast books and countless articles for other magazines, newspapers and Internet Blogs.
He is currently Senior Contributing Editor at “Die Cast X Magazine” where he has had his Hot Wheels column since 2011.
Mike is producer/editor and host of "Hot Wheels TV" on YouTube. An Internet program where he takes his audience deep within the Subculture of Hot Wheels Collecting via Conventions, Car Shows and other events around the world. The program also features unboxing and review of the latest Hot Wheels product as soon as it's released!
Bibliography[]
Magazine Publications:
2011-Present - "Die Cast X Magazine" (Hot Wheels Section)
2009-2010 - "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)
Book Publications:
2002 - "The Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations"
2002 - * "The Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles II"
2003 - "Warman's Hot Wheels . Field Guide"
2004 - "Hot Wheels Variations, The Ultimate Guide, 2nd Edition"
2004 - * "Toys & Prices - 11th Edition"
2005 - "Hot Wheels Accessories, The Ultimate Guide"
2005 - * "Toys & Prices - 12th Edition"
2005 - * "The Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles III"
2006 - "Hot Wheels: A Warman's Companion Guide"
2006 - * "Toys & Prices - 13th Edition"
2007 - "Hot Wheels Variations, The Ultimate Guide 3rd Edition"
2007 - * "Toys & Prices - 14th Edition"
2007 - "Warman's Hot Wheels Field Guide 2nd Edition"
2008 - * "Toys & Prices - 15th Edition"
2009 - * "Toys & Prices - 16th Edition"
2009 - "Hot Wheels: A Warman's Companion Guide 2nd Edition"
2009 - "Once Upon A Street Race" (Based on the true story)
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”
2015 – “Picker’s Pocket Guide – Hot Wheels” (Picker’s Pocket Guides Series)
2021 – “The Official Mike Zarnock Hot Wheels Coloring Book”
- Denotes (Hot Wheels Collector Number chapters only)
Filmography[]
- 2004 — Detour (CYB Productions)
- 2005 — The Death of Daniel Whately (CYB Productions)
- 2006 — Anchor Eddy's (CYB Productions)
Awards[]
- 2021 - Received the Hall of Honor "Lifetime Achievement Award".
- 2020 - Inducted into the Hall of Honor as a Hot Wheels Historian!
- 2020 - Guinness World Record "Most gravity fed loop-the-loops on a Hot Wheels track."
- 2009 — Inducted Into The Diecast Hall Of Fame as Hot Wheels Historian.
- 2007 - Guinness World Record "Largest collection of different model cars."
- 2003 - Guinness World Record "Largest collection of different model cars."
References[]
Guinness Book of World Records 2006 Edition - page 65 ISBN-13: 978-8408061496
- Michael Zarnock's 2007 Guinness World Record at Guinness
- Mike Zarnock in the Internet Movie Database
- Michael Zarnock at Amazon.com