Cameron Sterling

instagram.com/FantasticPlasticAdventures

Fantastic Plastic Adventures began on a couch in December 2019 during winter vacation when my son asked me to make a YouTube channel to post his Lego builds for friends to see. It seemed like a fun idea to support.

We thought up names that led me to say, “how about fantastic plastic adventures.” The website & IG account were available so I registered them. It spoke to plastic Lego bits and allowed room for other toys.

I parked it, life got busy, and a few months later covid began.

During covid 2020 isolation I explored my childhood possessions as I spent time with my kids and went through things for them to play with or to sell.

As I researched values I saw the community of people enjoying the hobby. In my life I only knew one other friend interested in RC kits. Seeing hundreds of people enjoying the hobby intrigued me. Coincidentally the two eras of my interest in RC kits began in isolation.

Thinking about my childhood with Tamiya kits it occurred to me that the company name Tamiya Plastic Co. related to my fantastic plastic adventures name. Red and blue are the brand colors and orange is my own.

At some point in 2020 I used the IG account to follow RC accounts to learn about my collection & not fill up my personal IG newsfeed with RC posts. About a year later in January 2021 I made my first post with zero followers. Like a radio signal available to anyone on the frequency, people tuned in and supported the account with likes and comments.

In May 2021 I posted my first picture of an RC car kit I bought for my kids to build. Surprisingly people began to follow. At first a few, then dozens. Over the second covid summer of 2021 I reflected on my 1980s and 1990s youth as I watched my kids.

Whimsically I began to make posts about my memories with the hobby. This felt introspective, creative, ephemeral, cathartic, and gave me my own space to muse. I stored photographs for future eBay listings.

I now have an understanding of how my collection fits into the hobby’s marketplace and a perspective on content for a niche audience.