Think Museums Can't Be Fun? Be a Kid Again at DFW Elite Toy Museum.com

    /24-7PressRelease/ - FORT WORTH, TX, April 17, 2007 - Remember hobby shops and hours spent assembling models of classic and high performance cars? If so, Fort Worth has a new museum that will bring back some of the joys of being a kid. Long-time car collector and successful businessperson Ron Sturgeon has a passion for toys and for automobiles, and his twin passions have taken a new form: DFW Elite Toy Museum.com.

"I've been a serious collector of automotive toys for over twenty years," admits Sturgeon. "I've gotten a huge kick out of collecting these toys and sharing them with friends, and now I have the chance to bring them to an even wider audience at the new DFW Elite Toy Museum."

According to Rodney Ross, museum curator, the toy collection numbers 2,682 items, and rare and one-of-a-kind toys are regularly added. "Our collection really has something for anyone who wants to be a kid again: exquisite scale models, rare Mercedes toys, larger open racers, and we welcome anyone in the area to come visit," says Ross.

The museum is home to an exquisite handcrafted model of the 1939 Fiat Balilla that was made by Italian model-maker Sebastian Musso for display at the 1970 Milan Fair. This one-of-a-kind model was once in the personal collection of one of Europe's best-known toy collectors, Count Giansanti Coluzzi. Mr. Sturgeon acquired it from him shortly before his death in 1998 for $20,000. "There was only one of these made for Fiat, and the Italian maker, Mr. Musso, really produced a model that's a marvel to see." For a sneak peak, visit the museum's virtual gallery at http://www.dfwelitecarclub.com/toymuseum/fiat.html.

"We've put a lot of effort into creating a fun 'virtual experience' for auto enthusiasts, modelers and collectors at our new online museum," said Ron Sturgeon. Located at DFW Elite Toy Museum.com, the website includes hundreds of pictures, detailed descriptions, and the inside story on how many of the rare toys came to be in the museum's collection. The museum's rotating collection includes German 'driving school' models, tin cars, construction equipment toys, World War II models, pedal and carousel cars, race cars, powered large-scale toys and much more.

Admission for adults and kids is free, and the museum is open Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, and Saturday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. The museum is located at 5940 Eden, Haltom City, Texas, near Fort Worth. Featuring extremely rare toys and models from around the world, the museum represents part of the personal collection of Ron Sturgeon, Texas entrepreneur, investor and author. The museum plans to share the stories behind some of its rarest toys in a series of press releases and in the 'featured toy' section of the gallery about every six to eight weeks.

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