Neal Smith, Ryu Asada
Background
Neal Smith — Neal Thomas Smith worked at Mattel from 2013 to 2023 and his last position was Senior/Lead Product Designer. He worked mainly on the development of track sets and playsets, helped with the launch of the Minecraft, Monster Trucks and Skate lines and occasionally made 1:64 scale models and paint schemes (liveries). Today he is an Industrial Design Specialist at Buck Knives.
Ryu Asada — Ryu Asada was born in Osaka, Japan, and studied physics at the University of Oregon and then automotive design at the Art Center College of Design in California, with a short internship at a Peugeot studio in France. He joined Mattel in 2004, first at Matchbox (about eight years, more than 200 models) and in 2012 moved to Hot Wheels.
He brought the brand many Japanese and enthusiast cars, such as the Honda S2000, Civic Type R, Integra and NSX, Subaru Impreza, Toyota FJ40, Nissan R390 GT1 and Mazda FC RX-7. He died in March 2021, at the age of 42.
