Tomica Limited Vintage: Two Very Different (Toyota) Crowns

I like to share couple of  new Crowns released by Tomica Limited Vintage in March, both from TLV's premium lines.  Snake Motors got "2-Door Hardtop" done up in the usual funky theme & "Toyopet" Australia Rally car from the brand spankin' new "Nihonsha no Jidai"(The Japanese car Era) series.

Let's start off with the super vintage Toyopet Crown Deluxe.  Japanese car Era series features notable cars & trucks from the Japanese automotive history.  Its first release was the Datsun 1200 Pickup(Vol. 2), followed by the North American version of the Crown Deluxe in red(Vol. 3).  Volume 4 is this rally Crown, but where is the Volume 1?  I could not find anything from the Google search in Japanese.  829 Japan blog speculates that it was either delayed or cancelled.  :( ***Edit: The answer to this question is in this post.

Based on the historical rally car, according to article printed inside the packaging, it was the first Japanese vehicle to participate in an international motorsport event.

Extra lamps & the hood ornament is included with the car, which adds nicely to the detail.

These silver printed on chrome moulding on the sides, I wasn't very impressed by..... considering the price(2,400 yen).  Then again....

I forgive you man.  Moving on.

If you are not familiar with Japanese celebrities, or  Snake Motors, this is where you'd be going "what is up with this?"  Well, the figure on the left represents Tokoro George.  Household name in Japanese entertainment industry, also very well known enthusiast in many things, especially cars.  On the right is Beat(pronounced 'beato') Takeshi.  Also a household name entertainer.  Both are involved with Snake Motors, but from what I understand, it's Tokoro George who produces these Snake Motors Tomicas. 

Two very different Crowns, but you want both!

From the 15th Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals: Turbine Time

I don't have lot of hot wheels "convention" cars in my collection, but those I do, I like them a lot.  Especially that SS Express STILL available on hot wheels collectors website(crazy).  One of my top favorite cars.

I first saw red Turbine Time on the peg.  I wish I had bought it now, but I've been trying to get rid of extra cars, mostly mainlines from my collection, so I passed.  I then started seeing them on eBay & TTP listings.  They looked pretty good.  It wasn't until I saw Lamley's great pics I knew that I had to have it.  Now that I linked the Lamley post, it's little repetitive, but here is mine.

I got mine from a seller on TTP, and while this is pretty rare, after forking over $45 + shipping for a carded one, I received one which blister's been ripped open.

I haven't got a clue how something like this could happen, but it did. :(  At least the truck is bad ass, loose.  Flat black theme & painted rims look amazing.

Expensive casting, but very limited issue with only 1,500 produced.

Johnny Lightning / TOMY Employee Only 2012 Holiday Vehicle: 1965 International 1200 Pickup

2013 saw the sad end to the Johnny Lightning brand.  Just in case you are wondering about the "TOMY" packaging, TOMY, the same company that operates Tomica was the last owner of Johnny Lightning.  Odd couple, indeed.

I was never an aggressive JL collector, yet, I continued to pick up their cars here & there until very recently(now, it's TLV or bust).  I have few JL cars I adore in my collection, but there is one that I TREASURE.  It arguably has the best paint job in the entire collection, laying on one of the most beautifully crafted casting.  It is the International  Scout 1200 employee holiday edition from 2012.  Please, watch drooling on the keyboard/phone.

Last year, I was lucky enough to land the White Lightning version of the employee holiday International Scout 1200.

For those not familiar with the White Lightning:  They were the JL's version of the chase similar to Green Machine(Greenlight), or Treasure Hunt.  I actually prefer the stock green version, but together, they are something else.

Hot Wheels Collectibles Lamborghini Miura

Hot Wheels collectibility do not lie with accuracy, or precision like we expect from Japanese, Chinese, or European diecast makers.  It's the style, charm, vintage nostalgia with these guys.  When I was a kid in Japan, popular trend in toys were "defo-ru-me".  At least that's how I'd spell it.  It's us adopting the word "deformed".  Deformed sounds horrible in English, but deforume in Japan was a cute & catchy name.  Anyway, that's what I see with Hot Wheels.  Often times, they take real cars, make them little bit rounder, turning them into somewhat cartoony-looking diecast cars.

Cars I'm sharing today are Hot Wheels, but with less "deforming"........ and it's really cool.

This red Miura is from the Hot Wheels 100% collection.  I think they are often called "Black Box", referring to the black box packaging they were sold in.  Couple of years earlier, I actually missed out on this red Miura & ended up with a yellow one.  Hot Wheels Legends, Jay Leno Collection Miura.

I love the cheap mainline Hot Wheels, Pop-Culture, Vintage Racing type premium releases, also Red Line Club cars, but Mattel has done a phenomenal jobs with these collectible releases.  As you can see, these more accurate & precise 1/64 diecast somehow retains their "Hot Wheels" charm.  There will be more HW Collectibles posts in the future.  Guaranteed.

トミカリミテッドヴィンテージ(Tomica Limited Vintage): Mysterious Brand Every Collector Should Be Familiar With

Nissan Skyline Super Silhouette

Tomica Limited Vintage is a unknown brand in the U.S.  It is my impression that, outside Japan, TLVs are collected mainly by advanced collectors, or collectors who are WAY actively engaged with the hobby.  First of all, Tomica Limited Vintage cars are very expensive.  Today, their cheapest cars would cost you around ten dollars, plus shipping. Living up to their "Limited" name, TLV do not re-release same car twice, so their older cars can be pretty scarce.  Of course, that leads to high premium pricing in the secondary market, like on eBay.

LV-N49a Shell Tanker and LV-N49b Idemitsu

Tomica Limited Vintage is the premium line from Tomytec(subsidiary of Takara-Tomy), and by my observation, there are two big reasons for their success.

1. Their approach to the game. - TLV cars, at the risk of sounding like a fanboy, features quality that are second to none.  Accurate scaling, quality parts & assembly, also amazing detailing.
2. Vehicle selection - If you like obscure classic imports, or JDM classics, TLV cars can be a godsend.  They make cars that nobody else bothers to.  Just look at the Hino KB314 Shell & Idemitsu tank lorry above.

Few interesting facts about Tomica Limited Vintage team:

• When choosing their upcoming release, it could come from something like the upcoming anniversary of certain car, or from random daily conversation.
• Once they target the vehicle they want to do, the hunt begins for the real life car to take measurements from.  According to the head chief Kobayashi-san, they've worked with cars in museum, private ownership(even non-running car in storage), or from the used car lot.  From far north as Hokkaido(northernmost prefecture) to Yamaguchi(far south). 
• TLV will not use measurements found in publications.  They find it that 'nuances' are often missed when not physically taking measurements from the real life car.
• Mock-ups are actually produced by their Chinese factory team, who are not familiar with any classic cars from Japan, causing two sides to go back & forth as they try to complete the mockup.
• They tweak the factory paint colors, as lighting and angles people observe the real life cars & toy cars are different.........  deep, amirite?

LV-N71a Volkswagen Golf II CLi

LV-Ra05 Nissan Cedric Bunka Housou(Cultural Broadcast) Topicar

If you would like to check out these cars little bit more, here are some websites I recommend:

Lamley Group - One of the most well known hot wheels blog happens to be a huge fan of Tomica Limited Vintage.  

Japan Booster - Before Japan Booster opened their eBay store, older, discontinued TLVs were very hard, sometimes impossible to come by.  This store changed that to say the least.

AmiAmi - The cheapest prices you'll find on newer TLVs.  While they rarely carry older releases, their preorder system is top notch, combine that with fast shipping & low prices, what's not to like?

LV-N22b Honda Ballade Sports CR-X

I usually have couple of TLVs in here as well(my TTP listings).  

Ladder Truck Fire Engine + Suzuki Alto Kei-Car

M2 Machines Auto-Drivers 1966 Dodge Chargers

This is the first M2 post.  It's taken me long enough.  I fell in love with M2 Machines fairly early on.  At first, it was all $1 Hot Wheels & Matchboxes found at local grocery stores and department stores.  I still remember the first M2 I ever purchased:  Mercury Sun Valley.  It was one of their high-end castings, so it was pretty spendy at six-bucks.  A lot for someone who's used to $1 cars, but it was worth every penny.

This '66 Dodge Charger is their "basic" car, and was picked up for $3 at Fred Meyer(Kroger chain).

Love these stock looking vintage cars.  Tan paint & black steel rims.  The 'look' may be lame for some, but I love it.

Jada Dub City Kustoms '65 Ford Econoline Pickup

I'm not sure if the "CLTR 148" is a real life vanity license plate, or what CLTR stands for, but I'm sure it has interesting story behind it.

I got this Econoline truck fairly recently, and although I've been collecting for five years now, I didn't recall seeing this casting before.  Not a huge surprise to find it listed on TTP(the Toy Peddler) by Kinkyrasta69.  I always see couple of cars I've never even heard of in his listings(recommended seller).

As usual, Jada's 1/64 is not a 1/64........... at least it's highly doubtful.  I love approaching this hobby with variety in mind, and while Jada certainly adds it, their scale is generally not even close to being accurate.  *cough* you won't see lot of jada in this blog*cough*

Greenlight 2008 Car D'Lane Yenko Chevelle by Chevrolet

I also found this on the Toy Peddler. 

 It's said to have been produced in limited numbers, but for the life of me, I could not find this classified top-secret number.  I do know that mine is number:

According to the listing it was sold at the downtown classic car cruiser & show, sponsored by the City of Coeur d'Alene(I guess in 2008).  I had to have it, because I rarely see Greenlight cars with white lettered tires.

Just awesome.