Yeah, it is probably not fair to follow up a post this morning on two Toyota Trucks from Hot Wheels by showing a Toyota Truck by Tomica Limited Vintage. I maintain that comparing the brands is not fair to either, as the models could not be more different. But they are both 1:64, and occasionally they might sit next to each other.
So without comparing, let me tell you what I think about the TLV 55 Series Land Cruiser. No, I won’t tell you. If you have read this blog for at least a decent period of time, I have no doubt you know what I think about this model.
When we featured the TLV LC in Japanese Police livery a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the 55 and 60 Series were my favorite Land Cruisers because of the station wagon look. Wagons rule, and so do Land Cruiser wagons. Wagons rule so much that Tomica Limited Vintage had to make an extra long box to house this model.
There is a lot you can write about Land Cruisers, like how popular they are becoming in the car collecting world, about many are still around, about how classic Cruisers will never lose their cool factor, and just how iconic they have become.
There is a lot you can write about the TLV version, like how well it is done, how TLV obsess with scale, how perfect the stance is, and how great it is that they did a 55 as opposed to other options (but I still would love to see the 60 series in the Neo line).
But I am not going to write about those things. I am going to let you see the photos.
(And you might want to grab a version or two of the Land Cruiser. You can find them here, but be prepared to pay. The TLV LC is already HIGHLY collectible.)
Tomica Limited Vintage Toyota Land Cruiser FJ56V:
With the Japanese Police:
And in case you were wondering if Tomica cares about scale:
The FJ55 may be my favorite vehicle period. A few years ago I had the chance to buy a beat, but awesome '69. I still kick myself for not picking it up. They are very hard to come by here in the NE.
Great photos and description! I discovered Tomica's Limited Vintage line while in Asia last year and while certainly not inexpensive I think they're fairly priced for the level of detail and quality. I 'only' purchased 6 during a 5 week tour but might have bought entire stores if money and space in 1 backpack wasn't a restriction!
I was moments away from purchasing the TLV (Tomica Shop Exclusive) Land Cruiser Police Variant seen above while at one of the very very few Tomica Shops this same week last year (if you think a “Wal-Mart Excluisve” is hard to find just imagine if there were only SIX Wal-Mart locations globally for the Shop Exclusive line!) in Tokyo's underground main station but opted for the Porsche 912 Police car instead & acquired the yellow 'Public Road Works' version of this Land Cruiser the next day because the model is just that cool. In hindsight it hasn't appreciated in value (if that's your thing) like the rarer police variant but the yellow livery with red/white striped bumpers & excess of Japanese characters was too slick to pass up; seen here:
http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Tomica-Limited-Vintage-LV-114a-Toyota-Land-cruiser-Public-Road-Patrol-Car-1-64-/00/s/NDgwWDYzMA==/z/PgMAAOxyhPxREkyP/$T2eC16ZHJG8E9nyfoUByBREkyP!KM!~~60_35.JPG
Photos of these models certainly encourage a follow-up visit to Japan to drop some Yen on these, watch real drifting on the industrial side of Nagoya, and visit car shows with as many odd American rat rods as there are bizarre un-identifiable Japanese automotive creations all over again…