So here is my fear with a post title like the one above. Many of you won’t read this and throw our your “all these fanboys who only want to scalp the Ferraris and Civics! That is what is wrong with the hobby” comments. That is NOT what this post is about.
Remember I try to adhere to the rule that this hobby should only bring me joy, because there is enough out in the world that I am forced to deal with that doesn’t. So complaining about trivial parts of my hobby is not something I am going to do.
But here is the reality. Tomica Limited Vintage has enjoyed a surge of interest among collectors here in the US. From my perch I have seen it loud and clear. TLV has jumped into some more universally recognized models of late, like Nissan GT-Rs, Honda Civics, Mazda RX-7s, and yes, Ferraris. And these models have been the introduction for many to the brand. They instantly see the second-to-none quality of TLV, and yes, they want more. But yes, they want more of what they want, and I see comments about how TLV should do an R34, an R32, more Porsches, a Hakosuka GT-R, and on and on. I point out that they have, only the R34 is a 4-door sedan, the R32 coming is a 4-door, so is the Hako, etc. Then I tell them that is what TLV is about, and mention Cedrics, and Glorias, and 117s, and Sunnys. I don’t think I keep their attention when I do.
So like everyone else, I am super excited about the Ferraris. And Evos, and Civics, and RX-7s. But it is the Bellets, and Luces, and Galants that brought me here in the first place.
So, for those of you new to the brand, I want to show some lesser known TLVs. To do that, I am going to post random models here and there on the blog. I may write a lot about them, maybe a little, but I hope you have a look, and I hope you enjoy what you see.
And I start with this Gloria Police, replicated from the Japanese TV show, Seibu Keisatsu. Cops chased bad guys, cigarettes were smoked, and cars crashed. And they were all Nissans. This Gloria was one. The wheels aren’t stock, but TLV did the gold mesh to replicate the car in the show, and it looks fantastic.
This model was part of a 2-pack, the other being a Laurel Police on mag rims. I will show that one another day. But focus on this one for a second. The details in the headlights, grill, etc. And there is stuff you can’t experience in photos, like shocks and a very smooth ride. Show that pic to anyone, and they will assume it is a real car. It is as close as 1/64 can get.
More to come.
(Find Tomica Limited Vintage at Japan Booster)
Loved the post and the photos. Keep this series rolling.
I agree that the stock TLV models are great. That is what drew me in too. Now that Kyosho is not producing models any more (or barely) it is hard to find premium stock models. Tarmac and Inno due mostly racing and lowered cars (with the occasional stock looking sports car mixed in). Hobby Japan looks promising. Schuco has some stock models. AW and Greenlight do almost exclusively US (GL does Nissan and VW as well), but AW and Greenlight are not quite premium as in Kyosho or TLV. M2 except for a 4 castings (including 620) all US. That said, the Road64 series from Tarmac looks promising, but again the Hilux and Hiace they are teasing do not look stock.
I just wished they’d throw in some stock Euro and US models once in a while. These could be models that other producers ignore. Say a Volvo 240 wagon and/or sedan. A 80s Citroen. A Saab 9-3. A 90s BMW 5-series sedan or wagon. A Dodge Intrepid. A Pontiac Grand Am. A 90s Ford Explorer. A first gen Chrysler minivan. A Caprice wagon. A 70s Ford LTD sedan. A Jeep Grand Cherokee. A AMC Eagle wagon. etc. Interestingly in 1:43 (and bigger scales) it is much easier to find a wider variety of stock models.
That there are lots of Japanese models I’d love to see too. More wagon. More pickups. More SUVs. More non-Toyota, non-Nissan large sedans, more vans, more minivans.
Ok…just dreaming.
Wait…these have shocks? Maybe I WILL have to try some TLV.
I Just ordered the TLV RX7 in white I also got the Prince Gloria a month ago, I got them through hlj.
Kyosho was my favorite brand but since new stuff is few and far between and they nothing I need anymore I am focusing on filling holes in the Vintage line. As far as superiority goes I think the Auto World Mach I is much better than the Kyosho.
Love the Cedric and Gloria of this era. I don’t have this specific model but do have other liveries.