April is a heavy month for Tomica with several releases including Premium, Demon Slayer collaboration, a police boxset and a McDonald’s Japan campaign car. I’m very happy that Ferrari has return to the Redbox series after a long absence with the pair of stylish SF90 Stradale.
Find Tomica Ferrari SF90 Stradale on eBay
No.120 Ferrari SF90 Stradale
The SF90 Stradale is the first PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) for Ferrari. The car shares its name with the SF90 Formula One car for the 90th Anniversary of the Scuderia Ferrari racing team and “Stradale” suggest “made for the road”. The design of the SF90 is aerodynamic with the rear-end of the car carries over many iconic Ferrari Styling elements such as the flying buttresses.
All these stunning styling elements can also be seen on the 1/62 Tomica RedBox. Although a mainline, the SF90 pair is the highlight and talk of the town for this month release which both look premium apart from Tomica default wheels. The body color looks especially stunning in high gloss finish and the First Color in light gunmetal gray looks awesome which bring out the styling of the casting better than the basic color in Red.
However I’m slightly disappointed that the headline is printed livery rather than plastic inserts unlike the rear. Both castings feature standard factory suspension with no opening components and definitely a must-have for all Ferrari lovers.
Find Tomica Isuzu Elf Bridge Inspection Vehicle on eBay
No.94 Isuzu Elf Bridge Inspection Vehicle
The Isuzu Elf on the other is a very unusual mix from the stylish SF90 pair. It is a maintenance vehicle and I have never come across one in Japan although they do exist. The Elf is a Redbox resident with regular appearances on castings such as aerial platform, Sagawa Express, vehicle transporter, 7-11 Delivery, Yamazaki bread and more.
The Elf itself is no stranger to Tomica collectors, details are basic with painted headlights without much details with mostly plastic components. However it’s fun with a fully functional stick boom that is able to rotate, lift and arm that is able to contract and expand. The Elf also has a standard factory suspension with no scale given although some variants are in 1/68.
Overall this month Redbox release has a very interesting mix of style and fun for every collector. Stay tuned for the next Tomica feature meanwhile you can find Hot Kustoms in IG or you can check out my unboxing video.