This is something you will not see every day. A pure weird Ferrari made by one of the best 1:64 manufacturer of the planet. Let me introduce you the Ferrari 412 by Tomytec.
The announce of this car some months ago on socials was a real surprise, and a good one. I remember myself saying “this one, I won’t miss it, no way”. As some of my fellow readers know, I hate the preordering system, but in this case, I went for it. For safety ! All went good, from Japan Booster super star service, of course.
That being said, you might have noticed an increase of prices everywhere, and on everything, including our hobby and transport. As a European, I’m used to always pay much more than most other people on the planet (yeah, a PS4 was not $400 but €400 … just for example), but this time, the cup is full. A new European directive has changed the rules on VAT and you pay now the VAT of the country of the sender + customs and VAT again when in France, which makes, almost every time, EXPLODING the price of your cars. All this to say I’m going to preorder more, as you save a little bit on the price of each car …
Collecting Tomica Limited Vintage is costly, and where the world is going is not good at all for this. This isn’t a big deal, in the end, but it was good to say.
Back to the cars : they cost my 11€ more than it was supposed to, so they must be exceptional ! And they are …
Those 412 are a big WOW. They are certainly not much known, and not “popular” Ferrari but they fit so well in TLV’s range. Pure stock classic car that few manufacturers would venture in. I adore it.
Ferrari in diecast is always complex, with license issues, exclusivity … to Hot Wheels for some years, then to other brands. Japanese brand Kyosho sold the Ferrari collection as kits (lol) to divert this … and the 1/43 market is mostly dedicated to Italian brands like Looksmart or BBR. You cannot do what you want with the prancing horse !!!
That being said, I’m hugely happy that TLV got the license. The dream of many collectors is on it’s way to have highly detailed Ferrari minicars in 1:64. The 412 is one of them.
The Ferrari 412 was the last of the “400” series, in the late 80’s, and was a 2+2 with a V12 engine. This car will be replaced by the 456GT, the 612 Scaglietti and the FF. Big Ferraris.
This 412 is long, big and angular. The engine hood is opening in reverse, and I love that feature. The details of the engine are soft, I still don’t see many interest in that. In contrast, I’m crazy about the colorful interiors TLV is offering to the collectors. This is sadly what Kyosho NEVER managed to do with all the Ferrari Collections. This red interior with the metallic blue is just something crazy. It’s an instant fave.
What I’m not fan of is the very soft treatment of the headlight, just painted. TLV, you can do better … Other than that, this 2021 TLV is just a big slap in the face to Kyosho 1:64 Ferrari 412 that I didn’t dare to shoot. Really.
You have it right : I LOVE this casting which is instantly in my top 5 TLV in the collection. The treatment of the taillights is good, the exhausts are too cool and endless, the wheels and the front grill too. Too good. My fave is the blue with its red interior. The black version is also very nice with the white interior. I highly suggest you to have one for your collection : this is a car you might not see again. Check JapanBooster.
TLV really hits the market with vintage European vehicles, with the very new 1966 Porsche 911 or the already famous Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior. I want more. And you ?
@Willdiecast
It just so happened, around the time of the news release of Tomica’s new model, I actually saw a 412 in person. I was driving back to my workplace and saw one in gray.. around lunchtime.. looked like a business man driving it. I’ve known about the 412 before, but I never thought I’d ever see one live. It conveys as a gentleman’s automobile!
Looks like 1:1 versions for sale range from $80,000 to $140,000. The one I saw looks really cool, even for a Ferrari!
Just so happens the area is near a popular gathering spot in Maryland for not only mainstream vehicles, but high end, rare sports cars.
Hunt Valley Horsepower gathers every Saturday morning at a shopping complex where you’ll see not only Ferrari’s, Porsche’s, ‘Vette’s, Lambo’s, US muscle, but you’ll see motorbikes, military vehicles and everything in between. Unfortunately, COVID is keeping the events paralyzed for now until the positivity rate goes down!