(Find the Tomica LV-59a Galant on Ebay here, and the LV-105a Cedric Standard here)
Every collector can point to some defining moments in their hobby. Whether it be the discovery of a chase car find or finding a personal grail, we all have them. One of the key moments for me was the arrival of my first Tomica Limited Vintage models at Christmas 2012, and arguably these two models created a butterfly effect that led me to be here on Lamley. For now though, let’s take a look at the castings that are the focus of today’s article.
They are the first generation (A50) Mitsubishi Galant 16L GS sedan and the second generation (130) Nissan Cedric Standard.
The Mitsubishi Galant appeared in 1969 and was designed to be a direct competitor to the Honda Accord, Mazda Capella, Toyota Corona and Nissan Bluebird. Initially available only in sedan form, estate and coupe models arrived in 1970. The Galant was exported overseas to Australia and Europe, and became the first Mitsubishi model to be sold in the US.
LV-59a is a pre-facelift 16L GS model fitted with the 1.6 litre 4G32 inline-four.
The second generation Nissan Cedric 130 arrived in 1965. Featuring styling by Pininfarina, the Cedric was offered in a three body styles (sedan, wagon, van) and featured a startling array of trim and engine options. In 1967 for example there were 68 model variations a buyer could choose from!
LV-105a replicates a 1965 “Standard” model, which would have featured the Nissan H20 inline-four producing 99bhp.
And as far as reviewing these two…. well. What can I say that Lamley readers won’t already know? They’re Tomica Limited Vintage models of Japanese cars, so what do you think they’re going to be like?
They are absolutely wonderful. Tomica’s Limited Vintage/Vintage Neo range is almost unparalleled in terms of detail, and apart from a few slips here and there (Countach doors…), TLV are most collector’s gold standard, something on which (for better or worse) they compare every other diecast brand to. They are crammed with detail: clear lights, detailed interiors, suspension, rubber clad wheels, beautiful paint, I could go on and on. But I won’t, I’ll let you just admire and appreciate.
In terms of subject matter, the Galant and Cedric are entirely unremarkable. But that’s what Tomica does best: the day to day, almost background vehicles of Japanese automotive history. But whilst they may be unremarkable as cars, the models themselves hold vast importance to me.
I’d promised you more Tomica content and there’s no better place to start for me than these two cars. My love for Japanese cars began as a child and grew and grew thanks to Gran Turismo, Redline, Max Power, Top Gear Magazine and especially a short lived UK publication called J-Tuner. As soon as I discovered TLV one night on Ebay during my teens, I was dreaming of a being able to afford one, and of one day having a collection. The models looked beautiful, realistic and detailed. The box art was incredible and the subjects obscure and interesting, full of names I had never heard of like Toyopet and Prince. There were vehicles I hadn’t heard of before; three wheeled Mazda and Mitsubishi trucks, tiny Suzukis and Hino trucks. After my parents bought me the Galant and Cedric, I saved as much as I could to buy more. And like I do with most things, I did more research on them. Googling for information and what cars were in the range directed me to a page called The Lamley Group. And I read every post, not just about Tomica. I even reached out to John about my Tomica, messaging in 2016 to ask if he could help get information on a Tomica Toys Club casting I’d found. I knew I’d found my place to geek out on being a collector. And I’m still here, all thanks to these two.
And the collection I dreamed of? Well, once I had got into full time work it became a reality, which means I have a lot more Tomica to showcase here. Stay tuned.
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How do you save them from Paint rashes ? Most of my TLVs have suffered from paint rashes which keeps me thinking if I should even purchase there new products ? Even the new models are having rashes. I think Hot wheels would be better, Throw it, play with it but they won’t ditch you.
Hot Kustoms has a good YouTube tutorial on this. It’s labour intensive but can be done.