Charade and Civic incoming: BM Creations joins the collection

With so many 1:64-scale model brands coming out of China, it can be hard to know which ones are in it for the long haul and which might not last more than one release. My fellow Lamley contributor Championdjk does a great job of digging into new brands on his YouTube channel, so if you want to know your Masdi from your Rhino Model, go check that out.

For the most part, I tend to avoid unlicensed models, which rules out much of the Chinese-band output, but my biggest factor in purchasing any new true-scale model – whether it’s from Hot Wheels, Mini GT, Tarmac Works or someone else – is whether it fits into my collection. In a bid to keep my spending in check, I only tend to buy premium 1:64 if it sits within my collecting themes, which include real-world race and rally cars.

Two recent releases from BM Creations fit the bill, and I picked them up on a visit to Tokyo Station a couple of weeks back. The models in question are:

– 64B0448 Daihatsu Charade (Lombard RAC Rally 1989)

– 64B0478 Honda Civic EG6 (National Saloon Car Cup 1993)

BM Creations (BMC) has been around since 2018, but its output seems to have ramped up in recent years. A recent Facebook post said, “If you’ve noticed that BMC’s quality seems to have improved recently, that’s because earlier this year we moved to our in-house factory.” Not sure what the quality was like before, but the two models I have are very well finished. Nice to see a company on the up!

(find BM Creations 1:64 on eBay)

BMC also shared some thoughts on model design and deco choices:

“Based on last year’s experience, this year we will continue using:

Diecast metal base
Opening hood (no mounting pillar design)
More detailed engine

For the livery, we’ve considered the pros and cons of full tampo printing vs full water decals:

Full tampo printing ensures more precise alignment, but makes the body colors look more matte
Full water decals give colors closer to the real car, but it’s hard for workers to apply them 100% perfectly.

BMC is using a hybrid method to improve product quality.

Recently, everyone has been praising our heavyweight full-transparent box packaging. On top of that, we’ve also added metal plated parts to further enhance the model’s value.”

I love it when a company gives this kind of insight into their products!

BM Creations Daihatsu Charade

Now for the models, starting with the Charade, which was apparently a special edition for The Model Car Show in Malaysia and limited to 488 pieces.

Credit: Rallymodels page on Facebook

Terry Kaby placed 32^nd overall and fifth in class N3 (production cars up to 2,000cc) in his Daihatsu Charade GTi on the 1989 Lombard RAC Rally, the UK’s round of the WRC at the time. Co-driven by Kevin Gormley or Dilys Rogers, he went on to become the 1990 British Open champion in N3 in the 993cc, three-cylinder Charade, before improving to 18^th overall on the 1990 RAC!

I really like the BMC packaging, which has a quality crystal case with a clear base sitting inside the familiar cardboard sleeve. The sleeve is printed with graphics for the model but oddly has the details for the upcoming regular release of Erwin Keller’s 1988 Monte Carlo Charade instead of this 1989 Terry Kaby version.

Kaby’s Charade has an opening tailgate and steering on the front wheels, which is fantastic. The licence plates are correct, but their shape is wrong for a UK car.

The graphics are neatly applied and accurate from what I can see, as well as details like mirrors, light clusters, mudflaps and metallic exhaust.

Oddly, only the right-hand wheels roll on my example – if it rolled properly then this tiny model (about 57mm/2.25-inches long) would be nigh-on perfect. It’s a great addition to my 1:64 rally collection.

(find BM Creations Charade on eBay)

BM Creations Honda Civic EG6

It’s hard enough to find 1:64 models from the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) but the second BMC model, the Castrol-sponsored EG6 Civic, is from the even less commonly modeled National Saloon Car Cup (NSCC – also known as the Production Saloon Car Championship). This series was typically for cars that were closer to stock than their BTCC cousins, and NSCC drivers sometimes graduated to the higher-profile BTCC – including 1993 Castrol Civic racer, James Thompson, who won the championship that year and went on to win the drivers’ title in the BTCC in 2002 and 2004.

Credit: Martin Sharpe tribute page on Facebook

Mardi Gras Motorsport fielded six Castrol Hondas in the 1993 NSCC. BMC has released a model of the #77 car driven by Jason Yeomans, who co-drove it to victory in the Willhire 24h race at Snetterton that year. I wasn’t sure why BMC chose Yeomans over championship-winner Thompson, but there used to be a Tamiya R/C car of Yeomans’ Civic, so perhaps that’s the reason!

The Castrol car is another supposedly ‘show exclusive’ release, this time for the 2025 Hong Kong Toy Car Salon. Like the Daihatsu, it’s licensed, so no ethical barriers to purchase here.

This one rolls, but not as freely as a Mini GT. Once again, the detailing is sharp and the colours are crisp, although there is an error – it looks like the #77 was duplicated from the front-left fender to the front-right, but they forgot to reverse the number…

There are separate parts for the tow hook and exhaust, and this time the opening part is the hood, although unfortunately it wouldn’t stay open for the photos.

(find BM Creations Civic on eBay)

I always like to finish by pairing up the newbies with existing models in my collection, so how about these two shots?

Terry Kaby’s Charade with the Para64 model of Pentti Airikkala’s 1989 RAC Rally-winning Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 (though that’s not Airikkala’s name on the side, they messed up)

Jason Yeomans’ Civic with the Tarmac Works version of Gordon Shedden’s BTCC Civic Type R FK2 from 2017

Having taken a good look at these new BMC releases, I’ll be watching to see what they do next in the way of real-world race and rally liveries. Just a little more attention to detail and they’ll be up there with the best in the business. Meanwhile, if anyone’s looking for a proofreader, I’m experienced and available!