In the last installment our series on nostalgic collectibles, we looked at the Tomica Limited Vintage Toyota Crown. The TLV line pumped out casting after casting of stupendously detailed models of 60s and 70s cars for two years, and its success led to the formation of the Tomica Limited Vintage Neo line for 80s cars in 2006.
The rules are the same: any car in the lineup cannot have been made already in the regular Tomica lineup. This gave designers a chance to visit some gaps that, in retrospect, look like glaring oversights. Take the 1985 Honda Ballade Sports CR-X Si, for example. It’s almost unthinkable that Tomy never made the O.G. pocket rocket back when it was new, but at least it can now rectify that with a highly detailed version rendered in true 1/64 scale.
And what a beautiful scale model it is. Headlights, taillights, side mirrors, license plates, and exhaust are each separate pieces. So’s the spoiler, which is finished in a matte black, just like the real car. Each TLVN car also comes with molded wheels reflecting the real car’s, rather than generics. This allows the car to be scaled to a true 1/64, rather than to fit the size of the generic wheel.
Like other high-end Tomica products, these are nearly impossible to find outside of Japan, but if you’re looking for them our partner DaBox Toys from Hong Kong has an excellent selection at prices that are often beat Japanese retail thanks to beneficial exchange rates, and an English speaking staff. And until February 15, if you purchase with the code “JNC2013” you can get 7.5% off your order. Enjoy!
Nice amount of detail !!
I have to agree that the TLV line (including TLV-Neo) are some of the best 1/64 scale diecast in production!
I have both versions of this diecast — the pre-facelift Si with the flat headlamps and grey cladding and the ’86-87 style in your pics. Agreed, both are exceptionally well done for 1/64 scale! And if I were to put the four-hole wheels of the earlier model on the later one, I’d have a virtual twin to my own US-spec ’87 CRX Si.
Anybody knows of any EF hatchback diecasts, besides Motorchamp and Aoshima conversion kits?