My office desk has everything from the latest JNC Hot Wheels, to an Auto Salon media badge with a sticker from Top Secret on it, to canned coffee promotional Super GT replica race cars. I kind of gravitate to any and all things car-related, especially JNC (remember that Blade Runner record with the FC RX-7 on it?). How about you? Is there anything specific you collect, or are you like me and just got for whatever floats your boat?
What JNC trinkets do you collect?
The most entertaining comment by next Monday will receive a prize. Scroll down to see the winner of last week’s QotW, “What makes you cringe about the current JNC culture?“
Last week, we decided to poke the bear and ask what makes you cringe about the culture. Some mentioned stickers, the ruination of classic metal in favor of bell bottom side skirts and hella flush overfenders with stretched tires. A nod goes to CobaltFire who mentioned the issues of safety being tossed to the side in favor of aesthetics (a side note. those original XR-4s may look really cool, but old metal gets brittle and can degrade to a state that compromises the whole car. There are so many good quality wheels, even re-pops with better manufacturing processes. Keep the classics on display).
That said, the winner this week is Satoshi who identified that the hot trends are heating up the prices as well. Many new to the hobby are there because it’s trendy, and can bump prices out of reach for those that actually want to care for the car. I hear ya; just as I am making some money, those manual with rollback roof-top Nissan Paos keep getting more expensive.
– The tendency to think that because it’s a JNC, it has to be great. I’m sorry it’s not. I’m fed up with all the “Jalopnik style” articles that goes like “I saw this photo of this *insert random JNC of your choice* and now I need it”. This is only building fake hype, based on nothing. This is how we get to pay thousands of $ for cars that nobody wanted back in the days (especially in central Europe where I live). 80’000$ for a NA1 NSX ? 60’000$ for a JZA80 Supra (automatic…) ? Come on ! And that’s not the end of it, because now it’s 15’000$ for a SW20 MR2, 50’000$ for an S30 Z, and the list goes on, 30’000$ for a TA23 Celica. This is just crazy, and I’m not even talking about R32’s. Only because fanboys keep the hype on internet, thinking that those cars were the stars of the shows in the 90’s, but they were not. They were genuinely awesome cars, but never sold properly, especially the top of the range ones (NSX, Supra, RX7, 3000GT). I’m a hardcore JNC enthusiast, owned many of them and daily drove them, but I found my limit there. I’ve been disappointed with all of them as long as I considered them according to what’s being said on the internet. The only ones that lived up to their hype are the NSX and the Miata. I really started to enjoy them the moment I took them for what they were and not what people dream about them.
Omedetou! Your comment has earned you a set of decals from the JNC Shop.
The sad thing is you find some peoples paying the premiums for these JNC’s and keep up dreaming to own one!!
You don’t want to know, but I’m sure you can imagine the piles, and piles of early HONDA N/Z stuff I have stacked up. I’m not proud…….
Oh man, I’m a sucker for Datsun/Nissan trinkets. Notepads, flags, diecasts, brochures, even the coffee cup in my hand!
The rise in popularity of JNC Hotwheels has dramatically increased my routine trips to Wal-Mart to check the updated inventory. This “passion” (more like hoarding) to maintain my trinket collection sometimes annoys my wife when we do go shopping there. always have to diverge her planned shopping course to make a stop at the toy section for a quick scan (you know, can’t be hanging out in the toy section too long without kids or people start asking questions).
Wait, what Blade Runner album with an RX7?
Hi, check it out here:
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/qotw-what-jnc-should-be-in-the-blade-runner-universe/
and here!
Hot Wheels cars, Japanese car model kits (1/24) and car books, old Road and Track magazines from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s !!
I’m into stickers and patches. I have some Nissan inspection stickers and the classic Toyota Motor logo as a patch.
I collect all JNC, but mainly Toyota with a smattering of Nissan, Mazda and Honda and the odd Subaru.
Like many of car-nuts i colect models. The plastic ones for self-asembley in 1/24 scale – JNC’s, JDM-only wagons, Wangan MidNight torpedos and Daihatsu’s. I like the small die-casts as well – currently Hot Wheels, but i have a lot of cool stuff from late ’80 & early ’90, when i was a kid. My mom brought me piles of them, mostly from Matchbox and Majorette. Some SIKU are also on the shelf.
Beside that i love old workshop signs – ecpecially from Castrol and old license plates. And last but not least – brochures. Mostly Toyota/Daihatsu/Subaru related, because i consider myself a Toyotaku, but for some odd reason i also adore Nissan/Datsun creations. My No.1 dream car is a C31 Laurel HardTop after all. 😉
I´m into Eunos Roadster stuff. I collect everything from books (hyper rev, road&ster), shop option brochures. These things lead to the search for old car parts like optional bags, lights, rims and so on. Another big part is collecting model cars. Overall collecting stuff is a never ending story…
You would probably fall over if you knew the number of hours spent searching for parts on the internet. But hey…enjoy life and the things which make you happy – and collecting trinkets is part of life like enjoy driving the JNC.
I just can’t refrain myself from buying JDM brochures of the most obscure cars. Toyota Tercel/Corolla II/Corsa, Toyota Sera, Nissan Bluebird SSS, Honda City Turbo (before anyone discovered this car and it’s motocompo), Toyota Cygnos, Nissan Cedric, Nissan Gloria, Mazda Familia GT-X 4WD, Toyota LiteAce Wagon and the list just goes on…
And then there is the Toyota Carina A60 fetish that I have: JDM parts, brochures, emblems, Tomica Vintage Neo 1/64, posters and the most precious one: a dealership wall clock including the digital dashboard. All this stuff around me was making my office a bit more colorful!
However it’s a very sad moment for me: all this stuff used to be in my personal office that I rented. Since I’m no longer a freelancer anymore and my lease ends this month. There is no space available in our house to put this. So now everything is being boxed up and later this week I will be transport it to a storage facility, where it will be awaiting better times… :'(
I doubt my Hot Wheels and my just topping 20 Vintage 1970s Tomica Pocket Cars I have gathered count as JNC trinkets, but it’s as close as I get. It’s gotten to a point where I am actually considering building 2 separate diorama displays, one for my Modern Tomica cars and one for my vintage 1970s ones, plus one for all my Hot Wheels JNC’s, which is a list stretching longer than the bonnet of a Jaguar XJ-S. I work in a hobby shop and my boss has actually said he’d set aside any old Japanese cars for me to have a look at before any customer does. I just picked up a 1979 Hot Wheels Gold-metallic 240Z (The “Z-Whiz” to those who had it as a kid) and now it sits next to my Hot Wheels red ’82 Supra from the ’80s. If anything, Hot Wheels lead me to JNC by lapping the JNC logo on the ’71 Datsun Bluebird Wagon and the Datsun 620 they made. So Thanks JNC and Thanks Hot Wheels. 😀
I collect sales brochures and literature, but mostly a specific type: Rebadged JDM cars.
I’ve had this weird fascination with JDM badge engineering cars ever since I discovered that my Accord was also sold as an “Isuzu Aska.” (I actually have the Isuzu grille – it has a Honda part number on the back…)
It started with Aska brochures, then spread to other Isuzu Hondas, (including US models like the Passport and Acura SLX), then other OEMs (It turns out Mazda and Suzuki share a lot of kei cars).
Toyota goes a step further and sells the same exact car with two different names. You’ll either bring home a Probox or a Succeed, a Hiace or a Regius Ace depending on what Toyota store is closer to you.
It’s pretty funny to see a brand trying to sell something entirely designed and engineered by someone else. They often use the same photos as the original brochure with a different logo Photoshopped in.
Badge engineering is still alive and well in Japan. If you’re so inclined, you can buy a Daihatsu Hijet K-tora rebadged as a Toyota OR a Subaru. Current peak weirdness has to be the Mitsubishi badged Infinitis or the Daihatsu badged Prius V, though.
That reminds me of the fact that (at least at one time) due to the Toyota Cavalier’s existence you could get a set of Toyota badges in a bag marked “Genuine GM Parts”.
Another model-car fan. I like converting them to USDM to build the cars the way I remember them (being in the salt-plagued northeast where we just don’t see anything pre-mid ’90s anymore…) I have the Hasegawa gen1 Civic on order and am already brainstorming how to replicate the distinctive chunky side lights, and I’ve done more LHD and fender-to-door-mirror conversions…
What trinkets do I collect?… a no brainier. All Hotwheels with the JNC inkan, of course! I started with the JNC’s in the Fuji Speedway print by San Mamiya (framed no doubt) and have added on since then. Now I just need the perfect place to display them.
I build a Mazda rotary engine shrine in my livingroom, together with a cabinet filled with rotary engine cars like Mazda RX-7s, RX-8, NSU RO80 and Mercedes C111 and a winner trophy from last years Wankel engine meeting in Germany.
I collect Toyota related apparel. Mostly from the 80’s and 90’s. I pulled out some of my collection that doesn’t require me to haul out boxes.
This one could be part of a Radwood costume ensemble. I think this dates from the late 80’s/early 90’s.
https://i.imgur.com/fCiWxjO.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/d1ps6Oq.jpg
Another jacket. This is more insulated, unlike the other one. I think this was the 90’s.
https://i.imgur.com/N0EitHR.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GIa3X6I.jpg
This is a gym bag, all vinyl. I’ve seen grey/black versions, but never red/yellow. For Servco Pacific’s 75th anniversary, (started in 1919, so 1993 or 1994 if my maths are correct) They have Toyota, Lexus and Subaru dealerships in Hawaii, plus do insurance services in Oregon; Insurance, Appliances, and School Supplies in Hawaii; and have FCA and Kia dealerships alongside Toyota/Lexus/Subaru in Australia.
https://i.imgur.com/8DhsLix.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nRbxBSd.jpg
And my prized possession: a Toyota Landcruiser Explorer’s Jacket, still with the original “suitcase” box and business reply card. I think this was from the early 90’s.
https://i.imgur.com/P0GEwzk.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/30LbcE3.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/7Bqmb2g.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/EvWp0Bu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/w83M5rA.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/K1cYbo6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/v4uzD99.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/BCERteF.jpg
(I know it’s alot of images, but had to share.)