Category Archives: minicars

MINICARS: Someone 3D-printed a working Toyota 22R-E

If there was one engine that did not need to be preserved digitally, it would be the Toyota 22R-E. They are pretty much indestructible and will likely last beyond human civilization. Still, one clever engineer 3D-modeled a surprisingly faithful replica … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Behold the most detailed Toyota Celica model kit ever made

Starting today, fans of scale model kits in Japan will be able to buy what is likely the most detailed miniature Toyota Celica ever made. Measuring over 20 inches long and over six inches tall in 1:8 scale, the Celica … Continue reading

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MINICARS: New Jada castings include Miata, RX3, 2000GT, EK Civic

At SEMA, Jada Toys unveiled several new castings of Japanese classics. As part of the JDM Tuners line of 1:24, 1:32, and 1:64 scale cars, the releases include several favorites in the pantheon of JNCs.

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MINICARS: M2 SEMA exclusive, Mooneyes X JNC Japanese cars

Every year at SEMA, our friends at M2 reveal some of their upcoming cars. We are very excited to confirm that we will be sharing some real estate on diecast Nihon metal with Mooneyes, in one of the very rare … Continue reading

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JCCS Preview: Come see new Hot Wheels castings of Japanese cars at the JNC booth this Saturday

View this post on Instagram #Japaneseclassiccarshow in Long Beach is only 2 days away. Who's going?? Don't forget to stop by and check out our small display with some *new models* at @japanesenostalgiccar booth! ?? A post shared by HOT … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Tamiya releases new R/C HiLux based on real Hilux based on old Tamiya R/C Hilux

Remember when Toyota UK created a real Toyota HiLux inspired by the old Tamiya 4×4 Pickup radio control kit? Tamiya was so impressed that they released a new kit based on that truck. And because it is Tamiya, no detail is … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Japan Post honors Mazda RX-7 with commemorative stamp set

Japan Post has issued another commemorative postage stamp set, this time honoring the first-generation Mazda RX-7. The set consists of 10 standard ¥62 stamps, each with an image depicting the SA22 Savanna RX-7. Notably, the set includes a shot of … Continue reading

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MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 03

In the final installment of our beginner’s guide to Lego JNCs, we are going to focus on the prevailing style of builds in Japan. In Part 01 we admired highly complex creations comprised of hundreds of pieces where the sky’s the … Continue reading

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MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 02

With the popularity of Legos showing no signs of slowing, it’s a good time to get into building custom JNCs out of these little Danish bricks. In Part 01 of our beginner’s guide, we took a look at some highly … Continue reading

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MINICARS: A beginner’s guide to JNC Legos, Part 01

The popularity of Legos had exploded in recent years, leading to many fans going beyond off-the-shelf kits and building their own custom creations. We’ve posted about Legos before, starting from back in 2013, and while the Lego renaissance was already underway … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Rio Red will be the first color of Hot Wheels’ EF Honda CRX

We’ve been pretty excited at the prospect of a second-generation Honda CRX ever since Hot Wheels released a teaser pic. That photo was in black and white, though, but now we can reveal the first color that will adorn the … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Subaru SVX and Sambar, Honda S2000, Nissan trucks join Matchbox lineup in 2019

The annual Matchbox convention took place last weekend in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is where the diecast brand has traditionally revealed the new cars to appear in next year’s lineup. As it turns out, in 2019 there will be several … Continue reading

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Happy Independence Day from JNC

Released in 2017, the US-flag Tomica Toyota 2000GT was part of a special edition Flags of the World series that decked out Japan’s O.G. supercar with — you guessed it — flags of the world. In fact, it is the second … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Apparently you can get kaido racers from a vending machine in Japan

You can get almost anything in a vending machine in Japan, and now that apparently includes toy kaido racers. Just drop in ¥1,000 (approximately $10 USD) and out comes your 1:64-scale bosozoku-style minicars. 

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MINICARS: Can you help us identify these Japanese race car toys?

I recently rediscovered these toys of two historic Japanese endurance racing prototypes. They are completely plastic, have no branding underneath, but are extremely well-made examples. Can you help us identify where they came from? 

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MINICARS: the Jun Imai Era comes to a close at Hot Wheels

There is just one more bit of Hot Wheels news left for today, and it’s a sad one. Our friend and star designer Jun Imai has left Mattel for new opportunities. We had known it was happening for a couple … Continue reading

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50 YEAR CLUB: Hot Wheels celebrates half a century of toy cars

Fifty years ago today, the world was introduced to what just might be the most influential cars ever made. The automotive world was forever changed on May 18, 1968 when Mattel introduced the Hot Wheels brand of toy cars to … Continue reading

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MINICARS: Mighty Mo A60 Toyota Celica XX Police Car

Speaking of Supras, I recently discovered this old toy while at my mother’s house. I couldn’t remember how I got it or what company made it, but it is an old Toyota Celica XX police car and it’s awesome. 

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MINICARS: Let’s not forget LS Collectibles’ Mitsubishi Starion

Last week we showed you LS Collectibles’ prototype A60 Toyota Supra model. But, if you remember from a post back in January, the company had a second Bubble Era Japanese icon in the works. And here it is: a 1:18-scale Mitsubishi Starion. 

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MINICARS: LS Collectibles’ 1:18 Toyota Celica Supra is now available for pre-order

Back in January we wrote about an exciting new series of 1:18-scale models of iconic Japanese cars of the 1980s. Made by LS Collectibles, they were still in the prototype phase, and the first one was the long-awaited A60 Toyota Celica Supra. The … Continue reading

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