Die Cast Hunting in Japan

"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12)
06/06/2019 at 20:19 • Filed to: None

I went to a few die cast car stores. Some have several stories, it’s insane. Also on display: military vehicles, helicopters, trains, whatever you need.

Z32 S1 turbo 2-seater targa (in AH3 Cherry Red Pearl just like my old one!), Z32 S3 version S in lightning yellow, turbo 4-seater...CRX, Civic Si, R30 Skyline....Such variety, no SW20

Maddeningly I could not find an SW20 MR2. I searched high and low, I found Vellfire vans, Cima sedans, AW11 MR2s, the later ones, but just not the one I was looking for. All manner of bland cars, but not the darling MR2. I even found an SW20 convertible model, which is tantalizingly close but who the hell wants the aftermarket soft top conversion that wasn’t even sold as a Toyota? Who makes a model of that, over the regular t-top or slicktop cars?

Easily the worst of all the MR2s

Also on display: the Nissan MID4 concept, a TommyKaira ZZ which almost doesn’t exist outside of Gran Turismo games, a Nissan 300ZR, the hyper-rare Z31 variant that had the engine of the later Z32 shoehorned in from factory. They also had variants of the Toyota Soarer from the 80s - you can get varying trim levels to match the exact one you’re after. I can’t believe they sell model cars with slight variations in bumper and wheel styles. Japan really knows how to do model cars.

MID4 II. To the left, a Cedric sedan with a Z31 300ZX engine. No SW20

Boring cars: we got ‘em

Who cares this much about their Fuga?

TommyKaira? Vehicross? Forester? No MR2?!

Anyway, I eventually found one at Toyota MegaWeb. Might have been the 8th store I’d been to, each one bigger than any model store I’ve ever seen back home. It was not for sale, I did not get a pic.

Is the SW20 so unloved?

DISCUSSION (18)

SpeedSix > Nauraushaun
06/06/2019 at 20:25

There’s the diecast 1:43 by Ebbro , and the resin 1:18 by Ottomobile , among the more mainstream releases.

Ignition Models are high-quality modified Japanese cars done in resin, with a correspondingly high pricetag.

Nauraushaun > SpeedSix
06/06/2019 at 21:05

Ooooh an expert. I can’t claim to know anything at all about die casts, I was actually more looking out of curiosity than anything.

I’m always dismayed to see that the t-tops don’t seem removable. It seems such a simple thing compared to modeling a proper folding top. The Ottomobile is very nice though, and the poppy headlights on the Ebbro are cool!

sony1492 > Nauraushaun
06/06/2019 at 21:58

Its exciting seeing walls of diecast, even through a screen

Numbers6 > Nauraushaun
06/06/2019 at 22:31

Yen prices, move the decimal place two 0 to the left for dollars.

Nauraushaun > Numbers6
06/06/2019 at 22:33

Not so for Australians! Our dollar is something like...1000yen is $13 AUD.

carcrasher88 > Nauraushaun
06/06/2019 at 22:40

I don’t know about you, but there’s two that really catch my eye, and they’re in that last photo. The 190E and that Rasheen with the roof racks.

Fact about the Rasheen, come November (they were built from November 1994 to August 2000) of this year, they’ll start to become legal to import to the US.

Would love to get my hands on one in the future, both the diecast and the real thing.

SpeedSix > Nauraushaun
06/06/2019 at 23:46

Working features on diecasts are now uncommon except in 1:18 scale, and even then, in the last few years, several companies have come out with sealed diecasts in the name of lower pricing.

You’d see lots of moving parts in vintage diecast (60s-80s), since the toy and model car markets were one and the same. Casting technology improved markedly starting in the 90s, enabling precision diecast models, marketed solely as adult collectibles.

The exception to ‘ no moving parts’ are Chinese dealer models , with working everything (doors, trunk, hood, glovebox, armrest, etc.).

The Ottomobile is sealed - the bodyshell is resin, a recent trend allowing for lower tooling costs for lower demand models.

Nauraushaun > carcrasher88
06/07/2019 at 00:07

Those aren’t the ones that catch my eye, but I get it ;)

They’ve always been legal here but I’ve never seen one

Nauraushaun > SpeedSix
06/07/2019 at 00:22

You really know your stuff. Very interesting if a little sad.

Those Paudis are so cool! Shame they almost exclusively do boring cars ;)

Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No > Nauraushaun
06/07/2019 at 11:20

its not a T arga, its a T- Top

6A13 TWIN TURBO. > SpeedSix
06/07/2019 at 20:31

Takara Tomy bought out a Premium RS 1:43 line that have alot of opening features that are allmost a modern equivelent to Dinky and Corgi of the 60s, currently they only have one casting which is the Lamborghini Countach. This is more of a toy mixed with adult scale model.

Nauraushaun > Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No
06/08/2019 at 19:22

Haha, you are correct. Sorry, I do blur those lines sometimes. I’ve owned 5 cars with t-tops and 1 without, I should know better ;)

Do you have any posts of your Z32? I’d love to see it

Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No > Nauraushaun
06/10/2019 at 13:17

I don’t, I really haven’ t done anything interesting or worthy of writing with it

Nauraushaun > Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No
06/10/2019 at 18:27

Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No > Nauraushaun
06/10/2019 at 18:46

and I’ m not even sure how to write something up

Nauraushaun > Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No
06/10/2019 at 23:55

Just post some pics for the sake of sharing! It doesn’t need to be anything impressive, cooler than half the non-car drivel that gets posted!

Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No > Nauraushaun
06/11/2019 at 11:41

how do you get permission to post?

Nauraushaun > Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No
06/11/2019 at 19:36

Ah. I think you have to track down and ask a moderator. Have a look at the list in here

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/a-slightly-revised-oppositelock-handbook-for-commenting-1750418920