The Datsun 200C

The third generation Nissan Cedric first appeared in 1971. When Nissan exported the Cedric to other countries, they dropped the Cedric name and marketed it as the Datsun 200C, 220C, 240C and the 260C. The third generation Cedric was done as a four door sedan, a station wagon or a two door coupe. The coupe was introduced because of the Toyota Crown coupe.

This car brings back a lot of memories to me as it was my mom's car during the late seventies. Tomica really did a good job on the grills, emblem and lights but forgot to put the side mirrors (again). I love this car as it reminds me of my childhood. I was surprised to see this car listed on the world's worst cars. All I can remember is that it gave us a comfortable ride and the airconditioning was excellent.

Toyota FS45V

The FS45V ambulance is based on the second generation Toyota Crown (S40). The Crown's styling was influenced by the newly introduced Ford Falcon in 1960. A lot of modifications were made to the body of the Crown. The vehicle's ceiling was raised because the paramedics were having a hard time attending to the patients. It is equipped with a water cooled inline six-cylinder engine.





The F on the FS45V stands for the Toyota F engine, the S45 stands for the Crown series 40/45, the V stands for van (Masterline). The Toyota F series engine was produced between 1955 till 1992. It is highly reliable, has a high amount of torque and low RPM. The F series engine has one of the longest production run in Toyota's history. Although it was originally badged as an engine for the Land Cruiser, it was also used in other vehicles like ambulances, trucks and other commecial vehicles. The ambulance with the red stripe is from Tamagawa city while the ambulance with the yellow light in front is from Takasaki city.





During the Tomica shop's second anniversary in Nagoya, they released a limited edition Toyota FS45V fire department. This was released in October 2008.

Pocket Fire Engines

Nissan Patrol 60

The Nissan Patrol 60 series went into production in 1960. Previous models of Nissan were inspired by American Jeeps, but this was a new design that sported a distinctive look. The 60 series sold well in Asia and Australia but not so much in the United States as only 4,000 units were sold there. It remained in production for almost two decades (until the mid 1980's). Nissan released a slightly modified version called the 61 series, and sold it alongside the new Nissan Patrol until 1984. The 60 series Patrol was replaced in 1980 by the Nissan Patrol 160 series, also known as the Nissan Safari.

Nissan Junior 40 truck

Nissan introduced the new Junior 40 truck in 1962. This truck is by no means small as it's wheelbase are the same as the Ford F100 from the same era. The Junior series 40 was in production until 1965. It was replaced by the Junior series 41, which was the same truck, but equipped with a more powerful engine. The Nissan F40, not to be confused with the Ferrari F40, is the fire truck version based on the Junior 40. Tomica Limited Vintage released the Nissan Junior 40 truck in May 2006 and the Nissan Patrol 60 in June 2006.

TLV Police Station Diorama

If you like displaying your cars in a diorama setup, then this set is for you. It comes with a Datsun 410 Bluebird police car and a police figure. It also includes a bike, some trash bins and some tables and chairs for the building interior. In spite of the small scale, this diorama set is very detailed. This set is a must have for diorama builders and police car collectors alike.

The Fairlady Z

This car has long been overdue. In fact, the Tomica Limited Vintage series would not be complete without this iconic Japanese car. I have long been waiting for Tomica to release this and I must say, it was worth the wait.

The details that they have put in this car says it all. A far cry from their earlier releases. The 240z was released in the United States in 1970. It started out in October 1969 with two versions. One for the JDM (Japanese domestic market) and one to be exported to the United States.

The Japanese Fairlady Z had a 2.0 SOHC (single overhead cam) inline-6 engine, which produced 130hp, while the Fairlady Z which was exported to America, was equiped with a 2.4 liter engine with twin carburetors that produced 151hp. Nissan also released the Z432 which was equiped with a 2.0 DOHC (double overhead cam) engine which was also used for the Nissan Skyline. The Fairlady Z took over a market dominated by British sporting cars. It is reliable, good looking, cheap, and it drove like how a sports car should. The 240z, which is the original Z car, outsold the Jaguar E-type and became very popular in the United States.

How big are these cars?

Tomica Limited Vintage cars are all in 1/64 scale. The sizes are proportioned to the real vehicles. A Bus or firetruck can measure around 6 inches while a regular car can measure around 2.5 to 3 inches.

Tomica made new casts for every Tomica Limited Vintage car. This series differ from the TL series (or Tomica Limited). TL cars have the same casts as the cars which Tomica released during the 1970's - 1980's. Most are not in 1/64 and are done in broken scale.

JAF Service Cars

Japan Automobile Federation is an organization which provides motorists road service and campaigns to promote traffic safety. JAF's road service crew is ready 24 hours a day to assist motorists in distress. Tomica released this JAF Service boxed set Volume 1 in October 2005. It contains the Hino Contessa and the Toyopet Corona.

Mr. K's Datsun 510

The Datsun 510 (also known as the Nissan Bluebird) was sold in the United States during 1968 to 1974. Sometimes called the "poor man's BMW" as the design was inspired by the BMW 1600. Affordable and reliable are two factors that made the Datsun 510 popular. The parts are also interchangeable and can be easily modified. There seems to be a cult following on the 510 in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.



Yutaka Katayama, also known as Mr. K, persuaded Nissan to start exporting cars to the United States. After having done some market research during the early 60's, Nissan started importing the Datsun 510 in 1968. They introduced the 240z during 1970. Mr. K was inducted to the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame in 1998. Tomica released this special boxed set around September 2009 in honor of Mr. K.

Datsun Bluebird 310/311

The Datsun Bluebird 311 was launched in 1961. The 311 model is identical to the 310 model, except for the engine specifications. The engines were basically Austin engines that were modified, which Nissan was building under license during the 1950's.
They were able to produce more powerful engines and at the same time, more reliable than the Austin's. They were also able to solve the oil leak problems which were common in Austin cars.

The Bluebird's original name should have been Snowbird, until someone told Datsun that "Snowbird" is a slang term for cocaine users. This model car is one of Tomytec's early release. The quality of their models cars have improved since then.

Nissan Skyline RS Turbo Super Silhouette

Silhouette cars were classified as Group 5 cars which raced in Europe. In Japan, the Silhouette races were very popular during the 1980's. The category allowed heavy modification but the silhouette of the race car should be the same as of the production car, hence, the name.

The most famous of the Nissan Super Silhouette cars was driven by Masahiro Hasemi. Hasemi drove it to 9 victories from 1982 to 1984. The car is powered by a double overhead cam inline-4 LZ20B race engine with turbo charge. It can produce 570bhp.
Tomica released this model a few months ago. It includes a driver figure (which resembles Masahiro Hasemi) and a detachable hood to reveal the engine detail. This model car is packaged in a small box, identical to some box sets that they have previously released. Tomica will also release the early version of this car in 2011.

Nissan 680 Asahi Newspaper Transport Truck

The Nissan 680 truck was released in 1959. Its design during that time was very modern. It had four headlights on top of each other (copied from modern cars from that era). The Nissan 680 was also equipped with a new Nissan P engine that can produce 145hp and has a five speed gearbox. The Asahi Shimbun (literally translated as Morning Sun Newspaper) is one of Japan's oldest and largest daily newspaper. It started publication on 1879.

Tomica released this newspaper truck a few years ago. I wasn't fortunate to get the first release as it was easily sold out. I did, however, get the reissue which was released late this year. I was pleasantly surprised with this model truck. It came with signal lights and side mirrors that you can attach. It even has small newspapers that you can load.

Toyota Corolla 1980

This fourth generation Toyota Corolla was also the last Corolla to be manufactured using a rear-wheel drive. This is the first Corolla to have power steering. Some variants of this car included square headlights but most markets have the four round headlight setup. The KE70 remained in production till the late 80's in third world countries. In America, Toyota stopped producing the KE70 in 1983.





This Tomica model was long anticipated by collectors in Asia, since it was a popular car back in the early eighties.

Plastic Protective Cases for TLV's

I bought a lot of these plastic protective cases for my Tomicas. The best quality I have seen so far comes from Hung Hing toy store in Hong Kong. They have thicker plastic than the usual Tomica protective casing. They sell this cheap at 7 hong kong dollars for 10 pieces. Unfortunately, they don't have any plastic protective cases for the bigger vehicles like buses and trucks.

It has been awhile since I last visited Hong Kong. But when I do get the chance to visit, I always make sure that I pass by Hung Hing Toy Store which is located in Tai Yuen Street (or Toy Street). They always have something for everyone. Diecast toys, vinyl toys and collectible toys abound in this store. New stocks are delivered daily from the factories in Guangzou, China. (Deliveries are made every 6:00 pm).
They sell the latest Tomica Limited Vintage cars at reasonable prices.

How to get there via MTR:
1. If you are coming from Kowloon side, you can take a train at the Tsim Tsa Tsui station or any station before that like Yau Ma Tei, Jordan or Mongkok.
2. Take the Central line
3. Get down at Admiralty and change trains (There will be a train at the opposite side of the platform which is the Chai Wan line)
4. Board the train going to Chai Wan
5. Get off the Wan Chai Station
6. Go to exit A3 which is Johnston Road
7. Cross the pedestrian lane

Hung Hing Toys
Shop C,
19 Tai Yuen Street,
Wan Chai, Hong Kong

+852 6206 5040 (from 10.00 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. HK time)

Mazda T2000

Mazda produced this truck from 1962 to 1974. Little is known about this peculiar three wheeled truck. This is not your ordinary kei cargo vehicle like the Mazda K360 or Mitsubishi Pet Leo, but a full sized truck with three wheels! The cargo space at the back of this vehicle measures around 12 feet.

This truck is big that it can fit a Suzuki Fronte 360 comfortabily on its cargo space! It was also used to transport lumber. Three wheelers as commercial vehicles were popular in Japan during the 1960's. Tomica Limited Vintage released these models in October of 2007 (LV-51a and LV-51b).

The Toys Club version, which is very limited, was released in June of 2008. They had four cargo variants which are lumber, boxes, jerry cans and gas cylinders.