Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO II

The crème de la crème. The main reason I bought this set in the first place is because this is the first appearance of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 EVO II. A mouthful, yes, but it is all to differentiate it from its brethren.

The EVO II was given a big performance boost by AMG in terms of engine performance. It also benefited from a radical body kit which at that time was rather uncharacteristic of a Mercedes. It had a rear window spoiler in addition to an adjustable rear wing, which, people at the time described as huge. All of these are nicely reproduced by Hot Wheels in the casting of the 190E.

The Hot Wheels casting had to come in black. There is just no other color for this car than black, to be honest. It makes all of the smaller details pop such as the headlights, taillights, and front grill. You will also notice the casting itself has put the compulsory wings at the rear, the bulges on the fenders, and the front lip spoiler as well. Dual tailpipes make for a nice rear-end too. Look closer and you will notice it only has one windscreen wiper in the middle, very DTM. It also has no front passenger seat and the rear seems to have been molded to have no rear seats as well. While the RRA wheels may not be up to spec, the chrome trim on them makes them look proper. It is a very well designed package and we have Mark Jones to thank for this black beauty.

This is definitely a keeper and it will hold a special place in my collection of Hot Wheels cars. Because it became such a hit, the casting has come out in other series releases as well including Team Transport. The Falken livery on that car is fantastic looking, but this black beauty is still the one to have if you are going to have only one of this in your collection.

TLVN Mazda 787B

The Mazda 787B has gone down in racing history as a legend. It is the only Japanese car that has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. And it is the only Rotary-powered car to do so at that. And all that is still true as of current writing.

The model that I have with me is the Le Mans-winning number 55 car. This is a Tomica Limited Vintage Neo model, and that means you can expect nothing less than the very best of what Tomica/Tomytec has to offer. And indeed, it does not disappoint.

It comes in a bigger box than your normal TLVNs and the top flap is adorned by hand-drawn art of the car. It appears to be on Mazda’s Laguna Seca raceway, but I can’t be 100 percent sure so don’t quote me on that. Kudos to Nakajima-san whose signature appears together with the art. Unfortunately, I can’t read Japanese text so I can only assume that the cover introduces the car as the Mazda 787B 1991 winner of the 24 Hour of Le Mans.

Open the flap and a display window only teases with the three parts that the model comes in. The main body and chassis come with the engine, suspension, cooling system, and enormous wing. Beside it are two race car panels to cover the front and back of the half-naked race car. And since this is number 55, you can already see the orange and green RENOWN livery screaming at you even at this bullish 1:64 scale.

Taking it out of the box gives you a substantial feeling die-cast model. The metal on this thing feels very much premium. The level of detail on the plastic mould is what you would expect of a TLVN model. There are supposed to be 2 aerials that need to be attached to complete the car, but I didn’t put those in for fear of eventually losing them. The two panels attach perfectly on the car and you are rewarded with a fully built race car. The wheels are also what you would expect from a TLVN model, which are a pretty darn accurate representation of the wheels on the actual car. Again, the level of detail on this small scale is amazing. The livery, sponsor decals, internal parts, even the headlights all come at you with great presence.

Then again, you do pay a premium for this car. But as a collector and a Mazda nut, it has been worth every penny.

TLVN Mazda RX-7

There’s no hiding that I am a Mazda fan. It should be no surprise then that I have taken to the new TLVN FDs like a moth to a flame. There are now seven variants of the said TLVN to date, and I am happy to say, that I have them all.

The first two are the Infini Type Rs, TLV-N174a and TLV-N174b. Silver and Yellow, respectively. I was very excited about these as these were the first releases, not to mention it came in yellow, the colour of Keisuke Takahashi’s FD in Initial D. The FD3S is counted as series 6 in Mazda’s stable, also counted as the third generation RX-7. This Type R is considered as a lightweight sports model making 255 PS and 294 Nm of torque. The nice thing about the TLVNs is that they come with the correct scaled down wheel designs, and despite not being the prettiest wheel design, it is what makes this car an RX-7.

The two Type Rs was followed by one red model under the guise of The Era of Japanese Cars 13. This came in a special box with a bit of history on it. Unfortunately, I can’t read Japanese. But this is basically the same car, with the same wheels, the same interior, but comes in red. So, yes, it still comes with detailed side markers, twin tailpipes, blacked out taillights, RX-7 and Infini badges, and a pair of side mirrors. Side mirrors that you need to install by yourself. So, yes, mine is still in the box because I’m too scared to tack them on.

The next ones that came out are the Type RS (TLV-N177b) and Type RZ (TLV-N177a). The Type RS was on the higher-end of the ladder and had a power bump with its engine now making 280 PS and 314 Nm of torque. This is the limit set by regulations in Japan. Tomytec made the right call to change the wheels on this version keeping it identical to the original car’s design. The Type RZ is another limited edition version of the FD. It had the same power figures as the RS but was lighter by about 10 kg. Tomytec again called it and gave the RZ the same handsome gunmetal BBS rims and even had RZ badging on the C-pillar. The RS came in white and the RZ came in black. Contrasting colours, but the same beautiful car. These two also came with a different set of wings. Different from the previous silver, yellow, and red RSes. However, it would have been even better if the wing on the RZ had been the correct one. As it is, the RZ and RS models came with the same type of wing, whereas the real cars had different sets. I guess it was some sort of cost-cutting, but these aren’t cheap models to begin with.

The next pair came in the following trims. A blue RX-7 Type R and a Patrol Car RX-7. Apart from the colour, there wasn’t really anything new with the blue Type R. The Patrol Car, on the other hand, seems to have been based on the previous Type RS version. It came with the same wheels and the same wing. It also obviously came in Japan’s black and white police livery. It had the light bars on the roof, a rear aerial, and that plastic thing on the bonnet. Unfortunately, I have no idea what they are for so any valid information on them would be greatly appreciated. On a high note, while I was searching for information on this car, there was a photo of an actual RX-7 patrol car that I chanced on, and everything is as it is on this Tomytec model. Bravo!

TLVN Honda Civic Type R

The introduction of “Neo” in the Tomica Limited Vintage series paved the way for more modern cars in the TLV line up. This is where my first Tomica Limited Vintage Neo car comes in, and it has become an addiction.

The Honda Civic Type R is one of the motoring industries best motor vehicle. The EK9 Type R is based on the Japanese domestic market 3-door Honda Civic SiR hatchback, the EK4. However, to be elevated to the Type R status, some modifications had to be made. The EK9, in particular, is powered by the 1.6L B16B VTEC motor. This motor outputs only a mere 185 PS and 160 Nm of torque but is going to propel a car that only weighs a ton. This car had become every boy racers dream when it came out in 1997. The Type R was a track toy out of the box and it’s tuning possibilities were limited only by your imagination. And how deep your pockets were. But compared to other cars at the time, you didn’t really need very deep pockets.

I never had a Type R. I never had a Honda Civic, period. But this model from Tomica is just hard to pass up. And because I knew that I could never get it in retail shops in Singapore, I ordered online straight from Japan.

And here they are. Two Honda Civic EK9 Type Rs. One in Championship White and the other in Sunlight Yellow. That is if we were to assume that they are based on the actual official colours of the EK9.

As expected of a Tomica Limited Vintage Neo, the details are fantastic. The little Honda comes with plastic headlights and taillights. These come with proper signal markers and really look the part. Other than these, the cars also come with a rear spoiler, the sculpted body kit, and the white Type R wheels with the red H logo on the centre caps. The body is also stamped with the Type R badges at the hatch and the two sides. On the inside, you have red Recaro seats. As with most Tomicas, the suspension also works on this car. I don’t know if it’s just me though, but the quality of the damping seems better on this as well.

This is one of my favourites now. And whether or not they stay out of their box would depend on my mood. And probably whether or not I have space in the display cabinet to put them on. Enjoy the pretty pics.

Barn Finds

I liked watching shows like The Pickers. Barn Finds are totally cool and when you do chance by something special, it just feels great. To me, it isn’t so much the monetary value of the barn find. Sometimes it’s just about the hunt, or sometimes it’s just because you really wanted that particular item. One day, there was someone selling on Gumtree. The ad said a bucket of Tomicas for twenty Singapore dollars.

I initially bought them for Matthew because he wasn’t really a collector. He just likes them like any toy car, although he had been growing fond of Tomicas more than Hot Wheels lately. While Hot Wheels cars are definitely lookers, the appeal of a Tomica goes skin deep. Most (if not all) of them have working suspension and a good number of them have opening doors or bonnets or hatches. They are also more true-to-life and includes a good number of mundane everyday cars like a Suzuki Carry or a Subaru Samba.

There were a good 30 or so cars in that bucket which equates to them costing no less than a dollar each. There were all in played with condition and Matthew really digs them because a lot of them are pretty old cars. I took a handful and was contemplating on restoring them. After a while though, I thought that I would just keep them as they are. They have been dusted and cleaned but I kept the scratches and paint chips. In a way, they have an old school charm that way. After all, these cars were meant to be driven, or in this case, played with.