AUTOCAR REGENERATION: wagons

JCCS Month, Datsun Wagon Edition: Tomica Limited Vintage or Hot Wheels?

Welcome to September.

It might be known for a lot of things, but around here it is JCCS Month. JCCS is the Japanese Classic Car Show, and it has become one of the car-related events I look forward to every year. Now as great as it is, it doesn't mean that Lamley will be dedicated to Japanese cars all month, but it seems as good of a time as any to show a few miniature versions of our favorite j-tin.

So we will dedicate a few posts to our favorite Japanese miniatures, as well as showcase them on Instagram with the hashtag #JCCSWeek. Of course, we invite you to do the same, just use that hashtag so we will see it.

And to start, we are going to make things easy. We start with a question:

Which Datsun Wagon - Tomica Limited Vintage or Hot Wheels?

There is no wrong answer. I love both, and maybe for different reasons. But what if I had to pick one?

Both are based on 510 Wagons, both command a high secondary value, both are sought-after by collectors, and both are not too easy to acquire.

But you only get to pick one. Which will it be? Here is a poll to make it easy:

And besides your vote, let us know why in the comments below, or on Facebook, or even on Instagram.

The Tomica Limited Vintage Toyota Crown Custom, and the art of the TLV Wagon...

I think this should be more of a photo essay.

Every month is a good month for new Tomica Limited Vintage, but August was particularly special with the arrival of the 1971 Toyota Crown Custom from Japan Booster. I don't think I have anticipated any TLV more than this one.

For starters, it is right down my alley. My love for wagons isn't unique, but I come from a generation reared on them. Say the word "wagon" and my generation thinks of wood-paneling and classy hubcaps. We think of fold-up seats in the back-back and fold-down tailgates. The word "sport" never preceded the word "wagon".

So while the current sport wagons of recent times get me giddy, the boats of yesteryear do even more. Now obviously my connection is more to the Vista Cruisers and Grand Marquis, and not to the Crown. But the Crown is wonderfully boaty.

So take that love of the land yachts, add in a little JDM obsession, mixed with a love for beautiful classic cars, and you know why I am so excited about the Crown.

Let's talk about that last part, love for beautiful classic cars. The kujira Crown is a looker as a sedan, it is a stunner as a wagon. There are some unique design features on the 4th gen Crown, most notably the tail lights, which have been replicated beautifully by TLV:

And it goes from there. The three Crowns released in this batch by TLV are just amazing to look at. They, not surprisingly, nailed the look and feel of the Crown.

But that is just what TLV does. They will not do a model unless they have the real thing in the studio to study and replicate. Not the plans, not a sketch, not a model. The real car. That is one of the reasons why the cars look so damn good. It is why I can show my photos to others and they think they are looking at a real car.

And that makes collecting TLV Wagons such a joy. So here we go. We will start with the three Crowns, then I have photographed every TLV Wagon I have in the collection. To quote Indiana Jones, these should be in a museum.

Enjoy...