Tomica Mitsubishi Mirage & Toyota Vitz

The Super Fun Hot Wheels Blog has been taken over by my latest diecast fascination- Tomica! We'll continue with these wonderful subcompacts, which feature metalflake paint and opening hatchbacks! I love a diecast model in this class, and collect nearly any I can find. Check out the nice little badges on the grill. The slotted wheels on this car have "suspension", like the childhood Tomica I still have a few of, released as Pocket Cars here in the U.S. during the '70s & '80s.

I love the hatchbacks on these, even if they are slightly clunky- they do stay up when opened, unlike some of the hoods on Greenlight castings. One could quibble with the painted back window, but in order to keep the cost down, it was likely necessary because of the way the hatchback was engineered. A working feature like this is rare on a Matchbox or Hot Wheels car nowadays...

Like Hot Wheels and Matchbox, Tomica can vary in scale from casting to casting. Pictured below for size comparison are some 1:59 scale Tomica, the Mitsubishi Mirage & Toyota Vitz with the Toyota Vellfire van and Suzuki Wagon R...

These these cheap little imported vehicles may be commonplace in Asia, but their slight differences are appealingly exotic to my Western eyes. Like Matchbox and Hot Wheels, they have their own style and endearing features, but the working parts make them special.

Make It FAST- Make It FUN!