What Makes TLV so Great? A Proof of Concept

I've said before that Tomica is my favorite diecast brand, bar none. I'll probably say it again and again in future posts, so much so that it may start to become irritating. One of the product lines that it is best known for is the Tomica Limited Vintage (TLV) line, which has taken the diecast-collecting world by storm, ever since classic Japanese cars became a thing. The TLV's are said to be the absolute best 1/64's available out there. Let's see if that's the case...

Here, we have the Nissan IDx Freeflow Concept. Nissan's homage to the ever-popular Datsun 510 and a concept that may just be that, a concept. There's been no indication that this will ever make it to production. However, Tomica makes one, in 1/64 scale, and you can have one for yourself if you so desire. They also make the Nismo Concept edition of the same car, with a more aggressive and racy look. Truth be told, I actually prefer that one, but I couldn't find it. If that's option 1A, then this is option 1B.

I'm not a huge TLV collector because their models are very pricey, but I will splurge on occasion and pick up one that I really like. Being a Nissan fan, an IDx was a no-brainer inclusion to my collection. Suffice to say, this one was well worth the money. When you spend more than twenty dollars on a tiny 1/64 scale model car, you expect perfection. That's essentially what this is. The details are both superfluous and sharp. Heck, the car even has disc brakes, which you can see in the lead photo. That's not something you see everyday at this scale.

If there's one minor complaint, it's those fender-mounted side mirrors. You have to actually install those yourself. Depending on your dexterity, this can definitely be a pain to do. I'd like to think I have pretty capable hands myself, so it wasn't so bad for me. Still, for the money, I don't see why Tomica couldn't have done it themselves.

If you haven't yet jumped on the TLV bandwagon, perhaps now is the time to give it a try. Find a model that you really like, eat up the cost, and enjoy the next few months of having something awesome to stare at while you work at your desk. The demand for these is ever-increasing. Believe it or not, a lot of the models actually go up in value over time. That's quite ridiculous considering their already high starting prices. But as I always say, buy the model because you like it. And I like this one, a lot.