Latest news with #Tomica
SoraNews24
27-06-2025
- Automotive
- SoraNews24
New Dragon Ball diecast cars set to roll onto fans' desks and into their hearts【Photos】
Goku's Flying Nimbus and Bulma's bike to be joined by two new anime vehicles this summer. Toymaker Takara Tomy's Tomica line is essentially Japan's version of Hot Wheels, compact detailed diecast versions of cars that captivate the imagination of kids and kids-at-heart. Of course, with Tomica being a Japanese brand, there's a greater emphasis on vehicles people in Japan are familiar with, such as models from Mazda, Nissan, and Dragon Ball. In the Dream Tomica project, Takara Tomy teams up with famous franchises from the anime/manga world, handling these inspirations with the same level of respect of craftsmanship as they do real-world cars. For the first round of the Dream Tomica x Dragon Ball collaboration, the designers started with Goku's Flying Nimbus and Bulma's motorcycle. Now the second batch of Dragon Ball Tomica toys are getting ready to roll out, with one of the new designs being Master Roshi/Kame Sennin's Wagon, as seen on the cover of the 12th collected volume of the manga. And since the Tomica Dream line isn't limited to terrestrial transportation, the other new model is a miniature version of the Red Ribbon Army's Small Aircraft, first scene in Chapter 70 of the original Dragon Ball manga. Size-wise, Master Roshi's Wagon is 6 centimeters (2.4 inches) long, and the Red Ribbon aircraft is just a bit shorter, at 5.76 centimeters. All of the Dragon Ball Tomica are priced at 1,320 yen (US$9.10), and Goku's Flying Nimbus and Bulma's bike can already be ordered through the Takara Tomy Mall online shop here and here. Pre-orders for the two new models will open through the site on June 30, with shipping scheduled for mid-August, which is also when the toys will start showing up in retail stores in Japan, so you've got until then to sort out the parking situation for these new additions if they're going to be sharing space with your Studio Ghibli Dream Tomica cars. Source: Takara Tomy via Narinari Top image: Dragon Ball official website Insert images: Takara Tomy (1, 2), Dragon Ball official website, Takara Tomy (3) ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
The Drive
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
This Die-Cast Nissan Skyline Lets You Swap Out Tiny Bumpers and Wings
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The die-cast car is a perpetual staple among toys. Its simplicity is what allows it to be so cheap, and thus an accessible entry point for so many budding young enthusiasts. And the tech to make more intricate, accurate replicas is getting better all the time. But in all my years of collecting little cars, I don't think I've ever seen something as cool as what Tomy is doing with the latest addition to its Tomica Limited Vintage Neo line of 1/64 scale models. It comes with interchangeable parts, so you can pop bumpers and wings on and off like you're playing Need for Speed: Underground . The Limited Vintage series represents Tomica's highest quality die-casts, and the Neo sub-line focuses on more recent enthusiast classics, from the 1980s through to the early aughts. (Yeah—that's vintage now. I don't like to think about it either.) This die-cast R34 Nissan Skyline 25GT Turbo coupe is special, though, because it comes with optional exterior parts: two front bumpers, two rear bumpers, and two trunk lids with different spoilers attached. I believe one set represents the 25GT's stock panels, while the others are optional OEM parts that Nissan or NISMO offered at one time or another. (Skyline aficionados, please correct me in the comments if I have the wrong impression.) These pieces are made of ABS plastic rather than metal, but Tomica models are historically pretty robust for how detailed they are, so I have confidence that these will be strong enough to survive being changed out. Tomy The 25GT comes in classic Bayside Blue or Sonic Silver. I dropped a link to this in The Drive Slack earlier today and remarked that this was the first relatively authentic scale model I could remember with interchangeable exterior parts, but then my friend Andrew Collins schooled me by recalling X-Concepts Modifiers series from the early days of Fast & Furious , and some of those definitely let you add body kits. Others had alternate racing seats, tinted windows, wheels, and, believe it or not, suspension. I have the vaguest memories of getting one of these as a kid, but I hadn't thought about them in ages. Hopefully, this Skyline isn't a one-off, and Tomy applies this concept to other Japanese performance mainstays from the period. Some models offer lots of potential; I recall a range of Mugen parts for cars like the Integra Type-R, S2000, and NSX, and I know Toyota Racing Development did the same on models like the Celica, MR-S, and Altezza. It's a great idea, and I'm glad at least one die-cast maker isn't resting on its laurels, and has chosen to bring back a really cool idea. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@
Gizmodo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
At Tokyo Disneyland, I Found a New Collecting Obsession
Tomica makes mini versions of Disney ride vehicles, and they are incredibly awesome. We have too much Disney stuff. In our home, one entire room is specifically dedicated to Disney posters and memorabilia. In other rooms, we have shelves dedicated to Star Wars Galaxy's Edge, Robin Hood, Toy Story, and more. It's too much. And so, when finally making that bucket list trip to Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea we knew we had to take it easy with the buying. But then I saw it. Leaving DisneySea's Indiana Jones ride (which is just like the Disneyland ride, except Crystal Skull themed), I noticed they were selling a tiny, Matchbox-sized replica of the ride vehicle. I had to have it. It was small, themed to something I love, and hyper-specific. That was the key. This wasn't just some Indiana Jones-themed shirt, it was the ride vehicle from this ride. I scooped it up. A few rides later, I realized the amazing Frozen ride I just exited also had a mini-ride vehicle. And the Peter Pan ride. And at the end of the day, I was carrying eight new ride vehicles in my backpack. The next day, at Tokyo Disneyland, the buying continued, and by the end of our trip, I'd purchased 12 vehicles, at a cost of about $15 apiece. (On the top level, you've got, from left to right, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones and Beauty and the Beast, Frozen and Peter Pan, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Jungle Cruise. On the bottom, you've got Soarin', the resort Monorail and Aquatopia, Happy Ride with Baymax, and Toy Story Mania.) The vehicles are made by a company called Tomica and they've been teaming up with Disney since, according to Wiki, 2001. So it's not like I'm the first person to discover these. They've been around for literal decades. But the size, exclusively, and specificity just spoke to me. Plus, because of their size, I knew that I could pretty easily find places for them to display in our very, very Disney-filled home. But I had to set limits. An important part of my buying was being selective. I wasn't buying everything. I was buying vehicles for rides I actually rode and really liked. And while I certainly bought a lot, in one of the stores at Tokyo Disneyland, there was a display with what appeared to be every vehicle currently available. There were way more than 12. You may notice one famous ride vehicle that's not in there: the Starcruiser from Star Tours. When I started buying these, one of my first thoughts was, 'Is there one for Star Tours?' I then checked all around the ride and park but no, there wasn't. At least not now. I later found out there were out-of-print vehicles for Star Tours that, maybe, I'd purchase at a later date. But, that later date almost happened much sooner. Later on our Japan trip, I found myself in a geek mecca called Nakano Broadway. A few minutes outside of Tokyo, this four-story mall is filled with all manner of geek merchandise and you could spend days getting lost in its stores. At one point, I walked into a store and saw what I believed was the Star Tours ride vehicle I was after. This one looked a little different, though, and had a sign next to it that said something about '330.' I asked the employee for more information. Turns out, this particular piece wasn't 330 yen, nor was it 3300 yen. It was 330,000 yen, the U.S. equivalent to about $2,300. According to a translation of the sign, it was some discontinued version of the vehicle and, clearly, very rare and valuable. 'Do you still want it?' she asked. The answer, of course, was yes, but I couldn't afford it, so I said 'No, thank you.' She then took the sign and wrote on it, making it clearer what the piece cost. That was the moment, though. In the two minutes before realizing how expensive that piece was, but also knowing it was going to be more expensive than the ones in the park, I was ready. If it had been $200 or something, I would've pulled the trigger. I was on vacation! I wanted Star Tours for my collection! Of course, I didn't buy it, but I did realize I had officially added mini ride vehicles to my long list of collecting obsessions.
