First Look: Tomica Limited Vintage Neo BMW 318i 2-door (E30) in both red and blue...
Had enough of Tomica Limited Vintage on Lamley? We hope not.
We have gotten a ton of comments from so many of you here on the blog, or by email, or Facebook, or Twitter, or Instagram, or even collector forums mentioning that you bought your first TLV when the Nissan IDx was released. And like us, many of you got your package from Japan Booster or another seller this week. And like us, you can't get enough of the IDx.
We mentioned in our showcase of the IDx Nismo that it may serve as a gateway drug to a serious Tomica Limited Vintage habit. We will be the first to warn that a TLV addiction can be expensive, but dare we say it is totally worth it? We hope you mosey on over to Japan Booster again and pic a few companion pieces for your IDx, like a vintage 510 or Mitsubishi Galant. Here are some of our recommendations, all models you have or will see on the blog:
Or, if you haven't yet, you should pick up one or both of the just-released BMW 318i's. We were as excited about the E30's as we were about the IDx, and they do not disappoint.
TLV doesn't leave the mother-country too often to create a new model. There is enough rich content in Japan to inspire all kinds of models, but a little variety never hurt anyone. And it seems whenever they do drift away, they go straight to Germany. The BMW joins Audi, VW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche as the only non-Japanese carmakers featured in the TLV lineup.
And what a choice this one is. The 318i is best known today among car enthusiasts as the platform for the first M3, but it is also one of the most recognizable BMW's ever made. And in true TLV fashion, they left the M3 version for other diecast companies to do (Hot Wheels did a mighty nice version), and made theirs as stock as they could. Colors are factory-like, stance is stock, and the hubs exactly how I remember them. These are 80's icons, BMW's entry level luxury driving machine.
TLV has released these two colors of the 2-door, and the 4-door will be out soon. We have also seen early images of a possible police version, which seems like a no-brainer.
Hopefully after seeing these pics, you will see why we are on a TLV binge. We understand that not everyone will get as excited about a Toyota Publica as we do, but a lot of people can get behind the IDx and these BMW's. If you haven't already, zip over to Japan Booster to see what might interest you...
Tomica Limited Vintage BMW 318i 2-door (E30):
For kicks, comparison shots with the fantastic Hot Wheels E30 M3: