The Tomica Limited Vintage Honda CR-X family expands...

Honda CR-X from Tomica Limited Vintage at Japan Booster

Oh, you 80's Era Hondas, how we do miss you...

Nostalgia can cloud judgement.  Songs from the past come on, and while I might try to convince my kids that a song is cool, I know that if I step back and listen, the song actually sucks.

The same can happen with cars, but for the most part it is different.  I look back at the 80's Era signature cars and can't find any angle that will tell me they aren't cool.  And no, I am not talking about a Buick Regal, I am talking about the cars that were up on my wall.  Lamborghini Countach, Ferrari 308, Porche 959, and others.

But there is the reverse as well.  There are cars I took for granted back in the day, that now I completely appreciate.  I have talked about my father's '82 Honda Accord before, and how much I miss that car.  I didn't think much of it then, other than it represented my father's breakaway from buying American car only, but now it has a life of its own.  Preludes, Civics, the S2K, they still look great.  And they look even better now considering the boredom that is on the Honda Showroom floor today.

Sure, someone can argue that this love for 30-year-old Hondas is only there because this generation of car aficionados grew up with them, but that isn't giving Honda enough credit.

The Honda CR-X might represent that cool that was Honda back in the day.  Made for play, cool as the dickens, and a favorite of Honda nerds today.  And a perfect car for Tomica Limited Vintage to replicate.

They did the first versions of the CR-X a few years ago, with three wheel styles.  I much prefer the 4-dot wheels to the sawblade wheels, and am really happy to see them on this latest batch that is out, as well as the next two coming later this year.

The coolest thing about the return of the CR-X is the fact that there are now two that are easier to get.  The first three 4-dot versions have been hard to find, or at least expensive if you do encounter them.  The same will happen to these over time, but for now they are readily available at Japan Booster:

Honda CR-X from Tomica Limited Vintage at Japan Booster

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The much-anticipated Honda CR-X from from Tomica Limited Vintage is now available at Japan Booster...

TLV Honda Ballade Sports CR-X at Japan Booster

Tomica Limited Vintage split up the May Batch, so collectors had to wait a couple of extra weeks for the two new versions of the Honda Ballade Sports CR-X Si to arrive.  Well, they are finally here and the look amazing.  And they are up and listed at Japan Booster, along with two older versions that are very hard to come by:

TLV Honda Ballade Sports CR-X at Japan Booster

Those of you who pre-ordered your CR-X at japanbooster.com (June Pre-Order available now!), your packages will be on their way soon.  The rest of you, grab them while you can, especially for $20 each, which is a price that won't last long.  Good luck!

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Hot Wheels continues its vantastic run with the new Honda Odyssey...

Find the HW Honda Odyssey at Wheel Collectors...

Who would have thunk?

Hot Wheels is on a roll.  Actually on several rolls.  JDM of course, and that sweet Car Culture series, even that Sto & Go at Target.  Oh, and BMW's.  And a lot of other stuff too.  But how about those vans?

Vans have always been cool.  Well, I take that back.  Van should have always been cool.  Minivans really REALLY tried to make vans uncool, until some creative folks even figured out how to make those cool.

Let's start with how uncool minivans can be.  Van used to be shaggadelic, full of awesome accessories and amazing murals painted on the side.  They did everything.  You could live in them.  Down by the river.  But then they got mini.  And not like Austin Mini Vans, because those were supercool.  They got boring.  They created a new term, "soccer mom".  Families ditched the wagons (also always cool) and got the minivans.  Grocery getters are cool, soccer haulers are not.

After a bit of time some carmakers figured they could focus a little more on looks and still add all the function of the minivan, which is undeniably great.  Some minivans got a little cooler.  Some standouts emerged.

There are some nice minivans out there, but Honda definitely makes the coolest.  It definitely isn't a head-turner in some cases, but it is by far the best looking.  The newest Odysseys have a great silhouette, and an even better front end and grill, and we are seeing similar looks from other carmakers.  It is that style that has finally caught folk's attention, and now we see some eye-popping vehicles like those from @vankulture and @bisimoto.

And those cool cars begat this, the brand new Hot Wheels Honda Odyssey:

It isn't the first Hot Wheels minivan.  That title goes to the Dodge Caravan  - I think.  But on the surface this is a surprising choice.  Dig a little deeper and it most definitely is not.  First off, this is another Jun Imai design, and if you follow him on his IG feed he owns one of these.  Jun owning a certain car greatly ups its chances of being replicated as a Hot Wheels car, as we have learned over the last few years.  And that is a good thing, considering the Datsun Wagon and Kaido Z are among collector's faves the last few years.

Besides that, these vans definitely have a scene all to themselves.  Jun highlights that with the look of this one.  He explained a lot of that to Japanese Nostalgic Car readers, including its fantastic homage to the Honda City Turbo, so we will not rehash it all here.

Photo credit: Japanese Nostalgic Car, Honda

But isn't that awesome!?!  Sure, the Matchbox collector in me would love to see one more stock looking, but if you are going with a Hot Wheels-esque deco theme, why not this tribute?

Of course, if you like stock, Jun provided a glimpse of that with this one-off he did for Bisimoto:

Two weeks ago I hinted at a special HW Odyssey one-off; as you can see I built it for the one and only @bisimoto who continues to amaze me with his knowledge and power when it comes to building amazing cars and powerplants. A lot of work went into this one; special thanks to @awildermode for the digital work on the 3D printed roof rack and box, it really brought this one together. Enjoy it Bisi! 😎👍 #bisimoto #hotwheels

A photo posted by Jun Imai (@kaidohouse) on May 13, 2016 at 8:00pm PDT

Maybe we a similar looking stock deco soon.  We have time.

Anyway, how about those vans?  And from Hot Wheels nonetheless.

My favorite Super TH last year was a van:

And my favorite Hot Wheels model last year was also a van:

And this Odyssey stacks up nicely with both of them.  I have all but crowned the BMW 3.0 CLS as my champ this year, but this Odyssey is a ton closer than I thought it would:

Honda is been getting some great play as well at Hot Wheels, whether Honda or Acura, and mostly from Ryu Asada.  But it is Ryu's creation from his time at Matchbox that comes more to mind when looking at the Odyssey.  Odyssey - Ridgeline, Ridgeline - Odyssey.

So Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.  I'm a van...er...fan.

(Find the HW Honda Odyssey at Wheel Collectors...)

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The CR-X & Sunny return! The Tomica Limited Vintage May Batch is now available to order at Japan Booster...

TLV May 2016 Batch at Japan Booster

I have shown a lot of Tomica Limited Vintage on Lamley.  Actually not a fraction of what is out there, but still quite a bit.  Some of the models I have shown are definitely more popular in Japan, like the Nissan Cedric, but there are some that seem to catch everyone's attention.

One of those models is the Honda Ballade Sports CR-X Si.  Collectors love them.  TLV has done 6 versions so far, and they now fetch high prices, especially the two-tone models.

I know of several collectors who would love to have an example but understandably don't want to spend what sellers are asking.  Well, fellow collectors, you time has finally come.

In May, Tomica Limited Vintage is releasing two more versions of the CR-X, and they are now available for preorder at JapanBooster.com:

Tomica Limited Vintage 2016 May Batch at Japan Booster

The cool thing is these two might be the best looking of all 8 released, and you can get them for MUCH cheaper than the older versions:

In fact, if you preorder now you get them for 25% off, which means less than $17 each.  This is why I love Japan Booster.  Great prices, fair shipping (you pay the same rate no matter how large the order, unless it is large enough to qualify for free shipping), and they package the models better than anyone.  To me it is a no-brainer, and once you see the models a decision you won't regret.

But don't forget about the other models in the batch.  Two Cedrics, including a new Taxi, (I really need to do a full feature on all the Cedrics.  There are a lot of them, and they are fantastic.) and two versions of the Nissan Sunny, the 1500 Super Saloon and 1000 Sedan.  Seeing a classic Sunny will get a few of you excited I am positive:

All in all, a great batch for May.  Reserve them now while they are cheap.

Hopefully you are excited about the new JapanBooster.com.  I certainly am.  No having to time things right to get the models you want before they sell out, because you can preorder.  It also means several more brands joining the Japan Booster store.  News on those to come.  Be prepared...

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