Citizendia
Your Ad Here

A contemporary Tomica model in its "red-and-white" box.
A contemporary Tomica model in its "red-and-white" box.

Tomica (トミカ) is the line of die-cast toy vehicles and related products that Tomy Co. The term die-cast toy here refers to any toy or collectible model produced by using the Die casting method Tomy Co Ltd is the legal English name for the Japanese toy children’s merchandise and entertainment company created on March 1 2006 by the merger of "former" Tomy of Japan produces. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. This is not the same as Tomica World, which is a line of motorized trains and vehicles and accessories that Tomy Co. A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. of UK has produced since the late 1990s. Tomica World motorized trains and track systems are based on Plarail, which is the brand of motorized toy trains that Tomy Co. This article is about playthings For other uses of the term see Toy (disambiguation. of Japan has produced since 1959, but Tomica World more heavily focuses on Thomas & Friends trains. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends merchandise describes the variety of different Merchandise that has been manufactured to cash-in on the success of the TV Series Thomas However, the motorized vehicles of Tomica World are the same as Motor Tomica, which will be explained below.

Contents

History

Tomy Co. of Japan (referred to as “Tomy” for the rest of this article) was founded in the late 1920’s and produced various toys throughout its existence, but it’s not until 1970 when they realized the surge of interest in die-cast cars that they started to produce Tomica. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Although Tomica of various scales have been made, the term “Tomica” when used alone refers to the 3-inch models. Regular Tomica refers to the mainstream Tomica sold at the regular price—domestic series, foreign series, or common series, depending on the time of release.

The Typical 3-Inch Tomica

Tomica Domestic Series (“Black Box”/“Red-and-White Box”)

"Black box" Tomica from the 1980s of a Suzuki Carry
"Black box" Tomica from the 1980s of a Suzuki Carry

Initially, Tomy only produced Japanese cars. This started out with the concurrent release of 6 models in 1970. The seventh model was issued later in 1970. From then on, the Tomica line grew in number until there was a total of 109 concurrently-sold models in 1978—no. Year 1978 ( MCMLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar) 1 – 108 plus no. 110. The first no. 109 model was proposed and seen in catalogue but was never realized. The variety of models also expanded from the initial coupes and saloons to taxis, buses, lorries, work vehicles and other commercial vehicles, to even steam engine and an ocean cruiser. A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride This article is about the semi-truck For the North American use of the word see Pickup truck. A steam engine is a Heat engine that performs Mechanical work using Steam as its Working fluid. A cruiser is a large type of Warship, which had its prime period from the late 19th century to the end of the Cold War. As new models were issued, each was assigned a number within 1 to 110, thus replacing the existing model. The replaced model was called a discontinued model. In the early 1980’s, Tomy experienced financial difficulties. Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Subsequently, the domestic model line was down sized to only 80 models (no. 1 – 80) in 1983. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) These models were mainly packaged in picture boxes. At first, the boxes used a black background. Since 1984, each new model came with a new style box with red-and-white background, while existing models issued before 1984 kept using the older style box with black background until 1988, when all boxes were updated to the new style. Hence, domestic models are commonly referred to as the “black box” or “red-and-white Box” models depending on their boxes.

Tomica Foreign Series (“Blue-and-White Box”)

"Pocket Cars" for the North American market.
"Pocket Cars" for the North American market.

To share a piece of the toy car market in the other parts of the world, Tomy had great plans of exporting their models early on, and this was done starting in 1974 with the appearance of “Tomy Pocket Cars” in Canada and the United States of America. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the But as they found out, Japanese cars weren’t good sellers overseas, so Tomy started producing “foreign” models in 1976. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. These models included cars from countries outside of Japan and hence they’re “foreign” models. American, German, Italian, British, French, and cars from other countries could be found, making the Tomica product line more colourful. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. For the ones sold domestically in Japan, their packaging was equally colourful. Each foreign series car was packaged in a picture box that showed a flag of the country of that particular car. A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification Since these boxes have the base colours of blue and white, they are also called the “blue-and-white box” models. At any one time, a total of 70 models were produced under the foreign line, numbered F1 to F70. The same rules for numbering domestic models apply here as well.

Tomica Common Series (“Red-and-White Box”)

In 1988, Tomy combined their foreign models into the domestic series. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Hence, we could no longer call it the "domestic" series. Most of the first 40 models from the foreign series were added to the 80 domestic models. Those foreign models that got transferred were assigned a number that was its F series number plus 80. A handful of these foreign models were discontinued after a few months’ appearance under the new line. And about half of them had been discontinued after just two years. To date, the regular line Tomica has been numbered this way, 1 to 120.

Tomica Limited Series

Starting in 2001, Tomy produces the TL series targeted for the collector. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. These models are made with higher details, and one of their biggest features is realistic-looking wheels with rubberized plastic tyres. Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products This article is about tires used on road Vehicles including pneumatic tires and solid tires. Although many of them are based on existing or discontinued regular Tomica models, some are new castings made exclusively for the TL line, namely, Nissan Skyline GTB, Toyoda AA, and new MINI Cooper. Mini (styled as MINI) is a British automotive brand owned by the German BMW Group that has produced a redesign of the traditional Mini And in the case of the new MINI Cooper, the model is first released for the TL series in 2004 but later on in 2006 included in the regular line as no. 43, which is opposite to what normally happens. Number started at 0001. Each model is produced for a limited period of time, so models with smaller numbers are discontinued while new models with higher numbers continue to appear. These models are packaged in open cardboard boxes surrounded on four sides with a transparent plastic sleeve.

Special Models

Tomica has produced a number of special models over the years. Herein, special model means a unique model that is not and has never been found in the regular line or the Limited Series. Therefore, a special-release model that has special livery/tampo but uses the same casting as a regular model is not considered a special model. There are four types of special model:
1. An existing regular model with small modifications or additions of accessories. These are commonplace for gift sets. An example is the Mitsubishi Pajero RV found in the 1995 RV 1 Set.
2. A truck model that shares the cab and the chassis of an existing model. These are also common for gift sets although also found as stand-alone model.
3. A model that is based on an existing model but has the major car body modified. Three examples exist (as of Oct 2005, as far as author knows):

The original special model issue of the Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon and its regular model counterpart.
The original special model issue of the Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon and its regular model counterpart.

4. A totally new casting. All of these had been produced under the contract of another model company or another business. Their common fate is that Tomy eventually issue them as regular models. Five examples exist (as of Dec 2006):

In 2004 no. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 121 was available for a limited period from Mitsuoka Motors. This was a 1/1 scale electric single seater vehicle which featured a retro Citroen H Van front end and side panels. This is probably the only time ever in the toy world where a real 1/1 scale vehicle was offered in a toy range catalogue.

Japan, Hong Kong, and China Castings

Until 1993, Tomica models were almost exclusively produced in Tomy's local factory in Tokyo, Japan. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. One exception was that six of the models issued in 1971 and 1972 were made in Hong Kong:

Another exception was that a few existing models had their production moved to China in 1990. Datsun was an automobile Marque. There never was an actual "Datsun" company as the brand name was used in production only by DAT Motors and its successor China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National These were the first made-in-China Tomica. However, all newly issued models were still produced in Japan.

Then in 1993, Tomy Co. of UK contracted Tomy Co. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located of Japan to produce a line of 36 Tomica cars (the “British Line”) using existing casts. To save on production cost, these were to be produced in China. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Since 1994, Tomy also used the facility in China to produce new models, and in May 1995 the production of existing regular line models also started moving from Japan to China. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) This was done in phases. By July 1997, all regular line Tomica cars were made in China. Old casts that were not used for mass-production of the British line models, regular models, or gift set models during this period remained in Japan. Mass production (also called flow production, repetitive flow production, series production, or serial production) is the production of Therefore, special releases that used these old castings were still made in Japan.

A Glance at the Last Made-in-Japan New Models

With the above said, there were a few exceptions, and they all had a reason:

Also, the special models Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 Racing, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV, Mitsubishi New Canter, and Subary Legacy Touring Wagen mentioned above were made in Japan during the time that they were made as special models.
No. 105 Coca Cola Route Truck, issued in 1996, was made in Japan as well. Coca-Cola is a carbonated Soft drink sold in stores restaurants and Vending machines in more than 200 countries However, this model was simply a different colour and livery on an existing casting, so it was not truly a new model.

Old Wheelies

A Toyota Hiace from the 1970s with 2-piece old wheels.
A Toyota Hiace from the 1970s with 2-piece old wheels.

The earliest Tomica cars had one-piece chrome-plated wheels. Chrome plating, often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of Electroplating a thin layer of Chromium onto a Metal object Starting in 1971, models were produced with two-piece wheels of various styles, and the earliest one-piece chrome-plated wheels gradually disappeared and were no longer seen since 1972 (except that all the models made in Hong Kong had the one-piece wheel). Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The two-piece wheels were used until 1977, while the newer one-piece wheels of various styles were used since 1976, and they are still used today. The 1970 style one-piece wheels and the two-piece wheels were the “old wheels. ” Old wheels can be found on domestic models quite often. But because foreign series models were introduced in 1976 and at that time the modern wheels were in use already, foreign series models are virtually non-existent. Six foreign models had been produced with old two-piece wheels, and they were produced for an extremely short period. These are:

Everything Else About Tomica

Long Tomica

Long buses and semi-trailers were models not suitable for the regular small boxes, so Tomy also produced Long Tomica. A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride Except for a double-deck London Bus, all the rest have the same property, that is, long! They were produced as single models under the Long Tomica name from the 1977 until 1993. However, some of these long models can be still be found incorporated into gift sets today.

Combat Tomica

In early times, Tomy produced the 1/87 diecast Combat Tomica series. The series started with the model M-60 U. S. Army Medium Tank and, later on, models like the U. S. M-60A-1E-1, the German TIGER-I, the Japanese Type 61 and the Russian SU-85 were produced. There were two types of Combat Tomica but they both contained the exact same models. The first one was like regular Tomica models, the models came in a paper box, and furthermore there were some little soldier figures for decoration and a set of wheels to make the model movable (since the caterpillar bands, unlike the present caterpillar Tomica models, did not really function). The second one was the metal model kits. These kits came in larger boxes inside which were the parts of the vehicles, that is to say, the models were to be assembled manually. The production of the Combat Tomica lasted only a few years. When the production of the Combat Tomica series, which included tanks only, ended, Tomy were still producing military vehicles, like rocket launcher trucks, troop trucks, and jeeps for their regular "3-inch" series.

Tomica Dandy

Tomica Dandy cars are larger scale models. These were produced from the 1972 until 1993. At first, they were all Japanese models. Just like the common Tomica, Tomica Dandy line also received addition of foreign models, starting in 1977. The numbering system was changed in 1984 based on the nature of the vehicles (e. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) g. emergency, police, Japan, foreign, etc). An emergency vehicle is any Vehicle that is designated and authorized to Respond to an Emergency. Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force In 2001, Tomy reissued 6 Tomica Dandy models in limited quantities. Tomica Dandy castings have also been used in gift sets and the Limited S Series, but these models have the “Dandy” name on their base plates removed.

Motorized Tomica

Tomy started producing motorized cars in 1980s beginning with the Power Tomica series. This series did not last long. And in 1992, they started it again with a series called B/O Tomica (stands for battery-operated Tomica) and numbered from B-01 to B-20 but then they were renamed Motor Tomica in 1997 and numbering started with the letter A instead of B. In electronics a battery is a combination of two or more Electrochemical cells which store chemical Energy which can be converted into electrical energy They were produced and sold as single models until 2003. All the B/O Tomica are made in Japan, while all the Motor Tomica (including the Animated Motor Tomica) are made in China. To fit on the motorized base, these castings often have altered scales. In general, sport utility vehicles appear in their proper scales, saloons appear a bit bulky, and busses and lorries are short and funny looking. In 2005, a new series for motorized Tomica started but this time it contains fictional vehicles like a patrol car which resembleds Toyota Crown but it is indeed not a Crown. This late series targets toddlers and are, surprisingly, made of ABS plastic. For your info, there were also once the "Long B/O Tomica" models.

Pullback Tomica

First appeared in 1980s and there were totally six models at that time. In the year 2002, they produced pullback models again. But it seemed that it was even less successful; they produced only two models for it, namely the Toyota Altezza and the Volvo V70.

R/C Tomica

R/C Tomica models using the same bodies of the Motor Tomica models but a new type of chassis.

Tomica Limited Vintage

Starting from 2004, Tomytec, a branch of Tomy which engages in producing fine and realistic models, has been producing models for the Tomica Limited Vintage series. In the series, there are mostly 1950s and 1960s Japanese vehicles like Nissan Cedric, Prince Gloria and Toyopet Crown. These vintage Tomica models are of very high details when compared to the regular Tomica models or even the Tomica Limited models.

Specialized Character Tomica

In 1970s, Tomica has a special line of models with figures of characters from the cartoon Snoopy sitting on or in the vehicles. Tomica later on also produced models with Disney characters on them and they even started an utterly new series called Putica for these Disney characters. Circa 1990s, when Tomy has created a cartoon called "Tomica Rescue", they started another series using regular Tomica models and some Matchbox models with some addons like cannons, armors and water hoses put on them. In 1996, a series specially designed for the Japanese comic or cartoon "Bakuso Kyodai Let's & Go !!" (爆走兄弟レッツ&ゴー) was initiated. Then came the "Ma-ha Go Go Go" ("マッハＧｏＧｏＧｏ" aka "Speed Racer" in the West) series in 1998. In 2005, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the renowned Thomas and Friends, Tomy started the Thomas series. And in 2006, they also specially made some models for the "Hyper Rescue" series.

Specialty Products

Over the years, Tomy has also made more fun products with their regular Tomica cars. These castings have been made as models with sound and light. They have also been made as key chains. In 1999, a few models were made with a scenic display stand. Capsule Tomica are miniature size plastic representations of the vehicles from past and present Tomica lines. These are sold in vending machines worldwide.

Tomica Town

TakaraTomy produces a range of accessories to enhance the Tomica collection through the Tomica Town sets. Collectors can enchance their collection through their imagination to "construct" and build up an entire town which includes police station, fire station, parking lots, toll booths, retail shops, roads and many more.

See also

References

Chan, Danny C. MycarsJPG|thumb|right|250px|Some 2008 models the Audi R8, the Porsche Carrera GT, the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the Dodge Challenger For the previous US Ambassador to Venezuela see John Maisto. Maisto is a company that manufactures Die-cast models Matchbox is a Die cast toy brand currently owned by Mattel, Inc Corgi Classics Limited is a diecast model manufacturer which has its origins in the Corgi Toy brand introduced by Mettoy in 1956 Majorette is a French toy manufacturer which mostly produces small die-cast cars, particularly in 164 scale Dot-S (styled as.S) also known as Dot-Pin is a Toy created by Japanese company Tomytec. is a Japanese Tokusatsu television series that began airing April 5, 2008, on TV Aichi. Y. , and Vic Davey. The Complete World of Tomy Diecast. Hong Kong: Northcord Limited. May 1997.

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic