There are certain cars I have an odd fascination with, and there are those cars that I adore in small sizes and hate in real life; the Honda CR-Z is one of those. Supposedly this is Honda's idea of a new CRX, but I don't see it; hybrid technology, a $20k+ sticker, and its neither lightweight, nor very fast, nor does it handle very well. So why was this on my want list, exactly?
Truth is, I like it for the mere fact that its a diecast car someone can't obtain in the 'states. Tomicas are only marketed so far at Toys R Us', and the last two I went to had a horrible selection; when my aunt and uncle went to Japan, and they asked what I wanted, the answer was clear--TOMICAS! LOTS AND LOTS!
Like the Nissan Juke, this little Honda is really well done in small scale; the color is accurate, and unfortunately, the front overhang is correctly replicated. Somehow, Tomica has trasformed an ugly-duckling into a cute little car. With its correctly detailed headlights and taillights, the CR-Z is spruced up from "boring" to "not bad" fairly easily. About the only thing missing here is the occasional "Hybrid" badging that is often plastered on the rear glass of the real thing. But for the car enthusiast in me, there is another version missing.
In the UK, Honda' Mugen team built one with a proper Civic Type R drivetrain, and festooned it with all the latest aero bits from their catalog; for the Honda geek in me, that's a must-have if its ever made.
I love Tomica's rendition of Honda's newest hybrid, and aside from the quirky french, this will like be the only alt-propulsion vehicle I have represented in my collection--with for good reason.
As a world-car freak, I am curious about vehicles sold in other markets, and as a young child, my likeness of Majorette and Siku products was proof of that; I often would get Majorettes and Sikus whenever I could, but lately, not much of their product has caught my attention.
I have a few Tomicas that were given to me by my aunt and uncle; they got them this past spring on a trip to Japan, and while some cars were replicas of what we got here, this Mazda Axela is the last of those.
Finished in a bright blue metallic with silver lights, this little hatch is painted up in one of the better colors of Mazda's recently redesigned small car, which we get as the "3".
Paint is spectacular, and the color looks far more realistic than any contemporary Hot Wheels or Matchbox, and the car, too, is better proportioned than either of those makes. I wish more companies would do smaller, contemporary cars, but apparently Tomica is the only toy companies that caters to true car aficionados. Shame, really, because the US dealer network is horrible, and I don't see many people aside from diecast collectors wanting to spend internet time scouring the latest releases. Especially when they're not quite that cheap to import.
I love this little replica much more so than the real thing, and the idea that a toy company replicates even the most mundane of cars just makes it that much cooler. Now only if someone would replicate an Axela/3 in 1:18 scale--in this same color, too.
