gogotomica

gogotomica

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Fake Tomica In Singapore

As many may know that there are some imitations out there already, they are also available in Singapore since last year. I bought these last year through this year. I am lucky that I did not invest heavily on this series because I am not really a fan of "cars with eyes". The reason why I have bought these because Singapore never had Tomica Cars series and the price is reasonable enough. Although I do not have the authentic one for comparison, those with good eyes should be able to spot the differences. There are many sites which post these comparison of original and fakes. I am suspicious of these cars after I bought 2 pieces this year because of the low quality box. As usual I would dump new stuff aside for a very long time and do not have time to verify them until last weekend. Not that disappointed since already expected them to be not original.



Friday, October 26, 2012

The Different Prices of Siku

I started collecting Siku last year after I bought some 80s Siku models in Greece. Within a year, I managed to get various Siku of different eras from the 60s to current series. I am blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Germany on a regular basis so to get an old Siku isn't too much of a task. When it comes to the current ranges of Siku, I will usually grab one current German made (usually trucks) from the departmental stores in Germany as I get savings as much as 50%.


I bought this German made 2700 series ADAC truck set (Hummer is China made) in Germany for 21.99 Euro while Singapore is selling for SGD$69.90. You will not be able to find a German made easily in our local stores as well because the cost is much higher for retailers to pay for. You pay lesser for a car carrier loaded with cars on it and most parents goes with "quantity" rather than "quality".  As for the 0800 to 1400 series single pack cars, I usually buy just a few pieces in Germany because the price is higher than Singapore. In Singapore, we have only 2 pricing at SGD$3.90 (0800~0900 series) and SGD$5.90 (1000~1400 series). I saw that the pricing for Siku in Germany is slightly different. The 0800~0900 series are in the same price level which is totally understandable because they are basic cars. What really puzzle me is the 1000 series, 1300 series and 1400 series having different prices. The retail prices of Siku in Germany are different as well, some shops or departmental stores can be cheaper by 0.50 Euro for the single cars.

I did a comparison on all my current Siku from the 1000~1400 series but I just couldn't find a reason why a 1400 series should cost more than a 1000 series car. In fact, I think that some 1000 series cars are better made than some 1400 series. Take the Porsche Cayenne for example, the rims looked more proper than those in the 1400 series which are left "uncut". The Porsche Cayenne has opening doors too, it seems nothing is compromised in the quality as well. The Porsche is bigger in size than TT Coupe or VW Golf anytime. Can someone who knows about their pricing strategy enlighten me?


   

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Hyundai Sonata

I received a package from Korea yesterday. Thanks to Mark for helping me on these Sonata.

A box full of Hyundai Sonata.

The box is similar to the usual regular box but with some Korean characters.

Back of the box. Japanese toy, Korean car but made in Vietnam.

This is the first Korean car ever made by Tomica. The detailing is simple like previous generations of Tomica made in the past. The sleek lines of this Hyundai look just like the real thing. I am glad that button wheels are used instead of the dish type. Although no opening parts, the car looks great when close up.  

The car look best when viewed from three quarter rear. Sexy and yet elegant. This might not be the best effort from Tomica but not bad for the first Korean car ever made.


Monday, October 8, 2012

Germany 2012 Part 3 - My Hauls

Just to share with you guys on the cars I have purchased from shops and flea markets. I hope you guys don't send me email asking on prices I am letting go. I hope you understand that I am a collector and not a trader, sometimes I find it an insult when I receive such emails because I didn't have the intention to let go of my collection. As I wanted to do a prompt update, I didn't really do a good job on the photos. My bad and apologies. Here are some finds in various flea market, Goodies Old Toys, Dream Car and from my friend, Kay.

Tomica:
This is a little of a surprise because it's hard to find a Tomica in any flea market in Hamburg. I almost buy out the Tomica from Wolfgang this time. I didn't own all these Tomica as slightly more than half of them are for a friend. Thanks for the photos I have taken last year which allows him to pick the cars that he need.

Matchbox:
Most of these are either from Kay or the flea market. It's not difficult to find a Matchbox in flea market and it's not easy to find a mint one too. I am not so much into Matchbox with exception of certain cars. My favourite from this lot should be the horse truck.

Siku:
After my visits to Germany, I have grown more towards Siku especially the older ones. I have also started buying more current release. I am glad that I have found a Saab 9000 since not many toy makers made this car.

Majorette:
Majorette are also popular in Germany. I exclaimed when I saw some really old ones in Wolfgang's shop. The best find among them should be the Citroen DS. I been looking for this one for quite some time.

Corgi & Husky:
I am surprised that I bought quite a fair bit of Corgi as they are also not in my "A" list. I have to say I really like Husky a lot like the red Ferrari in the foreground. Best buy should be the Corgi VW Bug Motor School car. It is badly beaten up with one missing front tyre but the wheels still steer. What can you ask for when you pay only 0.50 cents for it?

Herpa:
A surprise find in "Dream Car". I was introduced by JK on these metal Herpa when I was presented with a ADAC BMW few months ago. These are failed products of Herpa but I buy them all since they are not too expensive. Who knows, their value might appreciate one day.

Playart:
I was hoping for more Playarts but I am very content with this lot since some of them are rather hard to find. The Volvo 340 might be one of the more expensive Playart I have paid for but it's rare so it's a fair price.

Mira:
Mira Mira on the wall, who is the fairest of them all. I would say Seat since I bought 3 of them.

Hot Wheels:
Honestly, I am not a fan of HW but I cannot say no to a Mercedes and an old Renault 5. They cost less than an Euro so I don't take much time to pick them.

Schuco:
This is a brand which I never have good success rate. A beaten up Schuco is pretty hard to find, not to mention a mint piece. I guess I will have to get them in Japan as they have more Schuco than Germany. 

MISC Brands:
Anyone want to make a wild guess? All are of different brands and I don't even know some of them.

Faller:
This is the cream of the crop among my finds. I regretted not buying a Mercedes last year from Wolfgang as I saw he had many then. One of the nicest Mercedes in my collection now.



Newer Diecast Hauls:

These are approximately 1/43, pull back motorized and with a siren. I was attracted by the American patrol car but I like the siren on the German patrol car so I bought both. These are consider good buys because these are based on Carrera slot cars but are 3 times cheaper. I really feel like releasing them from the card.

I cannot resist after seeing all the Busch, Wiking, Herpa in departmental stores. I bought the little people eventually although they are not cheap. Considering that they are hand painted, it's worth paying for effort.

Mix of Hotwheels, Majorette, Siku, Matchbox. Half of them are bought from a collector shop and was offered to me at a good price. I can't carry the whole lot back so maybe I will go back to the same shop again. See you next year Germany.





Saturday, October 6, 2012

Germany 2012 Part 2 - Diecast Shops


DREAM CAR
Kay picked me up from my hotel on a Saturday morning as he is bringing me to shop for toy cars. First stop will be "Dream Car" which he has been telling me about since last year. 

Dream Car is for enthusiasts who enjoy detailed model cars. The shop is much larger than any minicar shop in Tokyo. 

There are glass cabinets every corner of the shop which are filled up with model cars.

The variety of 1/18 scaled models is quite a feast.

1/18 Fiat Multipla in different guise.

These are the Porsches used to be my dream cars when I was a kid especially the 928.

Mix of Ferrari, Ford, Mini, Porsche etc.

James Bond movie cars. I could have bought some but I try to keep to 3 inches.

If you like HO scale cars, there is a wide variety as well.

There is also a corner for people who are into vintage toy cars. This is seriously for me and I did find something interesting here.

I pick a car here, wanted the Tekno Saab 99 very much but it is too much for me.

There are tons of toy car and car catalogues. I didn't have much time to go through them.

Andrea (I hope I got the spelling right, if not, oops), the owner of the shop, offered me really good deal for the Hot Wheels. I can resell these in Singapore since I am totally zero fans of Hot Wheels.


GOODIES OLD TOYS

I am feeling all excited already. Been waiting for 2 weeks since touch down to Germany. I should exhaust my wallet here but I still need to hold at least 500 Euro for the next 1 week in Germany. 

I didn't had breakfast or lunch that day. Wolfgang serve me trays and trays of toy cars to fill my hunger. There are so many trays that I can't show all of them here or the thread will be over flowing.

This message is for Poohgy, get your fingers rolling and your eyes straining on these vintage Matchbox. These are better deals than stocking up Hot Wheels and multiples Tomica of the same models.

More Matchbox and these are older. I am served with at least 10 trays of vintage Matchbox.

If you like Spanish die cast, here are some of the Mira.

There are also many trays of old Majorette. I like them and I picked a few.

Different brands of cars. Can you recognise any of them?

Kay join in the fun. 

I have only a few Gamas in my collection. Should I start?

For people who love Land Rover.

Promo Volkswagen which never fail to charm me.

Rico remote control Mercedes Benz. It's too huge for me.

I bought more than 100 cars in Germany. It's always fun to release them. Tune in for more updates. I should update on my hauls within the next 2~3 days.