The Revell Robotech VF-1D GUARDIAN Defender / MACROSS Series from the 80s

I came upon this kit in one of my favorite small toyshops, a real life toy shop hidden in a remote city with a LOT of old toys....

This kit is from the early 80's and is Made in Japan. Its described as a Macross Tatsunoko Production.

I am very intrigued by this model particularly since I was not from the Macross era. I was more from the Gigantor era heh heh. Right now the model is sealed, probably its original 80s shrinkwrap bit if this is not sold soon, my curiosity will get the best of me and I will really have to take a peek inside the box.

This Revell Robotech VF-1D is posted on Ebay.ph. Someone buy it quick before I open it!



As always here are a few links to information about the Robotech series:

Here we have a Wikipedia article about the Robotech Defenders

Here is another enthusiast page about the Defenders

And this all originated from the Robotech comics so here is trusty Wikipedia with the Robotech Comics article

Bittersweet goodbyes

Had to say a bittersweet farewell to these beauties .... These limited edition Filipina Barbies have been in my store in 1997 / 1998 but obligations came up so they went up on the auction block and before I knew what was happening, I sold them all to one very happy collector.

But thats how it goes when one has a hobby such as mine. It thrives on the appearance and value of certain objects and real life dictates that we must give up some for higher objectives and needs.

Anyway I was happy to be able to put them in a good home.

Will try to post more detailed information later.

In the meantime enjoy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you some members of

The Filipina Barbie Santacruzan Collection from 1997

and

The Filipina Barbie Flores de Mayo Collection from 1998

The Toyota Prius by Tomica

Here are a few examples of the various Toyota Prius models that Tomica has made. If I find others I'll just update this post. If any of you readers have a Tomica Prius diecast you want to share, please email to me toywizard@gmail.com.

Here are two examples of the 1st Generation Prius.

This lavender one comes as part of the regular series and was discontinued a long time ago.



The white one comes from a Toyota 30th Annversary Gift set which features this Prius, a Celica, a Previa and an Echo / Vitz.




A little bit of trivia. TheTomica #86 1st generation Prius was very popular in Puerto Rico during the height of their diecast drag racing craze. They found this model to be pretty heavy and it made for a worthy competitor.



Here we have the second generation. There are two versions here, the Blue one which us the first or special color as denoted by the markings on the box - the extra letters under the name.




And the second one which is the regular color.


Of course this post would not be complete without a link to good old Wikipedia which features the Toyota Prius here

A Trio of Taxis

Found a couple of these toys in several rummage sales before and was intrigued by them because I didn't remember riding them in HK probably because none of these left their service areas.

Two of the, the Toyota Crown Comfort Taxi in two different colors which indicate the area they are serving. One serves Lantau and the other services the New Territories. These particular models are made by Carven.



The other one, the KIA Doraemon Taxi is , I think, strictly promotional but I could be wrong.

All of these models are about the equivalent of 1:38 scale so they are fairly well detailed and make for nice displays or conversation pieces in a den or office.


My son was lucky enough to find a few more of these which he acquired and hopes to sell on his selling debut on Ebay.ph

Some Wooden Toys From Our Local Craftsmen

One of the main talents we have in the Philippines are those of our craftsmen and artists.

Below is a showcase of this talent - handmade, hand carved and hand painted wooden display models. The detail on these models is amazing particularly when you see that they are made entirely of wood except for the canvas on the Land Rover.

Size of these models is the equivalent of 1:18.

These models are sold to collectors worldwide with prices ranging from $300 to $500 depending on the model.

Two Random Toys On My Desktop

Here's a random pair I found on my desk. The red one is a Nissan 240 SX by JADA in approximately 1/64 scale.


This other one is a Ford Focus by CARARAMA in 1/72 scale.

Both of these toys currently reside on my workstation.

Best Motoring 2008 Type-R Returns

Here's the video of the Return of the Type R on Best Motoring.

The Honda Civic Type R by Tomica

Here's the HONDA CIVIC TYPE R by Tomica aka Takara Tomy. As you can see this is one very hot looking model. Before this came out, I was realistically pining over 3 cars - Subaru Forrester STi, Subaru Impreza Sti and the Honda Accord 3.5 V6. Now my list includes 4 cars - this Type R.

I was surprised to see this model come out on the regular line particularly since the wheels were the non-standard button type or "butones" as we call it here in the Philippines.

The new Type R, the REAL ONE was tested by the Best Motoring crew a while ago and the lap times on the Type R were faster than those on an NSX!

Well done Tomica aka Takara / Tomy and a DOUBLE WELL DONE Honda !

Read more about the Type R on Wikipedia

Here's another Type R website, aptly named Honda Type R.com

The Real Thing




Image Courtesy of Honda Type R.com

Lamborghini Miura

Here's a video from youtube which features the Miura

Toys I wish I kept - Set 1

The hardest thing for any toy collector to do is to part with his / her toys. But sometimes for one reason or another it must be done and when it is, for some toys its heart wrenching, much like breaking up with a girlfriend.

So even if it pains me, here is a shrine to those heartbreaker toys and this will be a continuing thing on this blog.


Okay - first up is this 1:18 scale 1963 Ford Thunderbird by Anson. This was a beautiful model that was so attractive and was set up in a special place in my office for all of 6 months.

As shown in the photo the model has a lot of features like opening doors, hood and trunk. The color was gorgeous and the photos just dont do it justice.

An uncle of mine had a T-bird before and I remember seeing it in our house a long long time ago when it was not a classic yet heh heh.

If you like to read more about the T-bird, here's a link to a page on Wikipedia

The Muscle Car Club is also an excellent source of info and photos about the T-Bird and other muscle cars.




Might as well enjoy the pain of the loss and post my other heartbreak toy - here is a 1:18 scale Lamborghini Miura.

Sorry I don't remember the manufacturer anymore, its either Maisto or Bburago.
The Miura is a special car to me because it was one of my first cars..... ok ok Matchbox cars.

I desperately wanted to keep this one but fate is cruel and I had to part with this one as well.




The photo above serves to remind me why I loved this model so much ... so this car deserves it place in the Toywizards list of "toys I will buy back some day".

Ever reliable Wikipedia has a page on the Miura

Here you can read about the restoration of a Miura

2001 Land Rover Coca Cola by Welly

Here's a gem found by my son in a rummage sale.

Its a 2001 LAND ROVER with Coca Cola tampos on the side.

Its a 1:43 scale model by Welly and it just has a few scratches and was missing the spare wheel.

A look at the Coca Cola Antique Collection by Tomica

After a long hiatus, I would like to feature one of the models in the Tomica Coca Cola Antique Collection. This collection came out sometime in 2002 and was available for only a brief time in the Philippines.
The model featured here is based on the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and is unfortunately missing a door but better photos will be posted in due time as soon as the Toywizard finds the backup disk containing his toy photos.
Due to the short run and the collectible nature of Coca Cola items and Tomica, these models are quite hard to find and command a good price on Ebay and other markets.