The moe car decal boom known as itasha (痛車 = “hurt car”, pun on “Italian car”) has been sweeping Japan for the past few years, and thanks to Aoshima recently began to appear in model form as well (Haruhi and To Heart 2 featured on their first two releases). Aoshima augmented their lineup yesterday with the announcement of a Lucky Star itasha based on the Mazda Roadster 1800RS convertible, which will retail in late June at 3,570 yen retail and 1/24 scale.
A new entry into the itasha model maker’s arena appeared yesterday as well, with Aizu Project’s announcement of a 1/43 scale Mini Car Toyota Hi-Ace (Ikkitousen version). Based on the popular Hi-Ace 200 van from Toyota, it’s scheduled to retail in September at 3,990 yen retail. Unlike Aoshima’s offering which is an unpainted/unassembled plastic model, this Aizu van is a die-cast model and presumably can be displayed out of the box. Images of both are below:
The Ikkitousen van comes in two versions: Kanu / Ryomou, and Chouun / Kanu. Neither these or the Lucky Star roadster are described as limited editions, so they should appear for preorder at international retailers soon.
I don’t know the size of the actual Hi-Ace but my guess is that the model’s between 6″ and 7″ in length. If that’s the case then $33 isn’t horrid if the detail is superb.
With so many great figure preorders coming up, I’d REALLY need to love the series to purchase both of them.