Hideaki Tanaka is an enthusiastic model car collector and manages the Mini Auto Club of Japan (MACJ). In a series of blog posts he will tell us more about models made in Japan, the Club and its members. Read them all here.
Takanobu Ochiai
One of our members, Takanobu Ochiai, had one of the best starts in life, an uncle that gave him what are today very rare Japanese models when he was a very young boy! And he has been collecting mini-auto-models ever since, for nearly half a century. He owns thousands of rare vintage models, including British Dinky Toys and American Tootsietoy manufactured before World War II, as well as French, British and Danish toys from the 1950s. And of course, he has Japanese models such as TASEIYA and ASAHI-TOYS manufactured in the early days of Japanese mini-auto-models that are currently traded at high prices in Japan.
The minicars in the upper row are domestic mini-auto-models from the early 1960s, and the mini-auto-models in the lower row are a lineup of rare items such as pre-WWII DINKY-TOYS and MARKLIN.
In the early 1960s, rare TAISEIYA lined up.
In the early 1960s, rare TAISEIYA lined up. From the left, the top row is the Citroen DS19 Cabriolet, Nissan Cedric, and Prince Gloria. Both are high-priced products of TAISEIYA.
British DINKY-TOYS items from the 1950s. There are variations in the British light sports cars lined up in the upper row.
The upper and middle rows are French DINKY-TOYS items from the 1950s, and the lower rows are British SPOT-ON items from around 1960.
Denmark TEKNO, France J.R.D. Items from the 1950s to the 1960s.
Danish TEKNO items from the 1950s. Among them, the variations of Volkswagen’s commercial vans are wonderful.
The mini-auto-models in the upper row are Dutch LION-TOYS from the 1960s, and the mini-auto-models in the lower row are French C.I.J. items from the 1950s.
Rare items such as Porsche 356A Coupe and Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud Hooper by France QUIRALU manufactured in the 1950s are lined up at random.
The mini-auto-models lined up in the upper row are the Graham Town Sedan and LaSalle Two-door Coupe of the American TOOTSIETOY in the 1930s, and the mini-auto-models lined up in the lower row are the British DINKY-TOYS in the 1930s. Both are in excellent original condition.
If you liked this come back next Wednesday when I introduce our next Member!
Wow, wow, wow! Now I can to come to Japan to meet Takanobu as well!
Hello, thank you for your nice comment. I will tell Takanobu. As I move freely around the world, I hope that the corona wreck will converge soon. from Tokyo, Japan.
What a remarkable collection of incredible rarities… a collection worth showing off… Thanks for sharing this with us…
Hello, thank you very much for your high evaluation. from Caretaker, MACJ Tokyo, Japan
Just awesome. Love those Tekno Buses (only got 2 of them). Very, very nice to see all of this and look forward to next week!
Hello from Tokyo.
Thanks for the comment. Caretaker, MACJ
Great collection – absolutely amazing! I like the wood blocks under the cars – great idea to preserve the tires. I have been using plastic bottle caps!
Hi! Thanks for the fun comments. Yes, Takanobu, the only MACJ member, puts wooden blocks under the models to protect the tires. I think it’s a great idea too.
Caretaker, MACJ
Are there any Hot Wheels Redline collectors in the MACJ? Fascinating blog!
Great question! I’d love to see some Japanese Redlines.
Hello, thank you for your comment. Caretaker, MACJ
Hi, unfortunately we MACJ members don’t have a “Hot Wheels” collector. I’m sorry.
This has to be one of the most amazing collections I’ve ever seen! 🤩 It’s so cool to see so many models from different parts of the world all together like that, and to have so many incredibly rare models all in one place! Pure perfection 👌 Thanks for sharing it with us!
Hello, thank you for your nice comment. He graduated from “The University of Tokyo”, which has the highest educational background in Japan. After that, he served as a Director and Managing Director of the Japanese automobile manufacturer “HONDA” not only in Japan but all over the world. He has been collecting at each overseas workplace. Forty-five years later, I finally returned to my home in Tokyo last July. 🤩
Caretaker, MACJ Tokyo, Japan.
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