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New Studio Ghibli die-cast anime cars on their way, even if neither one is really a car【Pics】

Casey Baseel Jan 26, 2023
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Two memorable non-land-based Hayao Miyazaki vehicles are joining the Tomica lineup.

Takara Tomy’s Tomica is Japan’s favorite brand of miniature toy cars, delighting automotive enthusiasts of all ages for generations. Ironically, neither of the two newest additions to the lineup are cars, at least in their original forms.

But fans are still excited all the same, because a little bending of the rules is acceptable when it’s to make room for two iconic vehicles from the anime films of Studio Ghibli.

Starting things off is the Tiger Moth, the mothership of Dola’s band of sky pirates from Laputa: Castle in the Sky. One of the earliest big screen examples of director Hayao Miyazaki’s love of big flying machines, the Tiger Moth’s rivets, railings, and other details have been reproduced on this 6.82-centimeter (2.69-inch) long die-cast replica.

And don’t worry, Takara Tomy knows that the first thing you’re going to try to do is try to spin each and every one of those propellers, and they promise that they all do really spin.

Going from the sky to the sea, the other new Ghibli Tomica arrival hails from Ponyo: Sosuke’s boat.

One of the most memorable sequences in the whimsical seaside adventure story occurs when Ponyo uses her magical powers to turn Sosuke’s toy boat into something big enough for the two of them to actually sail around in.

Ponyo herself rides atop the pilothouse, and if you peek inside you can even spot the candle that powered the boat in its in-anime-still-a-toy-size.

Another clever touch, which you can just barely make out at the bottom of the photo below, is that the wheels are made of a translucent blue acrylic, to better create the illusion of it gliding through a body of water.

▼ At 6.82 centimeters in length, the Tomica Sosuke’s Boat is a miniature version of an enlarged version of the in-anime toy.

The new Ghibli Tomica cars, both the one that’s a plane and the one that’s a boat, are priced at 1,320 yen (US$10.20) and go on sale at toy stores in Japan in late March, but if you want to be sure of getting one they’ll also be offered for pre-order starting January 31 through the Takara Tomy Mall online store, where you can also find the line’s Catbus and Spirited Away cars.

Related: Takara Tomy Mall
Source, images: Press release
Laputa: Castle in the Sky Tiger Moth © Studio Ghibl
Ponyo Sosuke’s Boat © 2008 Studio Ghibli – NDHDMT
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