B.H.W. (before Hot Wheels)

close-up of the 1960 Eldorado with friction motor by Ichiko Kogyo

Unfortunately, I was not able to get down to NYC before the closing of the exhibit “BURIKI-Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile. The Yoku Tanaka Collection” that was on display at the Japan Society from July 9 to August 16. The exhibit consisted of at least 70 1950s and 1960s Japanese tin vehicles, all accumulated by one collector.

‘56 Ford sedan delivery by Bandai

Judging from the photos, Cadillacs were the featured marque in the collection, however, other GM and Ford cars of the era were also represented. Planes, buses, concept cars and even rockets were included in the exhibit.

1954 Bel Air manufactured by Marusan.

If any of you also missed the exhibit but want to see what else you missed, you can do like I did, buy the book. Joe Earle released a book of the same name as the exhibit, which is available from the Japan Society website, or at Amazon, and in my opinion, well worth the $19.95 cover price to use as a reference book or to leave out on the coffee table.

Over 80 pages of excellent photographs of the exhibit, combined with a little history of their production and detailed captions identifying each model. I enjoyed the book thoroughly and it is a great find for collectors of vintage Japanese tin toys.

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