Seeing that i’ll be away for a short trip tomorrow, i figured it’d be okay to do up just one more feature for the 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon and this time, take a seat, relax and have a look at what else was at the show beyond the crazy cars, sexy girls and mad crowds. Be warned, this post is heavily image intensive.
All good? Let’s proceed with some of the stuff that you CAN bring home from the event! If you are willing to part with some precious Yens of course. I don’t usually see postings of such stuff online, so i hope you’ll enjoy it.
You like scale models? No? Well, i love ’em, and when you are at TAS, chances are, prices would be reduced to make otakus like me open up our wallets!
See anything you like? With the prices some of these 1/43s are going for, you really ought to pick one or two or five up. I managed to find a 1/43 944 and held onto it for dear life. Top tip, if you are itching to buy stuff at the show, hit the stores first because stocks are always limited! On hindsight, i should have taken that 944 Cabriolet too, maybe a 911 also.
These gorgeous Porsches were in big 1/12 scale and while they were expensive, if i’m to be entirely honest, i felt the prices were reasonable for such scale and detail, strangely i cannot find any information on these pieces anywhere online.
I would have loved grabbing that 彼女のカレラ(Kanojo no Carrera) 964 RS but it was simply too pricey for me! No discounts on the rare stuff i guess.
Some manufacturers also brought along diecast for show goers to purchase.
If i did not have such a tight space issue at home for my diecast, i would have grabbed one of these. Ebbro 1/18s at 10,000Yen? An absolute steal if you asked me. I would have taken the Calsonic.
Or do you prefer street cars? These 1/18 EF Civics were also going for a song after a “event-only” discount.
These 1/64 JDM Hotwheels were rather pricey though. I didn’t buy any.
Even if you are not in the mood to buy, it’s still fun to just look at the showcases.
It’s like mini showrooms. Is it just me or was this generation of Civic Type-R replaced really quickly?
The Option magazine event hall had a lovely showcase of customised 1/64s.
I skipped Yokomo’s booth this year for the sake of my bank account.
Always wanted an inexpensive Kenmeri RC to potter around the house with? Well, you’re in luck!
Other than toys, there were also a lot of other automobile affiliated merchandise waiting to be picked up.
I just had to, in the right colour too!
For the Miku fans. I didn’t really see anything to buy this year.
But for some strange reason, i really wanted this bucket. With some reservations about how i was going to transport it back home i eventually dropped the idea. Shucks.
Project Mu had some lovely Moe style swag.
That sweet brolly was hella expensive.
As always, there are a lot of apparel on sale for pledging your allegiances.
These Work-aholic T-shirts were somewhat pricey but in the end, after an entire day’s worth of deliberation, i bought one. I know it might not seem like much when you just look at prices of each item individually, but trust me, they add up, they add up really really quick.
If there was a single booth that had pretty much EVERYTHING (with probably some of the smiliest staff), it was Liberty Walk.
Kato-san sure knows how to build a great brand!
Trust me, it’s impossible to visit Liberty Walk and not bring a memento home.
Liberty Walk G-Shock anyone? My heart was willing but my wallet was not.
I really should have picked up a couple of those coasters.
The other booth with a whole lot of stuff to buy? K-Break.
Their T-shirts this year were mostly black and living in a particularly warm and humid climate, black Tees are something i’m trying to move away from. Pity.
There were also a ton of stickers on sale. Didn’t seem that long ago when stickers were given out freely. I guess they realised it was a great money making opportunity.
Which makes it super awesome when you still run into brands that are willing to give them away, like BBS. Well, it did require you participating in a little online quiz before they gave it to you. Thanks to data roaming, google translate and being a BBS-nerd, i aced the quiz! (I also need to confess, i redid the quiz later on in the day just to grab another sticker sheet.)
TRD were also giving out some souvenirs. Little blow up noise making things. Always wanted a TRD blow up balloon bopper? Here you go.
VW had some really interesting items for sale.
Check out the rims on this stroller, and that tartan interior too!
A very nice GTI T-shirt, i was thinking of getting it until i flipped over the price tag…
Okay… Maybe not today…
UpGarage once again had a various assortment of “stuff” to buy. 10yen for a wheel cap anyone? Super cheap. Maybe as a paper weight? The OZ one looked really cool, should have grabbed it. I mean, what else can you buy for 10yen in Tokyo? Nothing. Really, nothing.
For those with more than 10yen to spare, there are a lot of other automotive-related goods on offer. A Varis shifter maybe?
If you are lucky, sometimes you can get items autographed by the people who made their brands famous. Here’s Nomuken doing some artwork on a little tote bag i bought.
Plastidip and similar products are readily available should you want to paint your tires a particular shade.
If you are not really interested in any of the swag and you’re only here for car parts. You can hit up the various aftermarket brands who will either take a booking for the stuff you like and have you return the next day, or they will redirect you to a dealer that’s nearest to you. For the smaller items, they usually will bring some along to the show, and yes, there will be discounts for items sold at the event. Another top tip, bring lots of cash.
I don’t think there’s any chance of you buying a set of rims off the show floor on the spot though. Might be tough lugging them back to your hotel too.
Still, it was cool to just look. A number of wheel manufacturers were reviving their classic wheel designs from the past.
BBS had a very interesting showcase of their forging process and how the wheels look at various stages of their build.
Limited edition colors for their classic LM.
Not sure how i feel about their coloured Dura wheels though.
326 Power. Too bling?
That’s much better! I hope you liked this feature. In truth, this really is just a taste of what you can find at TAS, so if you are ever heading to Tokyo for the show, go in prepared with your wallet full! (Most stores don’t take cards)
GARAGE36 