On my 146th post is the Mijo exclusive Auto-Japan series by M2
Back in 2017 the most anticipated 6 car Auto-Japan set from M2 was release first as a Walmart exclusive in which I found 5 of them. Then not long after M2 release the 2nd 6 car set as a hobby exclusive and I pre-ordered and received them in September and reviewed it here. Now M2 did a Mijo exclusive release which I again pre-ordered and received them around December.
The Mijo exclusives were packaged in clamshells with acrylic display cases. Unlike the Greenlight, these clamshells are almost like the Hot Wheels protecto pack which can be reused.
Here’s a look at the 3 car set.
So you’re probably wondering why was this release only as a 3 car set. I really don’t know and not only that their price is almost equivalent to the 6 car set that were previously released. All I know from my observation is whenever a model has the Mijo exclusive printed on the package, it would certainly be more expensive.
I normally would have pass ordering pricey exclusives whose casting I had previously acquired. What makes this special for me is the 510 with the Advan livery and the Skyline with the Yokohama livery.
My favorite casting and the reason why I pre-ordered this set. The Advan is a nice livery for the 510. M2 even had one made for 1/24 as a Walmart exclusive. That however is a 2 door unlike the 1/64 which came in 4 door. The tires even have white lettering with the Yokohama and Advan printed on it. This however is not without some issues. The body is somehow tilted to one side and there was a scratch at the top of the trunk. I contacted the seller and was told that due to its popularity they are sold out and decided to provide me an in-store credit. Not contended in having to look at a defective casting, I did a few trial and error repair until I got it straighten. I also did a touch up on the scratched surface.
Another reason to pre-order is due to the Yokohama livery on the Skyline which made it way better looking than their previous release. There was no issue with this that I can see.
The only non-racing livery on this set. The issue that I can see is difficulty in rolling the front wheels and the slightly tilted rear bumper. I am not sure why the included the Advan lettering on the tires for this non-racing livery.
As with previous releases all castings have opening hood.
Overall the 2 castings with their nice racing livery on this set were the only reason I was able to justify paying more. Yet with the QC issues I encountered this really makes me wonder whether I will still take the risk in pre-ordering M2 products or not in the future. We shall see.