Chibi Cars: A tooned modelcar world FEATURETTE
What the heck are CHIBI CARS?
They are literally rising from absolutely nowhere: Chibi cars. Numerous different manufacturers have them in their programme, such as Hot Wheels, YM Model or, more recently, MGA. But what exactly are chibi cars and why do we need them? We get to the bottom of it here.
In short: the origin of the whole thing can be traced back to Japan, as chibi is a form of illustration from the Japanese manga and anime genre. Chibi means like ‘tiny’. This character illustration depicts figures in a very childlike form. In the illustration, the head puffs up while the body becomes smaller. The chibi is then a heavily shrunken, even deformed, chubby mini version of the respective comic or manga character. The chibi style is used to depict different emotions in illustration or animation, such as being in love, but also anger and fear, panic, discomfort or joy. Chibi used to be a good way to liven up the comic storyline a little, and today there are even completely separate manga and anime series in pure chibi style. And now model cars too! If you search the internet, you will quickly find drawings depicting cars in chibi style. The chibi style is also particularly popular among car enthusiasts when it comes to stickers, especially for Japanese models.
Chibi cars in detail: Tooned by Hot Wheels
The term ‘tiny’ says it all: the 1:64 scale models are already so small that they can easily fit on an adult's hand. However, the Chibi Cars are even smaller in length. As they are pressed in from the front and rear, so to speak, the body is pushed upwards. As a result, the model is smaller in length but significantly taller than the normal car. And this is where the first differences become noticeable: Hot Wheels remains true to its line and keeps the wheel size the same in diameter. The front wheels also generally remain the same as the rear wheels at Hot Wheels. This is surprising, as Hot Wheels has been known for years to have larger wheels at the rear of all its cars than at the front. Many collectors did not like this. The MC12 or LaFerrari from Hot Wheels, for example, didn't really look good with their different dimensions in the side profile.
With the Chibi Cars, however, this could have been introduced without any problems! In any case, there is now a whole range of Chibi Cars from Hot Wheels, but only from the cheapest mainline series. Collectors are still waiting in vain for premium models with rubber wheels. In the Hot Wheels model range, it is particularly noticeable that the same model that is available as a Chibi Car is usually also released as a normal Hot Wheels model. This includes the Mazda RX3 models from Mad Mike, the Nissan Skyline LBWK Kenmeri or even the Dodge Charger and the Toyota Supra from the Fast and Furious films. They have all already been released as regular vehicles with the right proportions. The Porsche 911 or Golf MK1 have also been produced as tooned models.
Chibi Cars in Detail: Car Tuned by MGA
Brand new on the market are the Car Tuned models, which are particularly stirring up the American market. This is because all models are exclusively US cars such as the Chevy Blazer, Bel-Air, Camaro or C10. Chevrolet, which generally has a very large variety of legendary vehicles, makes up the majority of the models. The models are available individually but also in duo or triple packs. In contrast to Hot Wheels, rubber wheels are standard here, as is the fact that the front and rear wheels have different dimensions. A certain collector's trend has also emerged with the Car Tuned models, as there are so-called Chasers, rare models that are difficult to find and are offered on the Internet for expensive money. You can find out more about this and the chibi cars from Car Tuned in our video:
Chibi Cars in Detail: YM Model meets Era Q
Our last example in Chibi fashion is a very exclusive model from YM Model.
Normally we know the brand from very detailed models with an extremely high level of quality.
This is also reflected in the price, as both Error404 models and YM Model vehicles are priced between $50 and $100.
This Toyota GT86 was created in collaboration with Era Q and comes with the famous HKS paint finish and Pandem body kit.
Ducktail and large rear spoiler are also included as well as the exhaust system modified from double to single exhaust plus a tow hook as a replacement.
The model makes a fantastic impression and is an absolute eye-catcher in any collection.
Whats next?
Especially with Hot Wheels and Car Tuned, we know that the Chibi Car fandom will continue. This is because Hot Wheels has already announced further models and Car Tuned is labelling its models with ‘Series 1’ and so on itself. It is therefore virtually certain that MGA will continue to release great models as and when it feels like it. Because one thing is clear: Chibi Cars are no longer just cute models that amuse people but have become a permanent fixture in the world of cars. Especially as a surprise gift, these cute vehicles conjure up a grin on the face of every car fan in addition to a surprised "What the heck is that?!"
