Now adults with money to burn on nostalgia, men are a growing market in the eyes of toymakers, who tempt them with sometimes pricey scale models that offer a quality never seen in plastic model kits aimed at kids.

A scaled-down version of the Hayabusa spacecraft has recently been generating a lot of buzz on amazon.jp, the lone sales outlet for Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Co.'s replica of the gold-plated JAXA workhorse poised above the Itokawa asteroid.

The 2,940 yen model--scheduled for release on Sept. 29--captures Hayabusa's moment in the sun, literally, using an iridescent sticker on the craft's solar panels to re-create the sunlight reflecting off the probe.

The site is currently accepting pre-orders.

Toy-car maker Tomy Co., meanwhile, is readying to release a limited edition version of the Nissan Fairlady Z 432, which was popular back in 1970, when the Tomica miniature car series began rolling off factory lines. This new model, however, is a bit more upscale: Priced at 200,000 yen, each of the 100 cars will be made of aluminum and built to order.

Pre-orders will be accepted until the end of September on Tomy's official Toy Hobby Market Web site.

In commemoration of last year's designation of Takashimaya's flagship store in Nihombashi, Tokyo, as a nationally important cultural property, the shop has begun selling a limited edition of 20 dioramas of the building and its surroundings, which includes the red-brick Tokyo Station, Bank of Japan's Old Building and Nihombashi Bridge. The miniature city also includes moving subway trains.

The diorama is about the size of a piece of B4 paper and measures about 30 centimeters tall. Orders for the 126,000 yen model can be placed in the department store's toy section or by phone.

If Ryo Ishikawa's professional golfing career doesn't work out, he can always go into modeling: This newest figurine from Bandai Co. features the young icon midswing, highlighting his expression, muscle movement and even the folds in the fabric of his clothing.

Orders for Digital Great Master Real Swing Ishikawa Ryo, priced at 12,900 yen, will be accepted until the end of September through the Premium Bandai Web site.

Information

Amazon Japan

www.amazon.co.jp

Toy Hobby Market

www.toyhobby.jp/shop/Top.do

Takashimaya

www.takashimaya.co.jp

Premium Bandai

http://p-bandai.jp

(Aug. 27, 2010)