Dream Machine #001: Daihatsu Hijet

I first became aware of the Daihatsu Hijet Van while watching some forgettable Hong Kong action flick. A group of bank robbers all piled into a black one to not only pull the heist, but to out run the police.

I know now that quite a bit of artistic liberty was taken as to the performance of the van. Although it is quite an under-performer it still has a cult following and is an awesome van to own.

As obvious by the pictures you can see this van is small. It's not a mini van, it's a  micro van. The specs read like that of a high powered golf cart, a 1.0 three cylinder or the upgraded 1.3 four cylinder. It's a mid engine vehicle with the motor sitting under the front drivers seat. With the 1.3 motor the top speed is around 45 miles an hour. It is possible to put on larger tires and reach speeds up to 60 mph, though some question the safety of such an upgrade.

The Hijet ruffly translates to Midget in English, and although the similarly styled JDM Toyota Hiace sounds the same in name, Daihatsu was first to manufacture their van. As stated above the Hijet comes in different flavors, besides the 3 or 4 cylinder option all wheel drive is a choice as well.

Why this vehicle has a cult following has more to do with performance than it being cute. Although it seems criminally under-powered it is a mid engine vehicle with rear wheel drive. Couple with the fact that it weighs so little makes this thing a drift monster. Don't believe me, look it up on youtube and watch the little guys tear up the street (and their tires.)

So, why do I want one? Well I can't say I would drift in it, but when I open a shop it would be cool to have one as a parts runner. Believe it or not the Hijet can handle quite a load, you wont get there fast, but you will get there. Besides that it looks so JDM I would love to drive one around town just for the double takes.

Although you don't see them on the road that often, they do occasionally pop up for sale online. Usually broken in some way. As you might have thought parts are a bitch to find stateside. It helps if you have a direct line to someone in Japan that can ship parts. Something to look out for is that the truck version of this vehicle is also called the Hijet, so when you see one for sale online it might be the truck version.

As an interesting foot note a Hijet was featured on MTV's Pimp My Ride. West Coast Customs did their usual tacky paint job, but the interior was cherry. Watch it here.

For more information on owning or buying a Hijet check out Micro Van Owners Club.

Random Covers: Sexy/Cool Edition

Frankenstein the Sex Offender

 

Call me perverted but I think there's something

inappropriate for kids about this cover

The Phantom has size issues

Sexy couple indeed

More than Brothers?

Something to get excited about

Fetish Vinyl, nuff' said

download HERE

 Cute Asian Edition

Some of the above covers were harvested from LP Cover Lover

Check them out for all sorts of rare LP Covers

Recent Downloads

I review a lot of stuff I download, I don't always link to where I downloaded it. The main reason is the fact that most of the download links I originally got the stuff from has expired and no longer works. Below is some stuff I've downloaded lately and really enjoyed, this time I've added the links to the websites where you can download this stuff.

Alley Cat 1-6 (Comic Book .cbr zipped)
Link: Axon Cozy Smut
Info: Great sharity site focusing on super heroine smut
[warning] site NSFW















Rouge Force (DVD 5, R1 Untouched)

Link: Cosmogeddon

Info: Supplying the people really rare out of print DVDs

Rockem, Sockem Werewolves (fan made compilation of songs featured in films)

Link: The Manchester Morgue
Info: The go to site for hard to find and o.o.p. Sound Tracks and Movie Scores

Review: This is Skateboard Music

Skateboarding Music, what comes to mind, Punk, Hardcore Metal, Dub and Ska? That my be what ultimately came to be known as "skate music", but there was a time when skateboarding was a popular new fad and the skaters themselves had yet to identify themselves with one type of music.

Just like today when a fad burst on the scene that's as big as skateboarding there are industry people ready to make a buck off of it. As an interesting footnote in the story of modern skateboarding there was a time when skateboarding didn't have a defined sound, and the music industry tried (and failed) to make it's own brand of skateboard music.

Released by the German label Diggler "This is Skateboard Music" collects all the sad failed attempts to cash in on the new craze of skateboarding.

With most the music sounding like bad renditions of Beach Boys songs it was obvious that the record companies thought that surf style music would translate over good to the skateboard scene. Other examples are typical pop tunes of the 70's with skateboarding as a central theme.

This is a really cool collection, and something of an oddity. It would be fun to let a modern day "skate punk" sit down and listen to this all the way through and ask their opinion on the very first examples of skateboarding music.

Order it here, listen here.

Kogal Love

I had been a subscriber to She magazine from issue 1. It was a magazine devoted to cat-fight culture, girls fighting each other in movies, pro wrestling, and specialty mail order video and magazines. It was a really good magazine.

After a couple of irregular published issues, the focus changed slightly as the editor of the magazine got a English teaching position in Tokyo. Here was a Asian genre movie buff, in the VHS capitol of the world. Reading his pieces on life in Japan were a real treat.

Seeing fads come and go first hand as a high school teacher and then writing about for North American consumption gave readers a leg up on your average Japanophiles. One such craze written about in the pages of She magazine was the new Kogal fad.

The Kogal style is less drastic
now then it was

Girls were wearing bronze make-up, dying there hair blonde, and talking in surfer girl accents. Keep in mind this was in 1995 a good five years before kogal's were widely talked about in the U.S.

Although the kogal style has toned down over the years, they are still a popular social group in Japan, spawning specialty porn, beauty products, and fashion.

Johnathan Ross did a great documentry on kogal's in his spectacular BBC series Japanarama.about allsorts of Japanese bad girls or Gyaru. Submitted for your approval is the entire episode broken into three parts discussing Kogas, Gonguro, and even Yankee Girls.

Part 1

 Part 2

 

Part 3

 

 Kogal Porn DVD Covers

Recommended: Witch Doctor

Title: Witch Doctor: Vol.1 Under the Knife
Publisher: Image
Writer: Brandon Seifert
Art: Lukas Ketner
Colors: Sunny Gho

Images 2011 mini-series Witch Doctor is a fun ride meddling Witchcraft and Science. From issue one were introduced to a new mythos were demons are devils are seen as parasites feeding off the world and the human spirit the earths immune system. This device is played out in unique ways, with real life medicine interjected into the macabre. 

It's an original idea that is carried out well in it's four issue mini series format. Beautiful artwork by Seifert and color by Gho bring the script to life. This mini series set the platform for the character's in Witch Doctor that went further onto a one shot and second mini series.

The trade version collecting all the issues of volume 1 is available at amazon.com.  

Random Comic Cover

If you had any doubt about Gene Simmons and Kiss

being total sell-outs, I think this confirms it 

I didn't know Archie was Mormon....

RetroCrush #002: Nancy Sinatra

Name: Nancy Sandra Sinatra
Date of Birth: June 8, 1940 (age 71)
Home Town: Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
Occupations: Singer, Actress
Prime Years: 1965–1995

Born to the world famous American crooner Frank Sinatra, daughter Nancy could have lived in her father’s shadow forever. Luckily she was born with certain assets that made her a star in her own right.

Starting her career in 1961 as a teen pop singer, Nancy soon grew to be a sex-pot singing about sexual innuendos and acting in Beach Movies where she wore a bikini and showed off her beautiful body.

Alternating between the years as a Singer and Actor Nancy chose parts in movies and songs she sung that were of a mature nature. It’s quite obvious she didn’t want to be seen as daddy’s little girl.

With provocative album covers, and publicity stills Nancy has shown off her nice build on numerous occasions. It wasn’t until 1995 at the age of 45 that she let the world see everything she had to offer in the way of a Playboy spread. Surprisingly she still looked really good.

The playboy layout was of course airbrushed and her face did look a little tight like some plastic surgery had taken place but her body was just as good as that months centerfold. A true testament to a hard working lady.  

As of this writing she is now 71 and doesn’t look so good anymore, but at 71 who does? Still if she were to do another Playboy spread today, I have to admit I would be at the local Circle K buying a copy. Nancy, here’s to you. 

  

Old School Auto Ads

Flipping through an issue of Car Craft Magazine (May, 1975) I stumbled upon a couple of great ads. I thought I would share them here. As always, click the picture for a larger image.

Car Craft May 1975 Cover

SuperMuff!

Great Dodge Ad

T-Shirt Iron On Decals

Close-Ups Of Some of the Decals

SCORE: T-Shirts

Love T-Shirts, but I don't like wearing what everybody else has on. This preference has lead me to tracking down specialty boutiques online catering to the not so normal. Latest buys below.

Showing some love for old-school vannin

 

It's kind of hard to see in this photo but the astronaut
in yellow is sitting buy a bunch of anti-anxiety pills.
My youngest sons theory is the man in yellow is pack man,
the astro-zombies pack man's arch rivals the ghost,

and the anti-anxiety pills, power pellets

 
Crappy photo, awesome Shirt

Check out the back
[click for bigger image]

Classic JDM: Update

Since my last post on Classic JDM Cars I have received in the mail a couple of more Classic Japanese Car items. The first is issue 1-3 of Japanese Nostalgic Car available here. This really is a great read, tons of photo's and interesting pieces. Well worth the cheap price.

Next up is the professionally produced DVD of 2007 JCCS event coverage. Tons of beautifully restored and modified classic JDM cars on U.S. soil! Awesome DVD, get it here.