Land of the Rising Sun-day, Tomica Time is here again. Today we examine Tomica F57-1, the Ferrari BB 512 (or 512 BB). This casting entered the range in January 1979, remaining until June 1986, and is nothing short of an amazing little model:
The real world car was something special, too. The Berlinetta Boxer series of 70s-80s Ferraris were mid-engined flat 12 engined marvels meant to replace the Daytona. This basic design soldiered on for over a decade, and was always exotic. The BB 512 cars date from the later 70s to early 80s, with improvements from the 365 models. The Tomica versionof the BB 512 contains the fine line casting detail and accurate proportions we enjoy from vintage Tomica. This casting has the crisp glazing and springy suspension we admire in old Tomica, and there is a detailed interior - but no opening doors. However, something else opens, more on that later. Scale is claimed to be 1:62, likely accurate, roughly the standard of small scale. From all angles, one can imagine this exotic beast of its era flying along at extra-legal speeds with nothing needed on the stereo, the engine noise was more than pleasant enough:
Front and rear have high quality detail matching the rest of the casting:
The base is plastic, a trend of the time, which allows for considerable technical and identifying detail:
This model is lucky enough to live a clean original box:
A highlight of this casting is the opening engine cover, hinged just like on the real world vehicle. This adds both realism and play value, and makes this model something to behold:
This view also shows off the engine detail:
I'm quite happy to have this casting in my collection, as it is something of a little jewel. These were also sold as Pocket Cars, and although not the cheapest model, finding a copy shouldn't break the bank:
Image of a similar 1:1 from bringatrailer.com:
One of my childhood favorites! I still have it, but it's definitely showing its high mileage.