Tomica Time, Land of the Rising Sunday, is here again. Today we examine Tomica 4-3, the Mazda Familia 1500XG. This casting entered the range in May 1981, remaining until May 1981, and is a vehicle type that Tomica is famous for:
That is, a normal Japanese passenger car. "Normal cars" are what attracted me to Tomica (Pocket Cars) when I was a kid, as all of the fantasy castings, racing cars, trucks, etc of other makers didn't get me going, I wanted cars one could see on the road (this Familia would have been sold in the USDM as a Mazda GLC). This casting features the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we all enjoy in vintage Tomica. Tomica hit a golden age in terms of detail and quality by the late 70s/early 80s, and this casting shows it, the sunroof especially being a nice touch that the brand used a bit during the era. The SPORTS! tampo adds character to this model, especially with the exclamation point. Scale is claimed to be 1:59, likely accurate, close to the standard of small scale. From all angles, one can imagine this hatchback out and about on a 55 mph highway:
Doors open to reveal a detailed interior and accurate steering wheel:
Front and rear have laudable detail, with the rear wiper being a nice touch:
The base is metal, which adds heft and contains technical detail and identifying data:
This model is lucky enough to live in its clean original box:
I'm happy to have this casting in my collection, as it has some charm and is a quality model of a regular car:
Images of a similar 1:1 from www2.mazda.com:
SPORTS!