Tomica Time, Land of the Rising Sun-day, is here again. Today we take examine Tomica 69-2, the Toyota Mark II 2600 Grande. This casting entered the range in January 1978, remaining in a relatively short run until January 1980, and is a vehicle that is very representative of its time:
The late 70s were the heyday of the personal luxury coupe, and Japanese makers got in on this trend, offering numerous plushly trimmed two door models, some of them hardtops which find interesting today. This car, also known as the first gen USDM Toyota Cressida, is a perfect example - upmarket styling with a formal if not baroque front end, hardtop coupe, no doubt posh interior trim. Surprisingly (to me anyway), the Cressida was never offered in the US as a coupe - I suspect at least a few would have sold, as these models were very much based on period US market tastes, and the first Cressida was a sales success. This model contains ample fine line casting detail and accurate proportion, and contains the crisp glazing, springy suspension, and snappy door action we admire in vintage Tomica. Scale is claimed to be 1:65, likely accurate, and roughly the standard of small scale. From all angles, one can imagine this comfy cruiser wafting along a suburban thoroughfare or on a speed-reduced highway:
Doors open to reveal a detailed interior and accurate steering wheel:
Front and rear have nice detail, with the detailed chromed grille/headlight area being a nice touch:
The base is metal, which adds heft and contains plentiful identifying and technical detail:
This model is lucky enough to live in its nice original box:
I'm happy to have this model in my collection, as I like these baroque round light Cressidas, and I find this color to be pleasing:
A similar 1:1 from autoboom.co.il:
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