Tomica time is here again, today is Land of the Rising Sun-day. Today we take a look at Tomica 81-1, the Nissan President. This casting entered the range in May 1974, remaining until July 1988, and is something one doesn't see every day:
The Nissan President, a luxobarge for someone who thinks a Toyota Century is a bit too edgy and flamboyant. This model represents a second generation President, with styling that to me kind of looks like a mixture of mid-late 60s Mopar themes with a little period Mercedes-Benz mixed in. To be fair, these were intended to be traditional cars which appealed to the same customer base as the Century. The model itself represents the beginning of the golden age of Tomica, with solid fine line casting detail and good proportion. Scale is claimed to be 1:67, likely accurate, and close to the 1:64 standard, a little smaller as the real world car isn't small . This model features the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we like to see on Tomica models. One might have noticed this was in production for a long time – the 1:1 remained in production for eons, and this was still a current design. From all angles, one can imagine this being used to transport a staid executive or dignitary:
Doors open to reveal a detailed interior and accurate steering wheel:
Front and rear have similar quality detail, with the chromed front grille and lights being a nice touch, along with the model name in accurate script on the front plate:
The underside is cast in metal for detail and heft, and contains technical and identifying data:
This model is lucky enough to live in its original black box:
I'm pleased to have this casting in my collection, as it is one of those stereotypical yet seldom-seen old Japanese cars, in both model and full sized form:
A 1:1 from favcars.com:
Keyword: [REVIEW] Tomica Nissan President