[REVIEW] Tomica Datsun Pickup

Tomica time is here again, and it’s also Land of the Rising Sun-day. Today’s vehicle is appropriate. Today we examine Tomica 96-2, the Datsun (U620) Pickup. This casting entered the range in February, 1978, and appears to be relatively hard to find. It’s an unusual piece:

Detail is typical of “golden age” Tomica, good from all sides. Scale claims to be 1:64, which I believe is accurate. This is an interesting vehicle, kind of a coupe-ute, I suspect the real thing might have been JDM only, but I can see this being a thing in Oz. Of course, there is springy suspension, snappy door action, and crisp glazing, all of which we have come to expect from Tomica of this vintage:

Doors open to reveal a detailed interior and likely accurate steering wheel:

Front and rear also have similarly accurate detail:

The metal base also has more than adequate detail:

This casting lives in a nice original black box:

I had wanted this casting for some time, but the prices were usually more than I wanted to pay. I had to hunt for awhile to find one that I could justify. I am definitely glad to have this unique little gem in my collection:

And some 1:1 examples - stock and surfer custom from oppositelock and an old promo shot from community.ratsun.net: