[REVIEW] Tomica Toyota Celica LB 2000GT

Tomica time is here again, also Land of the Rising Sun-day. Today we examine a casting very much of its time. This is Tomica 33-3, the Toyota Celica (A40) LB 2000GT. This casting entered the range in July 1978, and remained until April 1982, when it was replaced by the new style more angular Celica. This is very much a product of when Tomica was at its zenith:

Not that Tomica from today or from before this time are anything to sneeze at, but there’s a period from the late 70s through mid 80s when the brand really hit its stride. I think this high standard is shown in this casting. Scale is claimed to be 1:63, likely accurate as usual. There is plenty of fine casting detail, and the silver B-pillar tampo with accurate “Celica” font adds much realism. One can also see this is from the “sunroof era” as a I call it, a time when numerous Tomica models had glazed sunroofs like this, a nice touch. This casting features the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we all know and love about old Tomica. From all angles, this is a quality model:

Doors open to reveal a detailed interior with accurate steering wheel:

Front and rear detail is just as nice, the the chrome grille and black bumpers helping with the precise feel:

The base is plastic, which helps add black bumpers, and likely enables finer or at least more easily cast detail than metal:

I am definitely glad to have this model in my collection. These cars are kind of a childhood memory for me - being a kid on the west coast in the 80s, these were everywhere, and can still be found, although now are much less common. It is also a high quality casting. I have a few of these boxed - in red, black, and white (Supra tampos), this example is another loose survivor. And if you like it, rejoice - it is not too rare, and was sold as a Pocket Cars, so it likely won’t break the bank:

A couples 1:1s from cargurus.com and momentcar.com: