[REVIEW] Tomica Chevrolet Truck

Tomica time is here again, Land of the Rising Sun-day. It’s been awhile since we have seen a Tomica model of an American vehicle, and this one couldn’t be more American. Today we examine Tomica F44-1, the Chevrolet truck. This casting entered the range in April, 1978, and remained in production until January, 1980 - a relatively short run. As one can see, this casting perfectly captures the period fancy pickup movement:

Until this era, pickups had been almost exclusively basic vehicles for work or outdoors activities. But in the 70s, fancier and flashier models were added, and these became popular with suburbanites as everyday vehicles. This stepside squarebody with a rollbar would have been right at home. Scale on this casting is listed as 1:77 - seems almost a little small to me, as the casting is not tiny, but I didn’t exactly get out a micrometer to check it. As expected, detail and proportion are laudable - the only oddity is the lack of a rear window in the cab, but I have seen this from other makers too, maybe the lack of a window reinforces the cab, as it might be too weak with thin pillars all around. The paint scheme is a winner on this model, a lovely metallic blue, with eye-catching tampos. The two hitch adds play value, and chrome wheels also give it eye appeal. Of course, this model features the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we all know and love about old Tomica. From all angles, this is a flashy machine:

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

Front and rear have similarly accurate detail, with a Chevy bowtie cast in to the grille, and Chevrolet on the tailgate:

The base is metal, which adds significant heft, and gives a quality feel. The base has plenty of detail:

This is definitely a model I am glad to have in my collection. This is another unboxed survivor that has made it through 35+ years unscathed. The paint and tampos alone make it a winner. These are not extremely rare and shouldn’t be insanely expensive loose, as they were sold as Pocket Cars (although maybe not in blue), and I think many were made in that short production run. My reference book lists 15 variations. All Pocket Cars versions I have seen are yellow or brown, with rollbar or canopy. I have another one of these, slightly different, in box. It is a fun piece of the era, and is a nice casting in and of itself:

And a 1:1 from IMCBD - when I posted my other example some time ago, I remember jobjoris pointed out that it is similar to the truck used in the 80s end-of-the-cold-war mild propaganda cult classic “Red Dawn”: