[REVIEW] Tomica Mazda Cosmo AP Limited

Land of the Rising Sun-day, Tomica time is here again. This red vehicle is appropriate, as we are a week away from LALD car week, which will feature red cars on the first day. That’s in the future, today we examine another nice old Tomica. This is Tomica 55-2, the Mazda Cosmo AP Limited. This casting entered the range in February 1977, remaining until August 1980. It is an excellent model of a unique car from an era of peak Tomica:

The late 70s were a good time for Tomica, with excellent casting quality meeting or exceeding all competitors, and this model is an example, with fine casting lines in abundance. Scale is claimed to be exactly at the 1:64 benchmark, likely accurate. Being from this era, this casting has the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we expect from vintage Tomica. From all angles, it is a nice car:

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

Front and rear have similar quality, with a detailed grille and rear lights cast in. Notice a little roughness at the edge of the trunk - a typical Tomica casting quirk of the era:

The base is metal, which adds heft and contains ample detail:

This example is lucky enough to live in its nice original black box:

This is a model I am definitely glad to have in my collection. I quite like the full-size version, and this casting is far from rare - it won’t break the bank. My book only lists one variation, so it is an easy one for those who are into completion. A nice piece which is both a scale model and toy:

Some 1:1s from pinterest and wikimedia. I am a fan of the real version of this car, for its original and pleasant design, including the trim piece along the B-pillar which is a unique styling cue. These were sold in NA for maybe 2 or 3 model years around 1975-77, and are insanely rare today - but they exist. There was one on local CL a couple years ago, but it was painfully rusty and had been off the road for a long time. A mint one would be a cool car: