My third Radcast entrant today is a cult item then and now. This is Tomica 23-3, the Toyota Sprinter Carib. This casting entered the range in June 1983, and is a very distinctive vehicle:
These cars were quite popular in some areas during the 80s, mostly areas with snow, as this was one of the few 4WD passenger cars on the market. This Tomica casting leaves no doubt as to what you are looking at. Proportion and detail are accurate, and there is crisp glazing and springy suspension along with a detailed interior. Scale is stated as 1:61, likely accurate. The rear hatch opens, but won’t stay open on this example (it does on my others), so one can just imagine it. Majorette also had a casting of this car, the Tomica is a little more obscure. From all angles, you know this is a Toyota 4WD wagon:
Front and rear have similar detail, the lenses for headlights being a nice touch:
The base is metal, which adds heft and contains techical detail and identifying data:
This example lives in a nice original black box. This paint variation does not appear in my reference book, but I have seen others, maybe it was launched just as the book was printed:
I am pleased to have this example in my collection - I have a couple in the usual paint schemes as seen on the box, and this one was a bargain find. It’s a fun piece of times past, these were quite popular in my area when new, and are still seen now and then today:
Some 1:1s in original promo material from japanclassic.ru:
