[REVIEW] Tomica McLaren M26 Ford

Tomica time is here again, and again this is Land of the Rising Sun-day via the maker of this model. Today we examine Tomica F39-1, the McLaren M26 Ford. This casting entered the range in January 1978, remaining until December 1980, and is a nice example of a classic F1 car:

The name McLaren brings up visions of street-legal supercars to younger people, but the name has a long racing history. Tomica had a range of F1 models during the 70s, this one is in especially memorable livery, from a time when people didn’t think making a toy look realistic would turn kids into smokers. Compared to modern machines, F1 cars were quite simple during this era, and this model is also relatively simple - a few spoilers and wings, wheels, a cockpit, engine, there you go. Scale is claimed to be 1:56, likely accurate - a little larger than most small scale, but as these are not large cars, likely scaled up to add interest. This is an accurate model, so there is no crisp glazing , no springy suspension (the real car is quite firm), no snappy door action (no doors to snap). From all angles, the era of this car is abundantly clear:

The front and rear have similar detail, lots of wings here (this was apparently nicknamed “the wing car”), and one can see the quality of the tampos:

The base features some technical detail, along with complete identifying detail:

I am glad to have this in my collection. An unboxed car, it makes a nice piece in my display, as it is quite photogenic, with a famous livery:

Some 1:1 images from mclaren.com and jameshunt.com In 1978, the legendary driver James Hunt drove a M26 in similar Marlboro livery: