[REVIEW] Tomica Nissan Fairlady 240ZG Safari Rally Version

Tomica time is here again, a real Land of the Rising Sun-day. Today we examine a casting similar to one seen lately, but also never seen here before. This is Tomica 58-1, the Nissan Fairlady 240ZG in Safari Rally livery. This casting entered the range in August 1974, remaining until September 1980, and is a real eye-catcher:

First off, this is a similar model to one posted by TheBellKing about a week ago:

But as this one is from my hoard, it is a period piece. The Tomica 240Z was a popular casting, with 24 variants per my reference book. This is one of the more obscure varieties, with numerous tampos and stickers. Scale is claimed to be 1:60, likely accurate. The casting itself is a fine piece of Tomica quality, with cast-in badging on the front fenders and rear hatch, excellent proportion, fine casting lines, and the detail I like most: headlight covers. As expected, this casting has the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we admire from vintage Tomica. From all angles, it is impossible not to notice:

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

The front and rear share similar high quality detail. From these angles one can admire the headlight covers, name cast into the license plates, matte painted hood, heating elements in the rear window, and all of the stickers and tampos:

The base is metal, which adds heft, and contains technical and identifying detail. This base has a 1975 copyright date, so production can’t be older than that, but as it has button wheels, this is evident:

This is another unboxed model I am more than pleased to have in my collection. I saw this offered for what seemed to be a reasonable price, and as I like the casting and had never seen it before, I couldn’t resist. It’s not something one sees every day:

Some 1:1s from carpower360.com, wikimedia, wordpress.com, wikipedia, and japanesenostalgiccar.com - apparently, this was a real vehicle, winner of the 1971 Safari Rally: