[REVIEW] Tomica Pontiac Firebird TransAm

Tomica time is here again. Also known as Land of the Rising Sun-day, but this one is on that theme only due to the maker, otherwise, this is all stars and stripes. Today we examine Tomica F42-1, the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. This casting entered the range in February 1978, and is definitely an icon of its era:

(yeah, pics are a bit bright, my other batch of a more contrasting background had a little fiber/hair stuck to the car, and I am 2000 miles away from home, can’t exactly do it again :) )

The screaming chicken Trans Am, to most people, it says “Bandit”, and is recognizable even to a non-car person. It’s hard to be more American than this, and as I am in the middle of the USA (Iowa) right now, this one seems appropriate even if I am not planning to move a truckload of Coors from Texarkana to Atlanta. Many makers had 2nd gen F-body castings, and the Tomica version is surely as good as any. Scale is claimed to be 1:68, likely accurate, this isn’t a small car, and the casting is not huge. There is plenty of fine line casting detail, and general proportion is good, although sometimes it seems just a little longer and shorter than the real world vehicle, but maybe that’s just me. The gold button wheels are very appropriate for the color scheme on this model. This casting features a wonderful flamed bird/screaming chicken hood tampo, along with the crisp glazing, snappy door action, and springy suspension we all know and love from period Tomica. From all angles, one can just see it leading Smokey on another hilarious chase:

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

Front and rear have similar detail. The inset grille/lights area, identifying this as a 1977-78 model car, are nicely done:

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

This model is lucky enough to live in a nice original F series box:

This is a model I am pleased to have in my collection. I have a few examples of this casting, and the black one seemed like a good choice for the first review. If only it had T-tops, but Tomica never got into that. A high point of malaise era domestic muscle:

And a few 1:1s from youtube, restoreamusclecar.com, mecum.com, along with a couple action scenes from Smokey and the Bandit from imcdb: