[REVIEW] Tomica Fiat 131 Abarth Rally

Tomica time is here again. Like the last installment, this one is a Land of the Rising Sun-day only via the maker of the casting. Today we examine Tomica F11-2, the Fiat 131 Abarth Rally. This casting entered the range in March 1979, and is something from another era:

The 131 was a normal mild mannered family car (even sold in NA for a few years), eventually tuned by Abarth, and then like so many cars of the era, placed into competition. Tomica captures the spirit of this time perfectly. The vivid tampos and detailed stickers add realism, one can see this blasting down a road while taking part in the Monte Carlo, appropriate right now as we are in a rare February snowy period here in the PNW. The gold button wheels also add some period flair, and the fine line casting detail reminds one this is a quality product. Scale is claimed to be 1:60, likely accurate as usual. This casting features the springy suspension, crisp glazing, and snappy door action we all admire from Tomica of this era. From all angles, it pleases:

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

Front and rear have similar high quality, with endless cast-in detail, stickers adding realism, and one can really see the fender flares:

The base is plastic, a trend of the time, and has ample identifying and technical detail:

This example is fortunate enough to live in its original F series box:

Said box has some interesting detail. First, a barcode, which means it is from at least a few years into the 80s. Also an old price sticker, apparently these were not cheap at hobby shops:

I am pleased to have this in my collection. I somewhat like the real world vehicle, and the Tomica version is made so nicely, it is hard to resist. I have another in a more common tampo scheme, and it also exists in a couple red variants, which appear to be at least as scarce as this one.  I found this at a vintage toy shop in Canada last year, and although it cost a few times the original price sticker, I couldn’t pass it up.  It just looks right:

Some pics of a similar 1:1 car that won Monte Carlo in 1980 from modellismo.net, motorsport.com, and pinterest: