[REVIEW] Tomica Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-ES

Tomica time, Land of the Rising Sun-day is here again, and this installment is suitable in every way. Today we examine Tomica 20-4, the Nissan Skyline 2000 GT-ES. This casting entered the range in July 1982, remaining until December 1986, and is a trip back in time to the 80s:

The R30 Skyline may not be the most fanatically followed of this cult model heritage, but I think it wears its angular early 80s styling well, and is a nice looking car. The Tomica casting is also nice, with realistic proportions, ample fine line casting detail, and as this is the sunroof era of Tomica, a sunroof.  Scale is claimed to be 1:65, likely accurate.  Finely detailed tampos give additional realism. Of course, this model also has the snappy door action, crisp glazing, and springy suspension we all know and love from old Tomica. From all angles, this is quality:

Doors open to reveal a highly detailed interior (something else Tomica could do like few others at this time) and accurate steering wheel:

Front and rear have similar detail. This was the beginning of the era when front end detail was often contained in a chromed plastic piece:

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

This example is lucky enough to live in its original black box:

I am happy to have this model in my collection. It is a lovely piece of die-cast workmanship, and I like the real world vehicle. This model has another nice trait, it is relatively common. My book lists over 20 variations (all on button wheels), I have a few, and many appear to be fairly inexpensive. A nice example of why we like Tomica:

Some 1:1s from speedhunters.com, favcars.com, and cardomain.com: