[REVIEW] Tomica Nissan Gloria Van

Tomica time, Land of the Rising Sun-day, is here again. Today we examine a nice piece indeed, Tomica 47-2, the Nissan Gloria Van. This casting entered the range in January 1977, remaining until February 1979, and is a prime example of golden age Tomica:

This may seem familiar, as AlienProbe reviewed one not too long ago:

It’s a great casting, so I figured, let’s see it again. First off, the name. As one can see, it is not a “van” as we know it in North America, rather, a wagon. This must have been intended as a utility vehicle in the home market. Second, the color, wow. Tomica had some lovely blues during this era, and this color is fantastic. The color quality matches the casting itself, which has ample fine line casting detail, and good proportions. Scale is claimed to be 1:65, likely accurate. As expected from a Tomica model of this era, there is the crisp glazing and springy suspension we know and love. However, no snappy door action, as opening front doors have been traded for another feature. From all angles, this has endless eye appeal:

Front and rear have similar quality detail, and one can might notice the direct front plate, and the opening feature at rear:

The opening feature in action - rear door/hatch or active aero?

The base is metal, as usual for the era, which adds heft and contains technical and identifying detail:

This is an unboxed model I am definitely glad to have in my collection. The color is perfect, and the model itself is of the highest quality. This was one I picked up at a toy show last year in a group of mint loose Tomica for $5 apiece, who could resist? I also have a boxed one, this is a casting where duplicates are welcomed. This was also sold as a Pocket Cars, so it isn’t insanely rare, but due to its short run is also not the most common:

A 1:1 from webcarstory.com: