#485 TOMICA - NISSAN CABALL (No. 54), ISUZU ELF (No. 35, 36, 37), MITSUBISHI FUSO BUS (No. 41) and GREYHOUND BUS (No. F49, 222) (1975, 1971, 1979 and 1974)

Until now, all entries dealing with Tomica showed cars, but Tomica always had in its catalogues many other types of vehicles. In this entry we will check 2 Buses and 2 trucks. One of each type were bought in the mid 80s, and the other two have been bought in the last 4 or 5 years in different flea markets.

 

 

 

The first truck is a Nissan Caball in orange. It has a telescopic ladder with a small container on the front (known as "cherry picker"). This truck had several versions with different reference numbers. This one is the "Power Company Service", which is identical to the "Telephone Truck" and "Utility Truck", except for the colour. Available between 1975 and 1988. Scale: 1:68.

 

 

The second truck is a Isuzu Elf catering truck for JAL (Japan Air Lines) and has a movable container, that can be lifted. Both this truck and the previous one are based in Japanese models, so for Europeans, they are quite exotic. The Isuzu Elf had several versions, as we can deduct from having three reference numbers. The Catering truck was first released in 1971 and last in 1997, although those last versions seem to represent a newer version of the Isuzu model. Scale: 1:67.

 

 

The first bus is the Greyhound Bus MC-8 in grey (Nr. 222-F49) ad 1:156 scale. It has a very nice design, so were the busses in the 70s! (the model is copyrighted in 1979). As a child, I can remember, this was my least favorite Tomica toy, since I couldn´t tell the front from the back, and I never knew if I was pushing it in the right direction or in "reverse". Scale 1:156.

 

 

The second bus is older than the first one (it is copyrighted 1974), and it is marked Mitsubishi Fuso Bus, and it´s the only Tomica I own with that kind of wheels. It is a Japanese bus decorated in orange and white with the inscription "Airport Bus Service". This same model was reissued in a "Bus set" recently, but with other kind of wheels. I think it might be a rare model, since there are no pictures on google of this model with these wheels, and my Tomica list it is not listed. Scale 1:156.

 

 

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: NISSAN CABALL (No. 54), ISUZU ELF (No. 35, 36, 37), MITSUBISHI FUSO BUS (No. 41) and Greyhound Bus (No. F49, 222)
• Scale: 1:67, 1:68 and 1:156 (Buses)
• Year: 1975, 1971, 1979 and 1974 (respectively)
• Company: Tomica (Japan)
• Size: approx. 6 cm