Words courtesy of Wes Shakirov

 

Kyosho is on a bit of a roll as of late with their unexpected, detailed diecast releases such as the recent and excellent Lexus LX570 and now this, the Toyota Land Cruiser 60. These models have been evoking sorely missed and therefore much-welcome feelings of nostalgia, so perhaps it’s fitting that their latest release is an old-timer in and of itself. The Land Cruiser is an honest, barebones family car which was capable of much more than that of course, and amassed quite a following, and now it’s Kyosho’s turn to pay homage. So let’s put this old girl under the microscope and see how Kyosho did.

Getting past the standard styrofoam clamshell packaging, the entire model at first glance ticks all the boxes with no obvious shortcomings. Look closer, however, and you see that the paint is so thin that in some areas – along edges mostly – you can see the diecast metal body underneath. But what a body! You feel what you spent your money on. It’s weighty and solid and is a joy to behold. My favourite details are the metal mirrors – they feel sturdy and unbreakable, just like the rest of the car. The shutlines are somewhat inconsistent, but if you look at the 1:1, you’ll notice much of the same. This is based on a 40-year-old car after all. I’m just glad everything opens – the hood and 6 doors. They got the details right as well. The rear compartment doors can only be closed one way – one on top of the other. They captured the hook on the front bumper and another keyhole-shaped opening that presumably does something on the 1:1.

The wheels are a bit basic. They look very plasticky and I do wish they garnished them with some chrome hub caps. Then again, the original car didn’t have hub caps either. Perhaps they were an optional extra. The tires are some chunky generic items and if you flip the model upside down, you’ll spot a spare as well. While you’re under there, you’ll also notice the suspension, drivetrain and exhaust components, which – albeit basic – add depth to this area. The suspension is workable, but not by the leaf springs – those are static. Normal springs do the compressing and rebounding, and to be fair, the only functional leaf springs I’ve seen were on CMCs and maybe some old GMP models (correct me if I’m wrong here). The front subframe is particularly impressive. Work it up and down and steer the wheels and watch everything move and work in unison. Very nice!

The interior is faithful to the original, in all its mustard and brown glory with the carpet done in the colour of grandma’s couch. The dashboard and center console are well-detailed. They even included the safety sticker on the glove compartment. The front seats slide back and forth and lean forward a bit, and the seat belts are fabric. Even the weather stripping on the inside of the door goes down and all the way around the door. Unnecessary but much appreciated!

The engine looks great as well. It’s basic but complete.  A bit more colour coding would have been nice but they’ve used basic techniques to great effect here and there. I particularly like the silver wiring loom on the passenger side of the engine. I do wish the hinges were a tiny bit more complex, but the dog-legs aren’t massive either.

What we have here is another solid effort by Kyosho, in my opinion. I think this is what the collectors want and miss and are willing to pay the price for. They produced this model with a keen eye and it really shows. It’s a big, heavy model (in fact my hands got tired twirling it around for the review) with honest details and there is a simple, humble nobility about it, which is very much an attribute of the real thing. So not only does it look like the 1:1 but it intangibly feels like one as well, which is a job well done for Kyosho in my book.