Tomica vs Mandarin - Chevy Van

1977 Classic Chevy Cargo Van

Apologies as I have little knowledge on Chevy Van but this model is widely produced by different toy makers. I have seen productions from Tomica, Yatming, Dinky, Hotwheels etc.

I will be quite busy for the whole March so I am doing this last minute kind of comparo before I take off again. Where am I going? To the land of Tomica! In fact to 2 lands of Tomica where the collectors in these 2 regions are MUCH MUCH MUCH more serious than tiny Singapore. Some of my collector friends will benefit from my trip as 80% of my purchase goes to them. I will usually buy those older or vintage Tomica rather than the new release. So guys, wait for me till maybe end of March till early April and I should be back again with more updates on my blog.

1977 Tomica Chevrolet Chevy Van, Scale: 1/78, Made in Japan

Mandarin Chevrolet Chevyvan, Made in Singapore, Scale & Yr unknown

Model & Casting:

The Tomica looks "miniature" when compared side by side with the Mandarin. Basically the 2 models are almost identical except Tomica being sized "S". I will prefer the size of the Mandarin because the Tomica looks too small for a van. On the other hand, Tomica has nicer details, for example, the front grill and head lights are made of metal rather than plastic. The Tomica also wins slightly in terms of refinement in the lines and curves.

Tomica: 4/5

Mandarin: 3/5

Quality & Finish:

Actually there is no doubt for the Tomica, paint and fitting is excellent. The strips on the sides are painted (and nicely painted too), not decals or stickers that is pasted over. Mandarin are "famous" for being poorly built but at least this featured Mandarin does survived and made it here, less the worn decal and some paint loss.

Tomica: 4.5/5

Mandarin: 2/5

Wheels & Suspension:

On my last article on Mandarin, I omitted that Mandarin toys are or might be based on Dinky Toys too (Hong Kong Dinky). The wheels of the Mandarin are identical to Dinky and I also realised that they do share some models range as well. Dinky are well known to the British and it is always a preferred choice over Corgi. They closed down in 1974 (if I am not wrong) and production was shifted to Hong Kong, Mini Dinky was born since. Mini Dinky and Corgi Jr are equally bad actually. After all these years, Mandarin still has some suspension left which might be due to heavy play. The Tomica is in total mint condition so all wheels and suspension are still available.

Tomica: 4/5

Mandarin: 2.5/5

Base:

Tomica metal base with some details of the car against a very simple plastic base even omitting the car model.

Tomica: 4/5

Mandarin: 2/5

Desirability:

This Tomica van is quite easily available in whichever condition and doesn't really cost you an arm or a leg to buy it from eBay. If based on same condition, mint vs mint, as a serious die cast collector, the Mandarin will be worth easily 2 times more than the Tomica. The Mandarin is so rare that most collectors are willing to accept in any condition provided all parts are not missing and suspension is still sufficient for the bounce.

Tomica: 2/5

Mandarin: 4/5

Verdict on Total:

Tomica: 18.5/25, 74%

Mandarin: 13.5/25, 54%