The Mitsuoka Buddy Is Getting a 1:64 Diecast Twin

It's that time of year again: the time to buy gifts for the next holiday season—for testing purposes, of course—just to make sure they're suitable to be purchased again as a gift in about 11 months.

Next month Japanese model and toy maker Tomica will release the Mitsuoka Buddy in 1:64 scale, delivering a miniature version of the retro-styled sport utility for those who were intrigued by its looks but wouldn't purchase the real thing, or by those who were simply awestruck (or horrified) by the audacity of the car.

The Mitsuoka Buddy, you may recall, was revealed in late 2020 and is based on the contemporary Toyota RAV4 wearing sheetmetal vaguely reminiscent of the Chevrolet K5 Blazer. The conversion specialist, known around the world for many polarizing styling exercises, created unique front and rear fascias for the SUV, only keeping the doors and some other body panels intact, while giving the RAV4 a new tailgate design that extends down and through the rear chrome bumper. To complete the look, Mitsuoka gave the SUV white-painted steel wheels with chrome caps and off-road tires with white lettering.