The Land Cruiser was originally developed with military use (the Self-Defense Forces, to be precise) in mind, and is well-known for its robustness up to the current model. The first model, which appeared in 1951, was a jeep-type high-mobility vehicle, and has since evolved over three generations. Starting with the addition of an SUV model with a passenger station wagon body in 1967, various derivative models have been born and continue to the present day. Hot Wheels chose the third generation jeep-type 40 series hardtop (iron roof) model as its motif. The 40 series is a long-lived model sold in Japan and the United States from 1960 to 1984, and there are various specifications, including short, medium, and long wheelbases alone. Hot Wheels reproduces the mid-wheelbase vehicle from the late 1970s, with an oval-shaped front grille and large turn signals and positioning lights. The mustard yellow body color is representative of the 40 series.