What Makes TLV so Great? A Proof of Concept

I've said before that Tomica is my favorite diecast brand, bar none. I'll probably say it again and again in future posts, so much so that it may start to become irritating. One of the product lines that it is best known for is the Tomica Limited Vintage (TLV) line, which has taken the diecast-collecting world by storm, ever since classic Japanese cars became a thing. The TLV's are said to be the absolute best 1/64's available out there. Let's see if that's the case...

Here, we have the Nissan IDx Freeflow Concept. Nissan's homage to the ever-popular Datsun 510 and a concept that may just be that, a concept. There's been no indication that this will ever make it to production. However, Tomica makes one, in 1/64 scale, and you can have one for yourself if you so desire. They also make the Nismo Concept edition of the same car, with a more aggressive and racy look. Truth be told, I actually prefer that one, but I couldn't find it. If that's option 1A, then this is option 1B.

I'm not a huge TLV collector because their models are very pricey, but I will splurge on occasion and pick up one that I really like. Being a Nissan fan, an IDx was a no-brainer inclusion to my collection. Suffice to say, this one was well worth the money. When you spend more than twenty dollars on a tiny 1/64 scale model car, you expect perfection. That's essentially what this is. The details are both superfluous and sharp. Heck, the car even has disc brakes, which you can see in the lead photo. That's not something you see everyday at this scale.

If there's one minor complaint, it's those fender-mounted side mirrors. You have to actually install those yourself. Depending on your dexterity, this can definitely be a pain to do. I'd like to think I have pretty capable hands myself, so it wasn't so bad for me. Still, for the money, I don't see why Tomica couldn't have done it themselves.

If you haven't yet jumped on the TLV bandwagon, perhaps now is the time to give it a try. Find a model that you really like, eat up the cost, and enjoy the next few months of having something awesome to stare at while you work at your desk. The demand for these is ever-increasing. Believe it or not, a lot of the models actually go up in value over time. That's quite ridiculous considering their already high starting prices. But as I always say, buy the model because you like it. And I like this one, a lot.

Greenlight's GL Muscle Series 14

I've been on a tear recently. After a brief dry spell from the holiday season, it seems stores have started to put out fresh new product on the pegs. Great for me, because I just found these three beauties the other night. They are from Greenlight, and they're from the GL Muscle series, which focuses on American sports cars, past and present.

The trio you see here are the '69 Chevrolet Yenko COPO Chevelle, '70 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442, and '71 Plymouth HEMI Cuda. The three others from this series are the '66 Shelby GT-350H, '11 Mopar Dodge Charger, and '12 Mopar Chrysler 300. All of them are stunners and are worth picking up, depending on your tastes. Today, I have these three to show you guys.

Priced at $6.99 each, they come in clamshell blisters with a collectible "trading" card, for those of you who are into that sort of thing. Me? I open them, keep the cars and toss everything else away. Which allows me to give them their much-deserved DLM treatment, like so:

We'll start with the HEMI Cuda because it's my favorite classic muscle car. This one comes in Violet, which is absolutely a great color. The HEMI vinyling is done in flat black and can be hard to see. I personally would've done it in white instead, but hey, who am I to complain?

Next, we have the Olds 442 in Custom Blue.

The color is the first thing that strikes you. White and yellow stripes finish off the look very well. And then you realize the 442 is a gorgeous car to begin with, so your hands will be itching to grab this one immediately. This particular example is based off the Goodyear Grabber vehicle, designed for off-road racing. That's what the trading card says. I honestly have no clue; I just know it looks pretty darn nice.

 

Last is the Yenko Chevelle in Daytona Yellow.

I saved the best one for last. This is my personal favorite of the three. I know Greenlight has released this model many times, but I've never found one until now. Now I understand why this one has a hard time staying on the pegs. If you're like me and you don't know a thing about classic cars, you might have only heard of Yenko from that one Fast & Furious movie with the Camaro. You don't have to know what it is to appreciate it. Killer looks.

Try as I might, I couldn't get the hood to open, so I don't have a photo for that. Nonetheless, I hope what you see here has convinced you to go out and look for some of these. The price tag is a bit on the steep side, but they're completely worth it.

Until next time!

M2 Machines: Detroit Muscle Release 32

Today, I will be featuring these three cars shown here!

It was less than a year ago that I purchased my first M2 Machines. It was the summer of 2015, and I was wandering the diecast aisle at Walmart looking for something interesting other than your run-of-the-mill Hot Wheels and Matchbox. In the middle of the aisle, I found a pretty decent selection of Auto Worlds and M2 Machines. I spotted an olive green HEMI Cuda by M2, with a black HEMI vinyl and black roof. It was a color combination I've never seen before, and it was simply stunning. I took it home with me, and that's when my M2 addiction started.



Fast forward to now and I have a few dozen of these already. M2 makes great looking models, period. However, it's a love/hate relationship with this brand. From the outside, they look amazing; look closely and you'll see so many flaws that you contemplate whether or not it was worth the money. Execution is everything in diecast, and M2 meets that only halfway. Nonetheless, they make some models worth drooling over. These three illustrate my point exactly.

They are part of the Detroit Muscle series, aimed at collectors who favor vintage American muscle cars. They retail for around $6 and come in the acrylic cases shown above, which are perfect for display. Additionally, you also get opening hoods and opening doors.

I've never been a huge muscle fan in the past. Stepping foot into M2 Machines is a large part of why I've grown to like them quite a lot. Allow me to present these three models from Release 32, the '69 Chevy Camaro SS/RS, the '71 Dodge Charger SE, and the '69 Plymouth 'Cuda.

First is the '69 Chevy Camaro SS/RS 350 Z10. The first thing that struck me was the neon-orange striping and how well it contrasts with the white paint. Camaro's are a dime a dozen in the diecast world, but this one will win over even the most jaded Camaro fan.

Next up is the '71 Dodge Charger SE 383!

This is my personal favorite of the series. From the moment I saw pictures of this floating around on the internet, I knew I had to go seek it out. I'm usually not a fan of this shade of yellow, but it looks super clean on this Charger. The white roof finishes it off perfectly.

Lastly, the '68 Plymouth 'Cuda 440!

This one instantly reminded me of my first M2. Granted, that HEMI Cuda was a '71 and this is a '69, and they're slightly different shades of green. It's just so refreshing to see a unique colorway like this one. 

Instant classic.

For those of you new to M2 Machines, you probably noticed two things. One, these models look fabulous. Two, the quality needs some work. The extra opening features come at a cost. The door gaps are atrocious and the hoods rarely close all the way. Other slight blemishes may range from scuffed wheels to mangled tires to bent axles. I've even heard stories of cars falling apart. Whatever the case, I always recommend double checking before buying a model. It's not a sure-fire method of guaranteeing a defect-free product, but it certainly is better than not doing so.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing and photographing the models! Now go out there and find some for yourself!

Racing Champions is Back!

So far, 2016 has brought quite a few significant changes to the diecast scene. For one, we've seen Target stocking various "premium" brands in addition to Hot Wheels and Matchbox. We've seen the return of Johnny Lightning. And now, we have the return of Racing Champions.

First of all, I'm completely new to this brand. I don't remember them being around when I started collecting, and I never acquired any of their models either. When I heard Racing Champions was making a return, I was quite pleased. It never hurts to have more variety in the diecast market, though the wallet may disagree. Being from the same family as Johnny Lightning and Auto World, you can expect them to do classic American muscle well. Some of you may already have their previous releases, and as I understand, these are the same castings as before. For me, this is my first taste of what Racing Champions has to offer. Let's see how they stack up!

I'm a pure DLM'er, meaning I open ALL of my cars, save for any doubles or extras. I normally don't show photos of diecast in their packaging, but I will do so here just to give you guys an idea of what to expect. I found these at Walmart. They were priced at $5.97 and are packaged in clamshell blisters, Therefore, these run for about the same as Johnny Lightning, Auto World, M2, and Greenlight. 

There are six models in this wave:

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

1968 Plymouth Road Runner

1949 Buick Riviera

1960 Chevy Impala

1965 Pontiac GTO

1956 Chevy Nomad.

Of the six, only two were not present, the Daytona and the Nomad, so I can only assume that they were snatched up by whoever got there first. That's OK, because these two models here are fantastic in their own rights. 

Opening up the blisters, you will find that they come in cardboard boxes with plastic windows. This is especially neat if you're an opener like me, because those clamshell blisters get destroyed in the process. You now have the option to store or display these models in the boxes.

I'll start with the GTO first!

This model looked fantastic from the get-go. I'm no expert on classic muscle cars, but I think this one is really fabulous with its faint yellow paint and redline tires. It comes with a plastic base, so it feels rather light and, dare I say, cheap. To some, that can be a turn-off, especially at this price. I tend to focus more on how the model looks, and this one checks all of the boxes.

The engine opens up to reveal some painted details. Surprisingly, I found that the trunk opens too, but I couldn't get a photo of it because it doesn't stay up.  

I do have one minor gripe. The red lines (or circles, rather) on the tires aren't lined up very well. Quality-wise, it's not quite as solid as its sister company Auto World. Still, if you like GTO's or classic muscle in general, you might want to consider this one.

Next we have the Road Runner. This one comes in a metallic gold/light-green color and redline tires. Unlike the GTO, it has a metal base but lacks the opening trunk. I'm not big on opening parts because I display my models closed, so this doesn't bother me. I am, however, all for details and realism, and this one is no different. 

Again, slight quality issues are present. This one has a case of poor tire fitment in addition to the redline issue.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with these two pieces, the GTO in particular. From my first impressions, Racing Champions doesn't quite have the superb quality of Auto World, but is comparable, if not better, than M2 and Greenlight. Being that these are old castings, I'd say they stack up pretty well with some of the new product out there today. The details, which are superb, are on par with the competition at this price point. Racing Champions has a new advocate, and I'm already looking forward to future releases. If there's a particular model that appeals to you, grab it! 

Thanks for reading!