TLV Model Of The Year? Enter The Lancia Delta Integrale

2016 is the first year in which I started to seriously collect TLVs. I bought my first TLV, the Mercedes 190E 2.3, a few years back. It not only put a dent in my wallet but also was an epic disappointment for something I expected to be as spectacular as the sticker price. I could never get over how awful the wheels looked. As a matter of fact, I no longer have it in my collection anymore, having dealt it away in a trade months ago. It was a rather easy decision to make at the time, and I still have zero regret about it.

Then there was the TLV Toyota Supra, third generation. Copy and paste the same story here as well. I've kept a couple along the way: the Toyota Century and the Nissan IDx. Those will stay with me forever.

This year when I opened up to getting diecast off the interwebs, I saw my options suddenly expand not only past my limits but far beyond what I ever imagined. I could now reach out and grab any model, any brand, any scale. The first thing I did was to make sure I got up to date with my favorite maker. I went and nabbed GT-R after GT-R. Those are still, to me, TLV's best efforts, personal bias notwithstanding.

However, there's one that took me by surprise, and it's this little red Lancia.

Seeing Green: Scoring a Greenlight Green Machine Dodge Charger Pursuit

The diecast gods have blessed me with another chase car.

That's two in a week, and suddenly I'm feeling very good about myself.

It's nice to get a reminder of how fun the hunt can be and how essential it is to this hobby. I used to rely solely on my weekly expeditions to the local store to get my diecast fix. Lately, I've resorted to obtaining most of my diecast from the world wide web, as a lot of what I want isn't available around here. But this past week has solidified my long-standing belief that, yes, the hunt is 90% of the fun in collecting diecast. It can be downright frustrating when stores are going through their dry spells, but damn right rewarding when they're overflowing.

So here we have the Green Machine versus the regular release of the 2015 Dodge Charger Pursuit, from the Greenlight Hot Pursuit, Series 19. I found the regular version a week ago, so it's already been liberated. I hate to say this, but I think the Green Machine will stay in its package. It's just way too rare. Too valuable. Like, you know, I could sell this down the line for a fortune and be a rich man.

I hope you realized that was sarcasm, because you know me: I open all of them. No "if"s, "and"s, or "but"s.

I vividly remember the first time I found a Green Machine. I was on the way back home from K-Day, many years ago, and I figured I would stop by Toys"R"Us for a quick peek. And there it was, the Green Machine Chrysler 300C from the Motor World series. It was pastel baby blue, and a casting I would normally have picked up. But I left the store empty-handed.

I can remember this particular event because I had never booked it so quickly to the restroom before, Seeing those vomit-inducing green wheels really gets your stomach turning. I'm glad Greenlight has started doing these Green Machines with the metallic green paint scheme in lieu of those horrendous wheels. It's like what Auto World does with its Ultra Reds, and it looks Greenlight has started figuring things out. Hopefully M2 is next in line, because those chases are just plain awful.

This one was hiding at the end of the rack, covered in shadows. I could barely make out that green paint color, but it was enough for me to instantly realize that something wasn't right. Yanked it off the pegs to confirm my suspicions. It's the first one I have in my collection, and it makes a great pair with the regular release.

Here's hoping for more.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: Scoring An Auto World Ultra Red 'Bird

Good fortune has been on my side lately.

And yes, I'm back to posting about sixty-fourths at last. I swear I'm sitting on a giant pile of tiny cars that I've accumulated in the past couple weeks. A bunch of 1/64 models, various brands, all kinds of vehicles. The usual case of brand and model diversity with me. Let's get to it.

This is Auto World's 1975 Pontiac Firebird T/A from Release 4, in Ultra Red form. If you don't know what an Ultra Red is, it's like a $uper Treasure Hunt for the Auto World. If you don't know what Auto World is, then you need help. You're missing out on, hands down, the best diecast brand you can find stateside. You don't get better bang (quality, detail, etc.) for your buck. Check it out.

An Ultra Red is a rare color variant of any Auto World release. All you have to do is look for the shiny candy apple red color, but don't get mixed up with releases that normally come in any shade of red. You'll notice immediately that the color of the car doesn't match what's shown on the packaging. Auto World doesn't have a large following of hoarders the way the Mattel brands do, which means your chances of finding an Ultra Red are very good if you keep looking. In the past eight or so years of collecting, how many $uper Treasure Hunts have I found in the wild? Zero. How many Ultra Reds have I found in the past year alone? Two.

Go get 'em.

What I like most about Ultra Reds is that Auto World keeps them realistic. The other brands (Greenlight, M2 Machines, etc.) make their "chase" cars uglier than their normal versions, typically opting for brightly colored tires and flashy trim. I've passed on Green Machines before because I knew I wouldn't be able to look at them without puking. These Ultra Reds are keepers. And the only way to do them justice is to free them.

Oh, and just for fun, I'm throwing in the other Ultra Red in my collection. It's a good one.

...and then paired with the regular release of this model, in silver.

Who Did It Better? Two NISMO GT-R's Fighting For The Top Spot

Black: TLV.

White: Kyosho.

Ready.
Set.
Fight.

It's almost not a fair comparison to begin with. The TLV costs about double what the Kyosho does. Both are such fantastic models that it's a heresy to pick a winner and a loser in this battle. And truth be told, there should be a third contestant, Oversteer. In any case, there's one that's clearly superior, and you might already be able to guess which one.

Let's start on a macro level and then examine them in closer detail. First, the proportions and the bodywork. Both are exactly the same. If you pulled the wheels off, stripped the paint, and compared them, you would not be able to discern one from the other. From the moment I saw the Kyosho through its clear window packaging, I knew I had made a good choice buying the set. The model just looks right. Can't say the same about the Oversteer model, which is wrong on so many levels, and which is why I didn't bother getting one of those.

While they look similar from afar, these two brands took different approaches to replicating the NISMO GT-R. TLV opts for a gunmetal finish to mimic the carbon-fiber trim on the real car; Kyosho goes with flat black instead. This is reflected on the front grille, bumper skirts, and rear wing. I prefer the gunmetal look. As production processes become more advanced, we might one day see carbon-fiber print at this scale.

In fact, there is a Tomica in my collection that has just that. Hint: it's also a R35 GT-R.

Throughout the car, the TLV simply has more depth on virtually every concave surface. It's most evident in the front grille section. This gives it that realistic, larger-than-scale, look that is unmatched in the diecast industry. I couldn't get it photographed properly, but the TLV's detailing carries into the interior with its red racing seats.

The TLV also rides slightly higher than the Kyosho, most of which is due to its larger wheels. And that's how it's supposed to be. The wheels on the Kyosho aren't large enough in diameter or width. TLV nails it. Bonus points for the brake details and (here comes the knockout punch) the NISMO badge on the rim, neither of which the Kyosho has.

I think it's pretty much game over at this point.

At the rear, both models are very similar. Again, more depth from the TLV, particularly with the exhaust. Should I mention that I had to push in one of the Kyosho's taillights because it was about to pop out?

Also worth nothing: the TLV has a weightier and higher-quality feel, if you're into that kind of thing.

At the end of the day, you can't go wrong with either. Kyosho puts up a heck of a fight but has a few compromises due to its lower price. The TLV is superior in virtually every facet. Tomytec once again defends its title as King of the R35.

This is one of those situations that calls for "why not both?"

Is the Kyosho worth it? Totally.

Is the TLV worth twice the price of the Kyosho? Hell yes.