Getting Introduced to Tomica Premium, with the Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo

Today's feature is Tomica Premium release number 18: the Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo. That's eighteen. That's how long it took for me to finally step foot into the money pit that is Tomica Premium, the bridge between the regular "kiddie" Tomica and the hardcore "grown-up" collector TLV. That says a lot considering that Tomica is my number one brand when it comes to diecast.

Upon its release, I was never really happy with the Premium releases. I've been a long fan of its predecessor, the Tomica Limited series, which took castings from the regular line (Series, as they call it) and spiced them up with extra details, molded wheels to match the real cars, and rubber tires. The Limited line was a stepping stone for me into the expensive, high-end diecast world. The Premium line uses brand new castings, never before used by Tomica, and gives essentially the same detail and treatment as the Limiteds, minus the rubber tires. So why the hate?

For one, I didn't like the selection of models. The first few releases were a mix of seemingly randomly chosen models ranging from sports cars to fire trucks to space vehicles. The very first release, the NISMO R34 Z-Tune, got my attention but I was never able to find it in stores. Everything afterwards was a snooze-fest for me. The horrendously modified FD RX-7, the lame aforementioned fire truck and space vehicle (both shelf warmers, by the way), a couple VW's that don't interest me, and a poorly executed Lexus race car. Looking at the most current releases, I think Tomica has finally gotten things together, and my perspective towards the Premium line has brightened up a little.

I chose this GTO to be my first because of the rare subject matter. Outside of Matchbox, I haven't seen this car done in 1/64 scale, and Matchbox did the convertible. Therefore, I quickly ordered this model off the bay and officially made it the first Tomica Premium in my collection.

As I mentioned, the wheels and tires are the major difference between the Limiteds and the Premiums. These use a two-piece plastic wheel/tire combination, and the wheels look a tad oversized because of the thin tires. The Limiteds were quite the opposite - too much tire and not enough wheel. The narrow and cambered wheels are really its downfall, but it isn't as bad in person as it looks in these photos. The Limiteds suffered from the same problem. I wasn't complaining back then, and I won't do it now either. For the price (~$10), you could probably find better. Tomica have always been expensive; that's just the nature of the beast. However, I do like this model very much, and I wouldn't mind getting a few more of these Premiums.

 I'm looking at you, 22B and R34's.

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 4: The Forgotten One

Hold your horses.

There's one more. The Big Three is actually a Big Four. The fourth member is another iconic (subjective!) 90's Japanese sports car that no one ever talks about. It's from the brand with the triple diamonds. It's the Mitsubishi 3000GT.

It's called the GTO in Japan and even has a twin in the Dodge Stealth. Whatever the name, people always seem to forget about it. Most wouldn't bat an eye if they saw one on the road. I used to think it was the ugly duckling in the group. When I played all those Need For Speed games back in the day, it was the one Japanese sports car I didn't want in my garage. Didn't look good, didn't drive well. Even though it still doesn't have the appeal that the other three titans do, it's grown on me since. The factory bodykits may be a bit much, but it's design, big and wide, is very super-car like. I'm sure they get mistaken for Ferrari's all the time, especially in the 3000GT's signature red paint.

Matchbox's casting is the convertible version, or "Spyder". Interestingly enough, they call it the Mitsubishi Spyder and not the 3000GT Spyder, which would be the more appropriate and defining name. Nonetheless, the Spyder is a rare form of the 3000GT that you won't be seeing on the streets every day. Your best chance at owning one might be these here, and you've got five options.

The Mitsubishi Spyder, as it's called, comes in five different colors in the Premiere line: the four you see here, and a yellow one that would look great in the group shot I posted yesterday with the Supra, RX-7, and 300ZX. Which means I need to quit slacking and pick one up already. The silver one is the rarer variant, coming only in the JCPenny-exclusive set that I alluded to in the Supra feature. And it's got a bit of a problem, if you haven't noticed.

The windshield has been flattened. Long story short, blame the packaging. The set comes with a display stand (which requires self-assembly) and the 8 cars, all of which are packaged tightly together in a compact cardboard box. I purchased the set, mint-in-box, and was a bit bummed when I pulled the 3000GT out, immediately noticing the defect. At the end of the day, it's best not to get too caught up with things like this. It shouldn't (and doesn't) take away from how much I love these models.

The interior detail is much like what we've seen with all the previous models from the Premiere line. This one has a little extra with the painted A/C vents. More is better.

So, which color is the best? 

I'm leaning towards the white.