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. 

Ain't No Hyundai: Greenlight's 1/43 Fast & Furious Series, Part 3

We've reached the last one. The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX from Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift. Perhaps the most unique of them all, it's also my favorite. Why? Because of the environment and culture depicted in the movie. Instead of the same old barren deserts or quiet downtown districts that we see in every other movie, we get bright lights in a big city, where people play soccer on the rooftops of skyrise buildings. Instead of straight-line racing, we get sideways action.

Oh, and the cars. Definitely the cars. I've already professed my love for Japanese cars before, and there's more than enough of that in the movie. If any of the diecast companies out there want to make replicas of all of the cars from Tokyo Drift, be my guest. There's probably at least a hundred unique ones that we see, and I'd gladly buy all of them. Today, we get the protagonist's main car. This is the car in which Sean masters the art of drifting, turning him from the butt of a joke to the top racer in Japan.

This is one of the more recent releases from Greenlight, and it shows. In terms of accuracy and detail, it's better than the Eclipse and Skyline I showed a few days ago. From my eyes, the only thing missing is a front splitter. Without it, the front chin looks a little awkward. Otherwise, this just might be the best replica of the movie car you can find out there.

So, if you haven't already, will you be collecting this series? From what I know, Greenlight isn't planning to stop anytime soon. There will be many more models coming in the future, some of which I can't wait to get my hands on. Hopefully. If I do, you will surely see them here on the blog!

Tuna, No Crust: Greenlight's 1/43 F&F Series, Part 1

Long story short, I'm a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise. Say what you want about the movies, the actors, and the cars, but there hasn't been any movie, ever, that's meant so much to the automotive community than F&F. In particular, it's influenced tuner culture like no other. As distasteful as some of the cars may be by today's standards, we need to remember that there was once a time for all of that. Fashions, trends, tastes, and styles come and go, and I'm sure many of you who were kids or young adults during the early F&F years wanted cars like these.

I got into these movies rather late, so I can't vouch for everyone's experiences and memories, but I can still appreciate the cars. They're flashy, excessive, and ridiculous, but ultimately iconic and nostalgic. And today, I have three of them to show. One from the first movie, one from the second, and one from the third. One car per day, how's that sound?

This is Brian O'Connor's Mitsubishi Eclipse from The Fast & The Furious, the car we see him use in the beginning of the movie before it gets blown up by Johnny Tran and his buddies. O'Connor didn't seem to be bothered by losing his car, but I guess he could never beat Toretto with this car anyways. I definitely think the tuner cars in the F&F franchise are the most iconic, and this one probably ranks second behind the Supra from the same movie. To this day, I still have no idea what the graphic on the side is supposed to represent. Whatever it is, this is the car I picture in my head every time I see an Eclipse on the road.

Greenlight does a fantastic job with these Fast & Furious cars. Some of them aren't 100% accurate to the source material, but I love the detail that they include at this price point. They retail for around $20 each, which is a bit more expensive that I would like to spend on any diecast, but in context, it's about half of what a high-end 1/43 scale piece costs. While these don't have some of the amenities of a high-end 1/43, such as photo-etch badging, plastic inserts for the grilles, and brake calipers, they're more than enough to satisfy the casual F&F fan.

Part 2 coming tomorrow!

A Tale of Two Giant Wings

STi or Evo? One of toughest questions in automotive discussion.

It's also a tough decision in diecast. Here we have two rival boy-racers, both produced by Tomica in approximate 1/64 scale. Both very, very good models that are worth getting, much like their real counterparts. Perfect combination of fun, speed, and utility in an affordable package. That's what these cars are about, and we're fortunate to live in a world where we have both options. The Evolution may be now defunct, but we all know its popularity and acclaim will never go away. The STi lives on, the current generation available only in sedan guise. Of course, both come with those massive rear wings that, like it or not, make them stand out amongst normal economy cars.

Both of the models shown here are "regular" Tomica, officially called Tomica Series in Japanese. They're intended as children's toys, but don't let that fool you. Tomica is one of the best at nailing a car's proportions, whether it's for their regular lines or premium lines. Both of these here may be the most accurate examples in all of 1/64th scale diecast. Maybe not the most detailed, but surely accurate.

The wing on the STi is a separate plastic part. The color doesn't exactly match the body color, but you can hardly tell in these photos. Tomica wheels are a subject of controversy and a turn-off to most diecast collectors. These two cars get the sportier, wider, two-tone wheels. Having grown up around these toy cars, I've gotten used to the look. I might even say that I like them. They have a classic, throwback look to them, not to mention they roll perfectly. I get that they look nothing like real wheels, but neither do any of the vintage wheels from Hot Wheels. 

And then we have the Evolution X. As you can see, it's impossible to determine which diecast model is more well done; they're both excellent. This casting has been around for years and has seen various iterations, including, but not limited to, a British patrol car, a Premium version, and numerous exclusive Event Models. This dark red example, the signature Evo X color, may be the only one you will need.