Another One. AUTOart's 1/18 Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 LM Limited

You can never have too much of a good thing.

Not one, not two, not three, but four:

Front to back: LM Limited, V-Spec, Nismo 400R, Nismo R-Tune

That good thing being the R33-generation GT-R. Behind those clean lines lies a monster that made the proverbial Nurburgring run in less than 8 minutes, one of (if not) the first production cars to do so. What makes this more amazing is that the R33 is no supercar, exotic, or hypercar. It's a two-door sports car based off a four-door family sedan. 

The blue example shown here is the V-Spec LM Limited edition of the R33. It's a special edition model made to commemorate Nissan entering the 24-hours of Le Mans with the race-ready R33 Nismo LM, where it finished in tenth place amongst a swarm of the top supercars of the era. Nissan produced only 98 of the LM Limited, with a mere 14 of them based on the V-Spec rather than the standard model. Since this is diecast and you can have essentially any car you want, AUTOart naturally gave us the rarest of the rare. 

Hence, the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) V-Spec LM Limited, in Championship Blue.

So, what exactly is the difference between this and the "normal" R33 other than the paint job, you ask? 

To sum it up, there are three very, very minor tidbits. Here's how it compares with the Midnight Purple V-Spec, also by AUTOart:

Lip spoiler on the hood.

Carbon-fiber wing.

Commemorative badge on the C-pillars.

That's it!

For the hardcore fans, the small differences are reason enough to get this one and the standard one. For others who are juggling between one or the other, the Championship Blue color is what usually tips the scales. I will always be more partial to any purple over any blue, but I identify as the former.

And I might not be done with just four of them either.

October Brings Two More Tomica Premium Hits

It's safe to say that Tomica has figured out what to do with its Premium line.

After an uneventful start to the line, marked by a few hits but mostly misses, Tomica has realized that the proper casting choices dictate how well their models sell. Sounds like common sense, but it took months of dull releases for them to realize this. As a huge fan of Tomica Limited back in the day, I wept for nights on end when they announced the cancellation of one of my favorite diecast product lines. As a direct successor to the Limiteds, the Premiums have yet to live up to its predecessor's glory, in my opinion. Ask anyone who collected the Limiteds and they would tell you the same. But the Premiums are getting really close.

The Premiums are brand new castings from Tomica, and they fall somewhere between children's toys and adult collector models. The details, done mostly through slick printing and tampos, are up there with the best. But the castings themselves resemble those of the regular Tomica line, lacking the sharp edges and curves of the TLV's. And it makes sense that Tomica purposely makes them like that, such as not to compete with itself.

When you look at some of the recent models, you are guaranteed to find something that interests you. Then, you look at some of the upcoming releases, such as the 300ZX, NSX Type-R, Mk.IV Supra, and a Skyline GT-R of some generation. That's when you know it's time to start getting into Tomica Premium, as I have just recently done so myself. The Lancia Stratos in Alitalia livery and Skyline 2000RS in Machine RS-esque red-with-black two-tone shown here are the two most current releases, and they are impressive to say the least.

Here We Go Again: AUTOart's 1/18 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Nismo Z-Tune

"Another one?" you ask.

Yes, Yes it is. But it's a little different this time. 

I've got the thirty-three. Three of them, in fact. I've got three of the thirty-fives as well. Time to fill in the gap. Finally, I've got the thirty-four, perhaps the holiest of holy grails to Skyline fanboys and fangirls across the world. Introducing the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R34) Nismo Z-Tune, by AUTOart, in eighteeth scale.

What you are about to see is not AUTOart's best work. Flaws are aplenty. Quality issues are aplenty. But through it all, what you will see is one magnificent model, in perhaps one of the best colors ever for the R34: Millennium Jade.

Bayside Blue comes to mind when you think about the most iconic colors in all of automobile history. Yes it's great, and I would love to add one to the collection at some point, but I'd like to contend that this is even better, and green is my least favorite of the color palette. I can't think of another car to don this shade of green and look this good doing so. It's like an olive green, but lighter and much shinier. Very metallic. Under the light, it has hues of yellow and gold to it. The color alone is what sold the model for me; never mind the fact that this is the limited-release colorway for this particular AUTOart model. 

Speaking of limited releases, this is one of 2000 units produced by AUTOart. More specifically, it's number 400 out of 2000, and you get a little certificate to show off to your friends as well, if that's your kind of thing. The general release colorways include silver, black, and (you guessed it) Bayside Blue. Can't go wrong with any of those choices, but if you can find it, get this one.

I'm sure this was a highly anticipated release when it came out, and I have to say that AUTOart missed the boat a little on this model. They usually have the whole "stance" thing figured out on all their cars, one of the few companies to consistently do so. So I'm not sure what's up with the lifted ride height up in the back. I'm not sure who signed off on this model but it seems like a pretty obvious inaccuracy to spot. Then we come to the quality issues that AUTOart has received plenty of heat for. The rear badges on my example are crooked. The paint on the bumpers doesn't perfectly match that of the rest of the body. The steering is creakier than an old set of stairs. Just a little warning for prospective collectors. I did my research and knew of these issues beforehand. I got it anyways.

Because, my god, this is one hell of a beast.