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. 

Something Different for a Change: My Custom Porsche 918 Spyder from LEGO's Speed Champions Line

It's not diecast, but it most certainly is car-related.

Growing up, LEGO was my main thing. I had toy cars before I had LEGO, but I always considered LEGO as my first true hobby. I've been playing and collecting them since I was five, and that hasn't stopped today. I'm largely a Star Wars collector, but I sprinkle in a little bit of other themes here and there. For example, I also collect Bionicle and I like to build with Technic. There are a few Super Heroes sets on my shelf and I have a City planned for the future.

Then, the Speed Champions line came out last year. For someone like me who's both a LEGO fan and a car enthusiast, these are the best of both worlds. The general consensus is that the line is a success, with sets flying off the shelves and even being hard-to-find at one point. It's no surprise, as LEGO and cars go hand-in-hand; there's a good chance that someone who likes cars also happens to be a LEGO fan.

For reference, here is a list of all the Speed Champions sets. If these are the first you've heard of or seen them, you may be taken aback by the inaccuracy of these models. And I don't blame you for that. The designs leave a lot to be desired. However, I see it as an opportunity to get down, exercise some creativity, and spend a little time tweaking and modifying the models. The beauty in LEGO is that nothing is set in stone. Not satisfied with how something is built from the factory? Break it up, add your own parts, and make it better. That's exactly what I did with these. This Porsche 918 Spyder is a case in point (you will see the other models in the future!).

I've put together a short little video for those who want to see full 360 degree views of my model, including its features. As per the usual, you will also see some photography below.

I won't go too far into the details as this is a diecast blog and not a LEGO one, but I will say that this model has been almost completely retooled. It doesn't share much in common with the original. It's been widened. I've gotten rid of most of the stickers and built a lot of the details myself. The interior has been upgraded to resemble the real thing. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the result. It's what I envisioned the Speed Champions line should've been.