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.

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.

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.

Godzilla is Good: Two Expensive GT-R's From Tomica Limited Vintage

Wow. How long has it been since I actually posted something on the blog?

If you're a kid, or an adult with the brain of a kid (like me), you've probably been playing too much Pokemon Go in your free time. Oh, the allure of catching them all. As a result, I haven't had the time to photograph, much less post, about my toy cars. However, the hauling never stops, and I keep on collecting no matter the situation. Over the past few weeks, I've had quite a few packages land on my doorstep, filled with goods ranging from old-school Matchbox to super-overpriced diecast pieces. Like these here.

But Godzilla is good and, as a fanboy, you do what you have to do to get these.

Here are two R35 GT-R's done by Tomytec: a NISMO GT-R dressed up in camo print and a standard GT-R in cop car guise from Abunai Deka, a show which I know nothing about. Tomytec charges more than they normally do for these two models right here. Think $40+ at retail.

No one should have to pay those prices for 1/64. Luckily, I was able to get these for not much more than your regular TLV releases. Heck, no one should have to pay those prices either, but we collectors have become so accustomed to it that it's no big deal anymore. This TLV stuff is addicting. The detail, the quality, the accuracy. Let's see what we have here.

First is the Nissan GT-R NISMO N-Attack Package in a wild camouflage pattern that will surely harm your vision. Long name, but a monster like this deserves to have one. Having this in hand, I can now see what Tomytec charges what it does for this model. The camouflage print is perfectly executed. It's no easy feat to get the patterning continuous throughout the whole car, but they pulled it off - wing and all too.

Another point of notice are the headlights, which are printed over rather than left as clear plastic.

Then, we have the Nissan GT-R Premium Edition from Abunai Deka, in police form. This one stood out to me because of the wheels, which are different from any of the other TLV GT-R releases. These are the wheels I'm familiar with: the kind I see on newer GT-R's on the streets, and the same design that Greenlight uses for its own renditions of Godzilla. It goes without saying that Tomytec does it better.

This one also has a gorgeous orange interior that none of the other TLV models have. Other than that, and a few minor details such as license plates and the cop light, there isn't anything here that's particularly unique. Why the price hike? I don't know, but if you have the chance to grab it for "cheap", it's well worth it. No other company makes Godzilla like Tomica does.