Project Premiere/World Class, Day 22: Ferrari 308 GTB

Back at it with the Premiere/World Class features again.

It's been a while, but I hope you missed seeing these during the hiatus. Or, at the very least, I hope these features helped open your eyes to a great (in my opinion) series that doesn't get a whole lot of love around the internet. Maybe they've even convinced some of you to acquire some of these models for yourself. As for myself, I've still got a long way to go before completing my checklist. There are some castings that I will completely skip - semi-trucks, emergency vehicles, and fantasy rides - yet at the same time there are a number of rare, hard-to-find releases that I will patiently wait out until a reasonable price pops up.

Today, we have the classic Ferrari 308 GTB.

This is actually one of the harder-to-find releases from the World Class series. Arguably, it's also the most desirable; ending bid amounts typically go into the double-digit range - rather high for a World Class model. It's also the only 308 GTB done in the Premiere/World Class style, with the extra details and "real riders", sans the wide wheel syndrome. You'll have to live with the chrome windows, but this particular model is about as sane as it gets.

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 21: Trestarossa

I just received the red Testarossa in the mail the other day and felt compelled to post about it. So here it is!

Three Ferrari Testarossa's. Two from the Premiere series, one from the World Class series. A classic design that somehow manages to be very difficult to photograph at the same time. I'm still not happy with the way these photos turned out, but it is what it is.

While I have no qualms about the casting, there is one main issue, and that's the width of the front wheels. They stick out like a sore thumb and is a problem that reoccurs throughout these series. The castings were meant to handle mainline-type, thin-styled wheels, not the fatter ones with rubber tires that these cars have. You take the good with the bad.

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 17: An Off-Road Jaaaaag

Take a look again:

Oh no!

The culprit is a combination of the casting and the suspension that these Premiere and World Class models come with. Sometimes you have to take the good with the bad. It's too bad that one of the most beautiful exotics of all time had to be ruined. This is one of the very few that Matchbox truly messed up on. I somehow doubt it will ever make a comeback, but we'd all like to see it. The Hot Wheels version doesn't have the same issue as this one, but the casting is rather sloppy in contrast.

If you made it this far without hitting Alt+F4, I'll throw you a bone. Here's that other Jaguar XJ6 I hinted at in the last feature. Finally, freed from its cage.

Project Premiere/World Class, Day 13: Double Feature

We have a double feature today, to make up for the later-than-usual post. Not only that, I have a bunch of castings left to show and we're almost at the halfway point of the month. My goal is to cover most, if not all, of them, because they all deserve to be featured. Today, we have a rather excellent pair of models here. Two Porsches of the same era, different styles. Which one will you choose?

As someone who only has very fleeting knowledge of these Porsches, I almost thought they were the same thing, with both of them having very similar profiles. Then, I looked closer and saw that they're completely different altogether. On the one hand, we have the more shapely 928 S. It's the luxury sports car designed to be a GT. On the other hand, we have its edgier brother (both literally and figuratively), the 944 Turbo. These are two underappreciated cars that you don't usually see, read, or hear about. I certainly appreciate them now.

Both of these are done up in Matchbox World Class style. To put it simply, they are just fantastic. None of the quality issues that mar some of the other World Class releases are present here. Only crisp lines, sharp castings, smooth paint, and perfectly printed details to be found with these two. In fact, they're so good that they make an amateur photographer like me look like a professional. Amongst all of the World Class and Premiere models that I have in my collection now, these two are among the best when it comes to their all-around quality, detail, and execution.

From what I know, the 944 Turbo has also appeared in the Premiere line, in white. It's a rare release that often commands high prices on the secondary market. Keep your eyes out.