Skylines on a Saturday: Kyosho's Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 NISMO 400R

Gear up for a bevy of Skyline features. I've got some TLV's sitting on the shelf, already starting to collect dust, waiting to be photographed and blogged. I just received a new package yesterday containing one very, very large Godzilla that I can't wait to show. And then we have the eight Kyosho's that I mentioned in my post yesterday, possibly with four more on the way. We'll start with that. Let's go in chronological order starting with the R33, also known as my favorite Skyline. I prefer to call it the best Skyline.

This is the NISMO 400R.

Stop me if you've seen this one before.

I couldn't help but put them side-by-side for a family photo.

A fraction of the size, but with nearly all the details. Now that's impressive. That's the kind of level that Kyosho is at and if you're new to the brand, now's a great time to jump in.

This Just In: The New Kyosho Lottery Set, With More Godzilla Than You Can Handle

I just received this in the mail today and could not wait to share my excitement with you guys.

This is the brand new Kyosho NISMO set featuring, you guessed it, Godzilla itself. It's the second in the new system of Kyosho lottery sets, the first consisting of McLarens, which I kind of liked but not enough to actually go out and get a set for myself. This, however, I had to have.

These aren't your standard GT-R's; they're NISMO tuned, meaning they're even wilder than you can imagine. I've long been a fan of the NISMO department's tasteful modifications. Here we have four different versions of the GT-R, spanning three generations, with two colors of each. The scary part is that's only the half of it. There's also a four-car set, featuring each of the four models here, but in matte black. I'm currently eyeing that set and will feature it if and when the time comes. Then there's a special version of the R35 GT3 whose price is completely out of my league. If that's not enough, there are a couple 1/43 models of the Nissan 2020 Vision Gran Turismo concept along with a 1/16 remote-controlled version of the GT3. How far will you be tempted?

Skyline fanboys across the world (and I know there are a lot of you out there), this is the set for you.

As an unashamed fanboy, this was a must-buy from day one. Having missed out on the previous Kyosho Skyline series, I had to redeem myself. Kyosho makes fantastic models and usually doesn't get the accolades that TLV gets. They operate a bit differently, but the end results are some of the best 1/64 pieces you'll find on the market. I'm here to tell you guys that these are basically TLV's at a fraction of the price.

Think about it. A blind boxed Kyosho used to retail for 500 yen - that's less than $5 on a good day, whereas a TLV retails for north of $20.

How do they compare? We'll find out in the next few days. The natural comparison here would be to pit Kyosho's R35 GT-R NISMO N-Attack with TLV's and see how they stack up. Having them both in hand, I already have my mind made up, which I will disclose in a future post. Nonetheless, look forward to seeing these models in all their glory in the coming days!

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.

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.

A Hot Hatch: The TLV-N Honda Civic SiR-II

Some things just don't make sense. Like spending $20 on a 2-inch model of a Honda Civic.

I bet you could find me a 1:1 that costs less.

The good thing is I'm not the only one falling for this shenanigans. This is the Honda Civic SiR-II from the much-heralded Tomica Limited Vintage Neo line. Older releases of this model go for insane resale prices. Therefore, it's probably a wise decision to grab these while they're available. I received this in a package from Japan Booster the other day (and I would highly recommend them to anyone searching for Tomica or Kyosho models):

The GT-R's are for another day. You've seen them before here, just in different colors. The Civic is a first for me, so it was more "exciting", so to speak.

There's also a dark green one with gold five-spoke wheels, but I chose the duller grey with the cheap-looking blade wheels. Why?

I wanted to see just how good Tomytec is. Those wheels aren't easy to replicate at this scale. But they pulled it off very, very well, and that's what you expect when you spend too much money on a miniature of a mundane car.

As usual, Tomytec puts all the details of the real car into the model. I'm a fan of the blue interior, which I've heard is 100% accurate based on the trim model of this car. The wheels are a bit grainy, but I'm glad the spaces between the spokes are blacked out to give it that depth that many other TLV models are lacking.

Realistically, was it worth $20 to me? Probably not, but I'm not regretting it either.