Box of 22 new Tomicas! Which is best, which is worst, and how are they ranked?

A fresh box of new Tomicas just arrived all the way from Hong Kong!  22 new-to-me models, all freshly made and double sealed in plastic!  But not all of the castings are new, some are older castings that I never wanted badly enough to buy before, two or three are just color/police/fire variations of castings I already have.  But some of them ARE new, and some of them are unbelievably cool, while some are nothing more than letdowns...  so how do they rank?   Read on!

The first step is to separate them into broad groupings...  the awesomely cool contenders, the letdowns, and the broad middle ground of ok/reasonable castings.  In truth however, they quickly separate into not 3, but 7 distinct groupings.  From last to first, (and in the below photo from left to right), here are the 22 worst to best of my newest Tomica models:

#22:  London double decker bus in red, #95.  An old casting, never bought due to lack of interest.  Not really bad, just kind of boring and very underscaled.  Roughly comparable to the ubiquitous (and equally uninteresting and equally under-scaled) Matchbox casting.

#21:  Nissan Note in copper, #48. This is one more somewhat boring casting of a somewhat boring economy car.  The lack of any opening features makes it even weaker.  Still better than some of the awful new models from Matchbox and Hot Wheels, so I'm OK with the decision to buy it, it's just not at all, and never will be, a favorite. 

#20:  Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz in pink, Tomica Premium #25.  Overall I'm a HUGE fan of the Tomica Premium line - offering excellent detail (especially wheels!) and great castings for not too much more money than an ordinary Tomica casting (and at far better price points, and more normal scales, than the Tomica Vintage line that I always think I want to love but am unable to...).  So what's the deal with this model?  Well, partly its just too dang small.  A real Eldorado is almost twice the length of a late '80's Celica All-Trac (another Premium casting), not the same length.  And even without comparing it, it just feels a little plasticky.  It seems pretty nice until you pick it up.  The worst example of the Tomica Premium line that I've yet found. 

#19:  Nissan Serena e-Power in white, # 52.  I'm a big fan of Tomica minivans, even the less exciting examples.  This Serena is one of the less exciting ones, and in fact I already have this casting, but not in white, so out of loyalty to Tomica minivans I felt like I had to get it.  On the plus side, it does have an opening tailgate as well as distinct glass (plastic) headlights.  Overall an OK casting, just not one to get overly excited about. 

#18:  Dodge Viper GTS in red, # 11.  This one looked nice as I pulled it out of the box, but then I noticed its a little small, it's rounded shape isn't overly well modeled, and it doesn't have any opening parts.  It kind of reminds me of the boring red (same color) Mazda RX8 from 10-12 years ago, though I like the Viper a little bit more.

#17:  Lotus 3-Eleven in green, # 112:  This casting was one of the harder ones for me to decide where it belonged.  It doesn't help that I'm not familiar with the real car, and that the (supposedly real) car doesn't really look like what I think a car is supposed to look like (I'm not a fan of the Polaris Slingshot either!).  On the other hand, it DOES look kind of cool...   ...and the paint is somehow really cool-looking.... 

#16:  Daihatsu Cast in lime green, #46:  Another casting that I wasn't sure where to place.  I can't decide whether it looks cool or is super ugly.  A model of a real car that I'm not familiar with, though it appears to have a bit of a Mini Countryman vibe.  Not sure if its an economy car, a microvan, or a cute-ute SUV.  Extra points for the opening rear hatch.  The paint is pretty cool too, a lustrous lime green with a white roof.  The overall conclusion is inconclusive, other than that I'm glad I've got it!

#15:  Subaru WRX S4 Unmarked Police Car in grey, #2:  Tomica's done a bunch of uninspiring WRXs, which is sad since a WRX is such an inspiring car!  This WRX casting is better than several of the earlier ones, but still not overly great.  Kind of bland...  It has an opening hood, though I'd rather it have opening doors.  The scale is right on and the paint is not bad, so somehow it got to #15. 

At this point we move into models that were more liked, so I photographed fronts and backs...

#14:  Nissan X-Trail Fire Chief in red, #1.  X-Trails always remind me of the rattle-trap X-Trail that I rented on a vacation on the washed-out dirt roads of Costa Rica, so I always tremble a little bit when I see an X-Trail (they aren't sold in the USA - so I don't get much of a chance to change my opinion of them).  The new Tomica model models the updated X-Trail (which has a Mazda CX3 vibe) very well, with no opening features but a nice size and scale, excellent detail and clear lens headlights.  The red fire-truck paint is a good choice for the model, overall the effect is quite handsome.  If you don't have this model, I'd recommend that you get it!

#13:  Toyota Prius in white, #50:  I hate Priuses in real life.  There is nothing sporty or interesting about them for me.  But how much I like or dis-like a car in real life has VERY little to do with how much I like it in 1/64th scale, and this Prius is an excellent example of this.  This is a very well done model of a Prius.  The new Prius is even more weird looking than the previous versions of the Prius, and the model captures all the weirdness exactly correctly.  The model perfectly captures the Prius' nerdiness.  Plus it has an opening back hatch...  Overall, I probably should have rated it higher than #13 - and if it had been a model of any car OTHER than a Prius, I probably would have!

#12:  Lexus RC F in white, # 13:  Unlike the Prius, RC F's DO look cool in real life, and this model does a pretty good job of capturing it.  It looks fast and powerful.  I particularly like the opening doors, the view from the rear end, and have always been a fan of Tomica's cheap "these look like super fast" wheels (also on the WRX).  I DIDN'T like the contrasting black paint on the top of the car - I'd have prefered if it was all in white.  One of the nicer Lexus' that Tomica has done. 

#11:  Hitachi Wheel Loader in orange, #71:  Another hard one to place.  On the negative side, it is ultra small scale - even small absolutely relative to the other models here, let alone how large it should have been to stay in 1/64 scale.  It is also very plasticky.  But on the other hand, the bucket raises AND tips, and the model has a working hinge in the middle of the chassis.  There have been so many cheapo 2.75 inch wheel loader models made that had only 1, or none , of the above 3 moving parts, that I had to give credit to the functionality in this model! 

#10:  JSDF Armored Vehicle in army green, #114:  This is a bit of a cheater model, in that I ALREADY have this exact model.  I bought a second one since I like it so much, and figured that I needed one to give away to the next little kid that I wanted to give a car to.  The detail is over-the-top, the doors open in a really cool way, it has big tough wheels on it, etc.  Overall a favorite model.  Get it if you don't already have it.

#9:  Toyota FJ Police Car in green, #31:  I've got this casting in orange and was somewhat impressed by it, so when I saw the alternate police version of it, I quickly selected it.  The roof rack adds substantiality to an already substantial casting, such that I like this version more than the civilian version.  Opening doors would have been nice and would have moved it higher in the standings.

#8:  Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV in gray, #70:  Regular readers of my blog know that I'm a sucker for a well-done SUV, even when its a crossover SUV.  I like the size of this one - its big and somewhat squared off (in a rounded way).  The metal detail-work is well done, it's got separate glass/plastic headlights, an opening hatch, and overall it just looks right.  You need this casting if you don't already have it!

#7:  Alsok Cash Truck in white, #34:  Many people will see this casting as just one more standard example of a medium duty commercial chassis with a plastic box on the back, but I've really enjoyed Tomica's medium duty chassis, especially some of the Cantor models, and this Isuzu is a worthy addition to that proud heritage.  If you've liked the other chassis trucks, you'll like this one even more.  If you haven't liked them, then save your money - you won't like this one either.  FYI - the plastic cash box on the back has nothing special about it - the trim is drawn in rather than molded.  All of the appeal of this model is in the chassis...

#6:  Kobelco All Terrain Crain in teal/white/gray, # 133:  In a word...  "Wow!".  Big, long and heavy!  This one feels like quality!  Easily the heftiest Tomica I've ever owned.   It's got a telescoping arm and a working turntable.  On the down side, the arm looks like it should telescope even more.  And even as good as it is, it still gets easily beaten by the KDW truck crane that I bought and reviewed 3 years ago.  But for a Tomica model, its great.  Period. 

#5:  Acura NSX in maroon, # 43:  I'm not a fan of the new NSX, but this one looks GREAT!  I really didn't expect to like it as much as I do.  I like this one for all the reasons that I didn't like the Viper GTS.  Just a great model of a sports car, that makes you want to get out your inner seven year old and get down on the carpet and zoom it around.  It deserves to be in a higher position, except that the next 4 models are even cooler!

#4:  Hitachi Rigid Dump Truck in orange, #102:  Boy, do I love off-road dumps...  I have since I first got my yellow Matchbox Lesney Faun dump truck back in the early 1980's along with my Tomica Hitachi off-road dump in green.  And Tomica's recently done some great other orange heavy construction equipment, but this newest casting is another winner.  Big, tough and heavy, with exquisite detail, a soft-closing dump and big tough wheels.  I love the orange paint and the black and white "Hitachi" lettering.  If you like dumps, then this is YOUR truck!

#3:  Lamborghini Huracan in orange-yellow, #34:  I didn't expect to like this model.  I almost didn't buy it.  On the website it looked flat and boring, similar to the many Hot Wheels Lamborghini models that all feel the same.  But in the metal it just FELT GREAT!  It's got matte-finish orange paint, traditional Tomica "fast-car" wheels - but this time with a gold rather than silver trim ring on them, a see-through engine window, etc.  But none of this is why the casting is so good - instead its just an overall excellent model, done just right. 

#2:  Nissan GT-R in bronze, # 23:  Tomica's done A LOT of GT-Rs over the years.  Some of the Premium GT-Rs are gorgeous models, and this GT-R is just as good.  Like the Lamborghini, I almost didn't buy it, figuring that it would just be another GT-R, but instead this one feels special.  The metallic bronze paint is beautiful, the opening doors reveal a highly detailed and easy to see into interior, the headlights are glass, the metal trim is spot-on, etc.  This car is BEAUTIFUL.  Given some of the lame basic Tomica models over the years (including the afore-mentioned RX-8), this one is an absolute revelation. 

#1:  Mercedes G-Class in silver, #35:  I had no reservations about buying this one.  I knew I wanted it from the time I saw it on the website.  And in real life it doesn't disappoint.  A wonderful square SUV with EXCELLENT heft.  Opening doors.  Unusual new tough-looking wheels.  Ridiculous levels of metal detail in the casting.  I should buy 5 more examples so I can give them away to kids and show them how excellent a model can be.  Destined to be one of my favorite Tomica models of all time...

A slightly uncommon car.... Corgi Junior Porsche 917

I like featuring unique and unusual cars/pieces from my collection on this blog.  Sometimes they are extremely rare.  Sometimes just something different from the ordinary.  And sometimes they are ordinary pieces after all, but ones that I like a lot.  

Some would say that there is nothing overly special about this car, a beat-up model of a mighty Porsche 917 race car, modeled by Corgi Junior.  But Corgi Juniors are already somewhat rare models, and this model has a nice feel to it.  

One of the things I like most about it is its size...   It is big and imposing taking up every millimeter of a standard slot in a Matchbox collector case.  Hot Wheels did an excellent 917 as one of the earlier entries in their Adult Collectible series (sold as part of the 4 piece Porsche set in the late '90s), but while that model had great realism / detail and an opening back, it always struck me as being a little small.  In contrast, this Corgi is imposing, scaring other race cars right off the starting grid.  

In other comments, I wouldn't have minded a more race-car-oriented paint scheme (not even a number on the side), and the gold color is rather bland and unexciting (think mid '00s gold Lexus RX300s!).  But the car rolls well on its standard issue wheel.  

Overall, a nice car that deserves a quick mention on this (heavily read) blog...! 

Nissan Ambulances - by Tomica

Ambulances are an interesting segment of die-cast culture, and this is actually my 2nd post that is just about ambulances, which is odd since I'm not an OVERLY huge fan of ambulances... 

Anyway, Tomica has a huge variety of minivans (see my recent minivan post), and therefore have a lot of castings that they can make into ambulances, resulting in 4-5 distinct ambulances made from Nissan vans!

I actually have 4, with a 5th being a police van that seems like it could double for an ambulance...  I've shown them in order of age, oldest to newest, with the first one (a Nissan Caball) being more of a police van.  The 4th is the El Grand and is the same casting as the safety car El Grand shown in my Tomica van post.

All are nice castings, you won't go wrong with any of them.  As usual the older ones feel nicer and higher quality, though none are cheap-feeling.

I particularly like the 2nd oldest Caravan-based ambulance.  It's rear opens (though it doesn't stay open for a photo).  It is still old enough to be made in Japan, and has that silky suspension that older Tomicas are known for.

Overall, incredible to find 5 ambulance models all by Nissan, all made by Tomica...

Corgi Error! "Porsche" BMW E30 M3...

This is a nice casting, an E30 BMW M3 race car, by Corgi, in bright orange. 

The wheels are unfortunate - standard ugly cheap-looking Corgi wheels, and there is no paint detail (taillights, etc.) other than the Canon, Castrol and #44 tampos. 


But the metal casting has nice and clear detail, clearly showing the kidney grill, lights, etc.  And its a somewhat unusual subject - while enthusiasts love the 1st generation M3, it's not a frequently modeled die-cast car. 

But what makes this casting so unusual in my eyes, is what it says on the bottom...  "Porsche"! 

Really Corgi?  I know you were a British company, but still, Germany's not that far away...   You didn't know the difference between a Porsche and a BMW? 

I don't know if this is a 1-off example, a known-error, or whether all of these M3s were labeled as Porsches...  I have 2 Corgi collecting books published by Schiffer.  The Dr. Force book ends prior to the introduction of more modern toys like this BMW/Porsche.  The Manzke guide goes up past the Mattel era, but makes no mention of this individual casting (or the possibility of an error on the baseplate). 

I have some error cards, where the blisterpack card mis-labels a car.   For instance, I think I have a Matchbox Chevy Tahoe (like the one featured in my "Battle of the Full Size SUVs part III") still mint on card, where the card says that its an ambulance...  But I've never seen a casting baseplate error like this before! 

Can you spot the common (but uncommon) theme among these vintage die-cast models?

What you see before you are 4 vintage die-cast models from the 1960s (and in one case, the 1980s).  A Matchbox by Lesney Mercedes 300 SE, an Impy Roadmaster Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, a Road Champs C4 Corvette, and a Topper Johnny Lightning Cadillac Eldorado.  With the exception of the Road Champs Corvette, all are highly regarded and sought after castings... 

But do you know that there is a common - but actually very uncommon - theme that unites these 4 castings?  Can you guess what it is? 

These castings unusual trait that they all share, is that all have 2 types of opening pieces - both doors and trunk/hood! 

It wasn't unusual for die-cast cars of this era to have an opening part.  In fact, most models had something on them that moved.  For Lesney era Matchbox, it was typically opening doors.  When Mattel's Hot Wheels burst onto the scene, they ushered in the mainstream era of opening hoods.  But in almost all cases, there was just ONE opening item, not doors AND hood or trunk... 

This may not seem unusual today, when M2 Castline models have hood, doors and trunk that all open.  But while that seems nice in theory, the M2 Castlines - and other premium cars of today - just don't have the heft and allure, and are never are able to capture my interest and imagination the way that the vintage toys do.

This Matchbox Mercedes is the ONLY Lesney era (and non-Super-King) Matchbox model that I know of with 2 opening features!  And even more interesting, once it converted from regular wheels to transitional superfast wheels it gradually LOST its opening doors.  Therefore the gold transitional model is available both with opening doors and with cast shut doors (though the trunk still opens on both - see below photos).  If you are ever shopping for this transitional superfast car, be aware of the difference, and try to find the one with the opening doors!  

The car was also available in a superfast "Staff Car" army green version, with NEITHER opening doors nor opening trunk.  This is actually a model that I don't have... 

I prefer the classy blue paint color of the regular wheels model to the more gaudy Harvest Gold of the superfast - it just looks more aristocratic and elegant - befitting of such a high-end car....  The regular wheels car is also available in green - though the blue looks nicer!

Some of you readers may know that while the Matchbox Mercedes is unusual in it's line for offering 2 opening features, the Impy Rolls Royce is unusual in IT'S line for ONLY offering 2 opening features.  Many of its stable-mates actually had opening doors, trunk AND hood...!  (At some point I'll do a post just about Impy's so you can see this....). 

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Let me know if anyone actually guessed the common theme before reading about it...!

Can a new Matchbox "Superfast" late '60s Cougar beat the original Superfast Cougar?

What a comparison opportunity...  The new Matchbox "Superfast" casting of a 1st Generation Mercury Cougar, in a pea-green, with super-fast-esque wheels and painted trim.  A pretty nice car...!

Except, that oddly, Matchbox had already made a "Superfast" casting of a 1st generation Mercury Cougar in almost the same pea-green color - 40 years ago.... 

2 almost identical castings - made by the same company - 40 years apart...  Sounds like an ideal opportunity for a comparison test.  Can the new casting compete with the vintage casting...? 

Of course, you all know the answer...  There is no possible way that the new casting can compete with the vintage casting, made in the golden age of Matchbox models.  But its still a fun comparison.

While the new one looks nice on its own, with nicely painted backlights and headlights, when it's set side-by-side with the vintage model the inadequacies jump out...  What once looked nice now doesn't anymore.  The new one is larger than the vintage original, with a plastic base, plasticky grill, cast shut doors, cheapy-wheels, etc.   This all in stark comparison to the proper scale, metal based-vintage car with heavy gauge die-cast grill, opening doors, and the sweet "Superfast" suspension and wheels.  There is just no comparison, at all.  Except that the 2 cars are both castings of the same model, in the same color, by the same toy brand...  

Price-wise, the new-ish one isn't cheap, with prices at $2.99 or higher.   But on E-Bay if you hunt, you can probably find a fair-to-good condition vintage model for about $5-8 plus shipping.  Trust me, while the new one looks nice in pictures, the vintage one is way nicer in actual feel - and easily worth the upcharge. 

Matchbox also released new castings of other previously done 1960's cars, such as Lamborghini Miura, a Lotus Europa, a VW transporter, a Jaguar E-Type, a Cadillac Ambulance, a Ford Mustang, etc.  These new models are all fine models (except the Cadillac - which feels SO plasticky that I just can't stand it).  But in 100% of the cases, you'd rather have the vintage original superfast (or in the case of the E-Type, the regular wheels version since it didn't come in a Superfast variant).   Trust me.  You want the original.  And they aren't that hard to find on E-Bay...

Battle of the Full Size SUVs - Part 2: Who makes the best Chevrolet Suburban?!?

This post carries on my theme from a few weeks ago, when I compared 2 Matchbox castings of full-size SUVs - the Expedition from the late '90s with the Lincoln Navigator from the late '00s.  While the Navigator was the ultimate winner, I was thrilled to have both castings - both since they are great castings - and since I love (correctly scaled) models of full size SUVs. 

 

I'm a sports car guy in real life (RX7s, Miatas, 911s, etc.), but there is something naughtily enticing about these tough looking land yachts for the road...  And since the SUV revolution that started in about 1990 with the launch of the original Ford Explorer, Toyota 4-Runner, Nissan Pathfinder, Isuzu Trooper, etc., the toy makers have finally started to model these beasts in some nice detail... 

 

The modeling took a long time to come about...  Sure, in the '80s Hot Wheels had done the full size Ford Bronco, Matchbox the full size Blazer with off-road wheels in police guise and the '80s Cherokee (arguably the original contender in the '90s SUV craze) and Majorette the Cherokee with off-road wheels and a dog in the back (a favorite casting that I actually DON'T have), but they took a long time to respond to the next wave of SUVs... 

 

Majorette was the first to model one of them - with a nice casting of the 2nd generation 4-runner - most typically found in red.  Maisto produced a CRAPPY casting of the original Explorer (although it is so awful it doesn't really deserve mention).  But it was a long wait - until the Expedition and the Tahoe came out from Matchbox.  Some time in this range Matchbox also brought out a nice Jeep Grand Cherokee.  But then in Matchbox' mid '00s Renaissance they suddenly opened the floodgates and started producing some great models, like the Hummer H3, the Volvo XC90, the Jeep Liberty and the Nissan XTerra. 

 

But I digress.  This article is about the FULL-SIZE SUVs known as the Suburban.  Do we have any models of it - and if so - which is best? 

 

Ironically, Hot Wheels stepped into the scene as one of the first, with a non-regular-line-up Suburban that was too long to fit into a normal storage tray.  But since the Suburban is indeed a long vehicle in real life, it was right in scale.  I first saw this vehicle as a companion to their NASCAR race car series, frequently emblazoned with some race team's name on the side.  And this is the first model of it that I had - mine the blue one with the Square D electrical name on it.  But for this comparison, I showed my later one - a red "Team Bartwell" one done up with extra paint detail and rubber tires as part of their "Whips" series. 

This is a seriously nice casting.  As mentioned, the length is spot-on and gives it a lot of presence when compared to ordinary 1/64th scale vehicles.  Its a late '90s model, so its big and squared off - the way I like my SUVs.  The rubber tire, glossy paint and paint detail really finish off a beautiful casting.  The rims are BEAUTIFUL - MAGNIFICENT - EXQUISITE!    The only improvements I might make would be a metal base and opening doors or tailgate. 

 

Next up, and bought at roughly the same time, is a Code 3 collectibles fire chief suburban, a model of the same late '90s generation Suburban as the Hot Wheels. The size is right in line with the Hot Wheels, again too long for an ordinary storage case.  If anything, this model feels even more squared off than the Hot Wheels model.  This one is aimed at adults and again has great detail, with rubber tires, nice rims that are accurate replicas of the real Suburban rims, wipers, non-cast but attached mirrors, and excellent paint.  I would have loved to find this model in a normal consumer (non fire or police) version, but I don't think that one was ever made.  Interestingly, while the detail is more accurate on this one vs. the Hot Wheels, the Hot Wheels just feels more enticing...  The Code 3 is the one you want to have in your display case, while the Hot Wheels is the one you want to pull down and play with on the floor.   Advantage, Hot Wheels!

 

Next up is a JADA toys Dub version of the next generation newer Suburban.  I've never been a fan of JADA, since they often sacrifice realism in the name of crazy/fantasy customization, but this one was accurate and nice enough that I had to buy it.  It is in tan/bronze and looks much more rounded (too rounded for my tastes - though that generation of Suburban was more rounded - it wasn't as rounded as JADA made it).  This one has twin rear doors rather than a tailgate - a nice differentiating touch.  This is also the only version with a roof rack - though the body color paint that was applied to it makes it less appealing than the flat roofs of the others.  Typical of JADA it has big oversize rims and rubber tires.  The casting itself has a lot of detail, but little in the way of paint detail.  Overall, it comes off as a solid contender and a surprisingly nice casting, but is just not as nice as the first two... 

 

Finally, I have 2 Matchbox castings of the Suburban as a Police vehicle.  I talk about these last, since their size automatically relegates them to last place.  As an adult, correct scale is important - and these are scaled too small - smaller even than the Expedition/Navigator reviewed earlier - and smaller than Matchbox' own Tahoe that the Suburban is based off of (the 2 toys are roughly the same length - and since the Sub is longer in real life, the height and width of it has to be lower and narrower than the Tahoe to maintain consistency).  The scale issue is a killer... 

...but aside from the scale issue - it is an OK casting - and a NICE casting when in premium guise.  Matchbox had this odd run of premium cars where they would add opening doors to the premiums when they weren't available on the base model - meaning that the premium cars were no longer just nicer paint and rubber wheels - but were almost separate models.  I have an Impala police car with an opening trunk, and a Grand Cherokee, BMW X5 and this Suburban all with opening doors.  In the case of this Suburban, the detail really shines up the casting - meaning that it displays REALLY nicely!  Just don't put it beside something else that should have been smaller than it in real life! 

Rare model (at least in the USA): Matchbox Ford Falcon

Throughout the '80s and '90s, Matchbox seemed to occasionally have cars that were somewhat country specific, where for some reason the car was harder to find than you'd expect.  I have no actual evidence of this, but there were always models that seemed harder to find in the USA, and seemingly very easy to find in Europe.  The prime example of this is the Rover 3500, but the Skoda, the Vauxhall Calibra, and the Carmichael Commander also seem to fall into this category.  While not impossible to find in the USA, they just seemed to be harder to find, and thus may be missing from many casual collector (and kids') collections. 

And in the late '90s and the early 2000s, 2 examples were the Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon... 

I have 7,000+ diecast, of which at least 4,000 must be Matchbox, yet I only have this one example of this (relatively nice!) casting, which came out while I was in the heyday of my collecting binge.  I think I only came across this model once (the time I bought it) - and I never saw it in a mainline big box retail store like a WalMart or a ToysRUs. 

The model is a pretty nice model.  There are no opening parts (typical of a late 90s MB casting) and has a plastic base.  But the base has nice detail on it, and there is nice metal detail on the diecast body, including mirrors, vents, grill, and additional contours across the car. 

The paint is reasonable - although I find the specific color to be a kind of boring super-man blue, but the rear stop lights are painted in and there is a "Ford" in script letters on the front license plate bracket. 

Overall, a nice, reasonable, casting - not overly inspiring casting, but a worthy effort by Matchbox...  

And very rare...