New box of 12 Tomicas... Which is best and which is worst?

The problem with buying cars on-line is that you can't really see what they look like, the way you would if you got to see it in real life before you chose to buy it.  So when you open up your shipment, you are always curious about how the cars will actually look.

Today I got a box of 12 new Tomicas, fresh from Asia.  Most are new 2020 castings.  Some are great castings!  ...and some are not so great.  So for your benefit, I thought I'd rank them in order of how much I like them, from 12th (last place) up to 1st place...





























Tomica makes some winners...   ...and some losers.  In this group, there was an obvious loser.  This maroon Toyota Supra.  Its just a very uninspiring model.  Nothing about it that makes you want to play with it.  The window tint is so dark that at first it appears that Tomica really cheaped out and didn't even put in an interior (they didn't, there is an interior, you just have to look REALLY hard to see it).

The ONLY interesting thing about this model was that Tomica also made it's platform sharing mate (the BMW Z4 roadster - pictured in the back of this photo) and painted it in the same shade of maroon.

Other than that, its not a great model.  Its not as bad as the mid 2000s Mazda RX8 (in the running for the worst ever Tomica model), but its definitely not great.  It takes last place by a fairly wide margin.

11th place:  Nissan Note Police.  Tomica's micro cars are probably my least favorite genre within the Tomica range, and frankly, this one is no exception.  While it's ahead of the Supra, it still remains well behind 10th and better places.

10th place:  Nissan skyline.  If Tomica's micro cars are my least favorite genre, then Tomica's large Japanese luxury cars are probably in a tie with minivans for my favorite genre.  But this isn't the best Skyline sedan that they've done...  Its a little too narrow, with no opening doors.  On the other hand, the glass headlights are a nice touch, and I like it more than the previous Skyline sedan.  Overall, its good enough to be a solid casting and to just barely be edged out of 9th place.

9th place:  Ferrari F8 Tributo.  I'm a bit torn about this model.  From 1 perspective I like it a lot - especially the detail with all of its hood scoops.  On the other hand, it just seems too large - especially from the back - like it's out of scale.  Granted, the F8 has a BIG rear end (I was following one on the highway the other day), but this model might be too large.  I'm just not sure what to think about it...

8th place:  Isuzu Erga Personnel Transport.  This one is an interesting model - probably the first prisoner transport model ever made in 1/64 scale...  Although you can't see it well in the photo - all of the windows are heavily barred.  It may be the most interesting coach bus made by Tomica.  (Coach buses are ALSO a less favorite Tomica genre, since the scale is SO small...). 

7th place:  Toyota Supra.  This is part of the Dream Tomica series - and is painted like the Paul Walker 10 second car from the first Fast and the Furious movie.  The picture on the box is awful.  Frankly, even this photo doesn't make it look very nice.  But in the metal, it actually looks nicer than in the pictures.  Note however that its still not as nice as the (super nice) silver Supra from the Premium series.

6th place:  Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.  This car is part of the more expensive (2x normal price) Tomica Premium series.  As such, the wheels are accurately modeled, there is lots of detail, etc,  Overall, while I'm not a big fan of newer Lamborghini models, this is a reasonable and typical example of the (very nice ) Premium series.  FYI - the green paint is super cool. For this (6th place) and higher models, I highly recommend that you buy them if you don't have them already. 

5th place:  Toyota HiAce Communication Satellite car.  I liked this HiAce when it first came out last year.  I already like Tomica minivans, and I liked the HiAce, though I thought it was a little plain.  But dressed up with the satellite dish, it turns a nice model into a great model.  Although I ranked this as 5th place, it is definitely set apart from 6th and lower places.

4th place:  Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato.  Wow.  This is a GREAT model.  It's one of the best Tomica models EVER.  Its large, solid, with opening doors, wonderful detail, beautiful rich paint, glass headlights, etc.  I love this model.  You need it too!

3rd place:  Nissan Gloria Gran Tourimo Ultima.  This car is part of the Limited Vintage series, and as such is VERY expensive, about 6X the price of a typical model.  But I bought the car in red, and loved it so much that I ante'd up the cash to buy it in white as well... 

Some limited vintage models let you down with slightly smaller than normal scales, and make you wonder whether the excessive price tag is worth it.  But this is one of my favorite Limited Vintage castings, and the only 1 that I've liked enough to buy in multiple colors.  (Note that my favorite Limited Vintage is probably the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero). 

2nd place:  Cattle Transporter.  This is part of the extended length series - and is definitely my favorite model in that series.  The longer size allows it be (slightly) more accurately scaled, though it still claims to be 1:90 scale.  The truck comes with 8 cows (4 black, 4 white) and an opening ramp door in the back. 

1st place:  Aston Martin DB5.  This model is again part of the premium series (2x the normal Tomica price), and is 1 of the nicest models in that series.  Taking it out of the box I was stunned at how beautiful it looks.  At how metallic it looks.  At the incredible detail of the grill.  The solid opening doors.  etc.  It was a no-brainer to pick this car as the best car of the 12. 

Writer's note:  It's interesting that this set of12 cars includes my first 2  Tomica Aston Martins, both of which are amazing models.   As a real life Aston owner, I'm proud that the Tomica Astons are such faithful and beautiful models. 

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...

Current Generation Beautiful Camaro Models by Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tomica

Here are three excellent (but non-premium) models of the newest generation Camaro, from 3 of the biggest names in diecast, Matchbox (convertible in red), Hot Wheels (silver coupe) and Tomica (black coupe).  

The newest Camaro is one of the hottest looking (let alone performing) cars available on the market today, such that there is a chance that a ZL1 could end up in my garage some day...  And the Camaro has always been heavily modeled by the die-cast giants, starting with the original Hot Wheels Redline "Custom Camaro" model of the '67 model (it took Matchbox about 30 years to do their own first generation model, though their model of an '80s Z28 (or was it an IROC-Z) with the opening hood is one of my favorite Matchbox models of the period).  Since then Matchbox has done several additional Camaros, while Hot Wheels has continued to model Camaros as well (though their 2nd generation (1970s) and 3rd generation models (1980s) were not favorites of mine).  Siku did a beautiful 1980s model, although one of the nicest 1980s Camaro models were the rubber wheel lock-up models by Kidco...  

Anyway, fast forward to 2018, and we have 2 very cheap and easy to find (visit any WalMart/Target/ToysRUs and hand over $.99 to $1.29) Camaro models by Matchbox and Hot Wheels, plus one slightly harder to find (visit EBay or other on-line stores, and pay a bit more than $.99...) model by Tomica...  All three models are very nice representations of the current Camaro.  

So which one is best?  Well, between the easy to find Matchbox and Hot Wheels models, I prefer the additional (and magnificant) painted-in trim of the Matchbox, even though I give it a few demerits for being a convertible vs. a coupe (I generally prefer coupes over convertibles).  On the other hand, the convertible gives Matchbox the chance to show off its interior (in easy to see gray, vs. the Hot Wheels practically invisible black).  Both cars have excellent wheels and tires, though Matchbox again squeaks out a win over Hot Wheels excellent rims with Matchbox' clean 5 spoke design.  Then there is the side mirrors of the Matchbox (frequently left off of models) vs. the no mirrors Hot Wheels.  After all is said and done, both models are very nice and well worth the $1 that they cost, but I give the easy lead to Matchbox.

And how do those $1 basic models compare to the basic (but still considerably more expensive once you factor in a higher base price (at least $3 even at the cheapest sites - plus shipping costs) Tomica ZL1 model?  Well, simply said, the Tomica outshines them both.  

In the photos, the black paint of the Tomica doesn't photograph well, but between the opening doors, the painted-in trim (better than Hot Wheels, but easily inferior to that of Matchbox, the considerably better metal trim detail (but without Matchbox' mirrors), equivalent base detail, the far, far, far better suspension (the Tomica's is Tomica-soft, while the other 2 essentially don't have any suspension to speak of), Tomica wins many categories.  That being said, Matchbox does win several categories, including painted in trim, mirrors, interior trim and wheels, but those 4 items are not enough to offset the losing items.  The Tomica ZL1 pulls out an easy victory.  

While there is a winner, there is no loser.  All of the models deserve to be in your collection.  And at these prices, there is no reason for all three not to be in your collection. 

Copied Porsche 910... Did Playart copy Corgi, or vice versa?

It sounds patently obvious to say that diecast cars are models of real cars...  ...Yet it is not actually always true.  In some cases, they are actually models of OTHER model cars.

I've seen it with Maisto flagrantly (and poorly) copying Matchbox' Audi Quattro.  And in this post, I show a fascinating example of Playart copying Corgi's casting (although I suppose that there is a chance that Corgi copied Playart casing).



There are several companies who produced models of this car, the most well known of which is the (red) model by Lesney's Matchbox.  That one actually looks very different (particularly in size, its easily the largest of the five) from the other models.  I also have a Dynawheels model (in brown), a Zylmex model (in blue, #910), a Playart model (in blue) and a Corgi Junior/Husky model (in yellow - a "Rockets" version with extra speedy wheels/axles).  Missing from my photos is a Speedy model that I spent an hour fruitlessly tearing apart my Matchbox collection trying to find.  Regardless, the last four are very similar in appearance and size, particularly the final two.  And upon closer examination, it turns out that the final two are actually copies of each other, with similar casting lines, choice of detail, etc. Examining the base and especially the opening engine compartment shows a very similar choice of detail.



In fact, the only two questions are 1.  Who did the copying...   Was it the second tier Playart copying toy giant Corgi, or was it the greater scandal of Corgi cribbing a design from no-name Playart, and 2.  Why bother?  Could it really have been that much harder to create an "original copy" of the real car?

P.S.  I suppose that as long as I'm showing 5 distinct (or is it 4?) models, I should at least pick a winner...  Who modeled the 910 best? 

Although I'm a big Lesney Matchbox fan, its easy to assign the Matchbox in 5th place.  Its a little too big, and just looks different from the others. 

The next 4 are closer in comparison, all nice and worthwhile models in their own right, even though several come from brands that aren't typically collected. 

In fourth place I assign the Zylmex, while its very nice - it just doesn't have the opening back hatch or the quality wheels of its competitors. 

The final three are in almost a dead heat.  But the Corgi's stance/wheels sets the model a little too high, giving it a 3rd place finish. 

Between the final two, the DynaWheels is missing the opening hatch of the Playart (and the Corgi), but the metal roof gives it an advantage over the all plastic roof of the Corgi and PlayArt.  The wheels also are slightly nicer.  Overall, its enough to put the DynaWheels in first place, ahead of the Playart. 

And of course the biggest irony is that the copy-cat Playart took 2nd place, beating out the copied Corgi...!

Thanks for reading! 

Tomica Premium - the next big thing in diecast!

Regular readers of my blog know that I am a big Tomica fan.  They also know that I am NOT a big Tomica Limited Vintage fan - models, while highly detailed, tend to be slightly smaller scale - enough so they don't merge well with basic Tomica models, and in my opinion are not worth the hefty price tags.

Enter Tomica Premium!

Over the last 2 months I purchased about 15-20 Tomica Premium cars, and am THRILLED with the scale, quality, detailing, etc.  Many have opening doors.  Rather than talking in depth about each model, I thought I'd just release a bunch of photos of my Premium collection.

Note to readers, I was PARTICULARLY impressed by the Supra, the R32 Skyline (in 3 colors/slight model changes), the 300ZX, the S2000 and the 1970s Porsche 911.  The least favorites (though all are nice) are the Celica All-Trac (odd wheels and no opening doors), the Miura (the lift-up rear is cool - but the front end is a bit more bug-eyed than accurate), the FD (3rd gen) RX7 in blue (I just don't like the customized look) and the 2 WRXs.

Note also that the FC (second gen) RX7 in white is a really nice model - but is technically part of the "Dream" collection, as is the 240SX/Silvia.


Overall, I'm highly recommending this new series from Tomica.  Price points are pretty reasonable given the quality - expect to pay about $5-6 from an internet shop like HobbyLinkJapan (again - a strong recommendation for HLJ!).

Enjoy the pictures!

Note - the yellow/green 911 is a basic Hot Wheels - but it looks nice and is in scale - so I included it in the photo!