Spot the difference

The Porsche 911 Turbo by Matchbox is probably the best casting of the iconic sports car which, incidentally, turned 50 years old this year.

Sadly though, for reasons unbeknownst to collectors, Matchbox has been on a tampo-stripping rampage as of late (read: recent years). This pathetic (mis)strategy leaves some of their models half-baked and unable to attain their full glory, such as the case with the red 911 from one of MBX's 5-packs. Tampos, except for the "Turbo" on the side, are practically non-existent for this model.

However, with a steady hand, several images of the actual car referenced by Google, and a few dashes of paint here and there, one could bring the casting to the attention it deserves.

Here's the nekkid casting straight off the 5-pack. Note the lack of tampo detailing...

Upon counting, which basically means heading over to Matchbox Database and looking at their list, 6 out of 19 Turbos lack details for the head and tail lamps, while only 4 among them have painted bumper grills.

It seems that the only properly detailed models come out of special releases, like the 60th Anniversary line, which costs thrice as much. This sorta thing sucks.

I shouldn't have written this piece. I should've let the pictures speak for themselves. I should stop ranting. I marred the legacy of this great cast with a tirade. *sigh*

Click on the thumbnails below to see more on Flickr.