Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: Scoring An Auto World Ultra Red 'Bird

Good fortune has been on my side lately.

And yes, I'm back to posting about sixty-fourths at last. I swear I'm sitting on a giant pile of tiny cars that I've accumulated in the past couple weeks. A bunch of 1/64 models, various brands, all kinds of vehicles. The usual case of brand and model diversity with me. Let's get to it.

This is Auto World's 1975 Pontiac Firebird T/A from Release 4, in Ultra Red form. If you don't know what an Ultra Red is, it's like a $uper Treasure Hunt for the Auto World. If you don't know what Auto World is, then you need help. You're missing out on, hands down, the best diecast brand you can find stateside. You don't get better bang (quality, detail, etc.) for your buck. Check it out.

An Ultra Red is a rare color variant of any Auto World release. All you have to do is look for the shiny candy apple red color, but don't get mixed up with releases that normally come in any shade of red. You'll notice immediately that the color of the car doesn't match what's shown on the packaging. Auto World doesn't have a large following of hoarders the way the Mattel brands do, which means your chances of finding an Ultra Red are very good if you keep looking. In the past eight or so years of collecting, how many $uper Treasure Hunts have I found in the wild? Zero. How many Ultra Reds have I found in the past year alone? Two.

Go get 'em.

What I like most about Ultra Reds is that Auto World keeps them realistic. The other brands (Greenlight, M2 Machines, etc.) make their "chase" cars uglier than their normal versions, typically opting for brightly colored tires and flashy trim. I've passed on Green Machines before because I knew I wouldn't be able to look at them without puking. These Ultra Reds are keepers. And the only way to do them justice is to free them.

Oh, and just for fun, I'm throwing in the other Ultra Red in my collection. It's a good one.

...and then paired with the regular release of this model, in silver.

From the Playing Mantis Vault: Finding Vintage Johnny Lightning's in 2016, Part 2

March 9, 2016:

Lightning strikes again.

Not a lightning strike as in the chase piece, but it may as well have been one. A second "From the Playing Mantis Vault..." sighting. This time, it's a 1964 Pontiac GTO in a shade of faint, olive green. Is it green or is it gold? You decide.

April 3, 2016:

A third vintage Johnny Lightning sighting.

This pair were found at the same Toys"R"Us store where I found my first "From the Playing Mantis Vault..." releases. That tells me one very important thing: these do get restocked. Did a collector in your area grab them before you got there? If so, don't give up. Keep checking and you might eventually find some.

Part three coming tomorrow! And it just might be the best one yet.

When It's Going Good, It's Going Great: The Other Half of Auto World Release 4

I consider myself quite fortunate. Fortunate to have found any Auto World Release 4 on the pegs at all. Fortunate that I have even one Walmart nearby that has put out the new product. I know a few collectors out there that have been dying to get their hands on these but have seen nothing but old stock. That was last week.

Well, the streak continues. The other day, I stumbled upon a second Walmart with these new Auto World releases. Then, yesterday, a third.

The result? What you see below.

These are the other three models of Release 4. I've shown the first three recently. Those were the Mustang, Grand Prix, and Barracuda. Today, I'm showing the other three: a hot pink Challenger, a silver Firebird, and a dark blue Polara. The first two are essentially recolors of existing castings. That being said, they are absolutely must-haves, because these might be the best colorways yet.

By the way, did I mention hot pink? I think it's pretty clear by now that I have an affinity for anything pink. Mopar and pink (and purple, for that matter) go hand in hand.

This particular Challenger is ever so slightly different than its predecessors. We've gotten the Rallye and the R/T, and now we have the T/A. I quite enjoy collecting various trims of the same car. Some may think it's just a waste of money. Others, like myself can appreciate all the small details and minute differences.

Then there's this understated, silver Firebird.

Wait, what? Why isn't it black? Wouldn't black contrast better with the flaming chicken on the hood?

No, ladies and gentlemen. We've already gotten way too many black Firebirds in the past, not necessarily from Auto World, but from every other diecast brand, more or less. Don't worry, I was in the same boat as the rest of you. This was the one I couldn't care less about. Now it's the one I couldn't care more about. By some miracle, the metallic silver works fabulously. I think I have a new favorite 'Bird in the collection. Pick one, any one. Fire, Thunder, Blue; this one's the best.

Last is this Dodge Polara. Look, I have no idea what this car is, yet I had to pick it up. That's just how good Auto World is. They have the passion for detail, accuracy, and quality it takes to make you want a model of a car you wouldn't blink twice at even if it was sitting in your garage.

As if you couldn't tell already, Auto World nailed all of them. Superb detail paired with superb quality for a price less than its direct competitors; it doesn't get any better than this. That's how you take the world by storm and change the game. Kudos to Auto World for recognizing that. We're all just the beneficiaries.