Fresh Off The Pegs: Johnny Lightning's Classic Gold Series 2, Part One

I've been wondering when I'd be seeing these...

Finally, a new wave of models from Johnny Lightning, just making it in before the end of the year. It's the second series in the Classic Gold line, featuring the following six cars:

- 1980 Datsun 280Z
- 1980 Chevrolet Monza
- 1967 Oldsmobile Toronado
- 1983 Pontiac GTO
- 1972 Chevrolet Vega Wagon
- 1978 Dodge Warlock

I will be showing the first three on the list in today's post.

Certainly, this is a more attractive group of models as opposed to the first series, which has been sitting on the pegs since the beginning of the year and shows no signs of selling out unless clearanced. Those cars were a mixed bag; the Jeep Wagoneer was fantastic, but the others lacked the premium feel of a six dollar car. Some of them even had plastic tires, and that's a no-no for anything that costs more than five bucks. The colorways and designs were a little bland overall, and I was not convinced enough to get all of them.

As much as I try to cut back on 1/64 diecast these days to make way for 1/18's, I couldn't leave any of Series 2 behind. The premium look was there. The colorways and designs were top notch. This is the Johnny Lightning that we've been waiting for and what we've been accustomed to seeing from them in the past. When it comes to models and castings, they have one of the most diverse catalogs out there, and this set should have something for everyone.

Johnny Lightning's models are what I would call an acquired taste. They have the exaggerated look that most would see as a toy, but there is enough detail to suggest that it's largely meant for collectors. The scale is generally smaller than 1/64, and proportions are not always true to scale. If you like vintage and old-school, they have what you're looking for.

The three I am showing today are my guesses as to which ones will be the most popular. I'm sure the Z will be the first to go, but I'll just say it right now: it's neither the best, nor the 2nd best, and certainly not even the 3rd best model in this wave.

From the Playing Mantis Vault: Finding Vintage Johnny Lightning's in 2016, Part 1

Old news here, but word on the streets is that a gigantic stash of vintage Johnny Lightning releases has been making its way to Toys"R"Us stores across the U.S.

I thought this was a myth myself. I thought I would never be able to find them in the wild. Living in Southern California, it's anything but easy to find the hottest releases, and I immediately assumed that they would get gobbled up by collectors, hoarders, and scalpers alike. I mean, who doesn't love a little old school? Little did I know I would actually have success finding them. Not once, not twice, not three times, but on four separate occasions.

And so the story begins like this:

Back in February, Johnny Lightning announced that they would be shipping these old releases to various Toys"R"Us stores across the nation. These are purported to be cars from Tom Lowe's personal collection. He's the owner of Johnny Lightning and all of its associated brands, such as Racing Champions and Auto World, all of which by the way make amazing models. With Johnny Lightning making a comeback in 2016, what better way to generate interest, hype, and excitement in the brand than to hide some gems here and there?

They are gems indeed. Johnny Lightning has quickly risen to become one of my favorite diecast companies. Despite some of these being 15, maybe 20 years old, the castings and their level of detail are still on par with the current crop of premium diecast brands today. They're a bit smaller than true 1/64 scale and some of them only have plastic tires, but they're certainly charming. They hit the fine balance between being a toy car and being a faithful replica.

I found the three of these back in mid-February. Walking towards the pegs, I saw a bunch of bright red packaging that took me aback. I gasped. I started mumbling to myself. No, not the kind of mumbling that scalpers do when they encounter potential threats in the form of other collectors. I'm talking about the kind of mumbling that I don't want to mention on here because of its expletive-laden content. That's how shocked I was. It's all true!

There were a good half-dozen or so hanging on the pegs at the time. I grabbed a few and headed towards the price scanner.

Seven bucks apiece. Wow.

Talk about a price hike. I remember Johnny Lightning's selling for $4-5 each right before they went out of business. Furthermore, Walmart had the ones that were only $2 a pop. Bottom line: These are quite expensive, but I figured I'd take the hit for now and see how I like them. End result? I like them. A lot. If I went back for fourths, that must mean I like them, right?

Those you will see in the coming days. Today, it's these three: an Olds 442, a Dodge Coronet, and a Chevy SSR.

Going Old School: The New Target-Exclusive Retro Series

Old is in.

This is the Retro series that has just landed at Target stores throughout the nation. A set of 8 cars, designed with nostalgia in mind, and wrapped in a pretty neat package. Take a look:

That card art alone will have many collectors in awe. I agree, they are nice, definitely better than the what you see on the mainlines. There's one problem though: I don't collect cardboard. I'm all in it for the cars.

Out of the set of 8, five are licensed castings. Those are the five that I picked up. A purple Toyota truck, a white VW, a grey Olds, a pink El Camino, and a bright green Plymouth funny car. They're priced at $1.29 apiece, which is about 30 cents more than a mainline. I'm fairly certain no one will be scoffing at the price hike because collectors are all about nostalgia and exclusive releases. These don't have special wheels or special paint, but what they do have is your attention. Let's take a good look at each of them individually!

First up is the '87 Toyota Pickup. I assumed this one would be the most popular release in the series. I mean, when has a Japanese model not been popular recently? Well, I was wrong. At my local Target, this one was quite plentiful; it was the Volkswagen SP2 and the Hurst Olds that were scarce. Nonetheless, I'm sure this one is high on the want list for many folks. Deep purple paint, half-flames-half-tribal deco, lime green windows, and monster truck wheels.

Then there's this Plymouth Arrow funny car. A casting that has virtually no detail, yet it's my favorite of the bunch. Its greatest flaw is also its greatest asset. This one, of all the models in the set, actually screams old school, with its simple casting, metal base on metal body composition, and retro-style flames. Plus, like all proper funny cars, you can lift up the body to reveal the undercarriage. Fantastic, fantastic model, and one that I'll be gawking at quite often from now on.

How about this '84 Hurst Oldsmobile? At first, I thought it was a Monte Carlo until I read the label on the packaging. I really don't know the difference between the two, but that didn't stop me from picking this up. I love both of them anyway. I also love the color combo on this one, and it feels appropriately retro. It's the kind of model that Hot Wheels saves for its premium lines, such as the Cool Classics from yesteryear. Luckily, you can pick it up at your local Target right now!

A pink El Camino. Anything pink already has my attention and is an instant grab, provided it's a casting of a real car. And it is, a great one at that. This Elky is part of a long line of variations of that Hot Wheels has produced for this model, the difference being what's sitting in the back. Sometimes, we get a flat truck bed. Other times, we get one of various types of engines. I've even got one sitting on my desk with a giant spoiler plopped on the back. On this one, we get an exposed engine with old school air intake stacks, and I'm a fan of it. I'm also a fan of the orange flames running through the bodywork. This is what retro should look like.

Lastly, we have the Volkswagen SP2. While I'm sure this one will be popular amongst pretty much everybody, to me, it's the misfit of the entire series. It has no retro feel whatsoever. Racing liveries look good on most cars, but not this one, at least to me. Something simpler would've made this one look better. If you disregard its placement with all the other cars here, it's actually a fairly decent model.

So that's 5 of the 8 of this set. And I fully except these five to be the most popular. We also know that there will be a second wave of models to be released in the summer. If you haven't already, head on over to Target to grab them! You should expect to see an endcap of these as you stroll down the toy section.

Good luck hunting!