The Myth, The Legend, The Racing Champions Dodge Charger Daytona

Since the return of the Racing Champions brand in 2016, we have only seen one wave thus far, and the end of the year is coming up fast. Actually, let me reiterate. We have seen five-sixths of a wave, because the Dodge Charger Daytona did not initially make it to production. The team at Round 2 (which also owns brands such as Auto World and Johnny Lightning) said they were working to fix some issues with the casting, thus causing the delay.

I waited many months for this release. As a fledgling Mopar fan, this is one that got me hyped about the return of Racing Champions. I was badly in need of a good Daytona casting for my collection - the M2 releases never looked quite right to me. As the months passed, I began to lose hope, as did plenty of other collectors. It seemed like the Charger Daytona would never be released - or any new product at all for that matter. Simply put, for all I was concerned, the Daytona was a myth.

A stroll into Toys"R"Us one afternoon unveiled something I had never seen before and something I was completely not expecting. "Could that really be.....the Racing Champions Dodge Charger Daytona?!", my mind spoke to me as I glanced, left to right, through the pegs. There it was, hanging from the very front of a sparse peg of Racing Champions product. I couldn't believe my eyes. Yes, it's real, and I'm very excited to share it here.

First impressions: good casting, nice color, love the wheels, looks very realistic, but too much junk hanging from the undercarriage (clearly visible from the side profile shown below).

That last bit was almost the tipping point. I'm ashamed to admit that I almost put it back. That would have been disastrous, after all the months of waiting. I gave it a chance, and it's the best decision I've made in a while.

Racing Champions is Back!

So far, 2016 has brought quite a few significant changes to the diecast scene. For one, we've seen Target stocking various "premium" brands in addition to Hot Wheels and Matchbox. We've seen the return of Johnny Lightning. And now, we have the return of Racing Champions.

First of all, I'm completely new to this brand. I don't remember them being around when I started collecting, and I never acquired any of their models either. When I heard Racing Champions was making a return, I was quite pleased. It never hurts to have more variety in the diecast market, though the wallet may disagree. Being from the same family as Johnny Lightning and Auto World, you can expect them to do classic American muscle well. Some of you may already have their previous releases, and as I understand, these are the same castings as before. For me, this is my first taste of what Racing Champions has to offer. Let's see how they stack up!

I'm a pure DLM'er, meaning I open ALL of my cars, save for any doubles or extras. I normally don't show photos of diecast in their packaging, but I will do so here just to give you guys an idea of what to expect. I found these at Walmart. They were priced at $5.97 and are packaged in clamshell blisters, Therefore, these run for about the same as Johnny Lightning, Auto World, M2, and Greenlight. 

There are six models in this wave:

1969 Dodge Charger Daytona

1968 Plymouth Road Runner

1949 Buick Riviera

1960 Chevy Impala

1965 Pontiac GTO

1956 Chevy Nomad.

Of the six, only two were not present, the Daytona and the Nomad, so I can only assume that they were snatched up by whoever got there first. That's OK, because these two models here are fantastic in their own rights. 

Opening up the blisters, you will find that they come in cardboard boxes with plastic windows. This is especially neat if you're an opener like me, because those clamshell blisters get destroyed in the process. You now have the option to store or display these models in the boxes.

I'll start with the GTO first!

This model looked fantastic from the get-go. I'm no expert on classic muscle cars, but I think this one is really fabulous with its faint yellow paint and redline tires. It comes with a plastic base, so it feels rather light and, dare I say, cheap. To some, that can be a turn-off, especially at this price. I tend to focus more on how the model looks, and this one checks all of the boxes.

The engine opens up to reveal some painted details. Surprisingly, I found that the trunk opens too, but I couldn't get a photo of it because it doesn't stay up.  

I do have one minor gripe. The red lines (or circles, rather) on the tires aren't lined up very well. Quality-wise, it's not quite as solid as its sister company Auto World. Still, if you like GTO's or classic muscle in general, you might want to consider this one.

Next we have the Road Runner. This one comes in a metallic gold/light-green color and redline tires. Unlike the GTO, it has a metal base but lacks the opening trunk. I'm not big on opening parts because I display my models closed, so this doesn't bother me. I am, however, all for details and realism, and this one is no different. 

Again, slight quality issues are present. This one has a case of poor tire fitment in addition to the redline issue.

Overall, I'm quite satisfied with these two pieces, the GTO in particular. From my first impressions, Racing Champions doesn't quite have the superb quality of Auto World, but is comparable, if not better, than M2 and Greenlight. Being that these are old castings, I'd say they stack up pretty well with some of the new product out there today. The details, which are superb, are on par with the competition at this price point. Racing Champions has a new advocate, and I'm already looking forward to future releases. If there's a particular model that appeals to you, grab it! 

Thanks for reading!