Well, hello again.
And no, I'm not dead & gone just very busy & preoccupied.  I just finished selling my house, getting custody of my daughter & just came back from vacation.  And that was just this past week!  Aside from that, just all the normal stuff going on in my life.  So I've spent the past few months racking my brain trying to think of something to write about that hasn't already been covered by myself or someone else (or at least something that the mean ol' Boss Lady will let me put into print).  I kept running into brick walls (sorta like when you try to argue your point with a woman) with everything I came up with.  Then it hit me.............why not just make it a review/gripe session this time around?  Sure, I can give my two cents on something I've seen and/or spent my money on & I love to um.........uh........discus.........ok then.............GRIPE.
For starters, I had received my most recent copy of the JL newsletter which, unlike the Mattel newsletter, actually gives you "news" of new items BEFORE you see them in the stores (or scalpers tables) & had been watching for the 67/68 Camaro Customizing Kit to appear in Memphotown.  I got lucky & found one two days before my vacation.  Kit #1 contains the red hardtop, while #2 has the white convertible setup.  I opted for the convertible because I like it better & the white body has better dying possibilities.  Cost was $10 plus tax, but there was a 33% off sale on "models & accessories", so I got it for $7 & change.(maybe I should have bought both)
The set is really nice & includes 2 pre painted bodies & 3 hoods(plain, louvered, & what could be considered "stacks"), 2 chassis, 3 grilles, 2 windshields, 2 different colored interiors, a rag top up & a rag top down(both are black), a decal sheet with 2 different colored stripes, a small screwdriver & 4 tiny screws, & 4 sets of wheels.  That's right, 4 sets!  You'll have a couple extra sets you can use on something else, plus 2 of the sets are "real tires" that you put together yourself with your choice of chrome insert wheels.  The other 2 sets are the standard JL chrome "Centerline" & "Cragar" type wheels with the rears being slightly larger than the fronts.  The rubber wheels have the "BF Goodrich Radial T/A" white lettering on them on one side.
The kit appears to be designed for those of us who have actually done some customizing & contains absolutely NO instructions whatsoever, which could be a problem for the younger or novice crowd.  Details which I think possibly should have been addressed in brief instructions would include: the need to lightly crimp the tabs on the hood to prevent it from falling off, the suggestion of a drop of super glue to hold the grille in place, & the suggested use of an Xacto blade to remove & place the decals on the car (fingers just don't cut it when trying to place small self-stick decals).  I suspect crimping & gluing weren't mentioned since this is a "customizer set" & it leaves the builder the option of changing things around down the road.(kinda like a woman changing her mind, I guess)  :-]   While I loudly applaud the inclusion of all the wheel sets, I have to question the obvious oversight of supplying only 4 screws.  Believe me, there will be lost screws out there in the customizing world & I think an extra 2 screws minimum should have been included with this set.  The set assembles quickly & the parts fit perfectly.  The biggest decision I face is what color to dye the other one I haven't built yet!

Next on the agenda is my stumbling upon something called "Little Muscle" by Ertl, a division of American Muscle or as the back says "Racing Champions Ertl, Inc.  I found these at Target & they include 46' Ford Woody, 63' Chevy Corvette, 65' Ford Mustang, 96' Dodge Viper, 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, & 2002 Ford Thunderbird.  I had to buy the Woody!  These are the ones I saw, but the package back also lists Chevy & Ford Pickups, a Camaro, & a 57' Chevy. 

Yes, I'll get the 57' Chevy when it comes out.  The cars are sold individually in BP with a matching sticker & the car "name" on the sticker.  The cars are bulky & have the "cute" look of the larger Chevron toy cars, which includes the headlights & grille giving the car a face.  The car is quite heavy which seems strange, giving that this is supposedly for 3 years old & above.  While its bulky mass will make it easier for small hands to play with, it also makes it a more destructive "thrown object".  And when you consider that this is supposed to be a toddler's "Die-Cast Metal First Collectible", the $4 price seems a little too far up there.  But then, a complete set of 10 Little Muscles for only $43.20 may not be so bad if the kid becomes an addicted collector in the years to come.  Plus if your child loses interest & becomes one of the "normal people" (shudder) who doesn't collect, you can always dump em' on Ebay as VHTF at probably twice the price you paid.  While I think that these cars are neat in their own way, there's no doubt that this is an attempt to "hook" a youngster on collecting.  But look at it this way; at least collecting won't cause cancer or destroy your child's liver.  Just my two cents.

Remember to leave the pegs & shelves in better shape than you found them & Happy Hunting, as always,
Stoneman