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Stock #24399 |
CB's Die Cast Review: October 6, 2000 |
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2000 First Editions #35
Mattel continues its tradition
of designing sleek-looking fantasy cars with the release of this new First Editions offering.
Beginning in the first year, 1968, Hot Wheels included what was then known as Show n' Go cars in
lineup. The first fantasy cars were miniature replicas of full-sized concepts that were
designed by famous designers of the time, such as Ed Roth's Beatnik Bandit, Bill Cushenberry's
Silhouette and Python, and the Alexander Brothers' Deora. Mattel started designing its own
fantasy cars outright the following year, beginning with Ira Gilford's Twinmill, Turbofire,
Torero and Splittin' Image.
Greased Lightnin' is a nice addition to the group of long-necked hot rods that have graced the roster
over the past three decades. If future incarnations keep the metallic painted body over a zinc
plated chassis, it probably will continue to look good, regardless of the wheel designs it rides on.
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This streamlined concept dragster has the look of a military jet. The long fuselage-type
die-cast body runs from axle to axle. Stabilizer wings sit just behind the front wheels
and hover just above ground level. The single-seat cockpit is covered with a transparent
magenta plastic canopy, and sits in front of a simulated jet intake scoop. Jet fighter wings
with multiple elevator flaps sit on either side of the canopy and jet intake. A massive
ten-cylinder engine sits over the rear axle, with a quad exhaust up top and a jet exhaust down below.
One mildly surprising feature to see is that the chassis and body are die-cast. Mattel
usually opts to make one of those two components plastic in a design this intricate. The
front stabilizer wings are part of the chassis, as well as twin tailfins that sit underneath the main
wings. The bottom of the long nose is a complex S-curve that starts at the front axle and
extends nearly to the rear axle. The remaining components are plastic. The chrome motor
and interior are part of the same piece yet again, but the interior is not as noticeable due to its
size. Also molded into the piece is a small vent that sits behind the canopy, deep in the
jet intake, that is difficult to see.
There is a lot of detail for a design that lacks sharp angles. Good relief exists on the
body wings, the chassis underside and the motor. The body carries a metallic silver coat
of paint and the chassis is zinc plated. A four-color fabricated sponsor advertisement is
tamped on the top of the body in front of the canopy, and probably contains the name of the
designer. The car rides on the standard five-spoke wheels, with small wheels up front and
the large extra fat slicks in the back. A late design for the year, it carries a copyright
date of 2000 and was manufactured in Malaysia.
