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Stock #24383 |
CB's Die Cast Review: September 28, 2000 |
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2000 First Editions #14
In the early part of the 20th Century, Willys-Overland was the nation's second leading
automobile manufacturer, trailing only Ford. The company is most famous for it's army
jeep production during World War II. Unfortunately the jeep production, while
profitable during the war years, prevented the company from keeping pace with Ford and the
other major producers. Willys-Overland encountered financial troubles after the war.
It ceased operations in 1955 and was absorbed by Chrysler. In the years following, many
car enthusiasts customized Willys-Overland vehicles, especially the coupes from the early 1940s.
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After a long dry spell in
the northeast, some new First Editions are beginning to surface throughout the area.
One of the first cars to appear this summer is the `41 Willys.
The First Editions model was created by supreme designer Phil Riehlman and is based
on a customized 1941 Willys-Overland coupe. The body has been slightly chopped and lowered,
while a blown motor, rear fins, twin parachutes and wheelie wheels were added. The die-cast
body is painted in a metallic orange pearl similar to that of the Dodge Copperhead Concept Car in
the 1998 First Editions series. The motor, interior and rear panel are part of the same
chromed plastic insert. The gray plastic chassis has some good relief detail of the oil
pan, side exhaust pipes and the drive train. The wheelie wheels extension, designed to fold
under the car for packaging purposes, swings up and snaps into place for proper positioning.
The window glass is dark smoked plastic, which makes it difficult to see the interior.
Four-color graphics are tamped on the sides, including a magenta-to-cyan fade in the stripes and
lettering. The car rides on the standard five-spoke wheels -- small hubs up front and the
recently issued extra-fat medium-sized slicks on the back end. It currently is manufactured
in Malaysia.
The car looks nice and rolls well, although with the extended low-to-the-ground wheelie wheels
it probably won't perform well in most of the stunt action sets. And I wish the chassis
was metal, but then the wheelie wheels could not have been designed the way they were.
The car may or may not perform well on the track, but it does look good sitting on the desk.
