Assortment #357
 

CB's Die Cast Review:  March 23, 2001

Johnny Lightning
2001 Spoilers

It is very apparent that the decision makers at Playing Mantis overseeing the Johnny Lightning product line have a great affinity for the classic Hot Wheels era of the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Many of the items released under the Johnny Lightning banner have not only conjured up images of the old Topper products, but also of the Spectraflames by Mattel that first scorched orange track over thirty years ago.  The latest examples have surfaced in a multiple pack manufactured exclusively for KayBee Toys called a 5-Car Value Pak.  The set consists of a large window box with the assortment of five cars held to a silver cardboard insert by a large form-fitting blister.  There are at least seven different assortments, each with five castings from a variety of previous series decorated in exclusive colors.  The assortment of castings is from the last five years.  But what catches the eye are the two or three cars in each set that are decorated in the schemes of the old Hot Wheels Spoilers series from 1970.  The Spoilers theme is replicated so well, that it immediately invokes memories of the original models in those who are old enough to have played with them.

All but one of these new Spoilers are based on the castings from the discontinued Street Freaks series.  There are nine cars in the group, all wearing a variation of a Spoilers scheme.  All of the cars are finished with metallic paint, with one notable exception.  The door number stickers are perfectly simulated, with black numbers tamped over a white circle.  Roof stripes are tamped in black or white, depending on the scheme.  All of the bodies are painted die-cast metal and the chassis are non-plated die-cast metal, again with one exception.  In addition, all of the cars feature extra paint accents on the engines, window frames, lights, mirrors, door handles and other details.  In "Spoilers numerical" order, the first car is a `69 Mustang Mach I (casting #724), painted metallic green with two medium-width white parallel stripes running down the hood and trunk.  The bumpers, part of the chassis, are painted to match the body.  Car #2 is a 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge (casting #229), finished in a rich purple paint with two white narrow parallel stripes running down the roof and trunk on the driver's side.  A nice touch has the dual stripes running over the freestanding spoiler on the back of the trunk.  Car #3 is a 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans-Am (casting #228) from the Muscle Cars USA series, the only car without a blown engine.  The car is painted creamy pink with a black air scoop on the hood, and two wide white parallel stripes down the roof and trunk.  While it is beautifully done, I would have preferred seeing the blown-engine 1970 Plymouth Barracuda in the same scheme.

The fourth car is a second Mustang, a 1973 Mach I (casting #725), finished in aqua metallic paint with a single wide white stripe centered on the roof.  Car #5 is a 1973 Dodge Charger, painted medium blue metallic with a white enamel roof.  This is the only car with no striping of any kind.  The sixth car is a 1970 Ford Torino, with a rose-tinted red metallic coat of paint and two white narrow parallel stripes running down the driver's side of the roof and trunk.

Car #7 is the featured vehicle in the group, a 1967 Shelby Mustang (casting #722) finished in a nearly perfect reproduction of the 1970 Silver Special club car scheme.  The body is chrome plated, while the chassis is nickel plated.  The motor sits over a flat black compartment.  Two medium-width black stripes run parallel down the roof and trunk, flip over the rear spoiler, run down the back and underneath the bumper.  There also is a thin black stripe running from front wheel well to back underneath the door on either side.  For anyone who has missed out on acquiring one of the three original club cars, this example is a worthy substitute.  The eighth car is a 1971 Dodge Demon (casting #231), nicely finished in apple green metallic with two extra-wide black parallel stripes tamped on the hood and trunk.  Car #9 is a 1970 AMC Rebel Machine (casting #227), painted warm red metallic and featuring a wide black stripe tamped on the hood and trunk.

All of the cars feature two piece Cragar chrome wheels with blackwall tires, missing only the redline stripe to take us all the way back down memory lane.  The tires are not the thin-edge variety for extra speed, but they are plastic and spin freely, so that coupled with the hefty weight should produce strong performances in the drag races.  The cars are manufactured in China.

Playing Mantis keeps raising the bar, and our excitement level.  With current Johnny Lightning versions of Spoilers and Sky Shows having been released, can 21st Century equivalents of Heavyweights and Beach Bombs be in the near future?  Time will tell.