If you collect diecast cars these days, unless you scour the Bay of E or live in a big city, you are more or less out of luck. The diecast business isn’t what it used to be. I recall the go-go late ’90s, when everywhere from K-Mart to Kay-Bee Toys to Venture (remember Venture? I miss that place) would have a cornucopia of little model cars for people like me. Today though, the few models you’ll find in stores will tend to be Camaros, Mustangs and ’57 Chevys. But some companies do still recognize diversity, like Johnny Lightning and this pair of T-Birds.
In the early Oughts, they had several lines of 1/64 models: a Muscle Cars line, a ’50s line, Tri-Chevys, and the Thunderbird collection. In addition to the expected 2-seat T-Birds and Squarebirds were these 1967 and 1968 hardtops.
One of the things that endeared these models to me were the Hot Wheels-esque wheels, with redline tires of course. Also interesting is how they actually did separate castings for each year! The grilles are not a decal, but actually stamped into the body. If they were doing different castings, it would have been cool to do a two-door and a four-door, but it wasn’t to be.
While many folks dismiss the Road Birds, these were really nice cars. In an article in Collectible Automobile years back, it was stated that these cars had fine road manners, and the reason most didn’t survive was due to the owners driving them into the ground. The straight lines and jet-scoop nose appeal to me (at least in standard Hardtop form; I really don’t care for the fake Landau irons on the appropriately-named Landau two-door). Don’t forget, this car was also the basis of the classic Mark III, which finally beat Cadillac at its own luxo-coupe game. And JL makes a 1/64 Mark III too, folks–I have one in mint green with a white top.
I got these two about ten years ago, and they had been sitting in a drawer for years, until I was looking for something and ran across them. They are quite detailed. The Ivy Gold ’68 has a matching interior, while the ’67 has a navy interior. Also impressive is their accurate instrument panel, steering wheel and even door panels! These ran about $2.99 at the time, so they were a pretty good deal. And JL is still cranking out interesting cars, with our recently featured Scout II, a mid-’60s IH pickup, an ’80 Monza Spyder, and the upcoming FSJ Grand Wagoneer.
I believe this model is still in the lineup, as I remember seeing a black one on the pegs just a few years ago. But they have less-detailed wheels and plastic bases now, so if you must have one of the originals, I imagine you can get one of your very own online.
For a while (as a child), one of my favorite toy cars was a white (with gray bottom) Mercury Sable Matchbox wagon (with opening rear door).
Did I just admit that?!
Hey, I have a couple of those Matchbox Sable wagons and I also love them!
Interested in parting with one? I would LOVE to own one of those. No surprise there, right?
I don’t think I could let any of them go, but you can probably find one on ebay. I will have to do a Mini CC on the mini Sable!
This is exactly how I remember mine. Hey, I even drove fast as a kiddo, ok?!
(photo from Google)
I remember that! Mine (or possibly a friend’s) looked just like that. I’ve been going through the warehouse sorting through my old toys, but while I have found plenty of the old Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars I used to love (metallic green Allanté, anyone?), I haven’t come across this one yet.
By the way, here’s one of those Allantés, found on Google. This was probably my all-time favorite matchbox-type car, apparently made by Majorette.
Nice! I have a silver and pearl white Majorette Allantes. You might enjoy the piece I did on Majorette last year: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/miniature-curbside-classic-spotlight-on-majorette/
Great article, I apparently have a few Majorette cars (I notice two of my other favorites, the Cherokee police car and the 300ZX with pop-up headlights). Also that glass-roof Lumina looks very cool, it almost makes me want to have a custom shop build me a glass-roof Silhouette…
Another one of the main brands I collected was Maisto. Their cars aren’t very detailed, but they are cheap, come in 5-packs, have plenty of everyday cars, and I was a devoted fan of their 1:18 models.
I had a pink (Cadillac) Allante; now that was cool! 🙂
I think I had a silver one too that I see on Google. I just might have to dig around..
I have one of the Sables, but many years ago I took it apart and painted it dark blue over gray. It matched a pic of one in the 1991 Sable brochure.
The original white paint flaked off rather badly, so it needed re-done.
I’ve got Spike’s black 59 De Soto and Giles Citroen DS from Buffy the Vampire Slayer,a birthday present from little sister Jessica a few years back.Not sure if Johnny Lightning made Angel’s GTX convertible,I think I only saw that in one episode
I like the green Thunderbird. Very nice.
Tom those are so cool! I had no idea these were on the market. The ’67-’71 models were always my favorite Thunderbirds and yours are (almost)green and blue…how I love green & blue cars..
Midwest Corn’s pictured Taurus is pretty awesome too: the patina is just right although the “GM White” makes it look more like a 90’s Caprice Wagon to me.
“And JL makes a 1/64 Mark III too, folks–I have one in mint green with a white top.”
love to see that. I have an unassembled Lindberg 1/32 (?) Mark III with a garage.
I had the Hot Wheels 67 Tunderbird, Turquoise/Black top when I was a kid.
I was reminded of that HW “Custom T-Bird” when I saw these JLs in about 2002, and prompted their puchase!
While I could have gotten an original HW T-Bird in about 1992 at a flea market, for some reason I didn’t get it. These JLs partially made up for it.
Every time I go to Walmart I look at the toy cars, and right now the Johnny Lightning section includes an ice blue 1981 Chevrolet Citation and a maroon 1967 Plymouth Fury II sedan. I really want them, but $3.50 a pop is a bit ridiculous, especially since a couple years ago you could get extremely detailed 1:87 or 1:43 cars from certain brands for 99¢. I got a number of those other cars (the 1:87 cars are mostly mainstream with a few odd ones like a late-’90s Alfa sedan, and the 1:43 cars are all various less-popular ’50s cars like Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles). I’ve also got a 1:64 1979 Chrysler Town & Country which might be Johnny Lightning, though I’m not positive.
I was lucky enough to grow up during the 1:18 die-cast craze of the late ’90s-early 2000s, so I have a huge collection of odd cars, from a Lexus LS to a Citroen 2CV to a Ferrari 456 (yes, a Ferrari, but when most kids were going crazy over the F50 I was admiring the sleek lines and practicality of the front-engined four-seat 456, still my all-time favorite). I even had a 1:24 Dodge Caravan with working sliding doors. Come to think of it, I think model cars may have sparked my obsession with four door cars. After all of the coupes and four-doors with non-opening rear doors, nothing can describe the excitement of getting a new Jaguar Mark II or Chrysler GT Cruiser with four working doors.
Wal-Mart here I come (thanks for the heads-up!)
Hey I have one of those too! A really nice model.
Ta da!
Gasp! You actually removed it from the bubble packaging! Two schools of thought. Remove them from the packaging and move them to/fro whilst making car sounds, or leave them in the original packaging forever (to borrow the UK term, Mint and boxed)
It would make for very poor Mini CC pictures if I kept them in the package! I do have a box full of mint packaged ones in the garage, from the late ’90s to the early ’00s.
This is my latest w/e indulgence, a Leland Atlantean. When it gets real quiet, you can just hear its 9.8L engine whuffling away at idle.
I learned to drive a bus in a Leyland Atlantean I hated the semi automatic gearbox
Seriously Tom, I sometimes wonder if you sneak up here and break into my house and “borrow” some of my cars 🙂
Still have my Hot Wheels 1980 Citation X-11, white with the red stripe.
If you like esoteric models, you may want to look into Tomica’s Limited Vintage series. They’re quite expensive, but worth it.
I have quite a few of the original Tomica cars, including these Fleetwood Broughams:
One of my childhood favorites. My only gripe with most of the Tomica F Series? They’re way too small scale-wise. IIRC, this Caddy was… 1/75?
I am the original owner of the blue one. It was dark blue when new, but it took quite a beating during my childhood and I repainted it probably a dozen years ago. I also have the Caddy ambulance, Mustang II Ghia and Mark IV.
And yes, they were noticeably smaller than my SuperFast Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels, but they remain my favorite brand.
They actually are selling Tomica in the States again, but only at Toys “R” Us and it is unfortunately slim pickings. I hope they stick with it, as even the new ones have loads of character. I have a new Skyline, Toyota Mark X and a Nissan Juke, among others.
I thought I read that Tomica has bought Johnny Lightning and is now releasing them in the states under that name as well. The JL stuff is lots of fun, so is the “M2 Autothentics” but a little pricey. The JL stuff has a lot of interesting excentric stuff, I have a couple of 67/68 Gran Furies, some Mark III’s. My favorite car as a kid and one I still have and cherish the Tomica “Pocket Cars” “Ford Continental Mark IV” you have mentioned. I loved that car so much I got a similiar version made by matchbox for Disney, It is Minnie Mouse sitting in a custom convertible Mark VI. I really wished Mickey had been sitting in it(he was in a Jeep), I remember searching the bin for a Mickey in a Lincoln, but wanted the Lincoln so bad I dealt with the pink Minnie figure to get the Lincoln. I bought it at a Tomorrowland gift shop at Disneyland. Clerk probably thought it was strange for a little boy to buy a Minnie toy, and for years I tried to pull her out of the car to no success, but now I am glad it is intact! Also have a pink matchbox Mark V, I have an HO scale Mark II, but no Mark VIII, otherwise my Mark collection is complete(If you count Minnie as a Mark VI).
I have both of these too! Got them around 1979 when I was a wee tot.
I have one or two of the Black ones. They Match my mothers 73 Roughly…In my head anyway.
I’d Love to see your Mint and White Mark III . My favorite color combo of 69.
Do they still sell Johnny Lightning at Toys R Us? I remember that was the only store that carried them. I gotta find that Wagoneer when it comes out.
That’s where in 2000 I found The last ones I have bought.. I Have seen similar well detailed models since then as well. But None in The Discount 97cent That I would find at Kaybee… Olds Toronado in White and copper, as well as red.
Lately I am limited to the small toy selection at the chain drug stores as well as at Kroger groceries. Too many garish paints used, with odd graphics. I guess Kids like that sort of thing? I never did!
I was a tomboy and had Hot Wheels as a kid in late 60s/early 70s.I remember having a Javelin,Barracuda,Mustang and Cougar.Did anyone make a 64 to 66 Barracuda?Would like one of them or an Edsel woodie
Oh no! You’ve found my deep dark secret: 1/64 die cast. I have over a thousand of them in storage right at the moment, with another 300+ in my basement…
When I was a little boy and if I was well behaved, my father would take me with him on his Saturday shopping trips. These sorties would usually include a stop at the local hardware/department store where I could go and pick out a Matchbox car from the huge display. This was in the mid 1960’s when they were still packaged in their own little cardboard box… Then, when I was still in elementary school, Hot Wheels and Johnny Lightnings became available, and again, if I behaved and had good grades (see where this is going?)… By the time I was 10 or 12 (or whenever you figure what girls are all about), I must have had at least 200-250. It’s funny how 12 year-old girls find your die cast collection less than interesting…
When the Racing Champions line was launched in the late 1980’s, I bought the inaugural collection, from Sears, no less! I was big into racing (and NASCAR) at that time and it kind of rekindled a spark in me. When my kids were little in the late 90’s and early 00’s, our weekly trips to Meijer (like a midwestern-native Wal Mart for those of you not familiar) would include a trip down the toy aisle and I would pick up at least two of anything we liked. One to play, one to keep. Which explains the 1300+ 1/64 scale cars in my possession.
We had lots of fun with the all of the collecting and comparing, plus many wintry afternoons spent in our family room with a Hot Wheels track teaching the girls how to run drag race-style eliminations. We even had different classes set up for different styles of cars; we had vintage, stock/super stock and fantasy, for the really weird/wild creations that Mattel put out. There was a line of assemble-it-yourself cars from Johnny Lightning for a while, they reminded me of the old 1/24 scale 3-in-1 AMT plastic models that you could customize. We built a couple of memorable cars. My older daughter built a 1964 GTO for me and I helped her build a replica of the 1940’s Batmobile.
But my daughters are grown now, my older one just bought her first house (a bank repo), and now I spend my free time over there helping to remodel the interior. My younger daughter is contemplating a move to greener pastures which we will support. I still have the collection we built, but they have zero interest in it now. I have a few pieces that I will keep due to sentimental reasons, but I need to divest myself of the rest of them.
I keeps saying I need to put them on eBay or Craigslist, but still haven’t gotten around to it for some reason…
geozinger,
Why? Why get rid of them? Mine vary in scale. I have some in a display cabinet, some in a hat box and some more in the garage. They aren’t hurting anybody and are barely in the way. Every one brings a memory……worth holding on to!
Now if you are hoarding this and other “stuff” you may need to let go. Cars and my paintings are the only things I hang on to.
We plan on selling off this house in a few more years and probably getting a condo (on one floor). If we get a smaller place, we won’t have the room for this stuff. If I had to choose, I’ll hang on to my drum kit before the die cast. There are pieces I will keep, for sure. But the rest aren’t that important to me or my kids, so it’s time for them to go. For a while this was a real obsession with me, I think I’ve successfully managed to wean myself off of the habit to buy, buy, buy.
In some regards, it IS close to hoarding. Additionally, I’m at a point in my life where I need to whittle down my possessions to something more reasonable. After a while, it’s so much “stuff”, and that’s all it really has become.
Time for it to go. I just have to do it.
If I should find my way down to GR, can I come and see your collection??? Something tells me it would take my breath away!!!
@Richard: Yes, if you do find yourself in GR, please stop on by!
Maybe because I was around them so much I don’t think about them anymore, and I don’t know that you’ll have your breath taken away, but I would be glad to show them off.
@Tim B: something else I neglected to mention is that I still plan on hanging on to a fair amount of the ones I have. Some were given as gifts, others just mark a certain time and place in my life. (I’m really weird about relinquishing things that were gifted to me, no matter how trivial.)
But the ones I’m thinking of are just stored away in containers. They aren’t bringing me joy by sitting in those Tupperware prisons, and certainly not anyone else.
All Told , I am sure I have well over 1500 cars , mostly 1’64 in this house as well.
I Rotate the boxes by Looking through them as the mood fits, and I never get tired of being overjoyed to discover ones I had forgotten I have.
They dont take up much room. They sure cost a lot less than an obsession with shoes.
I still have the ones from my Childhood, I was 8 when Hot Wheels came out. Still loyal to Matchbox.
I have my Aqua T-Bird with fake vinyl top, Which has outlasted not only the cars mostly, but the real vinyl tops… That, The copper Mustang and Antifreeze Camaro were my first Hot Wheels. I loved the vinyl top look and Red Lines on that first year of Hot Wheels, as well as the Spectraflame colors.
I do like The most realistically color correct models of the most mundane models the best. Like a Seafoam Green Pacer…
I open the ones I want To. For whatever that is worth, make sure they roll well.
I was about 5 or 6 when Hot Wheels hit the scene. They were the “gotta have it” toy to have in my neighborhood. It was like Matchbox and Johnny Lightnings didn’t count. I mentioned before I had about 250 or so by the time I lost interest in them, many of them first run with the little detachable wheel/tires, the opening hoods, the shiny metallic finishes and the faux vinyl tops. They all got shipped off to my oldest nephew in the mid 70’s; I’m pretty sure they met their demise in his hands.
When I started collecting again in the late 80’s I made sure to keep the packaging intact, and to make sure the loose ones didn’t get chipped or scratched. I did the same with the girls’ collections, too. We had all of the little segmented boxes and Hot Wheels carriers. I found it amusing when they were little when they stayed overnight at Gramma’s house they had a Barbie carrier and a Hot Wheels carrier…
I have a bunch that are loose, several are on display throughout the house. It helps that my wife was raised by a motorhead and she understands the veneration we give our four wheeled idols. I’ve been in plenty of my friend’s houses and none of them have a 1/64 scale 10th Anniversary Trans Am adorning the shelves on the wall in the main living room… LOL! Some of them have no models (of any scale) anywhere in the house!
How do they live like that?
I do too Tom! Love the Thunderbirds. I’d have to say though that the most non-mainstream 1/64 scale models I have ever come across are from the “Motor Max Fresh Cherries” collection. I bought a few of them when I came across them in a die cast collectable store. I give you the Ford Pinto and Ford Maverick. I also bought a 76 Mustang II from the same company.
I will also need to come clean that I used to be an avid collector of Matchbox cars with many mint condition cars in boxes from the 70 to the 90’s. I still have much of the played with stuff also as well as some Hot Wheels and other brands. They are all in cabinets and boxes in my basement waiting for the day when I get around to cataloging them and displaying them.
And the main reason why I liked the Matchbox cars best were because you can take them out of the box whenever you wanted. This was in the golden age before the days of blister pack. Take this 70’s era 350 SL as an example.
I’m sure that I have a few of those white Mercury Sables also. But it would take some time to find it as I don’t know what box it’s in. 🙂
We have a hobby store here in Grand Rapids, Michigan that used to sell Matchbox cars in the paper box, at least up until the early 00’s. I bought a 4th gen Camaro Z28 and a Trans Am back then. I should mention they were some sort of Master Dealer, and had the huge display. I was knocked out when they handed me the box, I hadn’t seen that since I was a little boy in the late 60’s. (I should also mention that the cars I bought this way were also sold on blister packs, right down the street at the local Meijer, for about a buck less, too!)
Sadly, they’ve since stopped selling Matchboxes, in fact, all diecast under 1/32 scale. They do have an extensive line of the AFX electric race cars that are very much like the ones from the 70’s, which has piqued my interest…
1:64 cars are, and always have been, a passion of mine.
I have some that I have left in the packaging, but most have been removed, as I figured I didn’t buy them to re-sell.
I started photographing some of them, but I’m not that crazy with the lighting, so I want to try it again.
Oh, and I have a T-Bird of this vintage somewhere in my collection too 🙂
Thanks for chiming in over at Hobby Talk, Tom!
I have a few of those ’67-8 T-Birds in different colors. Very accurate casting!
All new JLs do not have plastic bases however. Mostly just in thier “Forever 64” line. Otherwize, they still have metal bases in some series.
I was lucky enough to have been a kid in the ’60s and early ’70s when Matchbox, Gorgi/Huskys and Hot Wheels were at thier absolute COOLEST! Then everything turnd to crapolla after ’72 or so. Very unrealistic fantasy stuff, and by the ’80s and ’90s, the tampo work was and still is for HWs, just plane rediculous!!!
But yeah, the modern Johnny Lightnings and M2s are great.
I have many hundreds of vintage diecast to newer JLs and M2s. Pretty much stopped buying – as was spoken above, it can easilly slide into the realm of hoarding.
It can get nutso, being a collector basically since the age of TWO!!! I ended up with everything. Slot cars, plastic model kits, dealer promo’s, dealer brochures, tons of automotive literature,…1:1 cars…parts…YiKeS!i!i!
Wish you had the 67 tbird coupe in 1:18