Coolest of the un-cool Mustang IIs? Johnny Lighning Mustang 2 Race Car!

Few cars in history went from universally loved to universally reviled, the way that the '65 first generation Ford Mustang turned into the '74 2nd generation Mustang II...

Based on a Pinto.  Underpowered.  Ugly...  Etc...

But just because it's a great car in real life, doesn't mean it'll be a great model.  And the reverse is true too.   Awful, ugly cars can be great when reproduced in small scale.

I've got 2-3 Mustang IIs in my collection.  Some are just as awful as the real car.  But not this race car....  This one is one nice Johnny Lightning!

Mettal base...  nice front and rear extensions....   Nice side extensions...  great paint....  amazing metal casting detail....  Nice side exit exhausts....  Great rims....

In fact, the only issue I can really find with it is the size - it's a little large for such a little car...


This model also came in some other colors - I remember seeing it in white, and I think there was a darker grey version - with more contrast in the colors.  At the time, $2.99 or $3.99 seemed like too much to pay for a color variation - but now I wish that I'd bought them! 

Spectacular Model: Johnny Lightning 1973 Pontiac Grand Am/GTO

 

In real life, this car was never a great car...  Built in '73, the last gasp of the Muscle Car era, a pretty fastback design that looked quick but that was actually overweight, un-nimble, underpowered, emission-choked example of how Detroit had lost its way, and an open invitation to the foreign auto companies to bring on their efficient and trim imports.

 

But what I like in diecast has very little to do with what I like in 1:1 scale, and this particularly casting is a beauty...

It makes you love this over-done '70s design, looking just as sleek as the real car.  The raised creases and vents on the hood, the B-pillar louvers, the detailed grill and rear lights, even the crease on the doors.  Now imagine how cool this car would have been had it been produced with the 454 from a '69 Chevelle? 

The first thing you notice is the heft (probably like the 1:1 model!), with John Lightning's trademark metal baseplate and all metal casting.  It just feels like quality...
 

 

The cars feature opening hoods with detailed engine compartments.  All three of my examples have rubber wheels and excellent fully detailed paint jobs.  In fact, the silver and blue cars have beautiful metallic paint (the white one has a flat paint). 

I only have these 3 examples - I'd love to have others but these were all that I found before the casting was retired.  While the pale white is nice, it pales (pun intended) against the others.  The paint doesn't have the same richness to it and the wheels are boring discs. 

The silver one is a GTO, with a slightly different (more exciting) grill .  It's 5 spoke Cragar wheels are handsome, with a glossy chrome finish to them.  The metallic paint sparkles, the black roof contrasts nicely, and the red interior really pops.

The blue one is nice too.  This time the Cragar wheels are a matte silver finish, but the tires have raised "B F Goodrich" lettering on them vs. the silver car's whitewalls.  The blue paint is beautiful and rich, with the blue contrasting better than the silver against the painted side marker lights.  However the white interior looks less exciting that the red of the other 2 cars. 

While the blue car picks up points for its paint and wheels/tires, I find that the silver/black/red color combination of the silver car still is more eye-catching, and I'm more partial to its firebird style grill.  I declare the silver one my favorite of this favorite casting, with the blue a very close second. 

If you don't have one of these already and see one on EBay for a reasonable price, I'd recommend picking it up.  It's one of my favorite Johnny Lightning castings of the last 20 years...  

Johnny Lightning Chevy C10 - a pickup with a separate bed

This truck is one of the very few (perhaps only?) die-cast pick-ups where the truck's bed is not actually cast with the cab.  While the exception, this is actually the correct way to model a truck...

If you look at real frame-on pick-ups from Dodge, Ford, and Chevy (and excepting the weird ones like Ramchargers, El-Caminos, Brats, Ridgelines, etc.), you'll notice that the bed is a separate piece and is attached to the chassis rather than the cab.  This allows for the bed to be removed and the truck to be modified into stake-trucks, tow trucks, etc. 

Amazingly, the same thing can happen to this C10.  I've got the truck in 8 colors.  But if you look at the orange one in the back left of the photo, you'll notice that I've actually removed the bed and instead added a wooden stake platform to it.

It actually allowed Johnny Lightning to do the same thing.  If you look at the white truck in the right foreground of the picture to the right, you'll notice that the bed's been changed to a flare-side bed...!

The model is a great model even apart from the separate bed.  The hood is modeled nicely - with a leading lip that is very unique among opening hoods. 

Among all of my 8 colors, the first red and white color combination is easily my most favorite variation.   Overall, a great truck, with nice weight, correct proportions, and a separate bed!