JOHNNY LIGHTNING HOLLYWOOD ON WHEELS

 

 

 

This range of Johnny Lightning cars has also had a burst of enthusiasm for the media, with a series of TV and film related models. The quality is variable-to be honeat some are pretty poor-but they are fun and nostalgic for those who grew up in the 60s and 70s.

We've seen the De Lorian from Back to the Future; a police sedan from Dragnet; the Partridge Family bus; the Monkee Mobile and a police sedan from the Andy Griffith Show.
An amusing range for TV theme related collections. Shop here

Johnny Lightning Blues Brothers Mobile

This is a must for any movie die-cast vehicle collector. The ex police car which starred in so many scenes including two great police car chases is well made by Johnny Lightning. Besides the car you also get a bonus show card, in this case of the orphanage the brothers were on a mission from God to raise the money to save. The car is actually also in that picture in front of the building. This all means it displays nicely still in the blister pack if you're a collector who isn't into opening the packets. The vehicle has rubber tyres, the P1 and the police star logos looking like they've been peeled off like in the movie. 

Johnny Lightning also released the vehicle from the sequel Blues Brothers 2000. --James N Sympson  Shop here

HOT WHEELS ELITE 1/18 FERRARI 250 GT CALIFORNIA SWB SPIDER FROM FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF

Ferris Bueller is a popular high school student living in an affluent Chicago suburb. After convincing his parents that he is truly sick, Ferris calls on his friend Cameron to join him for a day of hooky from school. Cameron agrees, reluctantly, because it means taking his father's prized classic 1961 red Ferrari 250 GT convertible. They pick up Ferris's girlfriend head for adventure in downtown Chicago -- all the while trying to outsmart and outrun the dean of students who has become wise to Ferris' plan. 

Highly detailed diecast model of the rare Ferrari 250 GT California Spider featured in the 1986 film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". The box features the films logo and graphics. Shop here

MOTORMAX 1:43 DIE-CAST FORD - ROBOCOP DIORAMA

It's great to see more dioramas involving die-cast vehicles. Following in the footsteps of the classic Johnny Lightning dioramas - Ghostbusters Attack of Mr Stay Puft and Back to The Future Great Scott...Its a Time Machine we've got a new player with Motormax. At 1:43 sized, Motormax uses slightly larger die-cast vehicles to that which Johnny Lightning did who use 1:64 which is the normal Matchbox, Hot Wheels size. 1:43 isn't much bigger though and let's face it, your unlikely to be taking this out of the display packaging anyway so aren't going to have the Ford Taurus police car sitting right next to one of those vehicles anyway.

The diorama is a good one, it does represent the scene but is not 100% looking like a still frame from the movie. In fact the diorama scene never really happened. You've only got one fuel pump bay which the police car is parked like a customer would if they'd just filled up and had gone inside to pay. In the background you've got a shop and a carwash. The figures of Robocop with his arm outstretched and oversized gun in hand is in the right hand side of the diorama and a criminal is in the left side, having surrendered. Of course this isn't what actually happened in the movie. In the movie the criminal who was robbing the station, (Emil who was one of the criminals who killed officer Murphy who became Robocop), never actually surrendered, he fired a machine gun at Robocop while constantly yelling in a panicked voice, "NO! We killed You!" This was after Robocop said his classic Murphy line "Dead or Alive You're Coming With Me!" After unsuccessfully trying to kill Robocop, Emil then tried to escape on a motorbike before the gas station blew up and he crashed into a car. The diorama would have been better if Emil had his machine gun, and the motorbike was maybe standing beside him. But it's just great that there's a Robocop diorama. --James N Simpson  Shop here

BARRIS TV AND MOVIE CARS

Great coverage of TV's Batmobile and the Munter's cars. Authors also remind you about cars you didn't know Barris did: The Beverly Hillbillies truck, the Flintstones (film of course) cars, updates of the Knight Rider Firebird, the Jurassic Park Explorers, and the infamous sitcom "My Mother the Car" (the butt of many Johnny Carson jokes). But also taking up space are forgotten cars from forgotton projects...the Bugaloos dune buggy and a TV special "Romp". Cars I would have liked to have seen but didn't make the cut include the Monkee Mobile, the Green Hornet's "Black Beauty" and the Stutz replicas made for the TV adventure series "Bearcats!". Overall a good book, but I have a hunch that only the surface of Barris' career has been scratched. How about a large format book with lots of color and details on the surviving movie cars and "Kustoms" that made Barris the legend he is? Buy it now

CARS IN FILM GREAT MOMENTS FROM POST-WAR INTERNATIONAL CINEMA

From Steve McQueen's Mustang to 007's killer Aston Martins, cars are the stars in a number of films, every bit as much as their human occupants. This book reviews the good, the bad and the ugly in car movies from both sides of the Atlantic. Packed with obscure facts, stills and arty posters, this book adds up to a visual feast of nostalgia for film buffs and motoring enthusiasts alike. Buy it now

HOLLYWOOD TV AND MOVIE CARS

This fun-filled history looks back at some of the most memorable and remarkable cars and motorcycles ever committed to celluloid. Colour photography, nostalgic movie stills, and an equally entertaining text examine the Tinseltown careers of photogenic vehicles. Buy it now

SPICEWORLD THE MOVIE BUS

Spice World is a 1997 British musical comedy film directed by Bob Spiers, written by Kim Fuller and Jamie Curtis, and starring the best-selling pop music girl group The Spice Girls. The lighthearted comedy, made in a similar vein to The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, depicts fictional events leading up to a major concert at London's Royal Albert Hall, liberally interspersed with dream sequences and flashbacks as well as surreal moments and humorous asides. The film premiered on 15 December 1997 and was released in British cinemas on Boxing Day, followed by the release in North America on 23 January 1998.

This is the Spice Girls 'Spiceworld' the Movie Bus toy. Buy it now

MORRIS MINI COOPER MK1 - PETER SELLERS

If you were a celebrity in the sixties then a modified Mini was the cool car to own, and that trend was started by Peter Sellers’ 1963 ‘Wicker Mini’, modelled here.

Sellers asked Rolls-Royce dealership HR Owen to customize his Mini and they commissioned Hooper (Motor Services) Ltd, the spares and servicing arm of the former coach-building firm, to modify the car. It cost £2600 (when a standard Cooper was £679) but featured up-rated leather seats, electric windows and the famous hand stencilled wicker-work effect on its sides. Sellers used the car in the Pink Panther film ‘A Shot in the Dark’. Buy it now

LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE - TRIUMPH HERALD CONVERTIBLE AND EDIE PEGDEN

Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that is broadcast on BBC One. Last of the Summer Wine premiered as an episode of Comedy Playhouse on 4 January 1973 and the first series of episodes followed on 12 November 1973. Since 1983, Alan J. W. Bell has produced and directed all episodes of the show. The 30th series premiered on 19 April 2009 and concluded on 21 June 2009. On the 26 June 2009 the BBC announced that it had recommissioned the show for its 31st series, consisting of six episodes to be broadcast in 2010. Repeats of the show are broadcast in the UK on G.O.L.D. and it is also seen in more than twenty-five countries,[4] including various PBS stations in the United States and in Canada on VisionTV. Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running comedy programme in Britain and the longest-running sitcom in the world.

The Herald was being developed for launch in 1959 when the vogue was very much for new cars to be of a monocoque construction. As Triumph was a small company they needed the chassis to be built by outside suppliers unfortunately none could oblige so Triumph took the brave decision to develop a new car around what seemed out of date technology.

MOTORMAX 1/43 1949 BUICK ROADSTER "RAIN MAN" MOVIE

Rain Man is a 1988 comedy-drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. The film stars Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt, Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt, and Valeria Golino as Charlie's girlfriend, Susanna. The film won four Oscars at the 61st Academy Awards (March 1989), including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor in a leading role for Hoffman. Its crew received an additional four nominations.

It tells the story of an abrasive yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son, Raymond, a savant, of whose existence Charlie was unaware. After autistic savant Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) inherits three million dollars from his deceased father, his younger brother Charlie (Tom Cruise), in an attempt to trick him out of the money, learns some valuable life lessons.

This is 1949 Buick Roadster from the Rain Man movie. Features:• Depicts Actual Movie Scene• Precision Die-Cast Replica Vehicle• Protective Clear Plastic Cover Included• Measures 10" L x 4.5" H x 4" W• Crafted to 1:43 Scale Buy it now

SCALEXTRIC - THE ITALIAN JOB MINIS

In recognition of possibly the greatest ever British crime caper, three of the stars from the 1969 cult classic, The Italian Job, are now faithfully reproduced by Scalextric.

An icon of design when the film was released, the three Mk1 Austin Mini Cooper S’s captured the hearts of movie fans the world over; starring in one of the most memorable car chase scenes in cinema history.

Incredibly, for the shooting of the getaway scenes the cars were only slightly modified to achieve the array of dazzling stunts. Movie cars are generally heavily modified to cope with the strains of stunt driving, but the Coopers were race bred, extremely light and incredibly tough in all the right areas.

The Mini originally went into production in 1959 and celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2009, the same year that The Italian Job celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Each car is liveried in the correct shade of red, white and blue complete with the individual licence plate numbers. The Italian Job Minis are not suitable for conversion to digital operation.

MARILYN MONROE WITH FORD THUNDERBIRD

Marilyn Monroe (June 1, 1926 – August 5, 1962), born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker, was an American actress, singer and model.

After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received. She was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch, and became one of Hollywood's most popular and glamorous performers.

The typecasting of Monroe's "dumb blonde" persona limited her career prospects, so she broadened her range. She studied at the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her dramatic performance in William Inge's Bus Stop was hailed by critics, and she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like it Hot.
The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide," the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as the possibility of homicide, have not been ruled out.

In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute.

There is justifiably now much interest being shown in the 'Corgi', with their interesting range of vehicles. This model is Ford Thunderbird in silver grey bodywork with cream & pink interior, opening boot & bonnet and diamond headlights. It has Marilyn Monroe figure.

1968 FORD MUSTANG GT 390 STEVE McQUEEN BULLITT MOVIE CAR

Bullitt is a 1968 American thriller film starring Steve McQueen. It was directed by Peter Yates and distributed by Warner Bros. The story was adapted for the screen by Alan Trustman and Harry Kleiner, based on the novel titled Mute Witness (1963) by Robert L. Fish (aka Robert L. Pike). Lalo Schifrin wrote the original music score, a mix of jazz, brass and percussion.
The movie won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing (Frank P. Keller) and was nominated for Best Sound. Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.

Bullitt is probably best-remembered for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, regarded as one of the most influential car chase sequences in movie history.The scene had Bullitt in a dark "Highland Green" 1968 Ford Mustang 390 CID Fastback, chasing two hit-men in a "Tuxedo Black" 1968 Dodge Charger R/T 440 Magnum.
In 2007, Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

This is 1968 Ford Mustang GT Green 1/43 Steve Mqueen Bullitt . Made of diecast with some plastic parts. Detailed interior, exterior. Has plastic display stand with plastic show case. Dimensions approximately L-4 inches long.

CORGI: KOJACK'S BUICK

'Who loves ya, baby?'

If you've got the lollipop and the hairline's retreating swiftly, go the whole hog and buy Kojack's Buick. It's a re-release of an buy Kojack's Buick. It's a re-release of an old Corgi 70's favoutite, and now there's a white metal Kojak figure incorporated with the model, albeit a little over scale. He replaces the plastic Kojack and Crocker figures.

The brown Buick is the same moulding as ever, neatly finished with opening doors. The original colour of the model was a metallic dark brown; the new version is a more authentic light brown. However, there's a mystery surrounding the car that Kojak himself might not be able to fathom. The box says the model: 'was originally released in 1976 and included a mechanism recreating the sound of gun fire, which is still featured on this model.'

Either modern guns have better silencers than they did in 1976, or there is no mechanism on the new model. It used to be operated by a revolving toothed wheel at the rear of the car where the number plate should be, this produced a clicking gun noise. -- Model Collector See more

TOP TEN MOVIE CARS

Cars.com staff picks the top ten movie cars. Shot and produced by: Alex Braun, Sarah Gersh and Eric Rossi Edited by: Lindsay Bjerregaard and Alex Braun

CORGI: STARSKY AND HUTCH FORD GRAN TORINO

The red and white ‘Starsky and Hutch Ford Gran Torino’ capitalized on the highly successful American ‘cop’series and captured the imagination well. However, its contours were a little crude and the wheels were far too small. The white stripe label was also prone to being poorly aligned. Early versions of this 1/35th scale model had clear windows and a yellow interior, and featured posed figures of Dave Starsky and Ken Hutchinson apprehending a suspect. Later versions had solid black windows without any interior or figures, but it did gain twin rear aerials due to the casting being altered slightly for the Corgi Torino Road Hog. Production ceased in 1985/86. A limited run included the Junior version in the same box.

1976 Ford Gran Torino "Starsky & Hutch" Diecast Car Model 1/18 Die Cast Car by ERTL

OLDSMOBILE STARFIRE FROM THE MAN FROM UNCLE

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is an American television series that was broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1964, to January 15, 1968. There were 105 episodes created by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer that made up this series. The first season was broadcast in black-and-white.
The series centered on a two-man troubleshooting team for a fictitious secret international law-enforcement agency, the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.): American Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn), and Russian Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum). Leo G. Carroll played Alexander Waverly, the British head of the organization (Number One of Section One). Lisa Rogers (Barbara Moore) joined the cast as a female regular in the fourth season.

Here is the Corgi model 1961 Oldsmobile Starfire from ‘Man from UNCLE Thrushbuster’. The Thrushbuster as modelled featured of Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin seated within, and by pressing the roof-mounted periscope, both would ‘shoot’ their pistols through the open side windows.

Rotating spot-lamps (which seem to be well over-scale) were sited on each front wing and a label depicting the UNCLE logo was affixed to the bonnet. This latter feature never actually appeared on any UNCLE vehicles for obvious reasons, but it does add to the appeal of the model, giving it a sort of identity. For good measure the logo was also cast onto the baseplate and three bullet holes adorned the windscreen. Earliest and rarest versions were finished in a creamy-white with a matching interior, whilst all later versions were a metallic dark blue (almost purple) with a yellow interior. A casting difference is evident between the white and the blue versions, the later castings having a raised-relief rectangle on the bonnet to facilitate the application of the UNCLE label.

RETURN OF THE SAINT CORGI DIECAST MODEL CAR

The 'Saint's Jaguar XJS' was a larger model than the previous 'Saint's Volvo' model. This 1/35th scale vehicle was just slightly more than a repainted standard XJS model, having 'ST1" licence plate labels, a 'Saint' logo label (not authentic), and a rear mounted aerial. The red interior set off the white paint work nicely, though there was no Simon Templar figure - a pity, as the only features are the opening doors. The final ones were produced in 1982, though the basic XJS is still available.

CORGI TOYS: THE SAINT'S VOLVO P1 800S

The Saint's Volvo P1 800S (no.258) was finished in white with a red interior and a figure of Simon Templar at the wheel. A black 'Saint' decal (which never appeared on the real car) featured prominently on the bonnet for most of the production run, but rather a white 'Saint' on a red bonnet-shaped label was substituted. This 1/48th scale model had a five year with rubber tyred, spun metal wheels, before being shod with the mandatory whizzwheels in 1970, the change of wheels coinciding with a change of catalogue number (no.201). The red bonnet label continued for the whizzwheels version, but the interior colour was change to either yellow or black. Jewelled headlights featured on both versions; 1972 was its final year.