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 LOST IN SPACE THE CLASSIC SERIES

         

    Robot B-9                            The Chariot

Jupiter 2                       Space Pod  

From the creative mind of producer Irwin Allen came one of America’s most famous and most popular TV series LOST IN SPACE. The show’s debut was on September 15, 1965 and ran for 3 seasons on CBS. The first year was filmed in black and white with the second two in color. 83 episodes in all were produced 4 more than the original Star Trek’s 79! The first 2 seasons employed cliff-hanger ending the show closing on a freeze frame with the words “To Be Continued Next Week, Same Time, Same Channel.” Fan might also be interested to know that the storyline had the Jupiter 2 launching its voyage from Earth on October 16, 1997 way off into the “future!”

Playing Mantis delivers yet another innovative blockbuster to the die-cast world 4 famous models from LOST IN SPACE each packaged on its own beautiful blister card! Collect all four. The Robinson family’s home and spaceship, the Jupiter 2 was the cornerstone of their daily existence. The highly mobile Space Pod could land an exploration team into the most treasonous of terrains and back out again! The Chariot a state of the art land and sea rover, was an integral part of the Robinson’s space exploration arsenal from Day one. And who could ever target the Robinson family’s true voice of reason their Environmental Control Robot B-9 “Danger! Danger! Will Robinson!”

The fun doesn’t end yet. As an extra collectables bonus, collect all 50 LOST IN SPACE film clips. There’s one inside anywhere else! Exciting action scenes and stills filmed right on the studio sets!

THUNDERBIRDS 40th ANNIVERSARY 2 AND 4 DIECAST

Two of the price of one model with this release. They come in specially designed 40th Anniversary packaging. Thunderbird 4 fits neatly into the belly of 2. A lever releases this portion, a ramp lowers and 4 is away. The legs of 2 are retractable. Good fun. Shop here

FORD GRANADA CONSUL FROM THE SWEENEY

The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. The programme's title derives from Sweeney Todd, which is Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad'.
The programme was shot entirely on 16mm film by Thames Television's film division, Euston Films. It originally aired on ITV between 1975 and 1978 in the nine - ten pm (2100 - 2200) weekday (usually Monday) slot with repeated showings at the same time until the early 1980's. It starred John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, and Dennis Waterman as Detective Sergeant George Carter. Such was its popularity in the UK that it spawned two theatrically released feature film spin-offs, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2.
Notably this popular TV series aired in a dark period for the real-life Flying Squad. In the late 1970s it was publicly censured for being involved in bribery and police corruption, and its close links with the criminal fraternity. Unlike the unwavering high standards seen in the fictional Sweeney, the actual commander of the Flying Squad, Detective Chief Superintendent Kenneth Drury was convicted of five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years on 7 July 1977. An internal investigation, called Operation Countryman, was then launched to stamp out more corruption. A further 12 officers were convicted and many others resigned.



Richmond toys the sweeney ford granada consul car diecast model brand new displayed in a mint box and is in mint condition this model is part of the richmond toys tv classic collection this model is about 1/32 scale. Shop here

STARSKY & HUTCH 5 Inch 1974 FORD GRAN TORINO & FIGURES

Introduced as a TV movie in April 1975, Starsky & Hutch immediately entered the annals of TV history as the first high profile cop show to shatter the mould of solo detectives with polar opposite characters and a penchant for guns, girls and squealing tires. it was the latter of these elements which introduced the bond of this successful partnership, Starsky's traffic troubling 1974 Ford Torino. Customized with a lightning flash of a go faster stripe, the $4,461 Gran Torino was one of only 1177 built for the US market. The show eventually ended in 1979 but the revival continues to this day. Shop here

CORGI 1/43 LAND ROVER LAST OF THE SUMMER WINE

Three old school friends - the self styled leader, the timid dawdler and the mischievous scruff-bag with nothing to do and all the time to do it. Corgi have reproduced the scruffy one with Wesleys Land Rover in this charming set. Shop here

SCHUCO 1/43 TEMPO THREE-WHEELS TRUCK FROM DIE LUDOLFS TV SHOW

What happens when reality TV meets one of Germany’s biggest car junk yards? Die Ludolfs, a funny look at a not-so-typical family business. With over four million spare parts-and no computers-chaos is the name of the game. Add the dynamics of a multi-generation family business and you’ve got one of the biggest hits on German television. Naturally a business like this acquires a variety of interesting vehicles. But die Ludolfs add their own distinctive touches, applying distinctive paint and decorations to every one.



This is accurate replica of a post-war delivery truck in the funky colors of Die Ludolfs. Extreme detailing including authentic paint scheme (including simulated rust patches), old Christmas tree cargo, plus working doors, simple interior includes steering wheel and bench seat, diecast metal construction with plastic detail parts. Includes clear display case and base.
Schuco is a legendary German toy manufacturer, founded in 1912. The company achieved worldwide fame with its toy cars manufactured in the '30s, '40s and '50s, many of which were patented. While Schuco continues to issue a limited number of metal retro-toys for collectors, today the company is better known for its amazing diecast vehicle replicas. Working directly with manufacturers and car collectors, Schuco painstakingly re-creates each vehicle in miniature, often incorporating tiny details only visible with a magnifying glass. Most Schuco models are issued in specified limited quantities, and once gone, will not be made again. That’s why wise collectors know that a Schuco model isn’t just a purchase: It’s an investment with a lifetime return of enjoyment. 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.

CAPTAIN SCARLET SPECTRUM PURSUIT VEHICLE

The 'Spectrum Pursuit vehicle' completed the trio of 'Scarlet' models, also to 1/48th scale. It was finished in a light metallic blue for its ten year production, though this was slightly darker than in the series. It feature an outward sliding door which when opened would lower the rear-facing figure of Captain Scarlet to the ground (the drivers of these SPVs always sat and drove via a TV monitor screen). Also featured were a hinged nise panel with a concealed firing missile, folding aerial and retractable rear quad track unit. In its final years the normally white rubber bumper was replace with a lack one and the 'Spectrum' roundel decals were replaced by somplified labels.

MINICHAMPS 1/43 ASTON MARTIN DBS "THE STIG"

The Stig is the name given to the racing driver on the BBC show Top Gear. In the show he is cast as a mysterious "Tame Racing Driver". He is credited as a presenter alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The Stig's primary functions on the show are to post Power Laps times in various cars around the Top Gear Test Track in Dunsfold Park, and to train each week's guest in setting a lap time in the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car feature on the show. In addition The Stig carries out other driving and personal appearance duties when the need arises.
The Stig has also appeared on some of Jeremy Clarkson's motoring specials, such as Heaven and Hell, Thriller and Duel.

This diecast model of the Aston Martin DBS is exquisitely detailed, and an exact replica of the car 'The Stig' drove around the Top Gear test track as part of the 'Power Laps' series, in a stunning time of 1 minute 23.9 seconds. It is part of a series of collectable models being produced by Minichamps in association with Top Gear.

There are just 2,009 of this model worldwide, making it highly collectable, and it is beautifully presented in fully branded packaging, including the track time this car achieved on the TV show.
The coming together of Minichamps, the UK's leading diecast brand, and Top Gear, TV's greatest motoring show, is a fantastic combination most collectors have only dreamed about until now, and gives you the opportunity to own a piece of history. Don't hang around - they'll go faster than you could possibly believe!

Top Gear Minichamps 1/43 Aston Martin DBS ready made diecast car (black) including figure of 'The Stig', as featured in the 'Power Laps' on BBC Top Gear. Only 2009 pieces of each model are available worldwide. Minichamps are high quality die cast models (rather than a toy), and are highly collectable. See more

SCHUCO 1/43 VPLKSWAGEN T2A MIMIBUS FROM DIE LUDOLFS TV SHOW

What happens when reality TV meets one of Germany’s biggest car junk yards? Die Ludolfs, a funny look at a not-so-typical family business. With over four million spare parts-and no computers-chaos is the name of the game. Add the dynamics of a multi-generation family business and you’ve got one of the biggest hits on German television. Naturally a business like this acquires a variety of interesting vehicles. But die Ludolfs add their own distinctive touches, applying distinctive paint and decorations to every one. Schuco is a legendary German toy manufacturer, founded in 1912. The company achieved worldwide fame with its toy cars manufactured in the '30s, '40s and '50s, many of which were patented. While Schuco continues to issue a limited number of metal retro-toys for collectors, today the company is better known for its amazing diecast vehicle replicas. Working directly with manufacturers and car collectors, Schuco painstakingly re-creates each vehicle in miniature, often incorporating tiny details only visible with a magnifying glass. Most Schuco models are issued in specified limited quantities, and once gone, will not be made again. That’s why wise collectors know that a Schuco model isn’t just a purchase: It’s an investment with a lifetime return of enjoyment. Buy it now

CORGI 1/43 SCALE – AUSTIN 1300 FAWLTY TOWERS

It’s television folklore captured by Corgi. Who hasn’t seen the sketch of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) giving his Austin 1300 Traveller ‘a damn good thrashing’ with the branch of a tree after it refused to start. And who hasn’t felt like doing the same at some point? This model captures that moment, in the episode ‘Gourmet Night’, well, helped by the backdrop included in the pack. For those whose memory needs a jog the even is detailed on the model’s box: With a drunken chef and a missing lobster, there is no choice but to drive to a local restaurant to collect an available duck. It’s then that the car breaks down.

The Austin model is well reproduced and the hand painted white metal figure of Basil Fawlty is fair- we’ve seen worse. Like the series, this model is a laugh.

If you have heard rumours about specially packaged versions, they are true. In a flash of genius Corgi has released an exceptionally small number of the models with variations on the ‘Fawlty Towers’ hotel name, to read ‘Fatty Owls’ and other, less polite, variations, following a running joke in the actual series.

ERTL COLLECTIBLES MONKEES DIECAST COLLECTOR VEHICLE

THE MONKEE MOBILE 1:18 Scale 2002 American Muscle / Ertl Collectibles MONKEES Die-Cast Collector Vehicle. It vaguely resembled a GTO, but what started out as a "goat" emerged as pure "Monkee!" When customizer Dean Jefferies was contracted to build a car for the TV show about a rock group and its zany misadventures, he knew just what was needed. While the front grille sported a GTO emblem, Jefferies' extensive modifications included a tall split windshield, and extra row of seats where the rear deck was, a T-bucket convertible top, large fender flares and exapperated taillamps. The engine sported a 6-71 supercharger, although the blower was a dummy, as the car had too much power and was difficult to drive with the original blower.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS CHEVROLET VAN

Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men. The series was broadcast in the USA on the ABC Television Network from 1976 to 1981 and was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. Charlie's Angels was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. In pre-production, the original proposed title was The Alley Cats.
Three women, the Angels (originally Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors, and Jaclyn Smith), graduated from the Los Angeles police academy only to be assigned such duties as handling switch boards and traffic. They quit and were hired to work for the Charles Townsend Agency as private investigators. Their boss, Charlie (voiced by John Forsythe), is never seen full face — in some episodes the viewer gets to see the back of his head and his arms, talking through a phone while surrounded by beautiful women — assigning cases to the Angels and his liaison, Bosley (played by David Doyle), via a speaker phone.

Charlie's Angels is episodic in nature, as opposed to serial, thus each episode shows the Angels finding themselves in new situations in which they would go undercover to investigate. The undercover aspect of the show creates much of the plot interest and tension. In the early seasons of the show, the Angels, under their assumed identities, use a combination of sexual wiles and knowledge learned for the situation in which they are being placed, but by the third and fourth seasons, the writing has a tendency to stray from the sex appeal and focus more on the case at hand.

The Chevrolet van was the basis of quite a few TV related models. The first and by far the best was the bright pink ‘Charlie’s Angels silhouette logo emblazoned on each body side. Opening rear doors and transparent roof panels served to display the cardboard custom interior of this 1/40th scale van which could be found with either solid or four-spoke whizzwheels. A very tastefully produced model that lasted until 1981. See more.

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.

'JOE 90' TV SERIES

Joe 90 is a 1968 television series concerning the adventures of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, set in the years 2012-13. Devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, a single season of thirty 25-minute episodes was completed, and it was the last show to be made exclusively using a form of puppetry called "Supermarionation". It was created for Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment by Century 21 Productions (by this time also under Grade's ownership), and was first broadcast on the British ITV network by Associated Television.

CAPTAIN SCARLET TV SERIES - MAXIMUM SECURITY VEHICLE

One of three vehicles released from the ‘Captain Scarlet’ TV series was the ‘Maximum Security Vehicle’. With a white body, red base and side stripes, it featured opening gull wing doors with access to the red interior and ‘radio-active’ packing case. This 1/48th scale model is an accurate representation in all but colour, as the vehicles in the series were silver-grey with an orange stripe. No variations were noted in its eight year run, except possibly a speed wheel version with a blue interior, said to have been released on a blister card around 1975. See more.

'CAPTAIN SCARLET' TV SERIES

Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often referred to as simply Captain Scarlet, is a science fiction television series produced by the Century 21 Productions Television company of Gerry Anderson, John Read, Reg Hill and Sylvia Anderson. It was first shown in the United Kingdom (originally on ATV Midlands, but later the whole of the UK) between September 1967 and May 1968. It used puppetry (Supermarionation) and scale model special effects.

The series is one of several of popular science-fiction TV adventure series the Andersons produced in the 1960s, beginning with Supercar and followed by Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, and the little-seen The Secret Service. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons was the first series made after the international success of Thunderbirds in 1964-66.

DINKY TOYS - THUNDERBIRD 2 AND 4

The smaller of two eventual versions of 'Thunderbird 2' represented a scale of around 1/515th, and both halves of the fuselage were die-cast. Early versions were finished correctly in gloss green whilst later versions were finished in metallic green. The spring loaded folding legs were usually moulded in yellow, but some do turn up with red. A small yellow plastic model of Thunderbird 4 was included in side the removeable cargo pod. In 1974, this model was superceded bu a slightly larger 1/500th scale version, the bottom half of the fuselage still initially diecast but soon being changed to plastic. All the larger versions were finished in metallic blue, the all die-cast version having both halves finished in the same colour. The plastic bottomed versions did not have the bottom painted, and so appeared as metallic blue and black two-tone for most of the production run, though the very last versions (around 1980) appeared with a white plastic bottom half. Again, the folding legs on these larger versions could be either yellow or red. The smaller scale Thunderbird 2's are valued highest today, the gloss green commanding slighty more than the metallic green, though the short lived all die-cast large version is not far behind. --(Model Collectors) See more

DINKY 100 FAB 1 LADY PENELOPE'S CAR IN GOLD FINISH

Dinky 100 Fab 1 Lady Penelope's Car in Gold Finish