1960s BATMOBILE II

In 1964 Batman comics were selling poorly, so DC comics gave the franchise a new look, with a new, dynamic artist and more detective-based stories. The bulky 1950s Batmobile was replaced with a light, sporty roadster that was fast and maneuverable. Corgi produced the first ever model of this particular car, and it was a very accurate rendition. It had twin rear fins and a bat motif on the grille rather than a heavy battering ram. The dashboard was well detailed and there was a Batman figure at the wheel. The working feature involved an instrument panel in front of the windscreen that popped up when the front axle was pushed down.--Diecast Collector

1950s BATMOBILE

An omission from Corgi's first wave of models was the long-lived 1950s Batmobile, which first appeared in Detective Comics 156 (Feb 1950), in a story appropriately titled 'The Batmobile of 1950'. In this story, Batman is injured when he crashes the 1940s Batmobile. While recuperating, he and Robin design and build a brand new car with modern features including Radar, CCTV and a mobile crime lab. While the new car was of a futuristic design, with a bubble canopy and a large rear fin, it seems to be inspired by contemporary Studebakers.

The Corgi model is very faithful to the car in the comic with correct lines, accurate bat head on the grille and detailed interior. The working feature is rather strange, as the back of the cockpit, including the fin, is rear-hinged and lifts up to reveal the crime lab. I suppose this was just devised by Corgi in order to show off the detailed interior, because the real car had normal side doors for entry and exit-and the shut lines are visible on the model. The car is painted a metallic blue and has rather bulbous, yellow painted headlights.

Another version was released in the 'Silver Age II' set, accompanied by a 1950 Jokermobile. This one was painted black and looked much more effective.--Diecast Collector

1940s BATMOBILE

The second new Corgi vehicle was a big improvement over the previous model, although was a rather curious choice. This one was an open roadster with a long bonnet and six exhaust manifolds on each side. The reason it was such a strange car to use was because it only appeared once, in Detective Comics 37 (March 1940), and then only in one panel. It is a much better interpretation than the 1930s Batmobile; while it didn't look like any particular marque of car, it had the correct proportions of a real roadster of this type. It was finished in gunmetal grey, with an opening bonnet and a good Batman figure at the wheel, with a flowing cape.

This vehicle was not referred to as the Batmobile; the first car to be called this appeared in Detactive Comics 48 (Feb 1941). It was a red convertible similar to a Lincoln Zephyr, with a bat hood ornament, although Corgi did not model this car.--Diecast Collector

1930s BATMOBILE

This was something as a misnomer, as this was an anonymous red coupe that pre-dated the Batmobile. It debuted during Batman's second appearance in Detective Comics 28 (June 1939), and was described as 'a specially built high-powered auto'. At this time, Batman was not really a superhero; he was more of a masked avenger along the lines of The Shadow or the Green Hornet. He carried a gun and often killed his enemies.

The Corgi model was well made, but was very poor representation of a 1930s coupe. As drawn in the comic, the car was an idealised car of the era, with a massive bonnet and big chrome grille. Rather than attempting to model something resembling a real car of the period, Corgi has just copied the cartoony picture and come out with a bad caricature of a 1930s car. The overly-large bonnet does not taper outwards towards the windscreen, and the cabin is small. The model features two opening doors, but these are so narrow that a big guy like Bats couldn't possibly get through them. There is also an opening boot, revealing a spare wheel under a bat-shaped clip.--Diecast Collector  Shop here

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

ERTL: POLICE CAR FROM DICK TRACY

 

In the film, the police all drive 1937 Ford Standard Fordor Sedans, and in some scenes several of them are shown. The model is correctly finished in two-tone colours with a white upper and black lower half. An accurate police star is printed on the front doors in gold, but the model lacks the lights and sirens of the cars in the film. Although this is the same basic model as Tracy's car, it is made to a smallerscale. Shop here

4 DICKY'S CAR IN PACKAGING

The four models were packaged on individual blister cards. These had a yellow background, with a movie logo in the top right hand side, and a stylised cityscape underneath. Rather strangely, the city scene showed a pair of 1950s era cars! Shop here

ERTL: ITCHY'S CAR FROM DICK TRACY

Itchy is a villain who, as his name suggests, can't stop scratching himself. In the film he drives a big, red 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe Sports Sedan. This car appears in two major scenes; when itchy and the psychotic Flattop burst through a garage door in order to bump off a group of rival criminals; and later when they kidnap Tracy and take him to Big Boy's hideout. The model is larger and heavier than the other three, and is closer in size to a Hot Wheels car. This is possibly the only model made of a Chevy Master Sedan.

There were generally pretty nice models, although realism was slightly marred by the movie logo being tampo printed on the car boots (or on the dickey seats of the coupes). Surprising, the most eye-catching car in the film was not modelled...a bright pink Auburn 852 Speedster driven by Madonna's character. Breathless Mahoney. Shop here

ERTL: TRACY'S CAR FROM DICK TRACY

                    

Dick Tracy's Car was a 1936 Ford V8 Deluxe 5-Window Coupe and it was used in serveral scenes in the film. Painted black, it has a black interior, chromed grille and headlights, and the bonnet vents touched in with silver paint-as do the other three models. These two-door coupes were very popular choices for young, single men in the 1930s.Shop here

DICK TRACY - TESS' CAR FROM DICK TRACY

 This vehicle is seen briefly in the film, where it is driven by Tess Trueheart. Tess, played by Glenne Headly, was Tracy's long-suffering girlfriend, and in the comic strip would go on to become his wife. The car was a 1937 Plymouth Business Coupe in bright red. The model is quite accurate, but is slightly smaller than the others. Shop here