Johnny Lightning – The WASP (from Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat Cartoon)

 

Johnny Lightning – The WASP (from Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat Cartoon), made in China by Playing Mentis in 2003, with a length of 7.5 cm and a weight of 190 grams. 

The WASP metal car features The Cat in the Hat cartoon pattern, created by Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), first published in 1957. There are 12 types of metal cars in this set, such as the 1940 Ford Delivery, Sand Stormer, Custom GTO, '55 Ford Panel Van, etc. See more

Johnny Lightning - 1955 Chevrolet (Elvis Presley)

The Johnny Lightning die-cast replica series pays tribute to iconic artists and bands that have made a significant impact on the world of music. This specific model is a 1955 Chevrolet die-cast car designed for the movie Jailhouse Rock, which was released in 1957 and marked the first single from an Elvis Presley movie. 

The die-cast car features a metal body and chassis, along with real wheels and removable tires. It is in new condition and comes packaged with Elvis Presley photo stickers, adding to its collectible appeal.Shop here

JOHNNY LIGHTHING BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER- SPIKE GILES CITROEN

 

 Gile's Citroen comes in two colours, a sparkly metallic silver, as well as a shark skin colour grey. Silver version was in the original release of four Buffy vehicles and the grey hit the shelves in the second release. Both use the same mould, tan coloured interior, tyres and so on, however there is a considerable difference between the two colours that make it worthwhile collecting both. Both releases like all other vehicles in the Buffy series come with a bonus collector card. These have a variety of images of various actors from the TV show, of course the ones with Sarah Michelle Gellar cost a lot more to collect these days. You can get the other actor carded vehicles fairly cheap with the exception of Alyson Hannigan (Willow) who has increased in demand since How I Met Your Mother became one of the biggest shows in recent times. 

Not only can you get the different actors on the collector cards but you can also get them wearing different clothing and with different quotes. The better quotes with Sarah on them are also more expensive than the ones about pep and so forth. When these do come online as loose cars they sell for a fraction of the blister pack prices. Without the pack though, you wouldn't even know they were from Buffy. So tracking down the right actor card and quote is important as you're not likely to be removing your Citroen from the blister pack. --James Simpson Shop here

JOHNNY LIGHTNING COCA-COLA 1968 PONTIAC GTO

The artwork on this 1968 Pontiac GTO from Johnny Lightning is simply brilliant. There haven't been many snowmen released throughout the various years of the Coca Cola vehicles by Johnny Lightning or even Matchbox who also are licensed to provide official Coca Cola imagery on their 1/64 sized vehicles.


This vehicle was released as part of the 2003 Coca Cola Polar Bear Series. Even though it doesn't have any polar bear imagery on the actual vehicle it did come in the same designed blister pack with the backing card of a polar bear and two cubs putting a star on top of the Christmas tree that the rest of the series had. This particular vehicle was not released to the shops with the others but instead, it was offered for purchase by members through Johnny Lightning's website. This means there weren't as many of these made as the other vehicles, meaning it is harder to find in collector stores and online websites than those other vehicles.
This is a yellow 1968 Pontiac with a thick dark blue bordered in white strip down the sides and over the bonnet and boot (hood and trunk). On the side strip is the Coca Cola word logo in white as well as the top part of a winking snowman wearing a red scarf and black top hard with the words ICE COLD written on it. The white Coca Cola word logo is also on the boot. On the roof the same winking image also appears but this time it's a full body image. He is holding a glass of Coke in both hands in front of his body. He's standing beside a yellow real estate type sign with the words For That Refreshing New Feeling. There's also the red Coca Cola with white letter logo beside the Snowman's head. In the background there are snowflakes falling.

The wheels are quite good with red rimmed tyres where you can see the tread. The seats dashboard and other parts of the interior are white. --James N Sympson  Shop here

MONOPOLY '56 CHEVY SCHOOL BUS

Most of the 5th Release of Monopoly vehicles by Johnny Lightning were double ups of properties already done in previous releases. This Community Chest school bus was an original new additional. Community Chest had of course been done before with the Community Chest Ford Mustang Car from release one (and rereleased in release 2) and likewise the bus had been used for the Go Directly to Jail, Do Not Pass Go Bus (which is currently not listed on Amazon but was part of release 3). This time however the bus is yellow but surprisingly the prison bar through the windows remains from the old orange previous bus (keep them kids from escaping before they Pay School Tax of $150 which is written on the side near the back. There is also Mr Monopoly patting some nerdy looking kid on the head (same image as used in game on the card) on the side of the bus. The only disappointing thing however is that they missed a massive opportunity to do anything with the huge canvas which is the roof of the bus. It's just yellow, a nice Monopoly image would have been sensational here! Of course like all 5th series Monopoly vehicles they made the bonus token (a miniature version of the bus) silver to celebrate Monopoly's 70th year. This is a must own! --James N Simpson

MONOPOLY PARK PLACE PONTIAC TEMPEST

This nicely detailed Pontiac Tempest is one of only two properties (not including rail roads or utilities) in the first release of twelve vehicles. The other incidentally was the red '57 Chevy (Illinois Ave). This dark blue Pontiac represents Park Place the second most expensive property on the board. It is a bit of weird selection with so many more luxurious and expensive cars out there to choose from (in series two Boardwalk is a BMW) but it is one of the better looking vehicles of release one. Also like all other vehicles in series one it comes with a bonus game token which is also very well detailed even with the little top of the engine coming out of the bonnet. On the boot of this vehicle (trunk) is an image of the Park Place card you get when you purchase the property in the game. It is very well detailed with everything that is on the actual game card. On the roof is the moustache top hat guy holding his cane (like on the packaging as seen inside the Monopoly word). That very word symbol in the red rectangle is also on the doors and bonnet. I have all of the 12 first release Monopoly Johnny Lightning cars and can testify that this is one of the best vehicles of that release. These vehicles were also rereleased with an additional six new vehicles as series two, but with different packaging. So depending on if you're into keeping your vehicles in their packaging you may want to consider which series to buy from. Series one's packaging is purple on the left, and green on the right. Has the Monopoly Man in a car on the purple side and getting given some cash on the right. The five properties behind the car are Boardwalk, Luxury Tax (obscured by dice), Park Place, Chance and Short Line. There was a competition mentioned in the top left corner and on the back of the card. Series two replaced the dice with a big "bonus game token" red and yellow arrow, just in case you hadn't noticed the token before. The properties were replaced by the orange ones as well as Community Chess, and the top half of the packaging has a blue background. The initial twelve cars and their bonus token including this one are exactly the same. If you're going to take them out and throw away the packaging then it matters not which series you buy, get whichever is cheaper. Johnny Lightning cars are always well done and much better detailed than anything Matchbox, Hotwheels or anyone else puts out.-- James N Simpson.

MONOPOLY ILLINOIS AVE'57 CHEVY CAR

The Illinois Ave red Chevy is definitely one of the best cars to not just come out of release one of Johnny Lightning's Monopoly series but all the Monopoly series as well. This nicely detailed Chevy is one of only two properties' (not including rail roads or utilities) in the first release of twelve vehicles. The other incidentally was the Park Place Pontiac Tempest. These vehicles were also rereleased with an additional six new vehicles as series two, but with different packaging. So depending on if you're into keeping your vehicles in their packaging you may want to consider which series to buy from. Series one's packaging is purple on the left, and green on the right. Has the Monopoly Man in a car on the purple side and getting given some cash on the right. The five properties behind the car are Boardwalk, Luxury Tax (obscured by dice), Park Place, Chance and Short Line. There was a competition mentioned in the top left corner and on the back of the card. Series two replaced the dice with a big "bonus game token" red and yellow arrow, just in case you hadn't noticed the token before. The properties were replaced by the orange ones as well as Community Chess, and the top half of the packaging has a blue background. The initial twelve cars and their bonus token including this one are exactly the same. If you're going to take them out and throw away the packaging then it matters not which series you buy, get whichever is cheaper. On the bonnet of this vehicle (hood) is an image of the Illinois Avenue card you get when you purchase the property in the game. It is very well detailed with everything that is on the actual game card. On the roof is the moustache top hat guy holding his cane (like on the packaging inside the Monopoly word). That very word symbol in red rectangle, is also on the doors and boot (trunk). --James N Simpson See more.

MONOPOLY 70th ANNIVERSARY '57 CHEVY BEL AIR - ORIENTAL AVE

If you're collecting these Johnny Lightning (note not Hasbro as the seller selling through Amazon has listed, Hasbro owns the rights to the Monopoly name licence) vehicles and you're having trouble finding the Honda race car detailed Oriental Ave from the fourth release of Monopoly vehicles then this will fill that property square nicely instead of or as an temporarily. Being that it is a double up of a previous Monopoly property car has made this a lot less sort after (as is the case with most of the 5th series or 70th anniversary as they are called cars) than most other Monopoly cars so you can get it fairly cheap. The Release 4 Honda is usually a lot more expensive probably also due to the fact that it is the only Honda car of its type on the board and this is not the only 57 Chevy Bel Air. Illinois Ave from release 1 (also rereleased with release 2) was also a Chevy 57 Bel Air, it was red. It is a nice looking car though, it even has those old school tyres with the white circle on them. Disappointing though it doesn't have an Mr Monopoly in action pictures on the car, all it has is the Oriental Ave property card on the doors. Like all 70th anniversary vehicles the bonus token that looks like the die-case car is a lot shinier silver than the grey of most previous bonus tokens. --James N Simpson See more.

ATLANTIC AVE'75 MUSTANG COBRA II RACER

From the 3rd release of Johnny Lightning Monopoly vehicles comes the Atlantic Ave 75 Mustang Cobra II bee coloured Racer. The car is mainly yellow (as the property set it is a part of is) with a black stripe going from the rear end of one side, around the front to the other rear end, along the back to where it started. There is also a black stripe going across the bonnet, roof and boot. On the roof you will also find a miniature version of the Atlantic Ave property card. Of course like all Johnny Lightning Monopoly vehicles in release 3 the bonus game token is a golden coloured one. It is a very nice miniature of the Mustang Cobra car. There were actually quite a few different series of Monopoly themed vehicles released after the initial 12 cars (which were incidentally released again with six additional vehicles as series 2). The 5th and 6th were both called 70th Anniversary Release. Johnny Lightning pretty much always make great vehicles, with attention to detail far better than anything Matchbox, Hot Wheels and other rivals put out and the Monopoly series is one of their best! --James N Simple Read more.

FORD MUSTANG MONOPOLY PLAYING PIECE

The only vehicle specifically promoting Community Chess cards in the game of Monopoly from Release One's twelve Vehicles. This remained the case even when these vehicles were also rereleased with an additional six new vehicles as series two, but with different packaging. So depending on if you're into keeping your vehicles in their packaging you may want to consider which series to buy from.

Series one's packaging is purple on the left, and green on the right. Has the Monopoly Man in a car on the purple side and getting given some cash on the right. The five properties behind the car are Boardwalk, Luxury Tax (obscured by dice), Park Place, Chance and Short Line. There was a competition mentioned in the top left corner and on the back of the card.

Series two replaced the dice with a big "bonus game token" red and yellow arrow, just in case you hadn't noticed the token before. The properties were replaced by the orange ones as well as Community Chess, and the top half of the packaging has a blue background. The initial twelve cars and their bonus token including this one are exactly the same. If you're going to take them out and throw away the packaging then it matters not which series you buy, get whichever is cheaper.

This nicely detailed Mustang looks really good, yellow with a black grill and racing stripe down the side. This vehicle also has no side windows so if you're ever shrunk down to a really small size, you can get in and out Dukes of Hazzard style. The little guy with the moustache makes a few appearances on this car as well. The image where he receives $10 for coming second in a beauty contests is on the side as is his get out of jail free image. On the roof is the image of him going directly past Go wearing the giant boot.

The monopoly white texted words inside the red rectangle are on the bonnet and boot. As mentioned like all other vehicles in series one and two it comes with a bonus game token which is also very well detailed. Of course the ultimate Community Chess vehicle was released in the 70th Anniversay collection (release 5) and was the '56 Chevy school bus. I have all of the 12 first release Monopoly Johnny Lightning cars and highly recommend this vehicle to add to your collection. Johnny Lightning cars are always well done and much better detailed than anything Matchbox, Hot Wheels or anyone else puts out. --James N Simpson. See more.

EXCELLENT RESOURCE FOR JOHNNY LIGHTNING COLLECTORS

This book is an excellent resource for all Johnny Lightning collectors, experienced and novice. It provides much information on the history of JL and many of the nuances of collecting, manufacturing, etc. There are great color photos of many cars. Price ranges are also included as well as how to rate the condition of the cars. The only drawback I can see is there is little to no info on many of the newer cars/sets. The index is also somewhat difficult to follow, especially if you don't know what year the car was manufactured. Perhaps this will be included in the next edition? Overall, I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in Johnny Lightning collecting! (Reviewed by Gerry Bowman) See more.

JOHNNY LIGHTNING 1/64 THE ITALIAN JOB MINI COOPER DIRTY COMPLETE SET

Careering across the roofs, and down through the sewers and marble staircases of Turin, this trio of Minis made an unforgettable spectacle in the 1696 comedy classic, the Italian Job. This is Johnny Lightning on Wheels the Italian Job Mini Coopers Dirty complete set red, blue, white. See here.

40th ANNIVERSARY 007 VILLAINOS VEHICLES

The die-cast car Johnny Lightning-40th Anniversary 007 Villainous Vehicles was produced by Johnny Lightning in China 2003 in order to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of James Bond 007, a set in this film for only 27 cars. This set is the fourth that composed of 4 cars. Even the most evil men on earth need to get around in style. Whether it's the classic style of Drax's Hispano-Suiza limousine (from Live and Let Die)

The purposeful utility of Sanchez's Jeep (from Licence To Kill)

Locque's dune buggy (from For Your Eyes Only)

The '57 Chevy driven by Mr.Jones (from Dr.No)

These memorable rides were significant players in some of James Bond's greatest adventures. Such a devious collection of machinery has never before been assembled one box! All of them are made of metal body and underneath. Details are distinguished beautifully. Shop here.