I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the readers and listeners who have stuck with diecastAUDIO for the last few years. Both the site and the show have gone through a lot of changes and believe it or not, there are more changes to come as I continue to find the perfect balance between my love of the hobby and real life obligations. There hasn’t been much “audio” from diecastAUDIO lately, and I’m working on a few ideas which will remedy that. Stay tuned for the results in early 2008!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

Cheers,
Jeff

In this fourth and final installment of “Up Close” for 2007 we take a look at the Johnny Lightning 1968 Hurst/Olds Cutlass from Muslecars Release 15. Tom and the folks at JL have always done a great job of selecting a mixture of popular “mainstream” muscle car casts, but also keep things fresh and interesting for collectors by including vehicles that didn’t necessarily reach the popularity of the Camaros, Mustangs and Chevelles. The cast being featured today seems to fall somewhere between mainstream popularity and sleeper muscle.

Spectacular paint, great detail, real rubber tires and an opening hood are all part of what makes this Hurst/Olds Cutlass a winner. If you’re not a Johnny Lighting collector, you owe it to yourself to pick one up and bust it out of the package. Every piece takes on a whole new life when set free and magnifies the excellent work that goes into each one. CHeck out these shots of the Cutlass and let us know what you think. Click on any thumbnail for the full image.

The castings in Musclecars Release 15 include:

1968 Hurst/Olds Cutlass (shown)
1968 Shelby GT500
1987 Buick Regal
2005 Ford GT

Thanks again to Johnny Lightning Senior Design Manager Tom Zahorsky for supplying the cars for the recent “Up Close” series. If you are a diecast manufacturer or even a diecast customizer and would like your piece(s) highlighted here on diecastAUDIO, then feel free to contact me via jeff [at] diecastaudio.com.

[via johnnylightning.com]

This past week Jada Toys posted a quick blurb about their upcoming Funny Car castings that will make their appearance in the Big Time Muscle line a s part of Wave 14. From the looks of the group picture, these beauties will be a serious entry into the world of funny car diecast as well a great addition to the collections of funny car collectors world-wide.

[via jadatoys.com]

Today’s entry in this week’s “Up Close” series of posts features Johnny Lightning’s 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 from the Muscle Cars Gold Series Release 6! While the Catalina isn’t necessarily considered a top pick when it comes to muscle car casts, this piece is certainly a beauty none the less! It features all the great detail you’ve come to expect from the Gold Series line including real rubber tires, an opening hood and gloriously detailed paint and accents. Top it off with a hard plastic display case and cool re-sealable clam shell packaging and you have one of the best values in main stream 1/64th scale diecast! Click on any of the thumbnails for the full size image.

The entire Limited Edition Muscle Cars Gold Series Release 6 contains the following castings:

• 1966 Ford Mustang GT
• 1965 Pontiac Catalina 2+2
• 1962 Chevy Bel Air
• 1971 Plymouth HEMI Cuda

Just like the other “Up Close” Johnny Lightning release features we’ve covered this week, you should be able to find these now in your favorite retailers across the country. Thanks again to Tom Zahorsky for providing the cars for this series of posts!

[via johnnylightning.com]

The second “Up Close” with Johnny Lightning for the week features the 1969 Dodge Dart from the Coca Cola rides Release 5. This piece is dressed with gloss blue paint with a flat black roof and a festive snow flake theme, complete with snowman on each door (Frosty, is that you..?!). Other details include an opening hood, flat black engine, black interior, and standard plastic tires. Each car in the series comes with an exclusive “Gripclip” which transforms the car into a hang-able decoration. Click on any thumbnail to view the full size image.

The entire release includes the following castings:

• 1957 Chevy Bel Air
• 1965 Chevy Impala
• 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra
• 1969 Dodge Dart
• 1970 Ford Maverick
• 1970 Plymouth GTX

This release should be in stores now just in time for the holidays. Be sure to grab all 6 and decorate that tree! Special thanks to Tom Zahorsky at Johnny Lightning for providing the cars for this week’s “Up Close” series of posts!

[via johnnylightning.com]

Tom Zahorsky, Senior Design Manager for Johnny Lightning was kind enough to send out a package to the diecastAUDIO studio, so we’re sharing the contents with a few posts spread out through this final week before the Christmas holiday kicks into full gear. First up is this great 1964 Ford Falcon Panel Delivery from Wicked Wagons Release 2! This piece features rubber tires, highly detailed paint and an opening hood. Click on the thumbnails for the full sized photos.

The complete release consists of the following casts:

• 1966 Cadillac Hearse
• 1964 Ford Falcon Panel Delivery
• 1965 Chevy Chevelle Wagon
• 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery

Be sure to check your local retailer, as this release is in stores now!

[via johnnylightning.com]

Collector Sixty8hotwheels recently posted this nice shot of the “Al’s Toy Barn” - Toy Story 2 Action Pack that Mattel released in 1999. It was available in two different versions. One contained the custom cruiser with seven spoke wheels (shown) and the other had seven spoke white walls.

As you’ll see if you check out the replies to the post on JDS, this was, and still is a very liked set. We can only hope that Mattel brings great sets like this back to retailers sometime in the future!

[via joesdiecastshack.com]