A Nickey-pimped Chevelle was, and is, a thing of beauty ... Many 1960s car lovers believe the second generation Chevelle and its related GM cousins were the epitome of automotive styling and beauty. It’s hard to argue the point, at least that the Chevelle displayed beautiful lines and proportions, in addition to being highly affordable.... Continue Reading →
Round2 acquisition confirmed
Auto World, Johnny Lightning owner partners with investment firm to expand product lines ... By Mark Savage Round 2, one of die-cast car collecting and plastic car modeling's big dogs, made it official today. It has partnered with an investment group that should help it to expand its product lines. The announcement from Round2's headquarters... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Auto World 1977 Dodge Warlock
Blingy Warlock pickup stirred our love of custom trucks ... I have to admit that when I heard Auto World was releasing the 1977 Dodge Warlock I was confused. I’d never heard of it, and I pride myself in being a pretty heady car guy. Of course, it’s a truck. Still, in 1977 I was... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Auto World’s 1967 Shelby GT350
Rare Shelby GT350 originally meant for Hertz ... What car lover doesn’t long to own a Hertz-intended Shelby GT350, a rare black fastback Mustang from its 1960s hey days? Most of us would part with some serious coin for one of these black beauties in any size and now Auto World delivers a stout one... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Auto World’s 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
1969 Charger R/T cool in Light Blue Poly ... As a teenager in 1969 I was enthralled with muscle cars for their speed, their rumbling V8s, and their looks. My family was Mopar crazy and so that made me a prime candidate to love Dodge’s Charger. But really, I was more into the Challenger and... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Johnny Lightning Silver Screen Machines: 007
Johnny Lightning creates fun James Bond mini dioramas … When we think of certain movies we picture the cars that were stars, such as Steve McQueen’s Mustang in Bullitt, or Sean Connery’s Aston Martin in many James Bond movies. That’s what we as modelers build, and what us die-cast car collectors like to collect. These... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Johnny Lightning 50th Anniversary cars
Anniversary release cars feature metal storage tins ... We knew that Johnny Lightning would be surprising us with some unique releases to mark it’s 50th Anniversary, and the latest releases offer a fun twist with snazzy metal storage tins. Our review product is Release 2 with the tins, with version A and B cars. We... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Auto World’s 1971 Plymouth GTX
A 1971 Plymouth GTX you can afford ... My neighborhood was packed with Road Runners back in the early 1970s, in no small part because we had one of the top-selling Chrysler-Plymouth dealerships in Indiana a few blocks from my house. The wild fruity colors of the late 1960s and early ‘70s lit up the... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Racing Champions’ Mint, Release 3A
Round2's small scale cars deliver bang for the buck! … As I mentioned in my introduction to this issue, Round2’s Johnny Lightning brand celebrates its 50th Anniversary this year and while various special releases are eminent, its Racing Champions brand continues to make similarly excellent 1/64 die-cast cars that are available right now. I love... Continue Reading →
Die-cast: Auto Worl’d Premium 2018 Release 4, True 1/64
True 1/64 scale cars are little gems from Round2 …  Didn’t most of us start out collecting Matchbox, or later Hot Wheels, die-casts? I spent a lot of time ogling and dreaming about those 75 metal 1/64 (roughly) scale Matchbox vehicles in my hobby shop’s display case. And when really lucky, I snagged a... Continue Reading →