Johnny Lightning |
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Official Site: JohnnyLightning.com
Wikipedia: Johnny Lightning Page Sections History Merchandise |
History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Johnny Lightning page on 24 September 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Johnny Lightning is a brand of model cars originally produced by Topper Toys, similar to the hugely successful Mattel Hot Wheels die cast racing cars. Their claim to fame at that time was that they were extremely fast compared to other brands of die-cast cars. Their most important technology was to mold in a small hook under the front axle so that they could be propelled by a lever-driven catapult, far faster than could be obtained by either gravity, or battery powered "supercharger" devices. Topper closed in 1971 and production of Johnny Lightning cars ceased for 23 years. In 2003 Thomas Lowe secured the trademark rights to the Johnny Lightning name for his Playing Mantis company. Playing Mantis produced toy cars under the Johnny Lightning brand name from 1994 to June 2004. At that time Playing Mantis (including the Johnny Lightning brand) was bought by RC2 Corp. which in turn was bought by the Japanese toy company TOMY in 2011. TOMY discontinued the Johnny Lightning line of diecast cars in 2013. The brand continued to maintain a following by a loyal group of collectors. In early 2016 Round 2 LLC, a toy company owned by Thomas Lowe (who also owned Playing Mantis), revived and reintroduced Johnny Lightning vehicles to the toy market for a second time.
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Die Cast - 155-00 | Reading Railroad Ford Truck | Monopoly, small scale White 1940 Ford |
| Die Cast - 204-05 | 1971 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler | Muscle Cars U.S.A., small scale, green |
| Die Cast - 221-00 | 1997 Dodge Ram VTS | Small scale, black w/white stripes |
| Die Cast - 221-00 | 1981 Z-CAR | Small scale, green Datsun 280ZX |
| Die Cast - 238-01 | Monte Carlo | Modern Muscle, small scale, dark red LS |
| Die Cast - 238-03 | Monte Carlo | Modern Muscle, small scale, black SS |
| Die Cast - 292-01 | 1982 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 | Motor Trend, 1:64 scale, red |
| Die Cast - 301-01 | Bad News | Wacky Winners, 1:64 scale, Black w/white lettering, Production: 17,500 |
| Die Cast x2 - 363-08 | 1955 Ford Crown Victoria | Limited Edition First Shot, small scale, lavender & white chrome/unpainted, production: 7,500,  |
| Die Cast - 366-04 | 1968 Dodge Charger | Ad Rods, 1:64 scale, dark green |
| Die Cast - 375-08 | '99 Honda Civic | Street Freaks: Import Heat, small scale, white hatchback |
| Die Cast - 392-03 | Dots | True Grit, small scale, yellow Dots step van |
| Die Cast - 392-03 | Alvin and the Chipmunks | True Grit, 1:64 scale, gold GMC Savana |
| Die Cast - 992-01 | '60s Studebaker Champ | JL Collection, small scale, American flag design |
| Die Cast - 50151 | Arthur Morrow's 2001 Chevy Camaro SS | Muscle Cars U.S.A., small scale, dark red |
| Die Cast - 50152 | 1963 Citroën DS Coupe | Classic Gold Collection, small scale, light blue & blue |
| Die Cast | Bobby Isaac #71 | Stock Car Legends, small scale, orange w/white #71 K&K Insurance Dodge Charger Daytona |
| Die Cast | 1969 Dodge Dart | 1:64 scale, white w/red stripe, International Model and Hobby Expo Limited Edition 1 of 2000 |