Johnny Lightning 1970 Chevrolet Corvette

It can be a real challenge to maintain a 50-year old classic car like this 1970 Chevrolet Corvette.  However, the folks at Johnny Lightning have made it much easier by dramatically reducing the size and mechanical complexity of their Corvette.

Johnny Lightning 1970 Corvette Stingray

 This die-cast model fits in a pocket and always looks good.  It also packs an amazing amount of detail.  On this model, the hood flips forward just slightly to reveal a powerful V-8 engine.

Johnny Lightning 1970 Corvette Stingray

This style of Corvette is called the C3 for third generation.  It has a low-slung curvaceous look and almost shark-like streamlining.  In my view, this is the best looking generation of Chevy Corvette. 

Johnny Lightning 1970 Corvette Stingray

For a larger golden alternative, check out this Maisto 1970 Corvette Stingray.

Maisto 1:25 Scale 1970 Plymouth GTX Review

I recently spotted this 1:25 scale die-cast 1970 Plymouth GTX.  For a $10 model, it was surprising detailed with a painted engine compartment and opening hood and doors.

The painted air cleaner, valve covers and battery terminals make this little model car a winner in its price category.

In my opinion, the look of this car is right on. It is a great rendition of the real car.

You can see the real thing right here in this photo from Wikimedia Commons.  However, in the model, I don't recall really seeing the pronounced hood scoop.  It may have had a square outline on the hood.

1970 Plymouth GTX Photo by User Sirboxxer on en.wikipedia (photo by author) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ah-ha!  In truth, the Plymouth GTX had an opening ram scoop on the hood.  Here is a photo of a 1970 Plymouth with the scoop closed.  Sneaky!

Moving on, the interior looks authentic.  Is that simulated wood-grain in the center console? 

Overall, this Maisto is pretty cool model and was a great deal at my local drugstore.

Maisto 1:24 Scale Porsche Boxster

The Porsche Boxster is an amazing sports car.  It's powered by a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that in its basic configuration puts out 300 horsepower and can propel the little landspeeder from 0 to 60 miles per hour in only 4 seconds.  That kind of performance is good for a 12.5 second quarter mile in a package that handles twisty roads with aplomb.

Maisto 1:24 scale Porsche Boxster

Kinsmart 1971 Lamborghini Muira P400 SV Die-cast Pullback Car

I recently saw this Kinsmart 1/32 scale die-cast Lamborghini Muira P400 SV at a Walgreens drug store. It's nice little rendition of an iconic Lambo. On sale at 2 for $10, you also can't beat the price.  A real Lamborghini Miura costs around $1.7 million.  But, this model has opening doors and pullback action to zoom across your floor.

Kinsmart Lamborghini Muira

My Hot Wheels RocketFire

This is or was my Hot Wheels RocketFire.  I donated some of my collection to charity due to an upcoming move.  If you are looking for a wild silver Hot Wheels car with orange wheels, some sort of red powerplant, and huge yellow rocket motor hanging off the back, this is your car!

This is a crazy looking Hot Wheels car with personality in spades, but I figured that this is just the sort of car that should really be in a kids toy box somewhere.

Apparently, this #8 car races on the volcano circuit.  It figures because it looks hot!  The silver body looks molten!

Hot Wheels Blue Saber Toothed Cat Car

This is one of the weirdest cars in my collection.  For some reason, a person at Hot Wheels thought it would be cool to mix a car design with a saber-tooted tiger.  Of course, there is no label on the bottom of the car to identify the model, the year, or even the name.

It's a strange concoction with gold wheels and a single seat.  Is it a crazy Shriner parade car?  Is it a cartoon or TV show tie in?  Or is this strange Hot Wheels car something more serious?

Ultimately, I decided that this Hot Wheels car should leave my collection.  It's just not one that I aspire to drive.  But, it was certainly an interesting design.

Tin Race Car

Every once in awhile, a tin race car will capture my attention at a Ross, Marshall's or TJ Maxx store.  They often feature someone whimsical sculptures of  early race cars.  I never know what actual car these are based on, but they look pretty cool.

For comparison, here is a real Stutz Bearcat Speedster from 1912.  So, that puts us into the right general era of motoring.

By Katherine Tompkins (1912 Stutz Bearcat Speedster front quarter) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licensesI