Purple Haze

 I've had fun re-jigging this old Johnny Lightning E-Type.

Wotan gave it me ages ago. It was taken down to the metal and was tyreless.

I opted for metallic purple .....

.... strapped on some wheels and let it go.

Johnny Lightning Big Switch Track Sets and Carry Case

Here is a new item from You Tube, featuring an old Johnny Lightning ad for the Big Switch track system. Towards the end is a beautiful carrycase in the shape of a foot and a half long racing car, with compartments for 16 Johnny Lightning cars. 

This is based on a real racing car from the Indianapolis 500, and is described as the winningest car of all time.

This is not a regular TV ad aimed at consumers, but appears to be a company promotional production intended for salesmen or distributors, as it refers to a planned multi-million dollar advertising campaign for the JL range. 

Ads would appear on television, in print, on radio, in boy's magazines, and major spotting events.

Johnny Lightning Road Racing Set Topper Toys - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

A BLAST OF LIGHTNING!

The other day I mentioned I had got hold of 2 loose Johnny Lightnings from 1971.

Mine came without their plastic accessories.

In original complete condition the Twin Blaster for instance would look like this all souped up with yellow fins.

Not wanting to recreate these plastic parts per se, I hoped to be inspired by them and the overall vibe of the car instead.

First of all I silvered the side engines with a paint pen and reddened the body with a sharpie. Then I went to town!

Hope you like my artistic licence readers!

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING!

 I was thrilled last week to actually have won something on the Bay!

For a modest sum I managed to bag two super cool Johnny Lightning die-cast cars from US outfit Topper.

Dating from 1971 these beauties were part of Topper's own bash at redline styling and I think they did a brilliant job. I never knew about them as a kid I don't think but I've got the bug now! I'm genuinely struck!

Bigger in size than Hot Wheels redlines, the red one is the Twin Blaster and the gold one is Pipe Dream. Lightning really did strike twice!

Do you like them?

Lacking the plastic parts that they originally came with, I'm still bowled over with the styling of these toy cars. A little touching up next week and they'll be display-ready as soon as I get my cabinet back out.

I'll keep you posted about any Johnny progress.

Have you got any Johnnies?

STRUCK BY JOHNNY LIGHTNING

I really am.

I never had any as a kid and only really discovered how cool they are this month!

Like classic Hot Wheels redlines, the greatest Johnnies from Topper are from the late Sixties/ early Seventies and perhaps THE greatest Lightning design is the Stiletto.

What do you think?

I am sorely tempted to start collecting Johnny Lightnings but heavy weather is brewing in my piggy bank. 

Have you got any?