2003 Johnny Lightning Street Freaks II Scrapin’ ’63 Chevy Impala

When I think of diecast Lowriders, I don’t immediately think of the Johnny Lightning brand. But even JL got into the act when Lowrider Impalas were all over the place in the early 2000s (click here to see my Revell Lowrider Magazine collection, and click here to see my Jada Homie Rollerz collection). Tucked in as a sub-series in the Street Freaks line, Scrapin’ featured “slow and low” models with wild paint and graphics and blinged-out wheels. This ’63 Chevy Impala from 2003 R2 is a fine example.

Though it was fairly heavy on the Chevy offerings, the JL Scrapin’ series wasn’t all Impalas. Along with a few Buicks and Oldsmobiles, there were more unexpected castings, including a 1991 GMC Syclone pickup, a 1987 Ford Mustang GT and a 2000 Honda Civic.

Johnny Lightning | 2003 | Street Freaks II Scrapin’ R2 | ’63 Chevy Impala | orange with yellow trim, gold chrome base, opening hood

2002 Johnny Lightning Yesterday & Today 1963 Chevy Impala

The Johnny Lightning Yesterday & Today series featured “popular classics side-by-side with their modern counterparts.” Each pair of models came packaged with a plastic display stand and billboard. Pull the tab on the side of the sign and the image on the front changes from old to new. This example, from 2002 Release 5, compares the 1963 Chevy Impala to the 1995 Chevy Impala SS.

I admit I have very little interest in the Impalas of the 1990s, but the ’63 included here is a very nice metallic dark green and looks sharp in the period-perfect whitewalls.

Johnny Lightning | 2002 | Yesterday & Today R5 | 1963 Chevy Impala | metallic dark green with opening hood | with black 1995 Chevy Impala SS

2001 Johnny Lightning JL Collection 1963 Chevy Impala

The Johnny Lightning JL Collection series was billed as “authentic replicas of classic favorites” and over four releases included castings as varied as the 1967 Toyota 2000 GT, the 1987 Aston Martin and the 1929 Ford Model A. This loose 1963 Chevy Impala is from the 2001 Release 2.

Johnny Lightning | 2001 | JL Collection R2 |1963 Impala | silver, opening hood