1999 | The Race Case JL

The Johnny Lightning Cover Cars series included 14 releases from 1999 until 2003. The series featured cars taken from the covers of automotive magazines such as Vette Magazine, Mustang Illustrated and High Performance Mopar. The examples I have – which were long ago removed from their packages – are accurate replicas of the cars pictured on the magazine covers. Fortunately, I still have the collector cards (miniature reproductions of the magazine covers) that were included with each model.

The first two, both from 1999 and featuring covers from Super Chevy, are different stock car versions of the venerable ’63 Chevy Z11. The Z11 was a special-package Impala Sport Coupe with a 427 engine and aluminum body parts created for drag racing and NASCAR. Only about 50 Z11s were produced and as few as 7 remain today.

Johnny Lightning | 1999 | Cover Cars R4 Super Chevy | 1963 Impala Z11 | white with Old Reliable stock car trim, white wheels, opening hood

Johnny Lightning | 1999 | Cover Cars R5 Super Chevy | 1963 Impala Z11 | white with Alan Green Chevrolet stock car trim, opening hood, Cragar wheels

Also from Super Chevy, this next Cover Car is a beautiful metallic blue 1963 Chevy Nova SS from 2001 Release 8.

Johnny Lightning | 2001 | Cover Cars R8 Super Chevy | 1963 Chevy Nova SS | metallic blue, opening hood, with collector card

And from 2001 Release 9, this bright yellow 1964 Chevy Nova from the cover of Popular Hot Rodding.

Johnny Lightning | 2001 | Cover Cars R9 Popular Hot Rodding | 1964 Chevy Nova | yellow, opening hood

The original Johnny Lightnings from Topper Toys (1969-1971) were a mix of Detroit cars and fantasy castings. When Tom Lowe of Playing Mantis revived the brand in 1994, Detroit muscle cars became a mainstay of the brand.

The 1994 Muscle Cars U.S.A. series included 10 different castings, each available in a variety of 16 different paint colors “mixed from GM, Ford & Chrysler’s original paint formulas.” These models had slightly exaggerated proportions and over-sized wheels. A plastic collector coin was include in each package. I have a couple of examples of the 1972 Nova SS from this series – a Glacier Blue model still in the package and another loose version in Aspen Green.

Johnny Lightning | 1994 | Muscle Cars USA Series 7 | 1972 Chevy Nova SS #210 | glacier blue with coin 11303

Johnny Lightning | 1994 | Muscle Cars USA Series 11 | 1972 Chevy Nova SS | aspen green with coin 14733

It’s interesting to compare this 1972 Nova casting to the Playing Mantis Speed Rebels series from about the same time. The casting is nearly identical, although the Speed Rebels are a slightly smaller scale.

By 1999, the Muscle Cars U.S.A. series included the accurate and detailed castings that the Johnny Lightning brand would become known for. The packaging now featured photos of the real cars and each still included a collector coin (now made out of cardboard instead of plastic and printed on only one side). I have several color variations of the 1965 Chevy II Nova from this period.

Johnny Lightning | 1999 | Muscle Cars USA 3 R4 | 1965 Chevy Nova | mist blue, opening hood, with #4 coin

Johnny Lightning | 1999 | Muscle Cars 3 R5 | 1965 Chevy Nova | black, opening hood, with #50 coin

Johnny Lightning | 1999 | Muscle Cars 3 R6 | 1965 Chevy Nova | dark blue, opening hood, with #54 coin

The 2000s brought a cleaner look for Johnny Lightning packaging, with a mostly red card used for many series, including the Muscle Cars U.S.A. line. The bonus in this 1966 Chevy Nova package from 2005 is a Johnny Lightning window cling.

Johnny Lightning | 2005 | Musclecars USA R9 #53 | 1966 Chevy Nova | dark red with window cling

In 2004, Playing Mantis was bought by RC2 Corporation (mainly known for their Racing Champions brand stock car diecast models). By 2006, the Johnny Lightning logo was updated and the packaging became an impenetrable plastic clambshell. “U.S.A.” was dropped from the series name and “Musclecars” was now one word. The extra included in the package became a trading card which featured photos and information about the featured vehicle. This ’65 Chevy Impala SS convertible is from the Musclecars Release 12.

This 2007 ’65 Chevy Impala SS from Musclecars Release 14 included an extra set of wheels along with the trading card.

Although I bought it mainly for the 1965 Chevy Impala SS, this Toys ‘R Us exclusive Musclecars 10-car box set from 2007 – which includes a 1987 Buick Regal and a 2005 Ford Mustang GT – gives a nice sampling of the range of castings available in the Johnny Lightning Musclecars series.

Johnny Lightning | 2007 | TRU Exclusive Musclecars 10-car box set | 1965 Chevy Impala SS | red with black top