Johnny Lightning Posts

Ledy Bolidos and The Four Lost Toppers

Ledy Bolidos and The Four Lost Toppers

In 1993, Carter Pennington published a small 21 page booklet describing all of the Topper Johnny Lightning models made for the US market. In his booklet, he describes four models which were obviously designed but never mass produced by Topper. All four are replicas of American made cars, with the Mustang and Camaro being the […]

Johnny Lightning at 50 Years Old

Johnny Lightning at 50 Years Old

Celebrating a half century in 2019, and winning fans with speed and attention to detail!   Johnny Lightning, a die-cast car brand commemorating 50 years in 2019, may have started as a perceived Hot Wheels copycat, but, in later years, would blow the market wide open for nostalgic subjects rendered in die-cast. The brand, launched […]

Watch Now! The Matchbox Car Story

Watch Now! The Matchbox Car Story

Check out some history of Matchbox!

Meet Mac Ragan, Diecast Collector, Historian (and Industry Icon)

Meet Mac Ragan, Diecast Collector, Historian (and Industry Icon)

Over the past couple of months, hobbyDB has been featuring the stories of some of the folks who bring you the diecast cars you know and love. Mac Ragan is well-known for his work in the diecast vehicle industry over the last couple of decades (he was inducted in the Model Car Hall of Fame, […]

Christmas Presents of Past Become Toy Collection of Present

Christmas Presents of Past Become Toy Collection of Present

Over the years, I’ve collected a lot of memories of Christmas that have shaped me in ways no one would have ever guessed when I was a little kid. While Santa is to thank for much of that, I should probably also thank my parents who at least took lots of photos along the way. […]

What are We Thankful For at hobbyDB? A Lot, Thank You!

What are We Thankful For at hobbyDB? A Lot, Thank You!

As we spend our long weekend preparing the turkey (or the tofurkey) while enjoying football and avoiding politics (or avoiding football and enjoying politics), this is the perfect time to reflect on the things that make life great. Here at hobbyDB, we have much to be thankful for. Geek Culture. (And Nerd Culture, Fanboy Culture, […]

Meet Tony Karamitsos, Car Designer: 1/64, 1/1 and Scales In Between

Meet Tony Karamitsos, Car Designer: 1/64, 1/1 and Scales In Between

As hobbyDB grows into new collectible territory, diecast remains one of our most important core categories. Over the years we’ve had a chance to talk to a lot of legends and heavy hitters in the industry to find out what makes them tick. Tony Karamitsos has been a designer for several important brands over the […]

Tomica Diecast Returns to North America

Tomica Diecast Returns to North America

After a long absence from the U.S. and Canadian market, Japanese diecast giant Tomica is coming back. An initial wave of 6 models recently started showing up at Walmart stores, followed soon by half a dozen more. Tomica has been in the diecast business since the early 1970s, and are the biggest brand in Japan […]

Celebrate Independence Day With These Spirited July 4 Collectibles

Celebrate Independence Day With These Spirited July 4 Collectibles

It’s a long weekend for some folks, but collecting never takes a holiday! Fourth of July, Independence Day, whichever you want to call it, is a big deal for a lot of toys and figures. In this case, we are considering overtly patriotic collectibles, so even if they aren’t quite tied into July 4 events, […]

Model Cars That Look Weird in Certain Colors (But Nope, They Really Exist)

Model Cars That Look Weird in Certain Colors (But Nope, They Really Exist)

Over the past couple years, we’ve brought you lists of model cars that came in colors that made you scratch your head for one reason or another. Some of them, like the Hot Wheels Red Baron are strange in other tones because the color made it into the name of the car. Others were models […]

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