Johnny Lightning 1965 Ford Mustang hardtop and 1967 Chevrolet Nova SS

A year or two ago Johnny Lightning made a triumph return with reissued castings that have much better detailing than even their past variations.  There were a few weak points with some of the Street Freaks releases pegwarming the shelves (and some still are) and then there are these Muscle Cars USA releases dating back to the second half of 2016 and supposed to be at Wal-mart by then.  Unfortunately, they did not arrive until a year later ironically with red stickers covering the exclusive Wal-mart logo on the package and yet still found at Wal-mart.  These two represent the most interesting ones of the bunch offering the green color in two different styles.

1965 Ford Mustang hardtop

Everyone knows the popularity of the Ford Mustang and how its success created the pony car category.  No matter how many of them are made in diecast a few really stand out, such as this Johnny Lightning version in Ivy Green, a dark green color that looks good on this car.  The Mustang was the creation started when Lee Iacocca wanted a sporty, youth-oriented car to attract sales based on components from the simple, if yet plain, Falcon compact car.  When the final car premiered in 1964 the public went wild and soon after Mustang Fever was in effect.  Millions of the car have been sold since then and even has past 50 years and a few BMW benchmarks along the way.  This 1965 coupe has the classic long hood, short deck look with a combination of chrome and sporty touches influenced by some European sports cars.  The interior has a twin-pod dashboard and seating for four in either a hardtop coupe, convertible, or fastback starting in 1965.  The engine is a 289 CID V8 that produces 238 horsepower through a 4-speed manual to the rear wheels.

The Ivy Green is really soothing on this car and matches well with the 5-spoke retro Johnny Lightning wheels, though on plastic instead of rubber tires.  The front has detailed round headlights, silver gun sight grille with prancing horse in the center, FORD on the edge of the hood, lower silver bumper, round signal lights, and red Kansas Stang license plates front and rear.  The sides show off the 289 and Mustang front fender badges, chrome trim around the windows and lower rocker panels, and a white stripe on the tires, while the rear has small tri-taillights in red with silver outer trim, Mustang gas cap in the center, and a silver bumper with dual exhaust tips below.  The base underneath is in metal and shows off the suspension, drivetrain, engine and transmission, and rear fuel tank, while the opening hood shows off the 289 V8 with detailed valve covers, radiator hose, coolant resovoir, strut tops, and air filter in gold along with the gold valve covers.  The interior has that classic layout with four seats, floor shifter, large steering wheel, dual pod dashboard, and detailed door panels.  Might not be the most eye-catching Mustang out there, but it at least looks good with this dark green paint and classic wheels that go well with this nicely done casting.

1967 Chevrolet Nova SS

This one on the other hand was debatable as the green is maybe too custom and the wheels too much, but after a while the casting starts to look pretty good.  In 1967 the Nova has grown significantly while still retaining some familiar Nova styling cues.  The front has round single headlights that curve with the fender and mate to a wide grille to give it that familiar look to other 1967 Chevrolet car lines.  The sides still have the clean profile but now add a slight coke-bottle flare to the rear fenders ending in vertical taillights and chrome trim on the valence panel just like the Chevelle.  The interior also has a similar look to other 1967 Chevrolet lines with wide and flat dashboard that includes a deep dish steering wheel and horizontal speedometer.  Many engines come in the Nova from a base I-4 to this 327 CID V8 in the SS Nova that produces 350 horsepower through a 4-speed manual transmission.

This Nova, unlike the aforementioned Mustang, really stands out with bright green paint that is obviously not a factory color, yet uses chrome double 5-spoke wheels with plastic tires instead of a usual rallye wheel design.  The front has the upper-beaked round headlights, detailed grille with silver horizontal bars, and a lower bumper with integrated signal lights and green Hawaii license plates front and rear.  The hood has a custom cowl scoop with rather large cowl induction letters on the sides; this is the only custom modification outside of the wheels and green paint.  The sides have detailed silver trim, 327 badges on the front fenders, and on the rear fenders is the Super Sport name, while the rear has vertical taillights and reverse lamps, SS-only silver valence trim panel, and lower silver bumper.  The metal base shows off the engine, drivetrain, suspension, rear fuel tank, and an extra pair of mufflers for the dual exhaust tips at the rear, while the hood opens to reveal the 327 in orange with silver valve covers and round air cleaner with dual nostrils.  The interior has detailed seating for four with front bucket seats, a rear bench, detailed door panels, dashboard, deep-dish steering wheel, and shifter.  Despite the custom add-ons to make this car look like a pro-stock street rodder in reality it is just basically a stock 1967 Nova SS with a few custom add-ons.