New Page 1

This new feature is a fun one for me. Gives me a chance to look

at the cars a little more critically. I hope you enjoy it.

For this inaugural Let's Compare I chose 3 cars, a Hot Wheels

Editors Choice 57 Chevy, a Johnny Lightning Tri-Chevy Series Three 57 Chevy,

and a Matchbox Premiere 57 Chevy.

I chose these for the similarity in price, and also for the fact

they each have rubber wheels. I also happen to really like all 3.

The Matchbox Premiere was 5.99, the Hot Wheels EC was 5.99,

(or .99 if you got it on clearance), and the Johnny Lightning

Here's a picture of all 3 together, both front and rear:

The cars are lined up MB, JL, HW. Right off the bat, you can see that the

Johnny Lightning version appears "skinny". It almost looks like the car is considerably

smaller than a 1/64th scale. We all know that none of these cars are true 1/64th size,

but this one really is thin looking. The length of the car is the same as the other 2.

Both the MB and the HW versions look more true to the real width of the

car in relation to length. Grille detailing, however, is best accomplished on

the JL car. The gold insert and Chevy logo look better than the other 2.

The MB car is also done very well, but the blacked out grille kind of detracts

a little. The HW version is good, but the lights and other details in the grille

are not painted. Just a single chromed piece. Another odd thing on the HW

is the "55 Chevy looking" taillights.

Johnny Lightning also has the best front and rear bumpers, with MB coming

in a close second.

Here are side shots of all 3, HW, MB, and JL

The JL version does the best job of keeping the wheel wells standard looking.

The MB version is also good, but the rear wheel well is a bit to high and rounded.

The HW version isn't even close, but that may be due to the car being more

of a Hot Rod than a stock car. The paint detailing and tampos on the

MB are the best. All the badging is correct, right down to the

crossed flags on the fender. The JL version is also very good. Again,

the Hot Rod nature of the HW version doesn't lend itself to stock details.

The paint work on all three is very good overall, with the HW done up

in a Hot Rod scheme. The overall stock look of the MB and JL

is captured well in both cars.

Two of the cars, the MB and the JL have added features which

put them above the HW.

The JL version features and opening hood and detailed motor,

while the MB version has a very striking interior.

Ok, so there you have it. 3 versions of a popular casting. When I was

looking these cars over, and writing this article, a little change in thought

occurred to me. I was convinced going into this that the MB car was

far and away the best. But as I was writing this, and looking very closely

at the cars, I had a change of heart. Although it appears a little skinny,

the JL version has more features, more details, and an overall

"good look", especially for the lowest price of the 3. It's also the

heaviest of the bunch.

One a simple scale of 1 to 5, and this is only my opinion,

I'd rate them like this:

57 Chevies	Paint	Details	Body Contours	Value	Overall
Hot Wheels Editors Choice	5	2	3	3	3.25
Matchbox Premiere	5	4	4	4	4.25
Johnny Lightning Tri-Chevy Series	4	5	4	5	4.50

So there you have it. Again, my opinion only. Look for more of these

comparisons in the weeks to come.