Joe

Hi all,

Most of us have been collecting these little toys for a while. And we all know that anything Volkswagen is hot. And leave it to the folks at Playing Mantis to crank out a set that is sure to grab the interest of the diecast collector as well as the VW collector in general. Let's take a peek at the cars that make up this first series of Volkswagens.

As expected, the classic Beetle headlines this set. This set includes a pair of 1966 Bugs, one in blue, one in white. Both are highly detailed, as is the Johnny Lightning way. Chrome highlights abound, and all the lights like very realistic. Something new for JL also pops up on these cars. The bumpers are part of the chassis rather than the body. The slots in the body add a very realistic look to these castings. The only part that disappointed me with these cars is on the back of the white Beetle. The "1300" tampo looks more like a Nike swoop. I can't make out a single digit....

Ok, let's fast-forward to today. What self-respecting set of VW's wouldn't include the New Beetle. This set includes a 1998 in silver, and a 2001 in yellow. They look identical at first glance, but there is one subtle difference. The yellow car has an extra turn signal tampo just forward of the doors. One other note about this casting...It's FAST on the track. This is one heavy car, and I did run it down a straight track. It moves!!! Keep that in mind for your next club meet..

	Of course, how could you possibly put out a VW set without a bus?? And once again, the Playing Mantis design team is spot-on. A 1965 21 Window Samba Bus fits into this set perfectly. Very gently smoked windows, (all 21--I counted!!), detailed lights, body colored bumpers, and that great canvas roof all come together to make this collectible toy one of the best castings in an area that has been covered by all diecast manufacturers.
Ok, we've finally gotten to the part of the set that's way off the beaten path. And not in a bad way, mind you. The set includes a 1966 Type 2 Pickup. Also known as a Utility Truck. I may be wrong, but I believe this is the first time this style of VW has ever been done in a 1/64th. Personally, I like it!! I have a friend who owns one of these pickups. His is painted in orange and white, and has a few custom touches, but I'll bet he'll have one of these painted up soon to match his real car. Nice effort by Johnny Lightning to break out a truck that no one else has wanted to do.
Included with each car is a collector card depicting the real car behind the diecast toy. This is a Johnny Lightning standard, and it adds the little extra that all collectors enjoy. Is this the best set JL has put out? Probably not. But it will be sought after by a lot of collectors. From the hard core JL collectors to the casual Volkswagen collectors, this set will fill a hole in many collections.

Thanks to the Robert & Joyce from www.collectorsnetusa.com for furnishing me these samples.