I don't think I'll be joining the Redline Collector's Club. I did the math and for $24.99 a year membership plus a dozen or so exclusives at $12-20 each, I think I would rather stay married. I understand those first two Camaros are really nice; chrome plated, racing stripes, redline real riders and the club logo on the doors. But you know, I've got Camaros already, and most of them are really nice, too. I've even got a really nice chrome plated model with real riders that came in the Collectibles line. I suppose, if I wanted to, I could apply some racing stripe decals and redline stickers to the tires, but that sounds like more work than I'm in the mood to do.

I've always been of two minds about limited editions anyway. They started appearing right about the time i got into collecting, though on a much more modest scale than what we see now. Typical of the LE's back then was the Old Number 5 in yellow, with yellow 6-spoke Pro-Circuit wheels. It was Treasure Hunt quality, limited to 7000 and retailed for about $8-10. I liked the look of it but thought the price was a bit steep to pay for fresh paint and different wheels. I did buy the black Smokey Yunick 55 Chevy because I didn't have the casting, and it looked much better than the then current regular issue. I traded a Johnny Lightning Club exclusive (I forget which one) for the Carrol Shelby silver Cobra, and I found a few promotionals like the Spam Camaro, the Coronet Funny Car, and the Aquafresh Thunderstreak at a thrift store for a quarter each. I was given a few Hiway Haulers, and I found a few more, and I liked the first Dolly Madison set (McKee Baking) enough to pay $10 at a toy show. But by and large, I let the limited edition scene pass me by. Over time, the prices of limiteds didn't creep up, they zoomed. And the number of limiteds put out each year skyrocketed along with the prices. I watched my fellow collectors buy cereal, laundry detergent, and very bad fish sticks, just to get a limited edition and keep their collections "complete'. Of course, 1996 saw the release of the VW Drag Bus, a casting designed specifically to be used in limited editions. Bus LE's multiplied like rabbits, (a little VW humor) and ranged in price from $20-60. Some of the LE's that came out could most charitably be described as 'Butt-ugly", and I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be seen driving a 1:1 version on the street, but if you were a completist, you had to have it or you were a complete failure as a collector. About this same time, I began to hear the first complaints of limited edition burn-out.

Meanwhile, there was a lot of good 1:64 diecast coming out. Mattel introduced the 100% Collectibles line. RC/Ertl began producing some incredibly detailed cars in 1:64. Johnny Lightning continued to release great all-metal castings, many with real rubber tires, for $3-5. Given the choice of paying $15-20 or more for a casting I already had, just with different paint and wheels, or paying $3-10 for a new casting with way more detail than what is still, essentially, a $1 toy car at heart, I voted with my dollars for where I would get the most bang for the buck.