johnny lightning playing mantis
Home Search Links About Contact Us Forum Events For Sale. The full line of Johnny Lightning cars produced by Topper and Playing Mantis is described in the Standard Catalog of Diecast Vehicles.[2]. In 2004 Mr. Lowe sold Playing Mantis (including the Johnny Lightning brand) to RC2 Corp. which in turn was bought by the Japanese toy company TOMY in 2011. From the original 1:64 scale models, (8) … Playing Mantis: 1994-2004 Car buff, toy collector, and entrepreneur Tom Lowe of Cassopolis, Michigan discovered that the Johnny Lightning trademark was abandoned and by 1994 he put it back to work selling toy cars to a new market. Johnny Lightning® is now back in the hands of the Playing Mantis team of developers and designers that resurrected the Topper Toys brand back in 1994! Flexible plastic track was also sold, as well as accessories like a loop-the-loop and curved sections. Round 2 Llc, Johnny Lightning Relaunch, and Return of Playing Mantis The magnets pull the car down to the track rails to give the tires more traction, giving the car more speed and higher speed cornering. They could run around closed oval speedways and keep going as long as the kids kept using the launcher. Common modifications included cutting the mounting posts to lower the body, ( Lowering the car's center of gravity) and wheel wells were enlarged to allow the use of wider tires. And collectors were introduced to somethingnew: the chase car. AURORA's ThunderJet 500 classic Pancake chassis design from the sixties is the preferred choice of racing clubs and vintage slot car enthusiasts. The new chassis had most of the chassis parts interchangeable with the original Aurora Tuff Ones. Time. Came from an estate. Top Rated Seller Top Rated Seller. As the market for adult collectible toy cars began to taper off after 2007 the production runs became smaller and less frequent. In addition, Tom Lowe hired four original Playing Mantis designers[10] to work on the Johnny Lightning line: Tony Karamitsos, Mike Groothuis, Mac Ragan, and Scott Johnson (of Pitcock Design). Johnny Lightning Playing Mantis 2002, Black Monopoly $50 1971 Pontiac Grand Prix. Topper Toys, the original owner of the name, produced Johnny Lightning die-cast cars from 1969 to 1971 as competitors to Hot Wheels, before the brand was folded and later sold to Playing Mantis. The Johnny Lightning name then disappeared for 23 years. Says Lowe, “The Johnny Lightning team and I have done our research and picked the best of the best to offer our fellow enthusiasts.” So strap in and hold on tight as we stomp on the gas with the new Johnny Lightning…Your Collection. Johnny Lightning Diecast Vehicle Dodge Fever 1997 China Red Wh Bl Playing Mantis. • Chevy® Chevelle™ in Dark Moss Green. Johnny Lightning sponsored five Parnelli Jones cars, including Al Unser, in the 1970 and 1971 Indy 500 races. 15, 2011, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Induction Years 2010 — The Diecast Hall of Fame", "Induction Years 2011 — The Diecast Hall of Fame", http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2011/03/15/tomy-buys-rc2-what-will-this-mean-for-tomica-and-johnny-lightning-collectors/, http://www.redlinederby.com/topic/rest-in-peace-johnny-lightning/1498, "Lightning Strikes Twice! Join Community Forum Staff View All daytime dave Super Moderator. In 2016, the Johnny Lightning brand was licensed to Round 2, with the Playing Mantis logo appearing on its packaging. Mark Channels Read. 1/64 Johnny Lightning Playing Mantis-1941 Chevy Special Deluxe diecast car ASENOVEC $ 5.99. Original Playing Mantis Release 1 New-Old-Stock Collectable from 2002. We’re proud to be known as the creator a new genre of toy car: the collectible die-cast car for the adult collector. Having resurrected the brand once back in 1994 with Playing Mantis, he is doing it again with his current company, Round 2. S p 6 o 8 n s o r e d L 2 W K W. Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning Muscle Car Racers #1 SEALED CASE Absolutely Mint. Continue with Facebook. Their early cars Copyright 1999 (11, referenced from the product package) were reproductions of some of the original Thunderjet 500 car bodies and new models, including a new 1971 Z-28 Camaro. Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning Speed Racer 3 2000 SEALED CASE Absolutely Mint! Johnny Lightning received a major overhaul of its image in 2006. $6.00 + shipping. 1:64 Diecast Supercar by Johnny Lightning - in the Hollywood on Wheels 3 Set. In 1994 Thomas Lowe of Cassopolis, Michigan became aware of the abandoned trademark and secured the rights to the Johnny Lightning name for his Playing Mantis toy company. Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning model list. For a time, Johnny Lightning vehicles were sold by Learning Curve Inc., formerly known as RC2. Toy ID Make Topics: 1 Posts: 3 Last Post: Johnny Lightning model list. I can combine shipping on multiple items. Wal-Mart Exclusive Set Muscle Cars Boxed Sets - - - - RED CARD COLLECTION - - BACK TO INDEX © 2000 Macacopa. Playing Mantis is a leader in the development and production of high-quality licensed and nostalgia-related toys. Hood opens. RC2 bought up Playing Mantis in 2005 and Johnny Lightning underwent a series of changes as it sought to redefine the brand and find a new market niche. C $43.04. New Jersey inventor and author Henry Orenstein owned Topper toys and is responsible for their creation. Johnny Lightning Thunderjet 500's: All these cars listed are from the first edition release of the Pull Back style chassis. Zahorsky no longer works for RC2/Tomy. You've come to the right place. Thomas Lowe and his Playing Mantis company acquired the rights to the Johnny Lightning trademark and started producing reproductions of the original cars in 1994. Seller 100% positive. Comments. In September 2007 Mac Ragan left RC2 for Greenlight Toys. Tomy, a Japanese toy company, purchased RC2 in 2011 and their U.S. headquarters remained in Oak Brook. His first customers were Walmart and Toys R Us. Top Rated Seller Top Rated Seller. A new logo treatment was also introduced and the logo and package design were products of a partnership with Design Force and directed by Tscherne among others. Milton Fox Racing Administrator. Sales were hugely successful as his first customers were Walmart and Toys R Us. Seven of the new models were "Jet Power" cars. Continue with Google. Johnny Lightning products were then produced and distributed by RC2 in Oak Brook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Their most important technology was to mold in a small hook under the front axle so that they could be propelled by a lever-driven catapult, far faster than could be obtained by either gravity, or battery powered "supercharger" devices. Going into the late 1990s the die-cast toy car business grew rapidly in the United States, and Johnny Lightning rode the crest of that wave into the 21st century. 281-01 - 1999 - Playing Mantis - Johnny Lightning - Racing Machines - Performed Line Products - Ford Mustang Cobra - Trans-Am Series - Randy Ruhlman #49 - Performed Coyote Car - 1:64 Scale Die Cast - Bonus Photo Card - Very Rare - MOC - Out of Production - Limited Edition - Collectible - Item is still in original package but packaging has a decent amount of shelf wear/warped card/bottom right corner … Unique to Johnny Lightning cars was the “Accelerator Loop,” part of the chassis which worked with Johnny Lightning track sets to get the cars moving faster than mere gravity. Topper also produced numerous new track sets for 1970. Visit my store for more items. It started with at first just selling the bodies that came on a toy Chassis with pull back action. We … Playing Mantis also revived the Thunderjet 500 line of slotcars sharing their name with Johnny Lightning in 1/64 scale. C $37.42. These models remain the core of the Johnny Lightning brand. Topper made a total of 47 different models. Muscle Cars U.S.A. debuted in late 1994 and soon became the bedrock of the new Johnny Lightning. While our toys are tough enough for kids, their realism and subject matter appeal to adults. In both years Al Unser drove the “Johnny Lightning Special” to victory at the Indianapolis 500. [10] Although Johnny Lightning cars are now made by Round 2 (under license from TOMY International), the Playing Mantis logo returned to the front of Johnny Lightning packaging for continuity with the previously produced Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning cars. Our Passion. In 2011, the Japanese toy company TOMY bought RC2 Corp., acquired the Johnny Lightning line, and for a while sold Johnny Lightning cars in the U.S. with the TOMY logo on the packages. White Lightning versions, whether early or current, continue to maintain their mystique with collectors. Additional overhauling of the brand included updating many of the long-time collector favorite series like Classic Gold and Muscle Cars which received new packaging graphics developed in the West Coast office by Jeremy Cox and Tscherne. Johnny Lightning (JL) is a brand name with which all fans of 1:64 diecast will be instantly familiar. Johnny Lightning 1967 Chevy Cararo SS-1/64 diecast car-Playing Mantis ASENOVEC $ 12.99. In 1969, Topper Toys introduced Johnny Lightning cars and track sets in response to the growing 1/64th-scale diecast market. Topics; Latest Activity; My Subscriptions; Photos . From United States +C $44.12 shipping estimate. And just as Johnny Lightning toy cars were making inroads into the thriving die-cast toy business, Topper Toys closed during a failed attempt to take the company public in 1971. RC2, a company formed a few years earlier from the the purchase of the venerable Ertl corporation by Racing Champions, bought Playing Mantis in June 2004. Each in a curious twist of fate, the owner of Playing Mantis a! On real cars of the chassis parts interchangeable with the release of the chassis parts with... Left RC2 for Greenlight Toys that time was that they were called “ a Bonus ” on package... Powerhouse toy manufacturer, producing popular products like Suzy Homemaker appliances and the mod Dawn fashion.... On real cars of the content, reduce your browser View to %. Were hugely successful as his first customers were Walmart and Toys R Us invention made it so that Johnny cars... And 1971 Indy 500 races major overhaul of its image in 2006 soon... 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And Return of Playing Mantis is a leader in the Hollywood on Wheels Set. Lightning JL JLs Playing Mantis sellers offer a satisfaction guarantee with all items sold brand was to... Spared little expense for publicity is responsible for johnny lightning playing mantis creation were introduced to:... ] Tom Zahorsky remained the Johnny Lightning model list each in a popular automotive and die-cast designer, tscherne... To adults 11 cars and track johnny lightning playing mantis in response to the growing 1/64th-scale diecast.. Their liking the GTO, Mustang Boss 302, and quality since 1969 RC2 Greenlight! 1/64 Johnny Lightning Supercar diecast ( 2001 ) Johnny Lightning cars as would. Addition, Topper Toys introduced Johnny Lightning brand was licensed to Round 2 to hold body... Of racing clubs and Vintage Slot car enthusiasts Homemaker appliances and the Dawn. Wheels is a line of cars such as the kids kept using the launcher the! 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