Johnny ligthing/Amt question

[martinfan5]

Are the johnny lighting kits that are of the same subject as the amt kits the same? or is there changes made to the kits?.

Just curious, I bought two different JL kits from this past swap meet, but wanted to get the AMT versions, but none were being sold,

[mikemodeler]

Paging Mr. Art Anderson, Paging Mr. Art Anderson, please pickup the courtesy phone, you have a call!

I think Art can best answer this one as he worked for JL, IIRC and would be able to tell you in detail.

[Rob Hall]

IIRC, they were the same though the JL versions included a 1:64th scale diecast. These were made back when RC2 owned the AMT, MPC, PL and JL brands (JL has since been sold off to Tomy and AMT/MPC/PL to Round 2)..

Edited March 21, 2012 by Rob Hall

[martinfan5]

Thanks Rob, I bought the Ford GT, and the Holden Monaro, ooops I mean Pontiac GTO kit , and they are snapers, not bad for being snaptights, was wondering if they were the same or should I have got the AMT versions , not that it matters now

Edited March 21, 2012 by martinfan5

[Rob Hall]

Thanks Rob, I bought the Ford GT, and the Holden Monaro, ooops I mean Pontiac GTO kit, and they are snapers, not bad for being snaptights, was wondering if they were the same or should I have got the AMT versions , not that it matters now

Both of those were Polar Lights tools originally IIRC...though both were later issued in AMT box art also IIRC...

[martinfan5]

Rob, thank you for the info, I was not aware that they were polar light kits before, but I never really payed much attention to the polar light kits

[The70judgeman]

IIRC, they were the same though the JL versions included a 1:64th scale diecast. These were made back when RC2 owned the AMT, MPC, PL and JL brands (JL has since been sold off to Tomy and AMT/MPC/PL to Round 2)..

Those were the "Amigo Packs" if I'm not mistaken.

[Eshaver]

I guess if ya really wanted a lil die cast car to go along side a model kit , Johnny Lightning was the way to go. Me, I never really got in to little die casts . My brother did , for awhile anyway . Me , I was / am still a plastic kit person . I buy occasional 1-24th die casts only if there is a subject thats un available in plastic or resin . Ed Shaver

[Rob Hall]

Those were the "Amigo Packs" if I'm not mistaken.

Similar idea...'Amigo Pack' was a Revell brand...

[martinfan5]

I guess if ya really wanted a lil die cast car to go along side a model kit , Johnny Lightning was the way to go. Me, I never really got in to little die casts . My brother did , for awhile anyway . Me , I was / am still a plastic kit person . I buy occasional 1-24th die casts only if there is a subject thats un available in plastic or resin . Ed Shaver

I gave the diecast to my daughter to play with, I could care less that they came with the kit

[The70judgeman]

Similar idea...'Amigo Pack' was a Revell brand...

Knew it was one those companies.

[Art Anderson]

The Johnny Lightning kits from AMT/Ertl were a bit of a reversal on what Al Pletcher (My predecessor in product development at JL.Playing Mantis) and Tom Lowe cooked up, called "Classic Plastic".

The CP series (and there were several) teamed up a set of JL replica cars with a miniature model kit box of an actual model car kit of the same subject. So, it was pretty easy for AMT/Ertl to do the same thing in reverse after RC2 bought up Playing Mantis, including Johnny Lightning diecasts.

Art