JL Rebel Rods Site Joins 164scale.com
WELCOME!!
Our latest addition is the inclusion of the best information source of Johnny Lightning Rebel Rod Details on the net. NovaSS has joined our growing list of contributors and will be working with us to keep the Rebel Rod information current and a continued reference for collectors new and old.
Thank You Rebel Rods
Rebel Rods – Thank You Page
Many Thanks Go to:
Hot Rod Al ex-Research Specialist at Playing Mantis.
Marsboy for the initial write-up on the ancestry.
Wyatt for the engine pics and very large JL reference pic website. Thanks for the pic links too.
pms485 (Mike) for the excellent illustrations I’ve used, including the site logo.
Playing Mantis for making all of this possible.
RC2 for bringing back the Spoilers after a 3 year hiatus.
… and of course a special thanks to NOVASS for the contribution to this site!!
Rebel Rods News
Rebel Rods – News
The News
Are Spoilers making a comeback…once again? (3/23/09) That depends on your perspective. So let’s put the question to you – do ALL Spoilers need exposed engines, meatball numbers, stripes and big tires? Or will three out of four of these identifiers suffice? How about two out of four? Well, thats the latest and greatest controversy now that these cars have changed hands and changed identities more than once in the last several years. Marketing strategies combined with different designers and new ideas contribute in changing consumer direction. And our little Spoilers change right along with the current times. So, whether you’re a purist who needs the total package, or a new collector who wants to blaze a new trail, the old Spoilers and the new Spoilers will define who you are and in what direction your collection continues to grow. And thats all that really matters. (more…)
Rebel Rods Past And Future
Rebel Rods – The Past and The Future
A documented timeline into the development and death of Johnny Lightning’s Rebel Rods 2.
In the Beginning
The first release of Rebel Rods 2 will be in stores by July 2003. There were supposed to be 4 releases; two to three months apart. Packaging was also to be updated. From what I’ve seen, the card art shows a Duster with velocity stacks (subject to change of course). These will not have the decals as an added pack-in, but instead will have the Christmas tree that they used in the Tom Daniel Dragsters series.
Rebel Rods Wheels and Tires
Rebel Rods: Reference – Wheels and Tires
Tire Breakdown
- 74% hard plastic tires
- 25% Hoosier tires (aka Real Wheels and Real Riders)
- 1% White Lightnings on the hard tires only
Wheel/Tire Identification Chart by Series (more…)
Rebel Rod Casting Series
Rebel Rod References – Castings and Series
BREAKDOWN BY CAR NUMBER
Kay Bee 5 Car Packs
- #1 ’67 Mustang GT
- #2 ’71 GTO
- #3 ’70 Challenger
- #4 ’71 Mustang
- #5 ’73 Charger
- #6 ’70 Torino
- #7 ’67 Shelby
- #8 ’71 Demon
- #9 ’70 Rebel Machine
Rebel Rod Details
Rebel Rods Detail
First Time’s A Charm
Some cool firsts from Playing Mantis also came out of the Rebel Rod series.
• The Cheetah and 57 Vette Gasser cast were first used in series 1.
• The water-soluble decal sheet (see pic) that came with the car (arguably the best pack-in to date) featured 26 famous logos on it.
• The 2 types of tires, and the first time the Hoosier brand has been used.
• 8* different engine types were randomly used on the cars with the exposed engines.
• The 69 Dodge Super Bee or Super Beetnik cast was first available as a main line release in series 1.
* = The 1st release only had 7 of the 8 as they used one for the Classic Gold Collection 2 release 12 grape 73 Camaro Z28 that was produced at the same time. The 2nd release (and after) has all 8 engines available in the cars that they fit into. (more…)
Rebel Rods History
History
The Ancestry
The Rebel Rods series came to be from the ashes of the Street Freaks series.
The “spoiler” type cars have always been a favorite of diecast collectors. After the Street Freaks series died out there was a gap for a while where there wasn’t any “spoiler” type cars being made.
Playing Mantis (PM) then delivered more numbered cars in the exclusive Kay Bee Toy Store 5 packs, which were afterthoughts from the Street Freak Series. Then the Rebel Rods bomb exploded in the fall of 2001.
Rebel Rods series 1 came out and flew off the shelves like hot cakes. Cool new cars with meatball numbers, a decal sheet and 2 tire combinations. So if you were a racer or had the preference of the rubber (Real Riders) series tires, you could be satisfied.
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