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Mistake Or Test?
Simple mistake, we'll never see another JL with a plastic base 1 (5.3%)
Rushed to market with the old Racing Champions plastic base 3 (15.8%)
RC2 was testing the waters with the Hudson Hornet- more plastic may be in our future 15 (78.9%)
Total Votes: 19
Plastic Bases; Mistake Or Test?
Topic Started: Apr 3 2008, 03:25 AM (545 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
I've been thinking about the Hudson Hornet. The packaging even labels it as a 'prototype chassis' which lends itself to some various thoughts:

Could it have been a mistake? Possible, but I doubt it.

Could it be a case of the JL metal base wasn't ready, so they used the existing plastic one from the Racing Champions casting? I'd believe this before I'd believe it was a mistake.

But by calling it a "prototype" it implies that RC2 was testing to see if people would buy a JL with a plastic base. Bear in mind all the negative comments on message boards mean nothing to a business, the only way to get through to them is to vote with your wallet. I just checked Milezone for reference- the Hornet is sold out, with the other cars in the release all being available to the following quantities: Ford (11), Buick (39), and Oldsmobile (34). What this tells us is that yes, collectors will buy a JL with a plastic base.

Thoughts?
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jedimario
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RAWR
Option #3, please.
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Lovemy1971Camaro
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Speed Junkie
I don't have much doubt that this was "testing the waters". Notice the price of this casting didn't go down either. Not only did they use an aged existing casting with a cheap chrome finish, they further saved themselves money by cheapening up the materials used in it. I'm sure this was laughed about all the way to the bank.

I find it odd that these lemons turned lemonade haven't accidentally appeared on Johnny Lightnings in the past.

I guess who cares as long as we keep buying.
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

Went with #3. We are going down a slippery slope esp if they don't lower the prices of the castings that have plastic bases. Othewise, what's the point in even making them?
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james_autos
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Minivan
Option 3, just like most other die-cast companies. Siku, Norev, Matchbox, Hotwheels, Tomica, Majorette to name a few all started with metal bases and changed to plastic to cut costs. I'm surprised JL still use metal bases seeing as everybody else has changed to plastic. Even most 1:43 models have plastic bases too.
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Dragnet_Supporter
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SUV
I went for option 3 as well. I had similar thoughts that something was not ready or properly tooled for the metal base, which is my second choice.

If it was an accident, and there's a slim chance, then there was something about the base die that must've stated plastic. Does anyone know if the new metal bases for the retooled stuff is a new die, or just a revamping of the RC dies? If it is the old dies, retooled, then I can see a factory worker making this mistake, if in fact the die had something on it that specified plastic that was still on there. Otherwise it's all pretty fishy that any base destined for the JL line would get shot with plastic.

Then they had to go to the extra expense of the stickers that said it was a prototype chassis. Granted, it was stuck on the outside of the plastic, as if the cars were already packaged and ready to go by the time the mistake was found. Was that just a clever ruse, or the one legitimate clue that it was indeed a mistake?

Either way, you know the question of how the plastic based would be recieved, and what this might suggest for a future line, had to have crossed their minds at some point.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
My understanding of this is that the same molds cannot be used for plastic and metal.

Which means that plastic bases wouldn't be offered on existing castings, but could pop up on new ones as they're introduced (or in the event of more popular tooling, as the dies wear out and are replaced). Much like Hot Wheels and Matchbox have phased out metal bases over the past two decades or so on their older castings.
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Lovemy1971Camaro
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Speed Junkie
Swifty
Apr 4 2008, 04:22 AM
My understanding of this is that the same molds cannot be used for plastic and metal.

That was always my thought too. Different gates, runners and operating temperatures among other things. Anyone out there who can verify this?
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Woody68RS
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Subcompact
The reply from JL was that the diecast base was not ready for the rest of the casting, so they went with what they had. Future issues will have a diecast base. I however think secretly it was an attempt to save some dough and see if collectors would embrace the idea or not.
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
For sure it is how the base molds were made and set up. HW tools are made so that either plastic or metal can be shot, and they have said so over the years when they do revamps. So maybe, just maybe, the RC dies were not made to take both, and JL had to copy a new tool/setup for metal, or modify the existing tool after the car is run. In the meantime, doing a plastic chassis is a good marketing test for the JL buyers, and they want to monitor the reaction. :rolleyes:

If they used the term "prototype chassis," that means the car is issued with the ORIGINAL or FIRST item, so that is their way of saying "this is how the chassis originally was produced." This is a way of saying, we warned you this may not be a metal chassis/base that you normally expect.
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STUTZ
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Diecast junkie
Woody68RS
Apr 4 2008, 04:50 PM
The reply from JL was that the diecast base was not ready for the rest of the casting, so they went with what they had. Future issues will have a diecast base. I however think secretly it was an attempt to save some dough and see if collectors would embrace the idea or not.

That's what Tom Z. said.

I hope that's the last JL casting that we see with a plastic base.
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Dragnet_Supporter
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SUV
Woody68RS
Apr 4 2008, 04:50 PM
The reply from JL was that the diecast base was not ready for the rest of the casting, so they went with what they had. Future issues will have a diecast base. I however think secretly it was an attempt to save some dough and see if collectors would embrace the idea or not.

At least that makes more sense than a mistake at this point.

It's a very nice casting, but that tan plastic base just doesn't look right...not for a traditional JL line.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Dragnet_Supporter
Apr 5 2008, 04:16 PM
It's a very nice casting, but that tan plastic base just doesn't look right...not for a traditional JL line.

A little black or chrome paint would have gone a long way...
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