 The Challengers Wasp (Maroon)
Commemorative Limited Edition - Series H
Johnny Lightning The Challengers
Item No.: Item: 100-180 Model: 108
Manufacturer: Playing Mantis
Includes: Silver Plastic Limited Edition Coin, #3,284
Action Feature: Rolls
Retail: $2.99
Availability: ca. 1993
Other: Available in many other colors
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The originals were long gone when I was a kid, but I remember seeing the reissues around. I got this Johnny Lightning Wasp (Maroon) last year in an eBay lot, and it's nifty. It reminds me a lot of the CO2 car I made in a shop class in middle school, where I was given zero direction or reading of what makes a good car. I just got tools, a block of wood, and some wheels with a "go for it."
An original (to me) design, it's in kind of a dull color here - but it looks like it came from another world! Given that the original toy is over 50 years old, it's fanciful and unlike anything other toy car companies are making today. The original colors from Topper were a lot more striking, but those cost real money. This is going to be under $10 delivered to your door.
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This reissue captures the spirit of the original. The greenish canopy looks a lot like Coke bottle glass, with a silver vac metal plastic engine on the back. The maroon paint is very evenly applied, with a hint of metallic flakes. It's really nice. The wheels have red lines on them, with some silver shining on the rims.
The base is pretty dull and looks aged - I don't know if this is how the material looked in the 1990s, but it's certainly rustic looking now. It's a contrast to older Mattel car toys, and is the only part of this car that makes it look or feel old. It has a really nice heft to it, the wheels spin nicely, but it is just sort of plain weird with no doors, trunks, or obvious signs of how to get in the car. It works more as a toy, and I'd love to know who designed it. I don't assume "real car" was part of the design process so much as delivering an entertaining car-flavored toy product.
I like this, mostly because it comes from an era of toys I generally missed. The late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in toys that weren't usually based on licenses, and often just looked cool with fins or weird swooshes. It was the future we never got - and obviously, nobody would probably use a real world version of this as a daily driver. It's fun to look at, though, and you could see it inspiring kids to design their own cars or to picture it being on some race on another world. It could benefit from a little more realism - just a door, really - but I'd probably have bought this is I was in the toy car world when it was released. I'd recommend scouting out antique malls and toy shows to see if you can get one for a couple of bucks.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
See more Playing Mantis figures in Figure of the Day:
Day 2,722: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Nucleon (Yellow)
Day 2,730: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Bug Bomb (Pink)
Day 2,832: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Movin' Van (Green)
Day 2,841: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Custom Turbine (Aqua)
Day 2,853: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers El Camino (Purple)
Day 2,865: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Wasp (Maroon)
See more Johnny Lightning figures in Figure of the Day:
Day 2,722: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Nucleon (Yellow)
Day 2,730: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Bug Bomb (Pink)
Day 2,832: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Movin' Van (Green)
Day 2,841: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Custom Turbine (Aqua)
Day 2,853: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers El Camino (Purple)
Day 2,865: Playing Mantis Johnny Lightning The Challengers Wasp (Maroon)
