By, Kevin Matthews,
Webmaster jl.kdm-inc.com

August 16, 2005 - Recently, RC2 provided us with a glimpse of what is coming for 2006 via the myRC2.com website and via Lightning Fest 2005. While there were some pictures shown, there were mainly descriptions and word of mouth from reliable sources of what would be included in some of the products and the new castings. As with the recent trip to Lightning Fest, more information and hints were given to the future of JL. Of course, this is somewhat speculation and dates and information could change at a moments notice. Here's a preview of what's to come...

    1/64th Classic Authenic Replica Series (C.A.R.S.)

The C.A.R.S. series continues into 2006 with the continuing lineups of: Classic Gold II, Trucks & SUV's, Chevy Thunder, Sixties Sizzle, and Muscle Cars V. There are also some new additions to the lineup for the first part of the year: Gotta Hemi, Racing Gold, Impala Parade, Let's Go, and Poncho Power. There is also a suggested mystery release that has not been disclosed. It is unclear whether or not this will be an actual series or not.

   Classic Gold II:
Classic Gold II returns with its 29, 30, and 31st releases. It is unclear if the 30th will be a "Best of" set or not. Release 29 should arrive in December '05, where as 30 and 31 will be available in January and April of '06.

   Trucks & SUV's:
The truck set of Johnny Lighting continues with its 3rd and 4th releases. Unclear is when they will be available. Expect more of the same assortments from the previous year with the possible addition of the 80's Toyota Land Cruiser.

   Chevy Thunder:
The thunder revolution from Chevrolet continues with release 4 and 5. Unclear on the release date of the 4th set, but the 5th is scheduled for February.

   Sixties Sizzle:
The sizzling sixties continues with the sole addtion of release 3 coming in March.

   Muscle Cars V:
One of the longest Muscle Cars series' continues with release 10 and 11 coming in December '05 and April '06. Expect more popular castings to continue this series for the rest of the year.

   Gotta Hemi?:
One of the new one-off sets of the year pays tribute to the Mopar-Hemi lovers. Expect some of the popular castings of Challengers, Road Runners, and probably a Charger or two. Available in March of '06.

   Racing Gold:
Another one-off of the year is this series. Unclear of what is included, expect some sort of classic stock cars or even dragsters of yesteryear. Coming in May of '06.

   Impala Parade:
A series that has been asked for a while, the Impala gets its own in the Johnny Lightning lineup for '06. Expect the '58, '59, '63, and the '95 to make an appearance in May.

   Let's Go!:
Unknown what this set is, expect it in December of '05.

   Poncho Power:
Pontiac at its best. Expect a similar lineup to '05's High Performance Pontiac coming in February.

   Those 70's Cars:
The rebirth of the 70's comes back in 2006. Unclear when this set is to debut.

    1/64th Street Freaks

Street Freaks also continues into 2006 with the same round of assortments that it has currently. As with the C.A.R.S. series, there have been no indications on what cars are specifically included with the new year. Expect releases 21, 22, and 23 in December, February, and April.

    1/64th Pop Culture

Pop Culture 2006 lineup has not been announced at press time. However there are some speculations on what is coming up for the year.

   Legends of Star Trek:
Eariler reports from this year show the Star Trek series will continue in early '06 with the additions of the Enterprise-D, Voyager, and the Borg Cube.

   Holiday Classics 2006:
As with the previous years, 2006 will also probably have the candy-chromed Holiday Classics return with the newest castings of the year.

   Lightning Girls:
Yep, you read it right. A brand new series with 12 ladies and vehicles. Series to include a '65 Ford Mustang and a '69 Chevrolet Nova complete with a prop-up calender for each model and month.

    1/24 Mid-Scale Cars

The 1/24 "Big Brother" series of Johnny Lightning returns with some old faces and some new ideas.

   Muscle Cars:
The Muscle Cars series continues through '06 with some new additions to the lineup. Noteably, a '67 Shelby GT-500, a '64 Thunderbolt, and a '66 Nova.

   Street Freaks:
Yes, Street Freaks in 1/24th scale. Nope, this is not a joke. There are at least six assortments on the books for '06 including 1/24th scale Zingers!, Black with Flames, and Spoilers to name a few.

    1/18 Scale Cars

The 1/18's return with a few new assortments for '06. Expect these to hit the shelf around February and April.

    1/87 Slot Cars

Reports indicate that Tom Lowe, former owner of Playing Mantis, has purchased the 'slot car division' from RC2. However this has not been confirmed by myself or RC2. Right now, there are no indications of any slots from RC2 in 2006. Stay tuned for more developments on this story.

    NEW Castings for '06

Here are some ideas that were mentioned and seen during Lightning Fest about upcoming castings.

    1/64th Scale:
1969 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe - (Word) Re-tooling to be similar to the Convertible with full options. Scheduled for early '06.
1968-'69 AMC AMX (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1969 Pontiac Firebird - (Word) Unclear when it is to be released.
1970 Mercury Cougar Convertible - (Shown in Green) Unclear when it is to be released.
1970 Dodge Super Bee - (Shown in Purple & Orange) Expect either variation in Classic Gold II R29.
1969 Chevrolet Impala Convertible (Shown in Red) - Expect it to be in Chevy High Performance.
1966 Chevrolet Nova (Shown in Red, Green, PiP, & BWF) - Expect at least one in the Black with Flames series. Et al.
1966 Pontiac GTO (Shown in Red) - Expect it in Poncho Power.
1980's Toyota Land Cruiser (Shown in Red & Bronze) - Expect it in the upcoming Trucks & SUV's releases.
1972 AMC Gremlin (Shown in Red, Zinger!) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1966 Mustang Fastback (Shown in Light Blue, Zinger!) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1967 OR '69 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser (Word) - Still in the planning stages. Unclear when it is to be released.
1973 Chevrolet Caprice Estate Wagon (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
19?? Shelby Cobra (Shown in Red) - Hardtop model. Unclear when it is to be released.
1964 Ford Galaxie (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1975 Chevrolet Vega (Shown in Orange) - 4x4 problem to be fixed. Unclear when it is to be released.
1972 Ford Maverick (Shown in Red) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1971-72 Ford Pinto (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
19?? Volkswagen Panel Van (Shown in Red) - Unclear when it is to be released.
19?? Volkswagen Beetle (Shown in Red) - Similar to the Bug Bomb. Variation for "Herbie: Fully Loaded." Unclear when it is to be released.
1987 Buick Regal / GN (Shown in Yellow) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1957 Plymouth Fury (Shown in Turquoise) - Unclear when it is to be released.
19?? Studebaker Avanti (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1993 Ford F-150 Lightning (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1993 GMC Typhoon (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
2005 Dodge Charger / Daytona / Police Version (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1980's Chevrolet Monte Carlo (Word) - Available in both Bubbleback and Notchback. Unclear when it is to be released.
1950 Oldsmobile 88 (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1969 Lincoln Continental MK III (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1960's Shelby Mustang (Word) - Unclear which year or when it is to be released.
1968-69 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442 (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1971 Buick GS (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1978-80 Chevrolet Malibu (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1950 GMC Suburban & Panel Van (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1965 Chevrolet Impala (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.
1967 Chevrolet Impala (Word) - Unclear when it is to be released.

    1/24th Scale:
1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT-500 (Word) - April 2006.
1966 Chevrolet Nova SS (Word) - January 2006.
1970 Dodge Challenger (Word) - December 2005.
1964 Chevrolet Impala (Word) - December 2005.
1961 Ford Thunderbolt (Word) - March 2006.