| Every generation has their own diecast models cars. | | | | you're worried that everyone thinks you're a nut. |
| Our parents played with Matchbox cars for the most | | | | So the appeal of Johnny Lightning and First Gear is |
| part. By the time we were growing up, we had Hot | | | | that they're "not toys", they're "collectibles". They're |
| Wheels. Some of us are old enough, our kids were | | | | made to a higher degree of detail, quality and durability, |
| playing with Micro Machines back in the eighties. You | | | | and they really are meant to be collector's items, but... |
| remember Micro Machines, right? You at least | | | | Let's admit it already; the reason we're buying them is |
| remember the commercials, with the motormouth | | | | to put about half a dozen in a drawer and race them |
| announcer showing that you could fit a Micro Machine | | | | across our desks when nobody's looking. |
| on a single dime. They had great marketing gimmicks | | | | First Gear is sort of the diecast car answer to model |
| at the very least. | | | | railroad sets. They sell not only the cars themselves, |
| For some reason, diecast models cars are one of the | | | | but little items to set a scene, like lube drums and gas |
| few toys that every kid has in common, whether they | | | | pumps and so on. Their products are all created to |
| were 1:32 or 1:64 scale, we all loved playing with them, | | | | commemorate the Golden Age of the American |
| and we all remember racing them around with other | | | | highway, that period between the end of World War II |
| kids during recess. Other kids that we might never | | | | and the gas crisis of the early seventies. Classic 1956 |
| have talked to otherwise because we just didn't have | | | | Ford pickups and even some retro hippie vans are on |
| much else in common, but when they broke out the | | | | display in their collection to set the mood. |
| diecast cars, we just had to compare our collections. | | | | But for our money, it doesn't get much cooler than the |
| For adults, we have brands like First Gear and Johnny | | | | highly detailed muscle cars and hot rods from Johnny |
| Lightning. Truth is, we still like playing with toy cars, but if | | | | Lightning. First Gear is great for nostalgia, but Johnny |
| you go in and buy a bunch of Hot Wheels or | | | | Lightning makes the cars you really want to race |
| Matchbox cars and say "Yeah I'm gonna take these | | | | across your desk. |
| home and play with them, I don't even have kids!" | | | | |