A-OK: Johnny Lightning’s OK Used Car Series

As cars took center stage in the 20th century as America’s premier form of transportation, it was inevitable that the idea of reselling older cars to the public would take hold. Soon, the idea of the used car was born. However, many individuals would often cite concern over the quality of these used cars. It was impossible to really track the history of the cars, how well the previous owners took care of them, whether or not they had been involved in accidents, etc., so many people often kept their distance. Dealerships took notice of this and quickly began the idea of the used car inspection programs, a concept which spread across the country and has evolved into the used car superstores we know today such as Carmax and Carvana. However, back in the day, the most common identifier was the “OK Used Cars” sign found at Chevrolet dealerships nationwide.

For 2022, Johnny Lightning has opted to pay tribute to the OK Used Cars era with a selection of six 1/64 diecast cars. This selection pays tribute to makes and models that were often found at one of these lots until the theme’s discontinuation in the early 2000s. The cars on offer range from an older 1960s Ford Galaxie to a more modern 1990s Pontiac Trans Am; a wide variety that showcases the changing times of the American auto industry. Johnny Lightning was gracious enough to let us try out this new range to see what we thought, and up front, I’m fairly excited for these releases!

I’m a fairly big fan of the late-20th century era of American cars, being that they were the cars I most often saw on the roads when growing up. I often saw many of these types of cars littering used car lots all the time. Someone at Johnny Lightning must have the same memories as myself, because they chose some primo examples of old-school American iron to demonstrate what the OK Used Car mantra was all about. Up front, you have two brand new toolings from Johnny Lightning with this line: one of which is the 1991 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 1LE.

The darling of trailer parks everywhere, the third-generation Camaro was quite a departure for the storied nameplate at its introduction in 1983, and the Z/28 1LE is possibly the most extreme variant featuring a limited-slip rear axle, heavy duty disc brakes, and few comfort options in the cockpit. One could say this is the 80s equivalent of a track-ready Camaro much like the modern-day ZL1 1LE (it even shares that one famous alphanumerical code). Johnny Lightning does this car some great justice in 1/64 form, with detailed wheels, lights, and new hood cowling molds. this is possibly one of my favorite JL casts to date!

The other new tooling for this set is the 1978 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Johnny Lightning has made many Monte Carlos before, most famously the 1980s SS Aerocoupe known for its days in NASCAR. 2022 is the first time that they’ve released one for the generation prior, first released in 1978. The 70s were not kind to the Monte Carlo, reducing the once great muscle car to nothing more than a tarted up personal luxury coupe with an under-performing V8. It’s no surprise this era is my least favorite Monte Carlo. That being said Johnny Lightning did recreate this car fairly well, and I do appreciate the red/black color scheme which is very appropriate for 1978. My one criticism is the wheels that seem a bit cheap and not very fitting for this car; I hope that JL can rectify this on future releases.

Also featured in this set are a couple of old favorites from Johnny Lightning, including this radical red 1997 Pontiac Trans Am WS6. The old WS6 was one of the toughest muscle cars of the 90s and JL has done the car justice many times before. That has not changed with this casting featured in this OK set. I appreciate the detailing of the Ram Air logos on the hood and the choice of wheels, and this car probably has the best color choice out of all of the cars here – the red just does wonders for this shape. This ties alongside the Camaro as the ones I would definitely recommend picking up.

Rounding out the set are more reissues from JL that have been given a small reworking for 2022: the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am and 1976 Plymouth Volare, the latter of which is now featured in Road Runner form. These two work fairly well on their own right, but they’re hardly the stars of the show in this set and I doubt many will be flying to get these off the pegs any time soon (unless they’re huge Grand Am/Road Runner fans, and if so, by all means have at them). As mentioned before, a 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 is also on offer in this line, but unfortunately it was not included in our sneak-peek package. For those interested, though, images of it can be found elsewhere online.

Overall I’d consider myself fairly satisfied with Johnny Lightning’s new OK Used Car line. It’s a great throwback to American cars in the 20th century, something which Johnny Lightning is extremely good at doing. If you’re interested in this line, you can expect to find it in stores soon alongside a color variation if you’re not too keen on what you see here. I definitely recommend picking up the Camaro and Trans Am personally, but others may have differing opinions. Regardless, I’d say these 5 are definitely more than just OK.