Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Christmas 2016 Dukes of Hazzard Presents


Admittedly, it is very hard to buy Dukes stuff for me.  No matter what you are buying, there is a good chance I already have it.   But I got a few Dukes Christmas presents that I don't yet have, so my friends took a chance, and it paid off!


First off was quite a surprise from our good buddy J.R Garrett.  This is a custom 1/25 scale Happy Birthday General Lee model.  J.R. blew me away by surprising me with this beauty.  He's shown off his talent before at Nashville and Sperryville; he builds great customs.  I didn't expect this awesome car at all.


After I got the package, J.R. gave me a little insight into his model building.  He told me no General Lees were harmed in the making of this car, as it actually started life as a model from the movie Deathproof.  I didn't realize they were selling the General mold for that car.  Great catch J.R.  It's been a while since I've seen that movie, and I forgot they used our General Lee Vector wheels.



J.R. added some detail to the interior and under the hood.  It's a great addition to the collection and I really appreciate the surprise!  Thanks again J.R., you rock!


Next up is a print from Jeff.  Jeff finds very unique artsy additions to the collection and I love 'em. This is a cool picture of what's actually John Schneider's General Lee before he sold it.  It has cool artwork framing it.  The 1/64 Gen'rals are used to keep it from rolling up, and for scale.


The various stickers give it away that it's a picture of John's car.  It is a very nice picture.


Long Live the General is added beneath General Lee.  I agree, Long Live the Gen'ral!


This is a cool subtle flag addition to the print.  I like it.  This is a really cool print, Jeffrey always comes through.


Another present from Jeffrey was more of a gamble as it's a commercially produced item.  He lucked out because I don't have this John Schneider White Christmas album.


Being an album from a Duke Boy would have been cool enough to add to the collection, but this particular copy has an awesome sticker attached to it that mentions the Dukes.  It's even in Dukes font.  I love it!


The back of the cover shows John in a horrible sweater.  It's not Christmas themed, but you could definitely show up to an ugly Christmas sweater party in that bad boy and fit right in.


Jeff also enjoyed the fact that this album was released by Scotti Brothers who released several of Weird Al's records.  I wonder if my hero John Schneider ever crossed paths with Jeff''s hero Weird Al Yankovic?  I mean, they were both huge in the '80s and continued on all these years. They had to meet up at some point, right?  I wonder.  Jeff has done it again with these great presents.  Thanks Jeff and J.R.!  Happy New Year Everyone!

Thursday, December 22, 2016

New Information About Cooter's Last Stand in July 2017!



Things are shaping up for the next great Dukes of Hazzard event in Luray, VA next July.  Ben and Alma are hard at work planning the weekend and it's going to be awesome.  Ben has shared the following message that has all kinds of new information, check it out.  



Hey Y’all,
As we approach Christmas and the beginning of a new year, Alma and I would like to express our deepest thanks to all of you for your friendship throughout this past year and for many years before that. For us, 2016 was “the best of times and the worst of times”, but the one thing that was always constant is the rock solid support that Hazzard Nation has given us for many years now. That friendship and support is what has made “Cooter’s” an extended family of people from all over the United States and the world, and what has made it just plain ol’ fun to be a part of!

So, “if the Good Lord is willing and the creeks don’t rise”, we are going to have a gathering of Hazzard Nation that we hope will be unforgettable for you and your family. “Cooter’s Last Stand” will take place on Saturday, July 29th and Sunday, July 30th at Cooter’s in the Valley, our new store near Luray, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Our new location is surrounded by an enormous field, big enough to handle tens of thousands of festival fans.

The show will be a celebration of “The Dukes of Hazzard” and of Southern culture, and promises to be the last great gathering of our cast in one place at one time. It will feature two days of great music, cast signings, car shows, “rassling”, kid’s activities, fireworks, a car stunt show and a Civil War battle re-enactment. And of course there will be plenty of good Southern cooking around, there will be lots of vendors, and like always parking is free.

Our new location is in Page County Virginia, which provides a lot of choices for folks to spend a night or two. There are inns, motels, hotels, bed and breakfast homes, plus campgrounds and cabins in the Blue Ridge Mountains and along the Shenadoah River. And “Cooter’s in the Valley” is less than ten miles from Interstate 81, a major North/South highway and a beautiful ride in and of itself. A list of places to stay accompanies this letter.

“Early Bird” tickets (until March 1st) are $25 for one day and a two day ticket is $35. Tickets for “younguns” 12 and under are half-price and children 2 and under are admitted free. Since the “Dukes of Hazzard” is America’s favorite family show and this is a family event, there will be no alcoholic beverages sold at this festival.

Miss Alma and I will do all we can to make this the premiere family festival in the United States during 2017. It will be down-home fun in the Hazzard County tradition. Owners of Hazzard County cars (Generals, Police Cars, Daisy Jeeps, etc.) will be entitled to two free tickets by registering below on eventbrite.
Miltary Families and Veterans will be eligble for $5 Discount on “Cooter’s Last Stand” Tickets at the gate with ID.

Have Qts? Contact us at info@cootersplace.com

Hotel Accomendations: http://luraypage.chambermaster.com/list/ql/accommodations-hotel-motel-inn-4
Campgrounds: http://luraypage.chambermaster.com/list/ql/accommodations-cabin-2
Bed & Breakfast: http://luraypage.chambermaster.com/list/ql/accommodations-bed-breakfast-3
Cabins & Country Homes: http://luraypage.chambermaster.com/list/ql/accommodations-cabin-2


It's going to be so much fun!  I'll continue to post any new information about the event as we get closer.  I can't wait!  

Thursday, December 8, 2016

New Cars From Pioneer Slot Cars! General Grant, Moonshine Run General Lee & Dealer Special Black General Lee


Oh man, do I love new Dukes of Hazzard items!  Lately we haven't had much new Dukes stuff but our friends at Pioneer Slot Cars are not taking their foot off the gas and they continue to release new Dukes cars for us to enjoy.  I received, not just one, but three new cars from Pioneer and they are unbelievable!  Let's take a look at the Dealer Special Promo Edition Black General Lee, the Moonshine Run General Lee, and the #65 General Grant!


We'll start off with this beauty, the Dealer Special Promo Edition Black General Lee.  This car is awesome.


Front and center you are greeted with the special decal on the box that lets the world know this is not a standard edition.  Pioneer Slot Cars dealers are sent incentives like this version of the Gen'ral if they sell or order enough cars.  The dealer can then reward loyal buyers or make an extra profit selling them.  It's a great program to ensure a large number of cars are ordered and bought.  This type of incentive program is very big in the comic book world and it works great with slot cars too.  As soon as this car was released, it started going for a pretty penny.  It immediately became a tough Dukes item to find.


The General looks great in black.  The black numbers against the black paint really have a unique appearance.  Pioneer chose a very cool design for their Dealer Special.  Bo and Luke are behind the wheel of the Black Gen'ral.


Daisy is also included with the car.  This time she is wearing a white top with purple Daisy Dukes. This is a different figure than the one included with the standard General Lee as this one has one hand up.  I am not opening these versions so if you want to see better pictures of the figures, take a look at the post about the standard version.


One difference from the standard version and this black version is the Vector wheels.  The inserts between the fins are not painted and the center piece is painted.  I have seen Vectors look like this and the newer re-releases do not come painted.  Pioneer chose this design and it stands out nicely against the mostly black car.  Nice job Pioneer.  



The box is a different design than the standard release.  The "Welcome to Hazzard County" sign behind the car is replaced by a wooded scene with Rosco in Hot Pursuit in the background.  The outer box has a closer shot of the passenger side of the Gen'ral where the original has a flying "orange clunker car."  The labels are the same.



The back and bottom of the boxes are the same and the inclusion of the "spare dixie bits" once again appears.  I love that line.  The bottom does have an identifier sticker that reads "Ref: P015 DS Black General Lee Dealer Special Promo."  That's the official name.


Next up is a new standard edition of the General Lee.  This is the Moonshine Run General Lee.  It is a variant, but it won't be as hard to find as the Black Dealer Special.  What makes this version different is the glorious mud splattered all over it.  Most models and diecasts replicate the General in perfect condition, but we all know that the image of the General we fell in love with is the muddy car jumping the pond.  This is a perfect likeness of the Gen'ral from the show.  This is how we remember him.  The Moonshine Run General Lee comes in the same box as the Black Dealer Special.  While there is no special edition sticker on the top right, we see that Rosco is in hot pursuit above the bootleg turning General Lee.  I really like that artwork.


Bo and Luke are gonna have a tough time getting the Gen'ral clean.  That mud got everywhere.  It's inside the Vector wheels, splattered on the 01s, It even got on the side view mirror.


Pioneer's artists did a great job and made the mud look authentic.  This is definitely what the General would look like if I took him out for a ride through the country.  If I brought Neal's General Lee back like this, I'm sure he'd have something to say about it.


This time Daisy is featured with a yellow top and classic blue Daisy Dukes.  She doesn't have any mud on her.


Bo and Luke may have gotten splashed a little.  They do always tend to  drive with the windows down.



Again, the back and bottom of the box are the same.  Waylon's theme song is on the back and Pioneer's info is on the bottom.  The official name for this car is "Ref: P017 General Lee Moonshine Run."


The final entry from Pioneer is a whooper.  This is the 1968 Hemi Charger General Grant!


Let's go straight to the back of the box for a little background on this car.  Pioneer has created their own nemesis for the General Lee and the Duke Boys and even included a backstory for him.  The back of the box tells the story of Yankee Doodle Danger and an imaginary eighth season premiere episode titled "The Four Star General."  In the synopsis, a gangster from the north is trying to pick up where probation forced the Duke family to leave off the moonshine business.  Elmore "Four Star" Froggett is introduced along with his car that looks a little too familiar for the Dukes.  It's a fun story and Pioneer really captured the essence of Dukes storytelling.  The synopsis ends with "Ain't this fun?"  We all hear Waylon Jennings in our head while we read this.  

The owner of Pioneer Slot Cars asked me to read an early draft of the story about Elmore Froggett and the General Grant.  I made a few suggestions and I'm very pleased that they were included in the final product.  The General Grant as a nemesis to the General Lee as a concept has been around for a while.  Mostly it was just someone photoshoping an American flag on top of the General.  Pioneer has done what nobody else has and created an actual product of the General Grant.  This is big.  This car may go down as being as well known an adversary to the Gen'ral as the Double Zero.  Pioneer told me they have a few more ideas up their sleeve like the General Grant and that we haven't heard the last of ol' Elmore "Four Star" Froggett.  This IS fun!  Let's take a look at the details of the General Grant.


The box is similar to the General Lee boxes, but has different artwork.  Instead of "Screen Stars" it says "Street Muscle" (The General Grant never actually appeared on screen).  There is an image of the General Lee beating the General Grant in a race on the box.  


Other iterations of the General Grant had 10 instead of 01 or some had 76.  Pioneer chose 65 as a nod to the year the Civil War ended and kept with that theme.


The front end and tail lights give away the fact that Froggett is driving a '68 Charger.  His license plate goes along with the Civil War theme and reads GG1865.


The car has an American Flag on the roof that has 35 stars on it.  That's how many stars there were after West Virginia joined the Union (thanks Google).  The Pioneer logo is on the box, not the flag. The hood has Elmore Froggett's crest on it, two Civil War sabers and a G for Grant.  The rear quarter panels have four star logos on top.  The General Grant lettering is in the familiar General Lee text, but in red.


Elmore continues his theme by dressing the part of a Union general. He even has the beard.  I could see him stirring up trouble in Hazzard County.


The back of the box of the General Grant mentions that "Spare Yankee Bits are located under the box base."  I love the bits line.  


The bottom of the box is the same as the other Dukes cars and the official name is "Ref: P094 General Grant Crazy Blue."


Like the original Pioneer General Lee, the General Grant comes with a leather key chain, this time sporting the beautiful stars and stripes.


The key chain includes the address for PioneerSlotCars.com.  


These little additions from Pioneer make the package all that more special.  The key chains only come with early purchases, so get one fast if you want the add-in.


It's really fun to have a nemesis car to display along with the Pioneer General Lee.  Pioneer did a great job creating the General Grant, and put in the extra effort to give it a background story.  This is a special edition to the Dukes of Hazzard world.


The back of the boxes counteract each other nicely with the front of the General Lee highlighted and the back of the General Grant shown.  Pioneer put a lot of effort into bringing their addition of the Dukes of Hazzard legacy to light, and it shows.


The four cars look great displayed together.  I really love Pioneer's Dukes of Hazzard slot cars.  I wonder what they have planned next....


Actually I know what they have planned next.  This is a pre-production prototype of Rosco's patrol car that Pioneer is working on.  I'd say they nailed it.  It will also be a 1/32 scale slot car and fit in quite nicely with all those Chargers.  The General Grant is a nice addition, but Rosoc's Patrol car is the true nemesis of the General Lee.  The Patrol Car will come complete with Rosco P. Coltrane behind the wheel...


And ol' Velvet Ears herself, Flash riding shotgun.  No release date has been announced for this car and I will keep you posted when I hear anything.  Keep up the great work Pioneer!!