New Dukes Stuff 3/21/2014 - Rough Rider General, Wopat Album, Foreign Notebooks

Let's dive into another fun-filled post about some newly acquired Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia!

This is a Sonny Shroyer autographed picture I picked up some time ago.  It got lost in the shuffle and never made it in with the collection.  I know I can get Sonny's autograph at several Dukes events, and this one is personalized to what seems to be Barbara and Van (?) but the reason I bought it is because it is a picture from the series "Enos," not the Dukes.  Enos was of course a spin off of the Dukes and only lasted one season.  The story goes that Sonny was hesitant to leave the Dukes and added into his contract that if the new show didn't make it, he coud return to Hazzard where he belongs.  That's why he left in season three and was back by season 5 of the Dukes.  This picture is on a strange type of paper and is definitely old.

"Bud Grant CBS," followed by his address, is hand written on the back of the picture.  Google tells me that Bud was president of CBS from 1980 to 1987.  Enos premiered in the 1980 season, so it seems Bud was an executive overseeing the show.  Not sure why his name is on here.  The address is for CBS Television City.

This is Tom Wopat's debut album from 1983.  He is very Luke Duke looking on the cover.  I think it's funny that he is smoking a cigar.  Other than that, this could be a picture from the show.

I like that there is a sticker mentioning the Dukes on the front.

Isn't it funny that we are so used to seeing him in blue, that a red shirt makes him look nothing like Luke? This is a cool, semi-related Dukes item.

This bad boy is darn near a holy grail.  It is the Dukes Rough Rider General Lee.  Notice it only says "The Dukes" on it, and not "of Hazzard."  To my knowledge, this is the only toy that was marketed from the cartoon "The Dukes" and not the standard TV show.  It is an extremely rare piece and I was very excited to add it to the collection in such nice condition.

Originally it cost $1.99.  It's worth almost one hundred times that now.

The car looks mostly correct and includes a pushbar in the front.  There is a tow hook on the back.  I have the Knight Rider Rough Rider from when I was a kid.  It has the same wheels and the same lever on top. The General has light up headlights where KITT had a red light in the front for the scanner bar.  I don't think the Knight Rider version is as rare as the Dukes, but I'm not an expert on KR, just a casual fan.

Oddly enough the back of the package makes no mention of the Dukes or the General Lee.  It is all about the A-Team.  I'm not sure if this was an intentional advertisement for another franchise, or if the General got the wrong card back.  This is not unique to my car because everyone I've ever seen has an A-Team back. This toy was made by LJN who was famous for their rubber WWF Wrestling Superstars action figures of the 80s.  They also made Thundercats and a ton of original Nintendo games.

These next items are unique. I got them from a seller in Portugal.  They have the markings "Caderno Escolar" on them which from what I Googled means something to do with notebooks.  No brainer there, can anyone help out with that?  They also say Caleccao which also might be a brand name.  They look legit, but I'm not entirely sure if they are vintage or not.  The first set is 8 different notebooks bound like a book.  They are numbered on the top right of the front cover.  They use images that I've seen before, but not all in the same place.  They appear to be from the cartoon as well, as they only say 'the Dukes" on the front, but the back does say the complete "the Dukes of Hazzard."

The art used on most of them does not come from the cartoon, but rather mostly from different coloring books released in the U.S as well as other products.

That is some picture of ol' Flash.

This is the only image that was used in promotional materials for the cartoon.  

They have graph paper inside, which makes them even weirder.

The back has an image from the cartoon, but has the "of Hazzard" added to the logo.

Ambar is something I could find on Google.  It is a stationary company from Portugal that has been around since the '30s.  So maybe these are for real.  They seem to be exclusive to Ambar.

They are marked Warner Bros 1983.

The seem to be genuine, and not knock off items, but they are in such perfect condition and almost feel new. Maybe whoever had them just kept them perfect.  The seller had three sets of eight, originally, which also threw up a red flag for me.  Regardless, they are cool, different, and in perfect condition and I'm happy to add them to the collection.

From another seller, also in Portugal, at around the same time, I bought these similar four notebooks.  Red flags all over the place.  They have similar markings on them, but two of the four are Coy and Vance items, with only one having Bo and Luke.  They have the same cartoon style logo, but "of Hazzard" is added.  I'm tired of playing detective; these are in the collection.

These aren't numbered like the others.  This one has a great picture of Daisy as well as the General jumping Styx River and a group shot from Season 5 with Coy and Vance as well as both Enos and Cletus.  I wish Cletus would have stuck around more after Enos returned.  It was fun to see those two in the car together, but it only lasted through the Coy and Vance episodes.  By the time Bo and Luke got back, Cletus wasn't seen in Hazzard again until the reunion movies.

This artwork is originally from the album from 1981.

This is a fun picture that isn't used often.  Boss and Rosco look like they're up to something, but they are having fun doing it.

The final notebook has Uncle Jesse and Daisy with Coy and Vance.  I bet these photo shoots were awkward.  The main stars must have wanted John and Tom back, but had to do these.  The whole Coy and Vance era is so weird... I could ramble on about it for hours.

These have similar markings as the other ones, Ambar, Caderno Escolar, but there is no date after Warner Bros, just "JA."  Don't know what that means.  

The paper is standard lined paper in these.  They are spiral bound.

There is nothing on the back.  Another, different seller from Portugal has two different binders on ebay with similar artwork.  They remind me of the knockoff Trapper Keepers from back in the day.  I had a Hulk Hogan one.  It was a fine binder, but it just didn't have all the cool pockets that the Trapper Keeper had. We'll see if I buy the binders or not, but yes, I'll probably buy the binders.

Dukes Of Hazzard White Lightnings Galore! 1/18 and 1/64 WL General Lees

I've finally completed my search for all of the recent Johnny Lightning White Lightning Dukes of Hazzard Cars.  A 1/18 General Lee with white wheels, not to be confused with the more widely available all white General Lee, and a three pack of 1/64 cars with white wheels were recently released and they both proved to be hard to acquire.  But I got 'em!

We've been waiting for the 1/18 General with white tires since the JL Rosco car first came out in late 2012. The Rosco car was the the first Dukes WL to also have gold rims.  Before that, the 1/25 Generals in White Lightning and Lightning Strike had the standard silver rims.  After the Mustang and Camaro came out with gold rims as well, the 1/25 special editions were re-released with gold rims and the trend was set.  We all knew it was only a matter of time until we saw the main car in the line join in on the white wheel, gold rim fun. The all white General Lee has turned out to be much more plentiful and widely available than first thought, which is a shame for people who shelled out the big bucks when it first came out.  This version of the General is the truly rare and hard to find version.  The gold rims remind me of the rarest of rare 1/18 General Lee, the mythical Gold General Lee, which you can see on the boarder of this here blog.

The new WL General does not have a front or back plate.  I'm glad it doesn't have the rebel flag on the front (as I've said before, this is a common diecast mistake as the General didn't have that on the show) but I wonder why the CNH-320 is absent?  This box is the same as the prior General Lee release but features a 2013 marking on it and the blue Tomy logo..

This White Lightning set is a little odd to me.  It is a re-release of a three car set that has been released several times in a few different packages.  Each time this set was released it was a part of three different three packs.  They can all be seen in this post about restocking the fleet.  But this time, only this set is available in White Lightning.  Of the three three-packs, I would think this wouldn't be the first used for a special edition for a couple of reasons.  The General Lee is not on the top of the package, the police car used belongs to Enos and has a red light bar, where the standard version of this car that has seen the most releases is Rosco's and has a blue bar.  The set with the General on top and the blue light bar Rosco car also comes with the Double Zero Mustang.  That seems like the more obvious choice to release in a special edition as all of those cars have 1/18 counterparts that also have WL versions.  Perhaps JL will release the other two three-packs in White Lightning in the future but is just taking their time, spreading them out.

Here is the new WL set compared to the latest standard set released in late 2012.

The package is the same as the last one, but it has a 2013 year on it and the new blue Tomy logo with no white border.

In review, this is the current complete collection of Dukes of Hazzard special editions from Johnny Lightning. The collection consists of the new 1/64 three-pack and 1/18 General Lee in White Lightning, the all white General Lee, the White Lightning Double Zero Mustang, the White Lightning Cooter's Camaro, the White Lightning Rosco's Patrol Car, the 1/25 General Lee White Lightning and Lightning Strike with standard silver rims and with newer gold rims.  There has not been another Lightning Strike releases other than the 1/25 General.  This is everything at this point, but who knows what JL has up their white sleeve.  If I find anything new, I'll post it here immediately.

Figures Toy Co.'s 8 Inch Dukes of Hazzard Action Figures Series 1

The smaller Dukes figures have arrived!  Bo, Luke, Rosco, and Boss Hogg are looking great in 8 inch form.

As soon a I got them, the 12 inch versions started to look huge to me.  The new figures are sized just right.

The package is identical to the larger version.  All of the markings are the same.

Bo's clothes and nose are a little too big.  Other than that, he looks very nice.  Figures Toy Co. got the belt perfect again.

This time around, the legs are the same size.  The figure stands much easier.

It is surprising how much of a difference there is between the two sizes.

The 12 inch (left) has a little more detail in the face sculpt.

I think the 8 inch Luke looks better with the denim jacket on.  If the 12 inch figures didn't exist, I would think the sculpt on these were great.  I'm just a little spoiled by the bigger figure.

Again, Figures nailed the belt buckle.

Would you think 4 inches would make such a difference?

I think they both look like Wopat.

Rosco P. Coltrane is a great looking figure.  Like the 12 inch figure, all the details make the figure stand out.

The patch is perfect, again.

The sculpt is probably the best on Rosco in 8 inch.

The legs are the same size.  Always a plus.

The two sculpts are quite different.  It's interesting that they look so different, but both look like James Best.

Ok, how long until I make a Mini Me joke?

I like the 8 inch Boss Hogg figure better than the 12 inch.  He looks better to me.

The face looks more like Sorrell and less like Oswald Cobblepot.

Oddly enough, Boss Hogg's legs are a different size.  In the 12 inch line, all of the other three have the leg issue, but in the 8 inch assortment, only J. D. does.  Weird.

To make him stand right, you have to bend the left leg.  Not really a big deal.

Do you agree that the smaller figure (left) looks better?

I think the overdue Mini Me joke would work best here.  But I will fight the urge.

Here's 8 inches of Hazzard County corruption.

Good thing there are two 8 inch modern day Robin Hoods.

And the have backup.

The 8 inch line is a great size for actual play.  The 12 inch figures seem more like collectibles, but the smaller ones are just asking to be taken to the school yard and get into a scuffle with Skeletor or Megatron.  Dukes fans with kids should really buy these guys for their little ones.  They will love them.  And if you do, send me some pictures of the little guys playing with the little guys and I will post them on the blog.  I could use a cute post every now and then.

Thirty-five years after the premiere and we have eight Dukes of Hazzard figures with more on the way. Thank you Figures Toy Company.  Now if only we had a General Lee perfectly sized for these bad boys.  I can't wait to see pictures of series 2.

Just for the heck of it, here is a goofy hat picture.