New Dukes Stuff 4/24/2012

Got more Dukes of Hazzard items.  Several of them came from General Lee owner Randall.  Thanks Randall!

These are two of the British published Annuals.  They put one out each year.  These are years 1982 (right) and 1986 (left).  They are quite different from each other.  They were published by different companies.  The older one has mostly artwork and not that many photographs.  The newer one has a lot of behind the scenes photos I haven't seen other places.  They will be fun to read. 

This is a tiny TV pin.  I don't know anything about it.  It seems old but who knows when its from.  I am not sure if its a licensed item or not.  Pretty cool though. 

It has been a while since I added any movie items to my collection.  I already have nearly all of them.  This is the 1/25 movie box General Chrome Chase car.  I didn't know this existed until a few years ago.  It seems to be more rare than the 1/18 version.  There are actually two 1/18 versions.  One that is a brushed chrome and one that looks just like this 1/25 and is shiny chrome.  I have three brushed ones, but still need to get a shiny one.  When these first came out, I thought they would be as rare as the Gold General Lee, but they aren't.  Very happy to have finally chased this chase car down. 



I bought this from the same eBay seller as the chrome car.  Its the first General Lee to get the dirty release.  This dirty General Lee is a lot more rare than the newer dirty releases in the Joyride boxes. 

I compared it to the newer Joyride and it has a lot more dirt on it.  I have to have at least twenty different 1/18 General Lees.  From these originals with black interior to all the different box changes to the various chase versions to the new Auto World release.  What a good idea for a future blog post. 



I also bought this 1997 1/25 General from the same seller.  No one bid on it and I got it for cheap.  I have several of them.  Always good to have spares. 

This item, and all the rest in this post, came from Randall.  This is a Boss Hogg school note book.  I have been grabbing up all the school items I can lately.  I added the matching folder to my collection a few months ago and it was in one of my first blog posts. 



This the coveted General Lee Underoos.  Still sealed in the plastic.  I am super excited to get this item.  There is also one with Bo and Luke on it, and a girls set with Daisy on it.  Got to be on the look out for those. 

And finally we have a Dukes of Hazzard Guitar still in the package.  Now, you may be saying, Larry the Dukes Collector, didn't you just get this same guitar from Jeremy at Pop Culture Connection?  My answer is: Why yes astute Dukes Collector reader, I did.  But this one is still in the package.  I couldn't pass it up.  So I may have one out of the package up for sale soon.  Anyone need one? 

I really like the artwork on the package.  I have never seen it before.  I knew that these were made by  Emenee, but didn't know that Emenee was an Ohio Art company.  They are the makers of Etch-A-Sketch.  Been adding a few of their things to the collection lately.  

That's it for now.  Look out eBay...here I come. 

For the second time I'm one person away from owning a General Lee

Runner up.  In a national contest.  For a General Lee.  Again.

I'm still having trouble believing that, for the second time in my life, I didn't win a Dodge Charger.  In 2005 CMT held a "contest" to find the biggest Dukes of Hazzard fan.  I put my heart and soul into my submission.  I beat out thousands of entrants and was flown to Nashville as a finalist.  Ben Cooter Jones was one of the judges.  It turns out another guy "won."  Now the exact prize wasn't a Charger, but $100,000.  But it is obvious to anyone who knows me that I would have immediately purchased a General Lee with that money.  That was the first time I was one person away from owning a General.

Recently,  Kentucky Fried Chicken aired a commercial featuring two guys dressed in 70's attire driving a familiar car through a drive-thru to buy a pot pie.  Jeff and I discussed the commercial on this very blog on this post's comments.  Many people mentioned seeing a General on the commercial.  It wasn't a General, but a 1970 Charger painted red.  KFC knew they were invoking the General Lee though.  There are many muscle cars out there, but if you want to be noticed, you go for the big boy. 

I saw the commercial several times but only once did I see an extended version which said you can win the car used in the commercial.  Of course I got all excited and jumped online for more info.  The contest rules said that to enter you have to submit a classic photo to KFC.  Natalie did a little searching and found the following old print ad online. 

Recreating it would be the perfect classic photo.  I enlisted my dad as the Colonel, got my neighbor, Trenton, to sit in for the boy, somehow managed to get my dog, Cam, to sit in one place for more than ten seconds, and got my sister, Kate, to be in it too. My mom snapped the picture.  My final submission is below.

I included the original ad in the submitted photo just to remind the judges where we were going with it.  I think we did a bang up job.  Big Larry does a very good Colonel Sanders. 

In the end KFC informed us that we were the runner-up.  We won $260 worth of KFC.  The entry that beat us went with the same throwback motif. 

I'm surprised that they got away with featuring the Volkswagen logo so prominently.  But these guys are driving a 1970 Charger, and I'm eating chicken. 

I know what you are thinking, the General is a 1969, not a '70.  But owning that 1970 Charger would mean I have one more Dodge Charger than I do right now.

Not many people even get through to a radio station for a call in contest.  I have been runner up for two different national contests.  I guess it's a good thing that I beat out so many other people, but being in this position twice drives me crazy.  They say the third time is a charm.  The next time someone holds a contest where the eventual outcome could be me owning a General Lee, look out.  I'm winning that one.  Winning the powerball would be so much easier.

My General Lee Transformer

I got a couple requests to post some pics and info about my General Lee Transformer.  I found a builder online who created a similar one so I asked him to make me one. 

He started out life as an Autobot named Downshift. 

My builder worked very hard to create the Charger front end and push bar.  He has a CNH-320 plate that splits when transformed.

Here he is in car mode next to a 1/144 General to show the scale.  I really think the builder did a great job.  

New Dukes Stuff - Friday the Thirteenth of April

Got a slew of new Dukes of Hazzard items recently.  Let's get right to it.

I bought an auction lot on eBay that I was only interested in a few pieces.  I didn't have this little flashlight before.  Everything else I have.  Its cool to have the slide puzzle in the package, but its quite beat up. Also included are a finger racer, a wrist racer, two Bo stickers and a shoestring. 

 

This funny little SuperMag was also in the lot.  It uses artwork I've never seen before.  It's only about the size of old TVGuides, and pretty thin.  

This is the item I was most interested in the lot.  Its a "British Design" Dukes of Hazzard Transistor Radio.  It is quite a rare piece.  Not in the best shape, but I'm happy to add it to my collection.  

This is the same standard model that I have about 15 of, but it is a foreign release.  It has about eight different languages on it.  The company that released it overseas is called Airfix.  It was made in 1982.

This is a 2012 version of the same model.  I just picked it up as well.  It's funny that they released this box design originally in 1981, re-released it in 1997 then changed the box about three different times. They recently went back to this one.  The 1997 version came out with the rebel flag, then they released the "bald" version without the flag.  (I'm sticking with it Jeff, deal with it).  They did the same thing with the latest one.  2011 saw the return to this design with the flag, and then this one came out with no flag.  Weird how they go back and forth. 

These are five different school folders.  They are all in very nice shape.  The top left folder has my favorite picture of the cast.  I love that shot of the whole gang by the tree.  Ol' Flash got cropped out of this one though.

This is definitely the gem of my latest haul.  It's an Etch A Sketch from 1981 that has the Dukes Action Pack packed in.  I have several of the original Action Packs, but I never saw them added with an Etch A Sketch.  The package for the stand alone Pack is bigger.  This one seems to be just an envelope.  I'm no expert, but this has to be a super rare piece....wait, I kinda am an expert.    

More info about the New 1/18 Scale Diecast General Lee from Auto World

I recently talked to a new friend of the site, Gregg aka Motorhead, about the new General Lee form Auto World.  Gregg worked on the creation of the diecast.  He told me the team behind the car really wanted to include more features like a new push bar, a new roll bar, a Cobra 78X CB, an automatic transmission, new tires, and perfect graphics.  But budget restaints got in the way.  I still think they did a heck of a job. 

Gregg also shared a little information about the new releases I mentioned in the last post.  He confirmed that Auto World is working on the updated Rosco's Patrol Car diecast.  They plan on making the much need corrections.  It really needs a new light bar.  I'm very glad its not a straight re-release.  He told me that Auto World is not working on the Cooter's Camaro however.  It will be a limited release from a company called Evergreen Imports using Ertl tools and castings.  He didn't have any other info about that one.  He also confirmed that, currently, there are no chase or variant versions of the new General.  So my bank account is happy to hear that news. 

I want to thank Gregg for the info and welcome him to the DukesCollector family.  

New 1/18 Scale Diecast General Lee from Auto World

I recently got the newest Dukes collectible available, a new 1/18 General Lee manufactured by Auto World.  It is a highly detailed, high-end diecast.  They did a great job on this representation of our favorite flying orange muscle car.

The first thing you notice is that the flag on the roof is absent.  But fear not Dukes faithful.  Auto World has not committed such an egregious act; they merely covered it under an orange decal.  The General sure looks weird in the box though.  It almost looks bald.

I think this is the best 1/18 to date by far.  The wheels look great.  It has so much detail, it looks like an actual Charger.

The interior is so detailed that it has seat belts.  The "General Lee" lettering is improved over all past releases. 

The engine has also been improved over prior models.  There are individual wires and tiny stickers under the hood. 

All of the panels and gauges look very realistic.  I had heard the creators wanted to put a CB inside, but it wasn't meant to be. 

The box utilizes the same basic design of most Dukes products released over the past few years.  This model is released under the Silver Screen Machines line.  Past models have been released under the Ertl name, Racing Champions, American Muscle, Joyride, and Johnny Lightning line.  All are owned by the Round 2 parent company.

Another picture of the "bald" General still in the box.

This is the first time a General Lee box has had a plastic bottom so you can see the detail put into the car.

I compared the new General (center) to the standard Ertl/Joyride model (left) and the Ertl Authentics (right) from a couple of years ago.  The Ertl Authentics model had great detail, but it seemed like they made a Charger first and then made a General out of it.  It had little details like the word Charger behind the window and the RT emblems.  The actual General generally didn't have these.  They corrected these mistakes with the new one.

Ertl standard on the left, new Auto World in the middle, and Ertl Authentics on the right.  I was surprised by how different the orange colors were. 

Surprisingly, the original Ertl has the best license plate in my opinion.  This is the one aspect of the new model that falls short compared to both prior releases.  Click the photo to see them bigger.  The antenna is also the correct size on the new one.  It was way to small on the Authentics, and there isn't one on the original.

This is the new 01 compared to the Ertl Authentics.

And compared to the original Ertl.  Both of the old ones had the numbers too close together.  It's the attention the detail like this that make this model the best.

The box is very similar to the latest release of the standard Ertl/Joyride as well as the Ertl Authentics.  A couple of things that are different is "General Lee" is not all caps on the new, and there is only American text, not French like on the other two.  Pictured are the new one on top, the Ertl/Joyride in the middle, and the Ertl Authentics on the bottom.  The bottom is a chase variant version of the Black General Lee.  It has the same box as the regular General.  My boxed regular General wasn't easy to get to today. 

I do not believe they are making any special editions or chase versions of the new one, at least none that I have found yet.   In the past they have made black Generals, silver, chrome, black with the decals, and of course, the Gold General Lee.  I think if they were going to make a special edition, it would at least pop up on eBay by now.  But I'll keep looking. 

The Silver Screen Machines line has a few more Duke of Hazzard goodies coming out soon.  This summer there are releasing a 1/18 model of Cooter's Camaro from the episode " Luke's Love Story. " This will be the first time this car has been released in this scale.  It has been released in 1/64 by Ertl and Johnny Lightning a few times as well as a slot car by Auto World.

They are also rereleasing the Rosco's Patrol Car 1/18.  It was put out by Ertl/Joyride a few years ago.  It has not be announced if it is going to be a straight rerelease or if they will be improving on it like they did with the General.  I hope they improve on it, most importantly the light bar, which looks nothing like the light bar from the show.