DK General Lee bicycle at Wal-Mart

While shopping at Wal-Mart yesterday, picking up some items for the San Diego Comic Con, I came across this DK General Lee BMX bicycle.  I knew it was out there, but it really shocked me to stumble across it.  Looks like I know what I'm getting for my birthday (it's June 28 in case any readers want to get me anything).  There is a 20 inch and a 24 inch.  I've got to figure out which one to get.  I'll never take the tags off, so maybe the smaller one will display better.  I'll post a whole bunch more when I get it. 

 

I wonder what the box looks like.

eBay blunders reveal Dukes of Hazzard variants

I made a couple of goofy mistakes on eBay recently.  Oddly, they both ended up revealing variant versions of Dukes items. 

I have been after the chrome 1/18 General Lee for a while.  I have the "brushed" chrome version, but I am having a hard time tracking down the "shiny" version.  To my knowledge, there is only a "shiny" chrome 1/25 General, no "brushed," and I have it.  It is hard to tell the difference between the two 1/18s on eBay; the pictures look the similar, and often the sellers don't know which one they have, because they don't know there are two versions.

Here is the "shiny" 1/25 compared to the "brushed" 1/18.  I found one that I thought was the "shiny" one and got in to a little bidding war.  I kind of thought the bidding war proved it was the rarer of the two because the other bidder must know which is which.  That was a dumb thought.  When I got it in, I was disappointed to find it was the version I already have (three of). But upon further inspection, I noticed that this new "brushed" chrome one was a little different. 

The three I had before all have black "General Lee" lettering beside the flag.  All of the standard Ertl 1/18s have black letters.  Fans like us know this is incorrect because the real letters are blue.  Ertl and Auto World figured this out with the newer Ertl Authentics and Auto World Silver Screen Machines General Lees (my review). 

This new one I got has blue letters.  That is weird. 

The new one (on top) also does not have the CNH-320 license plate on the back of the car.  And I just noticed while placing these pictures on the blog, no RT decal. 

Same goes for the front.  New one (on top) is missing the front rebel flag.  Again, it is not show accurate to have a rebel flag, but most of the Ertl diecasts have it.  Its like this new chrome I got is some kind of correct hybrid.  Its nearly totally correct, except that its not orange.  I wonder why it is so different. 

For those keeping score at home, the 1/25 shiny chrome has both the CNH-320 and rebel flag on it.

So I'm still searching for the "shiny" chrome 1/18 General Lee, but now I know that there are three versions of the 1/18 Chrome General Lee.  We'll call the new one the "blue letter 'brushed' chrome 1/18 General Lee" and the old one "the black letter 'brushed' chrome 1/18 General Lee."  I have a blog dedicated to collecting Dukes of Hazzard stuff, so I can name things like that.

 
And then comes the bigger mistake I made on eBay.  I use the eBay Android app a lot.  It has improved quite a bit since I started using it when I first got a smart phone.  One feature I used on eBay quite often is the Watch action.  Even if I have no plans on buying something, I like to watch auctions to see how much they go for. 

I hit the watch button on the eBay app for one of the above Dukes of Hazzard Speed Jumper Action Sets.  I already had one and didn't plan on getting another, I just wanted to see how much money it would bring.  About two minutes later, I got an email telling me to enjoy my new Speed Jumper Set and please pay for it.  I have no idea how this happened.  Using the "Buy It Now" action takes at least two steps.  Either I screwed up or the app did, and I don't think it was me.  But I went ahead and payed for it.  When I got it in I noticed it was different then the set I already had. 

The set I already had is unused and has most of the stickers still on the sheet.  It is in really nice shape.  I got it from our buddy Driftlee.  It has all yellow track pieces and black wall pieces for the General to bust through. 

This new set has mostly black pieces.  It also has four General Lees in it.  All in varying conditions. It obviously has pieces from more than one set in it.  I thought it was pretty weird that so many of the pieces are black in this set, and yellow in the other.  It is not as surprising as the different 1/18 chrome Generals, but its cool to know there are different Stunt Jumper Sets. 

So the moral of the story is be careful on eBay.  But if you're not, you still might get good items.  Also, anyone need any Stunt Jumper General Lees or have a "shiny" chrome 1/18 General Lee that I could buy?

Dukes of Hazzard Hats

While gathering up all of the various Bath Set items I had stored away for my last post, I came across a bin full of nothing but Dukes hats.  I thought it would make for a good post.  These are all fairly newer hats from the movie to present.  There are a lot of hats that were put out during the show's hay day, and I have a bunch of them, they just weren't in this particular bin and didn't make this post.  Let's jump in.

I am not the biggest hat wearer so most of these were never worn, but if I am going to wear a hat, this is my go-to.  I have one in my car at all times and another ready to go.  A lot of these hats come from Wal-Mart and have the same basic design---  01 in the front and logo in the back.  I like this one because it has the opposite colors, black base and orange numbers. 

If someone tells you they have a Dukes hat, chances are good that it's this one.  This was put out in 2005 for the movie, and stayed on Wal-Mart shelves for a long time after.  This logo with the big Z underlining Hazzard is the movie logo.  With a few exceptions, Dukes stuff with this logo are all movie related. 

I consider this the Sunday-go-to-meeting Dukes hat.  It's just so white and clean.  It is also not as frayed as most of them.  All of these are from Wal-Mart unless otherwise stated. 

These two hats came from the movie.  They were given out in prize packs like my favorite Dukes of Hazzard shirt.  

These two were also given away to promote the movie.  They are not the best quality-- kind of like the cheapest trucker hat you can get.  The screen print isn't even that nice.  They are cool though, similar to my Boars Nest shirt where they make you feel like you visited Hazzard and got hats from the local establishments. 

This hat came from one of those hat stores in the mall, " Lids" or something.  I'm not even sure why I was there.  I think a friend was working there.  I noticed it on the shelf and immediately bought it.  It isn't licensed or anything.  Seems to be trying to capitalize on the movie.  Weird. 

This is another poor quality hat.  I really don't know where it came from.  It reminds me of a hat your dad would wear while volunteering to deal blackjack at the church bazaar.  Wow, that got pretty specific.  My point is, it's a crappy hat with a crappy screen print on it.  I must have gotten it with a larger group of things I bought from someone. 

This a fun hat from Wally-World.  I remember that it came out a good bit after the movie, maybe two years, but still sported the movie logo.  For only $9.44, these Wal-Mart hats are very nice quality.

I am not exactly sure if this one came from Wal-Mart.  It doesn't have the same tags as the others.  And none of the others have the little hang tag thing.  Its more red than the others as well.  It says General Lee on the brim and the back. 

This one definitely came from the Mart.  I remember finding it and only finding one.  It looks like it is very dirty.  I have never seen another.  I think if I had another, I would probably wear it.  It's a good looking hat.  I check the hat area at Wal-Mart pretty often, but there haven't been any new ones lately.  But I have faith a new one is on the way.

You didn't think I'd have a post like this without mentioning my favorite online era-specific apparel emporium did you?  I got this toboggan from 80stees.com.  It has a classic logo on it.  It keeps my head nice and warm.

And finally there is this orange cap that also cam from Wal-Mart.  I have about three of these.  It is a little thinner than the one from 80stees.  I came with a tag with the movie logo, but it only has an 01 on the hat.  I like the style of it.

The completed Dukes of Hazzard Bath Set

As promised, this blog is devoted to a particular item I just got in the mail.  It is the Dukes of Hazzard bath mitt.  Now that I have it, I have completed the collection of items that make up the Dukes of Hazzard Bath Set.  It took a long time to gather all of these items together. 

All of these items are more rare than standard Dukes things due to their nature.  If they were used with any frequency, they simply wouldn't last.  The mitt is probably the second rarest of the entire set.  It has great vibrant colors and is very soft.  When I saw it on eBay, I immediately bid and toward the end I upped my highest bid about three times.  No one outbid me.  Weird how that happens sometimes.  It is bigger than I expected.  I can fit my hand in it.  I thought it would be for kid-sized hands.  The mitt, along with all of the other items in the set, have no tags or markings beside the usual 1981 Warner Bros. copyright.  I wonder what company made these.  

I would rank the washcloth and hand towel as tied for the third rarest items in the set.  They both fetch a rather high number when they pop up on eBay, which is not very often.  The General Lee print on the washcloth is the same used on the mitt, mat, and bath towel.  There are also stars all over most of the items.  I added the washcloth to my collection about a year ago.  

The hand towel is a lot bigger than you might think.  It is just about the size of a regular bath towel. It seems to be printed like this so it can hang over a towel rack.  It is the only item to have a different print of the General.  Boss Hogg also makes an appearance on this one along with the three Duke cousins.  I got this from the same seller as the washcloth at the same time.  I don't think I have seen either on eBay since.   

The bath mat is, in my opinion, the rarest of the set.  It is one of the rarest Dukes items out there.  It has a rubber bottom to prevent slipping.  It features the same print of the General along with Bo and Luke in a bubble and Daisy in another.  It doesn't have any stars on it.  I have been doing this whole Dukes of Hazzard on eBay thing for coming up on 14 years now.  I have only seen this one on there.  At first I was outbid on it.  But the highest bidder later sold it to me.  I can't imagine there are too many more of these in the world.  It might be the rarest thing I own.  If an original owner bought it and used it even a few times, it would be susceptible to dry rot, fading, or a number of other fates.  Mine is in great condition, though a little less colorful than the other items.  

The bath towel is probably the least rare of the items.  I originally thought it was a beach towel.  There are two other Dukes beach towels.  One features Bo and Luke and the other has Daisy.  They are both printed portrait where this one is landscape.  After noticing that it has the same print and logo font as everything else in the bath set, I now classify it as a bath towel, and proclaim that there are only two Dukes of Hazzard beach towels.  You're welcome world.  The beach towels have a different logo font as well.  This one is big.  It is the size of a beach towel, but as noted it is not a beach towel.  No stars on this one either.  It pops on on eBay from time to time.  The sellers usually improperly advertise it as a beach towel.  We all know it is not. 

And then we have the famous Dukes of Hazzard General Lee soap.  You know Dukes was huge if they went to the trouble of creating a mold in the shape of a '69 Charger for kids to wash themselves with.  I have about three of these, all in varying conditions.  One is not sealed and it smells quite pleasant.  It has a good amount of detail for being soap.  The flag on the roof is a sticker.  There is an 01 molded on each door, and it really looks like a charger.  I have seen these go for a wide range on eBay.  A few years ago, a store display box with, I think, twelve soaps went on eBay.  It went for an insane amount.  I didn't win it.  Us Dukes Collectors are crazy.    

Given the rarity of these items, I can't imagine too many other people having a complete set like this.  If you do, please comment or contact me through email or something so we can discuss it.  I love the smaller collections within my whole Dukes collection.  And I love completing them even more.  Another example of this is my complete set of all 150 collector cards still sealed on the 1/144 Racing Champions Dukes of Hazzard cars.  I need to write a post about that crazy adventure.  

New Dukes Stuff 5/17/2012

Its always a great day when you take a drive and return with a box full of Dukes of Hazzard merchandise.  That's exactly what happened yesterday when I took a stroll down to Greensburg.  Normally, I to go to Greensburg to visit Pop Culture Connection, and though I did go there yesterday, it was not the main reason for traveling there.  Fellow Dukes Collector Rush Pedder was selling some items on eBay.  A few caught my interest and I noticed he lived in Greensburg.  What better way to save on shipping than to meet up?

Rush is a true fan.  Has been his whole life.  I'm glad to welcome him to the DukesCollector community. 

This Dukes of Hazzard Daisy Duke Drawing Pad was the main item of his I was after.  I have never seen one before.  It is filled with drawing paper similar to the old tablets we were given in elementary school.  This particular pad has a 25¢ price tag.  That would have been a great bargain.  I have been buying a lot of school related Dukes stuff lately.  This piece fits under that description. 

The first page has this great drawing for they artist in us all to trace or copy.  Bo and Luke's hair is flowing!

I also picked up these great items from Rush.  A nicely colored in coloring book, a scrapbook, and a Stars magizine with a couple of Dukes interviews in it.  A built 1/18 diecast American Muscle bodyshop General.  An original 2000 1/18 General still in the box.  Wind up General and Rosco cars, a puzzle and Daisy Jeep model.  Love adding more pieces to my collection.

I picked up this tablet on eBay.  I have been buying a lot of these, and there are still several tablets and folders I don't have. 

I also got this Acrylic Paint by Number set.  It is one of two made.  I have had the other for a while.  This one is in really nice shape. 

I have a lot of Dukes of Hazzard dinnerware.  Lately I have been picking up pieces sealed or with tags on them.  These are the compartment plates and cups all with tags.  I also got these McDonald's Happy Meal Bo cups.  Weird how these seemed to be quite rare back in the early days of eBay.  These five came with the paint by number set. 

Speaking of McDonald's, I got these Happy Meal containers.  These are very rare because they are so flimsy.  It is really cool to have them in like new condition with the original sticker sheet.  I can't imagine too many of these even making it out of McDonald's after having the the burger and fries stuffed inside.  I do beleive these were only available in the St. Louis area.  Wonder why.  I have the complete set of five with the stickers on them.  I picked them up from friend of the site Sam. 

I think it is really cool to see two very iconic logos together.  Dukes of Hazzard and McDonalds on the same package. 

I've had these items laying around for a little while.  Two stickers from Cooter's Place and the Dukes card game from the makers of UNO.  All the major players got an individual card.  Enos left the show to do his own right when the merchandise boom hit, so Cletus got a card.  It's funny to me that the General Lee doesn't have his own card.  The only representation of him is on the speed trap card, and even on that he is much smaller than the patrol car.  

I got the Hot Wheels KITT car that caused me to rant about Hot Wheels vs. Ertl recently.  I had to resort to eBay.  It has very nice deatil, more than I expected.  The interior is done very nicely, ecspecially the steering wheel.  I don't love the see through t-tops.

I got another shirt from, guess where, 80stees.com.  This one has four images of the General Lee in flight with an 01 over one.  It is tagless and is pretty soft.  I think I'll wear it tomorrow. 

It also seems that I have picked up quite a few items not originally available in America recently.  This is a three tape set released in the U.K. in 2001.  It is VHS PAL format. 

Each tape has a theme.  The General Lee collection, the Rosco P. Coltrane collection, and the Daisy Duke collection.



 

The General Lee collection includes the episodes The Canterbury Crock, Dear Dairy, and Goodbye, General Lee.  The Rosco collection includes Too Many Roscos, Coltrane vs. Duke, and Mason Dixon Girls.  And Daisy's collection has Officer Daisy Duke, The Duke of Duke, and Miss Tri-Counties.  There is an episode summary and also a highlight under each summary.  Each highlight is classic.  On the General collection, they are about car chases, jumps, and hood slides.  The blurbs on Diasy are mostly about her choice of dress, but the best one has to be under Mason Dixon Girls on the Rosco collection: "Scolding the Duke boys when he catches them with 'mari-jew-wana'."  This is a very cool set, and it displays very nice.  I wonder why it wasn't released here. 

 

 

And finally I have the 1981 Ertl Dukes of Hazzard Playset.  This is the rarer end of production variant that comes with a white Corvette and Boss's Caddy.  The less rare (but still pretty rare) version comes with Daisy's Jeep and Cooter's Pickup.  I now have both versions.  I guess they ran out of those cars towards the end.  The General is also in the top right in the other versions.  I have also seen a four car set that had this white Corvette in it.  Weird. 

 

Now Rush showed me another item that he had since he was a kid.  He didn't sell it to me, but I really hope he does in the future.  I won't share with the world what it is yet, but I am very excited about it.  I have never seen one on eBay.  Hopefully I will be adding it to the collection and the blog soon.  Come on Rush, let's make a deal.  

 

I just won another item on eBay that got me really excited.  When I get it, I will devote a whole post to it.  Until then, keep it between the ditches.  That phrase sounds so much better coming out of Cooter's mouth.