Crazy Larry 1:18 DIECAST RELEASE UPDATE! THE CARS HAVE ARRIVED!!

[jwramc]

OFFICIAL "DIRTY MARY CRAZY LARRY" 1:18 DIECAST UPDATE!
New pics of FINALIZED SAMPLE! Begin drooling now!!

It is with profound joy and pride that Dave Nicholson, Gregg Lacarte and myself, John Rosa bring you today's brand new photos of the final updated pre-production factory sample of this awesome new release coming from Autoworld around Christmas this year. If you haven't been dropping hints to your wife all year, now is the time!! If you haven't already pre-ordered, you should seriously consider it as this is gonna be a HUGE hit and fast seller.

After countless eMails and wishes and tweaks and corrections, the attached pics are what we three and the great guys at Autoworld have finally approved for production in the next 2 months.

Beyond what is normally included on these beautiful Authentics Charger releases, the DMCL car will include the following:

Fully licensed box art.
Film-correct features include the custom paint, stripes and engine callouts, US INDY aluminum wheels and fat blackwall tires (including a full-sized front spare in the trunk... in case yours happens to hit a red pickup and gets a flat).
Film-correct license plates (the rear having proper California registration decals for 1972 and 1973 in the top corners. Look really hard at those sticker- the detail is amazing!).
Film-correct gutter-mounted CB antenna.
Tampo-printed AC vents in the center of the dashboard.
Deleted headrests.
Custom blackened engine compartment with a modified 440 big block wearing yellow wires, aluminum intake manifold, chrome valve covers and a new open-element chrome air cleaner- a totally 70s street machine look!

All the delays and frustration with exacting detail requirements have finally paid off. We all think it's simply stunning (we're gushing like proud papas) and destined to be the centerpiece of many collections- it certainly will be for mine! It looks like it's moving even in these still shots!

We hope this end result is what you hoped for. We're all beyond overjoyed with how it has turned out.

Enjoy the pics!!!

[jwramc]

More pics...

[jwramc]

Last shot...

[JB400]

 

Thanks for letting us know 

[familymopar]

Looks awesome!

[Ghoste]

I'm a freak for the film and I'm stoked like crazy.  The only detail is the four speed which you explained adequately a long time ago, kudos to you all for pushing this through.

[jwramc]

I'm a freak for the film and I'm stoked like crazy.  The only detail is the four speed which you explained adequately a long time ago, kudos to you all for pushing this through.

That's the biggest thing we had to cave on. There are a few others that also had to be traded for more important features. While many of the changes are obvious, there are many that are easily missed but also took careful consideration, design and adjustment to make happen. For instance, not just the new wheels and tires, but how to make the room for them so that it can still turn and roll. The original mold wasn't designed for such big shoes. Then there's the adjustment in the suspension height...lowered up front, raised in the rear. The car has a pronounced forward lean the previous 'stock-type' releases never got. That took costly tweaking, too.

Then there are the things we asked for, fully expecting a loud "NO!" that actually ended up happening, like the custom work under the hood and the full-sized spare for the trunk... along with the new wheels, tires, air cleaner, antenna and so on... and all without raising the price of the car! AW could have spent none of that money and offered another stocker in a new color. But they loved this subject as much as we did, and spent quite a bit to make it as right as they could considering market size these days and those pesky costs. All that is why we three "consultants" are overjoyed that we got as much as we did.

And, boy, she takes a nice picture, eh?  

[Ghoste]

Well I don't believe I know any of you personally but I bet we'd hit if off big time.

[jwramc]

Just gotta stay off politics and religion and it's all (usually) good! 

[TPR]

Great work, car looks brilliant.
Thanks for all your hard work on this and to Autoworld for going the extra mile.
It's going to be a good Christmas.
TPR

[jwramc]

Great work, car looks brilliant.
Thanks for all your hard work on this and to Autoworld for going the extra mile.
It's going to be a good Christmas.
TPR

Thanks a bunch.

Now I'll finally have my favorite TV car *and* my favorite Movie car. 

[69charger2002]

They should release a "rare" version like 100 copies with a 68 grill and taillights.. lol  That would be fitting.

[Ghoste]

And a roll bar.  (and yes, I would be on board for one)

[jwramc]

We asked for a '68 "Chase" car but it was rejected.  I suspect the costs of such a short run were prohibitive.

Perhaps if the ideas we've floated for this and other projects prove to bring better-than-usual sales for a couple of releases in a row, we'll have the clout to get such things done in the near future.

[Ghoste]

Oh, like maybe even Hank's interceptor?

[jwramc]

VERY unlikely. That would be an all-new mold of a '72 Polara 4-door. Other than several police department versions and maybe a detective car or two...it's reuse potential is very low. Not likely they'll spend the money if they can't do 50+ different releases... like the Chargers have pulled off. (I still don't understand how ERTL ever approved "The Car" for production. Talk about a one-shot deal!)

**IF** they were to consider it, **I** would suggest they include a light bar and several pairs of movie-correct license plate stickers... so the buyer could make the car any one of the Polaras seen in the film. That would mean we truly nutty fans would buy more than one! 

[Ghoste]

Yeah, it was a somewhat facetious suggestion.  We can still dream though.

[RallyeMike]

Now I'll finally have my favorite TV car *and* my favorite Movie car.  punkrocka

Whoa! Those have always been exactly my choices. Maybe we were separated at birth?   

[jwramc]

I'm thinking about the possibility of AW doing the Impala. I don't know how feasible it would be, but the existing '66 Biscayne molds could be used to supply the bulk of the parts, meaning the new body shell is the biggest expense to overcome.

Looking at the two-door post Biscayne and the four-door hardtop Impala, some minor and big issues are seen.

Easy stuff (green) is fixable with tampos (a rubber-stamp type process using paint instead of ink). This is how the Charger's stripes are done, and it can be used for the added Impala trim pieces.
Median difficulties (yellow) are the reverse lights in the bumper and the tail lights wrapping around to the side. Both CAN be faked with tampos, but close-inspection would reveal the cheat.
Then there's the HARD stuff (red). These require permanent changes to the molds for the body shell, the doors and vent windows. **MY** solution would be to go with a sealed resin body shell and interior door panels. You can still have the metal operating hood and trunk, but the doors would be sealed. The bottom corner of the back glass MIGHT be cheatable to accept the exist window part is perhaps the frame is designed a BIT less wide than the 1:1.

That is the lowest-cost route to getting that car made. And the project is justifiable because we aren't asking for an all-new car, just the new resin body shell and interior side panels. The extra pair of door handles just means making twice as many as usual from the existing mold. Everything else is paint. Additional releases could be cop cars, taxis and so on... all the usual excuses for a 4-door subject car.

[jwramc]

Whoa! Those have always been exactly my choices. Maybe we were separated at birth?   

Or we were just pre-teens around the same time.

[Ghoste]

That would be awesome, I'd sooner see the Impala before the cruisers (but those two, hell I'd even like Mary's pickup).

[69wannabe]

Look's great!!!! I will have to have one of those!!!!!!! It will look good next to my 1/18 th  scale vanishing point challenger!!!!

[jwramc]

LARRY'S CHARGER IS IN DA HOUSE!!!


That's right! The cars are in country and have left AW, and should be arriving today and the rest of this week at sellers everywhere.


If you didn't pre-order, and think you'll want one...I recommend you move fast as I'm betting these will sellout quickly! 

[wingcar]

Wow, nice details....a must have for the Charger collector for sure.

I just hope that Auto World doesn't release a 1:18 scale train!

[Ghoste]

Whoo hoo! 
Been waiting years for this one.