FYI for diecast fans: CRAZY LARRY'S CHARGER officially being released in 1:18

[chargermike]

will the die cast car be yellow or sublime. cause the car in the movie is sublime.

[jwramc]

will the die cast car be yellow or sublime. cause the car in the movie is sublime.

The car will be Citron Yella (GY3) just like in the film. This diecast pic is a good match (on MY monitor anyway)



Yellow is too yellow...


Sublime is too green...

[404NOTFOUND]

I used to think it was sublime as well but I read a good explanation somewhere that indicated it was the film that made it look too green. There is one scene in the movie where the car is cruising through a town. In that scene, the back of the car looks very yellow. Check it out and see.

[nvrbdn]

yep, that citron yella makes it seem different in different lighting.

[jwramc]

Actually, what happened was similar to something that happened with the first Star Trek pilot episode in 1966. In that instance, actress Susan Oliver played an 'Orion Slave Girl' with rich green skin. The makeup was thick, like latex paint...and almost the green you saw on fire escapes and park benches back then..

.

Well, when the film was delivered to the lab guys for developing, they assumed there was a problem with the film that made her look green...so they color-corrected the developing process to make her look more normally 'caucasian' (nevermind that the other actors now looked orange!!). Of course, it was all fixed before it aired.

For DMCL, the same thing- the lab crew thought the greenish tint of the car was a film manufacturing goof, so they color-corrected everything to make the car bright yellow. And because there was no budget to shoot all the scenes again, and the film was now permanently developed this way, the film we saw in the theaters AND the TV broadcasts and VHS release ALL showed a bright yellow Charger. The Citron Yella hue was finally restored when the whole movie was cleaned up for the 2005 DVD release because the guy at Anchor Bay that was in charge of the project and did the resto and DVD release is a HUGE Mopar nut and fan of the film himself, and he went all out to make the film look gorgeous...and correct.

[404NOTFOUND]

Yes, that is the scene I was referring to. What probably causes more confusion it that the cops referred to the car as a "green 1969 Dodge Charger". It's just one of those bizzarre colours that would cause such a problem.

[nvrbdn]

yep, and then the wrecked truck driver said "a yella flash"

[model maker]

My car was closer to yellow with a hint of lime green in the sun and in a picture that came inside the car showing my charger next to the other charger being used as a camera car had a slightly more yellow look to it and that could have been because they painted the citron on top of the original light blue  paint my car was. if you paint a lighter color over a darker color, then it darkens the top coat slightly. A year after i aquired the charger my friend my EX before we got married and I drove down that very road to BILLS bar/pool place used in the movie, the owner came in from the back and  sounding confused asked, " ARE THEY MAKING ANOTHER MOVIE HERE ?? I tried to park in back where they did in the movie but it was built up and i had to park on the side of the building. I tried to buy one of the signs in the window but the guy would not sell for less than  $5,000. & no way was i going to do that. It would be best to go with citron. On a side note, there was another charger that had fake 69 tail lights on it and it can be seen as the damaged car limps into the walnut grove. If you have the dvd watch as it passes the camera and look at the stripe, where it says 440, you will see a round 68 light on the quarter panel & NO 69 reflector below  On the pan below the rear bumper no reverse lights & the tail lights sit to high. they used  2 cars and blended the scene very well. the damage is simular but look at that on the dvd and pause, zoom and step the pause button. this MAY have been the same car that was seen that showed the 68 grille when the cop car got knocked into the river. sorry to go off topic but compare the colors of different cars. ALSO knowing what I know about ARC lights used to light outdoor scenes in movies, those also change some colors on film.   http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,88362.0.html   this is info on this in another thread.

[jwramc]

Here's a bit of artwork I did for the diecast's rear license plate (no word yet if this will be the one we use, but I hope so).

I found an original 1973 Cali plate on line with the same color registration stickers in the same locations (attached), and determined the left was a '73 and the right was a '72. Each had the state seal in the center (attached) and the year split in half to either side of the seal. Above that they said CALIFORNIA, and below that, a 7 digit number. It just so happened that Susan Geroge's and Peter Fonda's birthdays use 7, so those are the numbers at the bottom of each sticker (since we can't know what the real plate actually had on it). Susan's date on the left, Peter's on the right. This detail may be unreadable when printed in scale anyway, but just so you know, I tried to make it matter...a bit more special. 

[nvrbdn]

now that is cool.

[jwramc]

In keeping with the DMCL theme, some videos I put together the last few years (some of them mentioned elsewhere on this site).

My 2010 trip to visit the film locations I was able to find.
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86lkQRishGA
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-svRwV_laDA

My 2011 trailer in a modern style, for DMCL.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZDRan97GUM

My 1:10 scale Charger just after completion in 2008. (No, it's NOT yellow! The camera just made it look that way...same old story!!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLCUhx6vldA

The added-for-TV scenes some call the "Lost Scenes". These were added to the film when it came to TV to help fill the 2-hour timeslot.
They were never in the film when in the theater, contrary to the mistaken memories of many... and are not on the DVDs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jui18bHpDJQ
I love how many of the viewers comment about the four Camaro guys being all wrong about the Charger's engine.... as if they were stupid or the script writer was. Talk about missing the whole point! The guys are screwing with the cop! The guy that mentions the stripe does a head-fade that's awesome (like 'wow, this cop don't get it!), and the guy next to him chuckles a bit when the cop walks away frustrated. I really wish the original widescreen footage of these scenes could be found and cleaned up to DVD quality so an extended version could be made available.  

[billschroeder5842]

I'm a fan of DMCL for years.

Does anyone know the correct size, make of the wheels and tires? I think they look great and I'd like to find a set.

Thanks!

[mauve66]

the video is great and the car will be waited on like a slow catsup coming from the bottle. antisipaAtion. i will no doubt see DMCL at least 3 more times before i recieve my car. thanks for doing this one.

fixed

[Ghoste]

I really wish the original widescreen footage of these scenes could be found and cleaned up to DVD quality so an extended version could be made available.  

You and I both.

[jwramc]

Does anyone know the correct size, make of the wheels and tires? I think they look great and I'd like to find a set.

For the wheel brand and model, every name in the book gets mentions- American Racing, Ansen, Halibrand, and so many others that had a variation on the 5-slot look. In researching to find photos of the exact wheels on the car, I finally came across a single photo of a wheel that was exactly right. The person that posted the photo claimed the wheel was a US Indy... BUT if you search for US Indy wheels, the 5-slot you'll find is all wrong. But it is possible those are the modern version of the Indy, and the one pic I located is a vintage-made Indy. or it's also possible it's another brand and model, and I just haven't found the right names. Regardless, this is the wheel type Larry's car is wearing (ignore the knock-off center)-
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/4332/usmagwheel.jpg

The big difference between this wheel and other 5-slots is that the slots nearly touch the edge of the center hub circle and do the same on their outer edge, too. Other slots are smaller, leaving space between the slot and the outer and inner circles (if my description makes sense). Whatever the make and model of this wheel, it's the one we're hoping to duplicate (in shallow and deep configurations).

As for tires sizes, after some trial and error, we've come to the conclusion it wore F60-15s in front, and (depending on which scene you're watching) either G60-15s or H50-15s in back. In some scenes, it's wearing the same wheels and tires on all four corners (F60-15s)...the SE wears these when it hits the train.

Here's something I am 100% certain about. The tires were Good Year PolyGlas W/S (meaning white sidewalls). They were mounted backwards and the whitewalls dirtied up to hide them.

[billschroeder5842]

Thanks for the info. I had a feeling they were 15" as 14" ould have looked  a little silly.

[jwramc]

Oh, I'm not real sure they weren't 14s as there sure is a LOT of sidewall there. But diecast being a business, when they look at doing new tooling, they tend to shy away from anything that is a one-shot deal. For instance, why did Ertl ever bother doing "The Car" Sure, *I* loved that movie and bought the diecast when released, but once they did it in black...then what?? maybe a chrome version..but that's about all you get.

With the down economy, manufacturers are looking for stuff they'll get re-use out of, so if AW is going to do a brand-new set of wheels and tires for their Authentics Chargers, they've got to work on more than one release. And other than the General's wheels, all the Authentics Chargers have been factory-stockers with various factory wheel choices...and buyers have been screaming for some none-stock releases. We 'consultants' have pushed long and hard to do the DMCL car, and part of convincing the company to do it was the fact that wider tires and 5-slot wheels would open up a bunch of future 'street-machine' possibilities for the 68-70 molds using the same tires and wheels. So even if Larry's car wore 14s, we're pushing for 15s cuz they'll be more popular for later releases. And tho Larry's car wore blackwalls, the tires can have RWLs painted on for other releases. It's all part of the give-and-take necessary to get the cars we want made.

I'd love to start spilling some more specifics about things I think we're going to get approval for on the DMCL Charger...it's killing me to not share! I got a note today suggesting another big 'want' is being worked on, while another simple change has been given a 'no problem!'. It's still early, but the vibe is very good so far.

[hemi-hampton]

I thought the rims looked like Ansen Sprints? LEON.

[404NOTFOUND]

Here is a still pic from the DVD that really shows the yellow. You can see how it gets greener where the sun hits it.

[jwramc]

I thought the rims looked like Ansen Sprints? LEON.

Nope, slots too small there, too.
http://www.americanracingwheelsinfo.com/images/a69.jpg

[chargermike]

yellow or sublime. dont care its the coolest 69 ever.  take note you general lee fans. this is what a 69 should look like. no stpuid no 1 on the side. and much nicer rims. would love to see more of the dm/cl clones out there. NO MORE GENERAL LEES. THERE SO OVER PLAYED. if you want a movie car then do the best ever

[model maker]

my wheels were american racing at least that is what the caps said

[nvrbdn]

thats the best place to get the info,the guy that owned it. did you remember the tire size?? 

[jwramc]

my wheels were american racing at least that is what the caps said

Interesting! I've tried to find what I see in the film on a cap, but couldn't. I'll now dig deeper using AR as the brand. Thanks!

But the AR wheels that I'm finding online don't really match up to what we see in the film. I suppose it is possible they were AR and the slots either vary in size, or that when the wheels do,  the slots don't...causing the distance between the slots and the center hub circle to vary.

Look at the attached pic and note the slot nearly touches the inner circle on the US Indy and Larry's car, but the American Racing wheel has a large gap.

Still, it's possible the one I labeled US Indy is ACTUALLY something else (maybe even AR), and the person that owns them simply guessed wrong. Regardless, the LOOK is what we want to match.

[nvrbdn]

looks like a good match.