This is a brilliant vehicle and one of the best of either Coca Cola or Christmas themed die-cast vehicles. Well it's not really Christmas themed, except that it comes in a blister pack with Santa on the cardboard and clip that turns it into an automent (ornament) to hang on your Christmas tree. With nice red and white sides, front and back panels and a red roof with blue rectangle and grooves that I guess are roof racks but add to the friction on your finger when pushing it around, this van would have looked great without the cartoon imagery. The cartoon imagery of an adult and two younger polar bears pushing a head sized snowball around with their heads is a nice one (see my customer image). The circular Coca Cola symbol is also on the side front doors. The tyres are those nice rubber ones, that you could pull off if for some reason you wanted to (although I doubt they'd go back on).
The seats an interior are white, including the steering wheel. This combi van is part of the 2004 Johnny Lightning released Coca Cola range of automents (vehicles marketed to be hung as ornaments on Christmas trees). There were more automents released the following year but they were nowhere near as good. (Reviewed by James N Sympson)
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Coca-Cola Models,
Johnny Lightning,
Volkswagen
This 1940 Ford Pickup has been used in many different Johnny Lightning Releases. With the original holiday automents release in 2004, the 1940 Ford Ute came with a great image on the doors of a large polar bear with its cubs hanging a star on their snow covered Christmas tree (well actually it looks like its just a tree growing in the wild). You can see it in my customer image. This must have been a popular image as it would be used later that year as the image on all the cardboard backing part of the 2004 Polar Bear series. The colours of the vehicle are white on the wheel and headlight guards and a light purple (which is pretty much the same shade as Milka Chocolate packaging) used on the rest of the car. Like all vehicles in this series these come with great wheels which include rubber tyres. The bonnet (hood) opens up to a purple engine, it's pretty fragile and doesn't really sit snugly when down. You've got to reposition it after closing. If a child was going to play with this it could easily break off in the hand or mouth. Likewise if you do use this as a Christmas tree automent (ornament) and it falls, the bonnet could easily break off. However the clip that comes with this can attach to any other Johnny Lightning vehicle with open side windows to use as a Christmas automent instead. That clip is a brilliant idea, I would love to see more vehicles released with it.
There's no images on either the roof or in the cargo tray. A missed opportunity in my opinion.
You can also get the exact same car with the exception of the purple being a slightly darker shade, in a later collection called Polar Bears Series in the second release. Obviously it has a different blister card image to this one and doesn't come with the clip to turn it into a Christmas tree automent. (Reviewed by James N Simpson)
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Coca-Cola Models,
Johnny Lightning
This is 1/18 Scale Diecast Ertl Johnny Lightning 51002B 1957 Chevy Cameo Coca-Cola Red with Cream and Silver Details Detailed Engine and Interior Opening Hood and Doors .
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Posted in
Coca-Cola Models
There is much collecting interest surrounding anything associated with the world-famous drink brand. As a result, many models have been produced with the Coca-Cola theme, most of which, while not authentic, nevertheless have a colourful appeal.
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Coca-Cola Models
The history of this famous English brewer goes back to the 19th Century - to1837 - when James Watney became a partner in the Stag Brewery of Pimlico. As with many companies, it evolved over the years, taking on Combe Delafield and Co, and Reid and Co. in 1898. The respective sons took over from fathers down the years with the final merger in 1958 when Watney, Combe, Reid & Co Ltd joined with Mann, Crossman & Paulin Ltd. – Hence the name we are all so familiar with – Watney Mann. This business merged with Grand Metropolitan Hotels in 1972 and closed in 1979.
We can also date our 1:76 scale Bedford TK quite accurately and it's safe to say it was transporting barrels of Watney's beer from the end of the 1950s. The TK replaced the S type Bedford truck in 1959 and was used extensively as the ideal light truck of the era, right into the 1970s. It was very versatile and came in a variety of formats, including the highly detailed open backed version we have modelled for you here, which we present complete with kegs of Watney's. Could it be that popular ale of the 1960s and 1970s - Red Barrel, do you think?
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Oxford Models
Perhaps the most well known beer of the 60s and 70s Watneys Red Barrel (or Watneys Red) can trace its origins back to 1931. Red Barrel was originally developed as an export beer that could be transported for long distances by sea. Like all keg bitter it was filtered to remove the yeast then pasteurised and carbon dioxide added. Red Barrel was first sampled at the East Sheen Lawn Tennis Club where Watneys Master Brewer Bert Hussey was a member. By the early 60s Watneys was transporting its kegs nationwide and were able to claim that it was the country's most popular keg bitter and the first. Shop here
Posted in
Days Gone,
Ford
Eddie Stobart Ltd celebrates the company's 40th Anniversary this year. Edward Stobart, son of the founder Eddie Stobart, took over the helm from his father who had founded the company in the 1950s, dealing mainly in agricultural products in Cumbria. In the 1970s, the company was incorporated as Eddie Stobart Ltd, when the business passed to Eddie's son Edward Stobart. Edward developed the road haulage side, steering the operation towards the international logistics haulage company it is today. Edward stepped down in 2003 and after a series of complex takeovers, the business is now represented by his brother William, along with Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Tinkler and has developed into an intermodal logistics company. Together they control the Eddie Stobart empire, still centred in Carlisle in Cumbria, but operating around 6 million square feet of state-of-the-art storage facilities throughout the UK and Europe. They employ over 5000 staff between their 40 sites, with a fleet of around 1850 trucks and 3000 trailers, as well as rail services and a port.
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Eddie Stobart,
Oxford Models
