I've done several reviews on Dale Earnhardt Jr. die cast cars already. If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a big fan. One of the things that I look forward to in Nascar is the special paint schemes and designs the drivers come out with on their cars. For quite a few years now, a number of teams team up and do a theme for one particular race every year. This case, I'll mention the Looney Tunes designs. Each car that is involved has a character from the Looney Tunes bunch that they go with on their cars. This special deal usually happens once a year. Normally it's the Nextel Cup Series that does this.

Well, back in 2002, they did the usual Looney Tunes scheme for one race. Then later in the year, September 6th to be exact, they decided to do another race, having a few more cars go with some Looney Tunes paint schemes in the Nascar Busch Series. This was known as the 'Rematch' of the Tunes. Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with his brother Kerry, had their cars decked out with Looney characters.

Dale's car was mostly orange with several different characters on it throughout the car. Bugs Bunny on the trunk, Taz (my favorite) on the rear driver's side, Tweety and Sylvester on the rear end, Roadrunner and Coyote on the rear passenger, Marvin the Martian on the passenger side, and of course, Gossamer on the hood. It looks like he is ripping through the car or peeling the paint off. If you are aware of Dale's trademark with his ball cap being worn backward's, you'll notice on this car that Gossamer is also wearing a hat backward's like Jr. I thought that was cool. To put it in short term, Dale did win the race in this awesome designed car.

The makers of Action Performance decided to come out with not only a regular, non raced version, but a raced version of this car. Raced version die casts are usually made of a driver's winning car. Revell, which is under Action, usually are ones that make the raced versions. They made an exact replica 1/24 scale model of the Looney Tunes/Gossamer car, including all of the little dings, scratches, tire marks, and such that you'll tend to find on the race car. Revell goes through pictures of every part of the car to capture all of the markings and put them onto a die cast car by carefully painting it onto the model.

The inside of the car and under the hood is just about to the 'T'. There is a replica of the engine that in the real car, plus the seat, steering wheel, gears, and just about everything else you'll find in a race car is captured into a car 1/24th the size of the real thing. The tires are created and painted just like the actual raced ones on the car also. Everything inside and out of the models are just like the real deal, from the paint job and design to the engine and gears. The models are made out of metal. They come on a black platform with a clear cover over it with Dale's name written in gold on the front. You can take the cover off, although I wouldn't. As always, Action Performance continues to be on the top of my list for die cat cars. They catch every little detail on the race cars and make smaller versions of them.

I am very glad that Action/Revell make such incredible die cast pieces. Being that I'm an Earnhardt Jr. fan and collector, I like to have something from his past wins and having these very detailed and beautiful replica models of his winning cars pretty much captures that for me. Especially since I rarely get the chance to go to a race myself.

Like most Action made die casts, they are produced in limited numbers. In this cars case, they only made 6,990 in the raced version. So, if you're planning on hunting this car up, your best bet would be Ebay, Yahoo Auctions, or just use a search engine and you might come across it. If you happen to go to a hobby shop or Nascar collectible store, the price for it may be more than what you'll find on the internet.

Prices for these raced version cars can go between $20.00 to $60.00 and up sometimes. I purchased the Looney Tunes one for about $40.00 a little over a year ago. The values of the cars are usually worth much more than that though, so it's not a bad deal.

Overall, if you're a Jr. fan and collect die cast cars, this would definitely be a great addition to your collection. The raced version die casts are some very special pieces to pick up. Action puts every detail into their cars and this car in particular shows their skills and talent. I have most of the raced version Jr. cars and every time they come out with another one, they out do themselves each time. I can see why they can be high in value and produced in limited quantities. Even if your a Looney Tunes fan, this would be a neat and different add on to your collection. Earnhardt Jr. fans would definitely not be disappointed with this piece.

Please check out my other Earnhardt Jr. die cast reviews.

2003 #8 Ritz/Oreo Busch Series 1/24
http://www.epinions.com/content_149641793156

2003 #8 Dale Sr. Tribute Busch Series 1/24
http://www.epinions.com/content_134661246596

2003 #8 Budweiser Nextel Cup 1/24
http://www.epinions.com/content_150720515716

2002 #8 MLB Nextel Cup 1/64
http://www.epinions.com/content_158233890436

1997 #31 Gargoyles Busch Series 1/32
http://www.epinions.com/content_158536601220




Recommended: Yes