Johnny Lightning

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

Johnny Lightning was formed as a subsidiary of Playing Mantis in 1994 and is currently a brand primarily used for collectible die-cast toy cars.

Topper Toys, the original owner of the name, produced Johnny Lightning die-cast cars from 1969 to 1971 as competitors to Hot Wheels, before the brand was folded and later sold to Playing Mantis.

Playing Mantis' parent company was acquired by the RC2 Corporation, which was itself acquired by Tomy in 2011. [1] Tomy discontinued the brand in 2013 but licensed it to Round 2 in 2016, along with the Playing Mantis logo.

Star Trek releases[]

Johnny Lightning Enterprise NX-01 variants — *Enterprise* NX-01 variants

Johnny Lightning produced a line of painted Star Trek starship miniatures called Legends of Star Trek from 2004 until 2008. The ships measured from ten to twelve centimeters long, were made of PVC, and included individually-labeled display stands cast in zamac metal.

Platz, the Japanese distributor of many Star Trek models, re-released the line in Japan commencing in 2011.

A USS Constellation, a Copernicus shuttlecraft with "atmospheric re-entry damage", a "cloaked" USS Enterprise (from "The Enterprise Incident"), and a USS Voyager with "Borg detailing" (from "Scorpion") were slated for possible release but were not produced.[2][3]

Legends of Star Trek: standard releases[]

Series One[]

Released in 2004; packed on blue-backed cards with removable stickers; includes individually-labeled silver metal display stands

Enterprise NX-01 – with Enterprise assignment patch sticker
Galileo Shuttlecraft (TOS) – with TOS-era Sciences Division insignia sticker
Klingon D7 Battlecruiser – with Klingon Empire insignia sticker
Romulan Bird-of-Prey (TOS) – with Romulan Star Empire insignia sticker
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (TOS) – with TOS-era Command Division insignia sticker
USS Reliant NCC-1864 – with TMP-era Starfleet insignia sticker

Series Two: Red Alert[]

Released in 2005; packed on red-backed cards; includes Starfleet insignia (2370s) embroidered fabric patches and individually-labeled silver metal display stands

Enterprise NX-01 with Battle Damage – from "Azati Prime"
Klingon D7 Battlecruiser Cloaked – translucent plastic
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit)
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit) with Battle Damage – from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 with Battle Damage (TOS)
USS Reliant NCC-1864 with Battle Damage – from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Series Three: Uncharted Territories[]

Released in 2006; packed on purple-backed cards; includes individually-labeled black metal display stands

Borg Cube – includes pegs to allow more cubes to dock and form larger cube
Future USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – from "All Good Things..."; with removable saucer section
ISS Enterprise NX-01 – mirror universe repaint of Enterprise NX-01
Romulan Bird-of-Prey Cloaked – translucent plastic
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – with removable saucer section
USS Voyager NCC-74656 – with movable warp nacelles

Series Four: Battlestations![]

Released in 2007; packed on red and black-backed cards; includes individually-labeled black metal display stands

Borg Cube – with attached Borg sphere from Star Trek: First Contact
USS Defiant NCC-1764 – repaint of USS Enterprise (TOS) with "phaser blasts"
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A – with attached "phaser blasts" and pearlescent white (typically "White Lightning") base color; repaint of USS Enterprise (refit)
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – with atmospheric re-entry and battle damage from Star Trek Generations; with removable saucer section
USS Majestic NCC-31060 – repaint of USS Reliant with battle damage and pearlescent white base color
USS Voyager NCC-74656 – with permanently lowered landing gear and movable warp nacelles

Series Five: Sacrifice[]

Released in 2008; packed on red-backed cards with purple stripe on right; includes individually-labeled black metal display stands

Enterprise NX-01 – with additional silver aztecing paint detailing on hull and "photons"
Galileo II Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/7 – repaint of Galileo Shuttlecraft
Klingon D7 Battlecruiser – with "explosions and torpedoes"
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit) – post-auto-destruct remnants from Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Series Six: Ships Of The Line[]

Released in November 2008; packed on red-backed cards with green stripe on right; includes individually-labeled black metal display stands

Borg Cube – with "phasers and explosions" on hull
Romulan D7 Battlecruiser (TAS) – repaint of Klingon D7 Battle Cruiser with Romulan markings
USS Excalibur NCC-1664 – repaint of USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (TOS)
USS Yamato NCC-71807 – repaint of USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D; non-removable saucer section

A repaint of the USS Voyager with Borg detailing was scheduled for Series Six but was replaced by the Romulan D7 Battlecruiser. This D7's upper hull has markings as seen in the TAS episodes "The Survivor" and "The Practical Joker" while the lower hull is marked similarly to the Romulan D7s seen in the remastered version of "The Enterprise Incident".

Legends of Star Trek: White Lightning releases[]

Johnny Lightning's Legends of Star Trek starship miniatures were released in both standard decos (as listed above) and as rare "White Lightning" variants with alternate paint schemes. These variants were randomly packed into cases shipped to retailers and made up "less than two percent" of the production run.

Excepting Series Five, all White Lightning releases were retailed in the same packaging as the regular releases.

Series One[]

All ships are painted "pearlescent white" instead of the standard base color.

Enterprise NX-01
Galileo Shuttlecraft
Klingon D7 Battlecruiser
Romulan Bird-of-Prey
USS Enterprise NCC-1701
USS Reliant NCC-1864

Series Two: Red Alert[]

All ships have an identical paint scheme to the standard releases but a tiny Starfleet "Delta Shield" logo is painted onto the ship's lower hull.

Enterprise NX-01 with Battle Damage
Klingon D7 Battlecruiser Cloaked
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 with Battle Damage
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit)
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit) with Battle Damage
USS Reliant NCC-1864 with Battle Damage

Series Three: Uncharted Territories[]

Borg Cube – green translucent plastic with silver detailing
Future USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – "cloaked" translucent plastic
ISS Enterprise NX-01 – "cloaked" translucent plastic
Romulan Bird-of-Prey – bird of prey logo painted onto "cloaked" translucent plastic
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – painted pearlescent white instead of standard base color, gray hull detailing
USS Voyager – painted pearlescent white instead of standard base color

Series Four: Battlestations![]

All ships are painted silver instead of the standard base color.

Borg cube – with attached Borg sphere
USS Defiant NCC-1764 – with attached "phaser blasts"
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A – with attached "phaser blasts"
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – with atmospheric re-entry and battle damage and removable saucer section
USS Majestic NCC-31060 – with battle damage
USS Voyager NCC-74656 – with permanently lowered landing gear and movable warp nacelles

Series Five: Sacrifice[]

Unlike all other waves, Series Five White Lightning packaging had a white strip covering part of the purple stripe on the right side of the package's front, to make them more easily identifiable.

Columbia NX-02 – repaint of Series Five Enterprise NX-01
Columbus Shuttlecraft NCC-1701/2 – repaint of Shuttlecraft Galileo II
USS Enterprise NCC-1701 (refit) – post-auto-destruct remnants with orange, yellow, and red painted detail in the "damage"
Klingon D7 Battlecruiser – painted purple detailing on dorsal hull areas including bridge, no molded "torpedoes" or "explosions"
According to Johnny Lightning's parent company (and owner of AMT, the creators of the original studio model), this D7's paintwork closely resembles the appearance of the production-used TOS studio model.

Series Six: Ships Of The Line[]

Borg Cube – green translucent plastic with silver detailing and orange "explosions" on hull
Romulan D7 Battlecruiser – painted pearlescent white instead of the standard base color
USS Excalibur NCC-1664 – painted pearlescent white instead of the standard base color
USS Yamato NCC-71807 – painted pearlescent white instead of the standard base color