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Christine

That's right - we're doing some new diecast guest reviews at MROTW!  David Graves writes in with a terrific review of the evil car from the Stephen King thriller, Christine - take it away, David!

If there was one car out there that has been on my ‘must get’ list, Christine would be that car. Ever since I read the book and saw the movie, I’ve always wanted a Christine of my very own. As far as I know, there have never been any models released of her (and I’ve looked a lot). Several years ago Johnny Lightning released a small die-cast car of her, with no detail on it whatsoever, but I got it, just because it was Christine. 

Now comes JOYRIDE along to finally give me what I’d been searching so long for. The perfect Christine. The only thing this Christine doesn’t do is play the oldies. 









Packaging - ***
Not much to talk about here. A good window on the box, that makes you drool as you look at the car. Sometimes they’ll have a button or something you can push to see the car do its stuff, like Christine’s headlights come on, but there’s no such button, and I’m a little glad of it, being most kids who would get their hands on it, would go blind by the sheer brightness of the headlights.

Sculpting - ****
What can I say? It is a 1958 Plymouth Fury. It is Christine. Beautiful job on the sculpt. Great lines, and attention to the smallest detail. I really like the tinted windows, very nice touch, Joyride. By opening the doors, you can see the windows ARE tinted, not just painted black. And for those who remember the movie, Christine tints her windows when she was ready for the kill, so you couldn’t see anyone inside. The interior is also very well sculpted. The other thing that shines here is the motor. With rubber hosing, and a colored engine block, it’s not just another solid chrome motor. Lots of care and detail went into this. It even has an extra tire in the truck. 

Paint - ****
A beautiful job on the paint. The red is so shiny, it looks wet, with all the chrome so clean you can see your face in it. The white hood really stands out against the tinted windows. Even the spaces in the grill have been painted black. Outstanding job.

Articulation/Features - ***1/2
Hood opens, doors open, and trunk opens. That’s about it. One very small gripe about the doors though. There’s no way to really open them unless you pull on the door handle. They are sealed all around. The handle is made from plastic, so by pulling on it every time you want to open the door, may damage the handle in the future.

This isn’t so much ‘Articulation’ as it is a cool feature. Christine has one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen a die-cast car do. BLIND YOU! If you remember the part in the movie where Christine was trashed, and Ernie walks in front of it, and says ‘Show me.’, her lights come on, and she fixes herself. One of my favorite parts of the movie that can now be reconstructed right in your home. With a switch on the bottom, all four lights come on at once - and they are #$%@$% BRIGHT !!! They look like the blue tint lights used on a real car. Check out the picture of her lights - that’s not Photoshop. That’s the real deal! 

Accessories - **
Upon getting Christine, if you are like me, the box goes into the trash as soon as you open it - SLOW DOWN! DON’T THROW IT AWAY JUST YET! You will notice a small hole at the passenger side of the hood. This is for the antenna, which is still attached to the wall of the packaging. Another brilliant idea by the guys at JOYRIDE. A great way to reduce breakage of such a small, but vital part. 

Fun Factor - ***
The fun I get is by showing it to other people and watching their mouths drop open. But then, I turn on the headlights, and wow them even more. Christine is a GREAT display car, and a good conversation piece, but not so great for kids.

Value -  ***
Here is the downfall of Christine. Being a huge fan, I really would have almost paid any price for her. I found it on eBay for $40. However I’ve seen it on there for up to $65 and more. Yes, it is a great car, but it’s also hard to find. I think the $40 is steep, and I would have liked to pay $29.99 or even $35 for it. But still, the car is worth it.

Things to watch out for - 
The door handles and the antenna are the only two things really to be careful about. The rest is solid.

Overall - ****
A fan’s dream come true. You couldn’t ask for a better rendition of Christine. Even if her lights didn’t come on, it would still be a great car to have. The lights though, push this over the top.

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - **
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ****
Accessories - **
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall - ****


Figure from the collection of David Graves.

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