Model: Lone Star Toys Imperial Police Car, from 1966
Line: Road-Master/Impy
Where to get it: eBay has a few variations
Why is it in my collection: Like many of you, I love old police cars — so when I spotted this Chrysler Imperial cruiser at a local toy show, and the COPS theme slowly started to play in my head….so I knew I had to have it! Lone Star Toys made a few castings under the Road-Master and then Impy line in the mid 1960’s, and this was one of them. The casting is quite detailed and has the most moving parts I’ve seen on a 1/64th-ish scale car. It has details galore: everything that could open does, and the front wheels are steerable too!
The hood, trunk, and both doors open – this thing is ready to haul some perps’ back to the station and has room to carry all of the evidence too.
The car looks great wrapped in a low gloss white paint job, and the red interior contrasts the bright blue gumball roof light ever so perfectly. The designers even replicated the 1:1 car’s squared-off steering wheel.
Did I mention the front wheels are steerable? Because it’s worth mentioning twice! The bottom of the car is detailed and shows-off the thinner front part of the chassis/axle area so the wheels have some room to turn. We need some 1/64 drift cars with some big steering angle like this!
I love this car – it really looks great from every angle. Another detail I also like is that the Road-Master Impy cars had jeweled headlights – a truly outstanding feature. The various cuts and facets in the jewel reflect light so that they almost look like real working headlights when light is applied to them.
If you’ve ever thought about expanding your collection outside the traditional Mattel market, a Lone Star Toys casting would make a great first vintage buy!
