The General Lee (1/16th Scale Model) Rides Again!

The Return of the 1/16th Scale MPC General Lee Model Kit. Image: Tower Hobbies.

If you’re a child of the ’80’s you no doubt spent countless hours in front of the television watching the best America had to offer. Ronald Reagan was president, and 8 -year-olds across the country were glued to their TV screens watching shows like The Incredible Hulk, The A-Team, and Knight Rider, but no show captivated young gear heads like The Dukes of Hazzard!

Kids everywhere (including yours truly) fell in love with The General Lee because he was more than the fastest car in Hazzard County. He was a loyal friend, a faithful companion, and a brave soldier that gave his all for the Duke Boys each and every week. Diecast toys and models of The General sold like hotcakes in the ’80’s, and still do to this day.

How popular are General Lee toys 30 years after the Dukes of Hazzard entered the airwaves? Well, popular enough to prod MPC is to re-release their biggest and baddest General Lee model (1/16th scale) ever made!

The MPC 1/16th scale General Lee model is the epitome of what a full out race version of The General would have been, as the underpinnings of the model are actually from a 1/16th scale MPC model of Richard Petty’s 1972 NASCAR Charger.

A Dave Thibodeau built MPC 1/16th Scale 1972 Petty NASCAR Charger. Image; Dave Thibodeau.

Model aficionados credit that particular model kit as perhaps the most accurate model ever made (and I did say ever)! The race HEMI complete with plug wires, dual shocks on all four corners, and molded sheet metal pop-rivets give the model a realism that causes most people to do a double take.

Expert modeler Dave Thibodeau has prepared an amazing rendition of Petty’s car using the MPC kit, and it can be hard to tell it from the real thing!

Expect to see the General Lee 1/16th Scale MPC model on the shelves in late 2010 or early 2011. Most online sites selling the kit do have a pre-order available, including Amazon.com.