RC2 Authentics
#39505 1969 Dodge Charger
Dukes of Hazzard General Lee
Photography by Dave Nicholson
“Just two good old boys, never meanin’ no harm, beats all you never saw, been in trouble with the law since the day they was born.” If you can reel off the rest of the words to this Waylon Jennings jingle from heart or ever fantasized about charging through the backwoods like an orange bolt of lightning with the law at your heels, then chances are, like me, you grew up watching the widely popular television show, The Dukes of Hazzard.
For seven seasons, from 1979 to 1985, The Dukes of Hazzard told the tale of a southern family of retired moonshine runners and their ongoing feud with the law. Every Friday night, viewers tuned in to watch rebel-with-a-cause cousins Bo and Luke Duke wrangle with Hazzard County’s shifty Sherriff, Rosco P. Coltrane, his band of dipstick deputies, and the crooked county commissioner, Boss Hogg, along with the help of their sexy cousin Daisy, Uncle Jesse (the family patriarch), and best friend of the family, Cooter Davenport. The real star of the show (no, not Daisy Dukes short shorts) was the Duke boys’ souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger, better known as the General Lee.
On the evening of January 26th, 1979, CBS broadcast the General Lee’s first flight as it jumped 16ft in the air and 82ft over Rosco’s 1974 Dodge Monaco Police cruiser, straight into the hearts of millions of Americans. With its bright orange paint, black “01” numbers on the doors, Confederate battle flag painted on the roof, and Dixie whistling horns, the General Lee has become one of the most recognized cars in the world, not to mention one of the most copied. Only a limited number of the 300-plus Chargers used for filming The Dukes of Hazzard still exist today, but countless General Lee replicas and other unique tribute cars have been built over the past 30 years.
With continuing appearances in television, film, and video games, along with t-shirts, posters, a seemingly infinite number of models in various scales, and other memorabilia, the General Lee is, in every sense, an automotive phenomenon and icon, and is arguably one of the most influential cars of all time. As a child of the late 70’s and early 80’s, the Dukes of Hazzard was a big part of my youth, and to this day, the General Lee continues to be number “01” in my book.
You can imagine my excitement when RC2 announced they’d be doing a 1/18-scale General Lee based on their high detail Authentics 1968-1970 Charger mold. RC2 released a 1/18-scale replica of the General Lee back in 2000, based on their older Charger mold, which had been one of their best selling models, but it didn’t feature realistic hood hinges, a working suspension, an opening trunk, or a third of the detail that the newer release features. The Authentics model also captures the hue of the General Lee’s Corvette Flame Red paint more accurately than its predecessor and it sports actual chrome plated trim along with a more realistic grille and taillight panel with rotating headlight doors, an argent-painted trim panel, and recessed taillight lenses.
But it’s not all sunny skies for this rebuilt Dukes diecast. The Charger emblems on the sail panels weren’t present on the real General Lee, and the model is missing the vinyl top trim which was on almost all of the cars used for filming. It also seems that RC2 recycled some parts from the older release, like the later style push bar, which sits out a bit too far from the front bumper, as well as the original graphics. As before, the General Lee lettering along the drip rail is stretched too wide. On the upside, the newly tooled Vector wheels are a huge improvement over the earlier versions, even if they are a little too narrow and chromey. One of my favorite exterior details is the separate CB antenna, which is true to the original Radio Shack part used with an accurate teardrop base.
Although none of the General Lees used for filming had their doors welded shut, this is how the car was portrayed in the show and RC2 made this characteristic concept a reality by sealing the doors shut on the Authentics model. Aside from the roll bar, which isn’t particularly representative of anything used in the real General Lees, the tan interior is essentially stock; fully carpeted and detailed with wood grain accents, rubber floor mats, woven seat belts, and an opening glove box. One detail I wish RC2 would have included with this model is a replica of the Cobra 78x CB radio. That aside, the General’s interior looks showroom perfect; almost too perfect for a high-jumping, two-wheeling, car chasing, high-speed dirt road drifting race car.
A variety of engines powered the small screen General Lees, including 318, 383, and 440-ci V8’s. The 440 Magnum, which is installed under the hood of the Authentics model, was the stuntman’s engine of choice for jumps, while the 383 was used in the “close-up” cars and is the power-plant more commonly associated with the General. The model’s miniature 440 is precisely detailed with a full array of wires and hoses, and like the interior, the presentation is faithful to the factory stock specs, right down to the vintage cruise control equipment, which I must say is a bit laughable on a car of this nature. A round chrome plated open element air cleaner lid would’ve been a nice alternative to the stock top and Dixie horns mounted to the radiator support would’ve been neat, but even so, there’s enough eye candy stuffed in here to satisfy the likes of Boss Hogg.
The stock look carries on to the chassis and trunk areas, overlaying sharp castings and a healthy amount of detail. The chassis features a properly painted exhaust system and gas tank, a rotating driveshaft, and a fully functional suspension, but lacks the correct automatic transmission in place of the model’s manual unit. Even though the General’s soundtrack may have led the audience to believe it was equipped with a manual trans, the fact is, almost all of the General Lees had a 727 TorqueFlite automatic. You won’t find anything out of place in the trunk, which is furnished with an accurately patterned trunk mat, full-size spare, jack stand and instruction label, and my personal favorites, the fuel filler neck and painted weather stripping around the outer edge of the trunk. If there’s anything missing here, it would have to be a couple cases of moonshine.
Since its first high-altitude action shot in front of Seney Hall at Oxford College in Covington, GA on November 11th, 1978, the General Lee’s adventures have spanned six years, seven seasons, and 147 episodes on prime-time TV, a cartoon series, two made-for-TV movies, and a summer blockbuster theatrical release. With millions of fans around the world, the General Lee is arguably the most popular car in TV and movie history. The 1/18-scale Authentics General Lee from RC2 may not capture every little nuance of the original car, but it impeccably embodies the spirit of this going-on-30-year-old automotive superman, and like the show, it’s a whole lot of fun. If you’re a fan of The Dukes of Hazzard, or just the General Lee, then this model is a must-have. But with a limited supply, and a seemingly limitless fan base, the secondary market may be the only way to find one as these are disappearing quicker than the Dukes being chased by Rosco. “It’s Rosco!”, exclaims Luke. “You mean it was Rosco”, says Bo. “Wave goodbye to the nice man.” Yee-haw!
Happy Collecting,
DetourDave
Also be sure to check out the special limited edition General Lee in Black, pictured below, from Supercar Collectibles.
And last but not least, check out this special 1 of 150 limited edition General Lee pictured below, also from Supercar Collectibles, in Black without graphics, depicting the look of the General Lee in its original paint from the episode "Happy Birthday General Lee".
