NEWS- Lionel Authentics 2022 Wave 8

Much to the chagrin of Lionel Authentics collectors, Wave 8 is here and it is just as many had feared, the PTC mould... Back in November, on the Lionel Authenticated Podcast, Lionel first, claimed that due to global issues a second factory was being brought online to help with production. In the same breath they insisted that the mould that factory was using was the same. That is entirely false, and they would have you believe these cars are usual quality. For more,...

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I think it's fair to say at this point that Lionel isn't always honest, but I think it's also fair to say that Lionel also shares real information. While they insist on one mould used across two factories is a truth (it isn't), they probably are being honest in that they've brought another factory online to help meet the demand for Lionel Authentics 1/64 scale race cars. That demand has obviously been impacted by global shipping issues and the cost of raw materials and labor. You have to give Lionel credit that they did make a decision to improve the supply of their Authentics line, but it comes at the cost of some of the worst quality we've ever seen.

Before you continue, there's a lot of information on the PTC mould that I'm going to mention frequently in this article. A quick Google search or poking around on YouTube can tell you all you need to know. Here's one of several reviews that clearly shows the difference between the moulds.

As I go through this Wave's releases and complete the 'Fast Ratings' segment, please keep the following in mind: (as I designate Fast Ratings the use of the PTC Mould immediately caps a car at 5 points). Each car is given a basic, quick review. These reviews are made before I've received any cars at all and are based on what's widely available on the internet paired with what I know through my experience collecting 1/64 scale race cars. 

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Fast Ratings are provided as brief, off-the-cuff reflections of each release. Cars often give a different impression once in-hand, but do make first impressions on sight. These reflections are represented in 'Fast Ratings.' The format used considers four categories, 'Paint and Printing,' 'Mould and Assembly,' Historical Impact & Coolness,' and 'Conclusion & Recommendation.'

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Team Penske, 2022 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang: Ryan Blaney

BodyArmor slightly tapered their support of Ryan Blaney in 2022. The energy drink company only gave Blaney three races in 2022, one of which was the Coke 600 featuring a special BodyArmor Edge livery. So this standard scheme was only seen on track twice. In 2021, Blaney had BodyArmor support for six races (twice he won with the brand on the race car, Atlanta and Daytona). 2022 was a very workman like year for Blaney, he piked up 12 top 5's but was never able to seal the deal. I personally don't find this to be the nicest livery that BodyArmor has had and this particular 1/64 scale version doesn't look too hopeful. 

Blaney was only able to muster a 10th place finish with this car in 2022 at Richmond (summer, 8/14/22). The other race was a 17th place finish at Atlanta (spring, 5/20/22). This is the 7th BodyArmor car in the Authentics line.

​Fast Rating-3/10

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​Trackhouse Racing, 2022 GoPro Chevy Camaro: Daniel Suarez

It took six seasons, and 196 starts for Suarez to drive through the gates of Victory Lane. After spending time with JGR, SHR, & GBR plus a full season with newly formed Trackhouse Racing, Suarez finally put his name down in the books of Nascar history at Sonoma. His dream was largely made possible with the help of former racer, Justin Marks. Marks gained notoriety in Nascar through his driving career and through the creation of the GoPro Motorplex. 

Marks has shown an ability time and time again to see both potential and opportunity. In a very small amount of time Trackhouse has become a top contender in the cup series. In the spring of 2022, GoPro became a Nascar partner for the first time at Martinsville. A one race deal that saw Suarez take the 99 to a 29th place finish.

Fast Rating-4/10

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JTG Daugherty Racing, 2022 Sunny D Chevy Camaro: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

2022 was Stenhouse's 10th full time season in the Cup series. It was his third with JTG. Statistically speaking, 2022 was a step back for Stenhouse. In 2021 he had an average finish of 18th, but in 2022 that fell to 22nd. This isn't the only stat that should be given attention however as the small one car operation mustered five top 10's on the season. Stenhouse was only able to do that twice the year before. The arrival of the Gen 7 car was presumable more of a hurdle for smaller teams to get over compared to bigger ones even though it should have created a more level playing field. I have a feeling 2023 will be a good year for Stenhouse and Co. 

Sunny D has been with Stenhouse since his Roush Fenway days and continued on with him in 2022 for five races and a best finish of 21st at Las Vegas in the spring. Stenhouse cars are on the rarer side in the Authentics line, so it's a real shame that they've put it on this casting. 

Fast Rating-4/10

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Stewart Haas Racing, 2022 HighPoint.com Ford Mustang: Chase Briscoe

Briscoe has to be one of the best young drivers the series has seen in some time. His raw talent was on full display in 2020 when he dominated the Xfinity series. He is also quicker to earn his first win than many other younger drivers like Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, or Bubba Wallace. 

HighPoint has been with Briscoe since his breakout season in 2020 and was featured on the 14 car in eight races. One of these eight was a special all-lack theme for the Southern 500, the other seven races were standard finishes like the one seen here.

Briscoe piloted the HighPoint.com Mustang to a best finish of 14th at Elkhart Lake in race number 18. The HighPoint livery is really clean, but on this mould and with no wins, it's almost a certain pass for me. 

Fast Rating-4/10

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RFK Racing, 2022 Castrol Ford Mustang: Chris Buescher

Chris Buescher was 23 when he ended up on the winning end of a rain delay at Pocono in 2016. He joined RFK in 2020 (after an extended stint with JTG while under contract with Ford) and took up the reigns of the 17. The first two years were difficult ones with no wins a few flashes of speed. When Brad K joined up and merged ownership to refresh the decades old race team. The effort finally paid off as Buescher claimed his second career win in 2022 during the championship playoffs at age 29. (That's a long time between wins).

The win however wasn't behind the wheel of the Castrol Mustang. This particular car was only used twice in the 2022 season. The better of the two finishes came at Las Vegas in the summer. The the moral of the story is, nice looking car, on a bad mould, with likely poor printing, and no real historical significance. 

​Fast Rating-3/10

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PettyGMS, 2022 Tide Chevy Camaro: Erik Jones

Erik Jones enjoyed a resurrection of sorts in 2022. After losing the seat at JGR to Christopher Bell, Jones has reinvented himself as the premier driver for newly formed PettyGMS. Tide detergent has been a long time supporter of both Jones and a sturdy partner for the former Richard Petty Motorsports, and now Petty GMS. Lionel continues the theme this month in selecting liveries that only occur on track in a select few races. This Tide livery which also shares ad space with Food City was only on track one time in 2022.

For two years in a row, Nascar has elected to turn the racing surface at Bristol to dirt. In response to this, many teams find the race an especially marketable event. This event was enough to sway Tide to jump on board. Erik Jones is an established dirt racer and he was able to place the number 43 Chevy Camaro on the line in the 14th position to start the race. Jones was able to avoid trouble most of the day. He did end up getting caught up in a late race caution of his own doing when he lost control of the car on a restart, seen here. Over all, this is a nice choice by Lionel for the Authentics line, just once again, it's a let down on the PTC. It does pick up an extra point for historical significance.

Fast Rating-4/10

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Trackhouse Racing, 2022 GoPro Chevy Camaro: Ross Chastain

Another nice choice by Lionel. Another one-off paint scheme. Another wasted opportunity on the PTC. Trackhouse went the 'day/night' route with both Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez' GoPro race cars. As is the case with the other GoPro car in this wave, Chastain got one race from the tech company. 

Chastain qualified 27th for the Blue Emu Max Pain Relief 400. The Saturday night shootout was one of the first short track races of the year. During the course  of the race, Chastain and the number one Camaro climbed through the field to finish 5th on April 9th. In retrospect, this would indicate some decent foreshadowing about what would happen at Martinsville in the fall when Chastain famously and successfully pulled of the hail melon. From about six feet away I'm sure this car looks great, It gets one point for each execution detail, paint, mould, two for coolness, & one for historical (one race)

Fast Rating-4/10

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Beard Motorsports, 2022 Wendy's Chevy Camaro:Noah Gragson

For the first thirteen races of it's existence, driver Brendan Gaughn was the team's on track ambassador. After his retirement, Noah Gragson took over piloting responsibilities in 2021. He has since started four races for the organization, one of which is represented by this number 62 Chevy sponsored by Wendy's. 

Gragson certainly earned his paycheck in this one, The 2022 GEICO 500 saw 13 retirements from the 39 car field. Gragson wasn't one of them. After qualifying for a 31st place starting position, he drove the 62 to a respectable 20th place finish on the lead lap.

This is probably one of the best cars in the wave. It has already proved to be a fan favorite in other diecast lines, (1/64 Gold, ARC/Elite, etc.). If this is your only way to add this representative to your collection, you may as well spring for the model. This one will get the top score possible for a model on the PTC as it is I believe the first ever we've had the 62 in L.A. This is also the car selected for the 'chase piece.'

Fast Rating-5/10

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Hendrick Motorsport, 2022 Raptor Chevy Mustang: William Byron

William Byron was seen as something of a prodigy coming into Nascar competition by way of racing sims and video games. He did however go on to win an astonishing number of races his first year in the Trucks series and quickly made he way from Xfinity to Cup.  His time in the Cup series while at first slow to almost straight up worrisome has come full circle. 2022 was Byron's best year yet. He doubled his career Cup wins (4) taking trophies at both Atlanta and Martinsville in the spring. 

Raptor Tough joined in sponsoring Byron just in time for his early season success and found themselves in victory lane at Martinsville in April just three weeks after Byron won at Atlanta. The Raptor Camaro was on track for 12 races in 2022 and will return in 2023. I'm honestly not a big fan of the livery. I think it's made worse with the poor printing on the PTC mould. Good color selection, bad look over all. 

Fast Rating-3/10

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Conclusion:
It's just an absolute shame that this Wave is on the PTC mould. There are many great 2022 paint schemes, some of which are only available in the Authentics line but there's no way I can justify spending hard earned money on a half-way effort. I'm hoping the feedback Lionel continues to get from passionate fans will help encourage the company to reestablish cars with dependable quality.

​I think the opportunity is there for Lionel to play a part in making sure that Nascar has a chance to become as popular and common place as it once was. As Nascar succeeds, so does Lionel. As a passionate fan, I really hope Lionel realizes the responsibility to has to the sport and it's fans. Nascar fans understand quality, and providing a sub-par product to either coral people into buying Gold Line cars, or otherwise is a manipulative way to get fans to spend their money. I don't believe Lionel is that diabolical, but I don't believe they are doing the best that they can. I hope that none of the 2023 cars are on this wretched tooling and that Lionel steps up to the plate to make sure these non-trackside products are JUST AS GOOD as the ones found on race day! 

Wave 8 Chase Piece

Wave Fast Rating Average-3.9