MUNCLE MIKES · CASTING GUIDE
Lickety SixFour little front wheels, two big rear ones
Lickety Six is easy to pick out in a tray of loose cars: two small wheels run along each side of the nose, with a larger pair at the back. The blue body gets the attention, but the exposed interior and country marking are more useful when comparing the Hong Kong, French and Mexican versions.
The dark-blue 1978 car
The original Lickety Six is item 2017, documented in both Flying Colors and Speedway Specials packaging for 1978. It has dark-blue paint, a number 6 and racing decoration, a chrome-colored interior and an unpainted Hong Kong metal base. Its wheels are blackwalls.
The Tyrrell six-wheel racing car inspired the design, but Lickety Six is its own interpretation. Its wing sits by the cockpit ahead of the rear wheels. A photograph of a different Tyrrell model will not show the right toy, even if the paint is blue and it has six wheels.
Inspect the broad white nose decoration from above. On a worn car, the number and small sponsor markings may be incomplete; describe the surviving print rather than assuming a blank area is a special version.
Turn it over, then look into the cockpit
The 1983 French version is documented with a dark-blue body and black plastic interior, engine and tank details. Mexican blue examples are listed with chrome-colored interior details, including a gray-blue body shade.
Those differences deserve two photographs: the country wording underneath and a well-lit view into the cockpit. Paint shade alone is a poor shortcut. Reflections can make blue look pale, and worn chrome can expose the plastic underneath.
Look along the fuel tanks and engine details for missing plating, broken corners or touch-ups. If an example has been opened or assembled from parts, record that history with the visible combination.
The white four-pack car needs a careful date
A white Mexican version with red-and-blue decoration is associated with a four-car set. The references disagree on its year: the older South Texas Diecast table places the white entry under 1983, while the Newsletter and photographed collector account assign it to 1986.
That disagreement is a reason to keep the package evidence, not to give a loose white car whichever date sounds more desirable. Record its base, decoration and actual wheels, and leave the precise package year unresolved when those details cannot be checked.
A year in a listing title does not establish a new variation. Compare the complete car with a documented release, and keep a seller-assigned date separate from what the toy and packaging actually show.
Check all three axles
The small front wheels sit close together. A bent axle or damaged wheel can be hard to see in an angled picture, so request a low view along each side and a photograph on a level surface. Compare all six wheel faces and check whether the car sits squarely.
The thin nose corners, wing edges and exposed brightwork need their own close views. Check them before deciding that an otherwise clean blue car is complete. Avoid pulling or bending the wing to test it.
For a racing shelf, the Formula 5000 guide covers another period open-wheel casting. For a purchase, the loose-car checklist helps separate wear and repairs from release identification. Compare like-for-like completed sales after those details are established.
