36 replies to this topic

[don.siegel]

The packaging of slot cars from the 1960s could be said to play a non-negligible role in their success: what kid wouldn't want those sleek, beautifully-finished cars on the box cover? And who wasn't disappointed to see that he'd actually have to do a bunch of work to make it look anything like the illustration? Or for a RTR car, that it didn't look anything like the drawing on the box? 

 

I'm generally not a MIB collector, but I do have some MIB cars and a fair number of boxes, which I enjoy for the box art - and the storage containers. 

 

In fact, I just purchased two cars, in part because of the boxes, so thought I'd share them with you, because these are a couple of my favorite boxes from the era. I also have to admit that, back in 1999, when I was editing Philippe's first book on Vintage Slot Cars, he used the term "packaging," and I kept correcting it, because as a neophyte collector, I didn't realize that it was the correct term for the "whole package" - box, illustration, and all. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite packagings... 

 

 

 

For some reason, I really like the Hawk boxes and their very engineer-like illustrations. I actually just got their 1/32 Chaparral, and it hasn't arrived yet, so I'm showing the Lancia-Ferrari, which uses the same principle. 

 

Then, here's one that I only discovered on eBay, since the car was nowhere on my radar screen in the '60s... I already had the car, but the more I saw this K&B Cooper F1 Wildcat, the more I wanted the box - enough to overpay for a very mediocre example, which I taped back together... but I really like the colors! 

 

 

 

Just to give a different example, of the most cardboard for the least actual material, here's the Russkit scratchbuilder's series box, from the mid-'60s, this one a 1/24 Lister-Jaguar... lots of empty space in there, including everything under the instructions! But cardboard was cheap... 

 

 

 

I haven't included the classics here, Cox, Classic, etc., so feel free to share your favorite packaging! 

 

Don 

[boxerdog]

I always like the Mura cards. Cool stuff inside and a warranty on the back!

[Pablo]

Good point, Don, you're absolutely right.

 

Champion motor parts blister packs, Champion RTR boxes, and Cox RTR boxes really got me excited

[MSwiss]

A lot of great packaging, back then, but even if it wasn't my first 1/24 car, I would still like the below, as one of my favorites.

 

[MattD]

I don't want to put any of Philippes pix up here since they are all copyrighted, if I could:

 

Best packaging for a kit:

 

Cox mag frame kits by a landslide, Russkit painted body kits come in second.

 

RTRs

 

1st - Classic Batmobile

2nd - Little Red Wagon  

3rd - Pactra RTR box with the background behind the car

4th - Cox Cuc/Dinoracha flip open box

5th - Monogram Snake/Vampire 

6th - MPC Manta Ray

 

Great artists created tempting packaging for all us kids back then. Nothing cheap in the toy industry in the '60s. I never had any desire for the K&B Cooper, but I've seen them on eBay and thought the packaging was an eye catcher.   

 

On down the list and certainly one of the cheaper of all packaging is the Tijuana Taxi, my all time favorite slot car.  Can you tell which artwork is repro??

 

 

[Jairus]

I don't have any pictures.

Was born later than you guys... but really remember drooling over the new Riggen RTR cars under the clear rectangular bubble at the local slot track circa 1971.

Only saw the vintage stuff here, but those bubbles still turn my screws.

[gc4895]

Long time since I've seen the Tijuana Taxi! I totally forgot about that thing!!! The boxes are great. The toys in them? Not so much.

[TSR]

The LASCM is a private entity with ownership rights, and its pictures are its property. However, the pictures on the LASCM website, or any I personally post, can be copied and reproduced (online only, not for printing) as long as copyrights are respected and that their use is not for financial gain. Thanks to Matt for respecting and asking first. 

As far as vintage packaging, one of my personal fave is this one:  

 

There are plenty of others of course, especially knowing that I am surrounded with over 2500 kits and factory-built RTR models all in their original packaging, the labor of love of Scott Bader and the LASCM since 1998. Hard to chose between packaging excellence and the attraction of absolute rarity!  For example, is this model by BZ, of which only three boxed examples are known to exist, more attractive than more common ones such as the Cobra kit above? 



The answer for me is no of course. 

Other rarities may qualify as worthy competition, such as this hard-to-find Japanese Nichimo kit of the Dean Jeffries Manta Ray: 





I really like the artwork.

But more common items such as this beautiful Monogram Lotus kit hold their own quite nicely... 



So which one to pick as the absolute winner??? 
Tough one. 

 

[don.siegel]

Very good summary Philippe, and I think you gave the right answer: the rarity has nothing to do with the attractiveness of the packaging. 

 

That said... the second series K&B Cobra is a pretty rare beast in itself, and I had never seen that interior illustration - amazing! 

 

Looking at the fairly common Monogram F1 box brings up another point: just about all these boxes sold in the golden perioid were extremely attractive! I'm surrounded by a few in my den and home, and never get tired of looking at them. 

 

Another example of a box I especially like - and the disconnect with the car in it! The GarVic Lunar - I like the car in fact, but nothing is going to live up to that very Jetson's like box top... 

 

 

Don 

[MattD]

With Philippe's permission, I am going to add some LASCM pictures to illustrate these posts. Plus I just like looking at them.  

 

The MIB Cox kits are favored by most collectors, but as I look at Monogram, Atlas, some K&B, and a few others, I have to say the display and art work in them all is great. Those rare series 2 Cobras... I had a connection in Oz that sent me three one time. Must have been leftover stock from end days and he managed to pick up all of it for next to nothing. The '80s were pretty good days for collectors!!!!

 

 

 

 

I like these, the Bat probably has more color than anything else and that excitement probably sold a bunch of those cars to 10-12 year olds!

[MattD]

Some of the Monogram RTRs looked pretty inviting.

 

 

The MPC Manta Ray, that candy red version jumped out of the box.

 

 

The Russkit Painted kits featured great artwork, some from MESAC.

 

[MattD]

For Jairus who likes RTRs in clear sleeves.

 

 

 

We can't leave out Classic, after the plain-looking Manta Ray box, they let loose with the Stinger, Gamma Ray, and  Serpent which all had great artwork

 

[MattD]

This display just explodes!

 

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[Mark Mattei]

OK Don, I'll bite, and a very belated thanks for the nice copy of illustration art for the Monogram Lola T70.

 

This batch of K&B, BZ, and American Line all share the same generic hard plastic box. Anyone ever seen these boxes used with other products?

 

[Mark Mattei]

Three more companies used the same injection molded generic boxes, this time hinged, Russkit in 1/24 and 1/32, Monogram and Fred's Specialties.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mark Mattei]

More hinged boxes, slightly different dimensions from previous set, Adams & Sons, variations in labels, box colors and car design.

 

 

[Samiam]

I hate when my car 'smimmys'.

[Mark Mattei]

Study in contrasts, Revell's over the top 1966 packaging, a year later (I'm guessing) shrink wrap over brown cardboard with a rubber stamp. Does anyone have any literature, ad, catalog, single sheet or trade mag article on the Cobra Roadster? Been looking over 10 years.

 

 

 

[don.siegel]

Some great stuff Mark, thanks! 

 

To answer your last question first, no, have never seen any literature on this one: just checked my archives and nothing I can find. I think you're right about it being 1967 - by 1968 they seem to have retrenched completely into home racing sets, all 1/32 except for the Super Squalo. Curiously enough, they don't really talk about the Lotus and Porsche with the IL and SW plastic chassis either... 

 

Almost nothing in the magazines from Revell after 1966, and by May 68 (Car Model), the product review just mentions their statics. 

 

This was actually pretty common to all the major model kit manufacturers: as the commercial market dried up, they stopped investing in both product development and advertising! 

 

Thanks for another look at the Adam & Sons too (drool, slobber...). Forgot to ask when I was there: do you have any packaged with bodies? They were advertised with bodies, sort of as an afterthought (Cobra GT for Mk1 I think, and Mono Ferrari for MkII), but the packaging I've seen only seems to have room for the chassis, like the ones you show here. 

 

And Matt, thanks for posting the LASCM's treasures... yes, the Classic box art must have helped sell a couple million of them! 

 

Don 

 

PS: $12.95 for that economy Cobra roadster? Guess they didn't hear about the market collapsing...

PPS: I have picked up some Revell product sheets over the last couple years on ebay, but probably wouldn't have gone for one on this type of car: did you see if the guys selling them had any on the Cobra? 

[MattD]

Mark, this is the first packaged Cobra roadster  have seen. Not sure I've ever seen advertising on the Cobra.  I've just come across a used car a few times.

 

Great to see some of the stuff you have.     After I first got into collecting vintage cars, maybe 84-85, I found the box art was what I really liked!     Most of those great presentations sold the product!

[Mark Mattei]

Hi Don,

 

Regarding your question on packaging with body for the Adams & Sons cars, the built cars I've found have the Monogram Ferrari 275P body which is too long to fit in the boxes I've shown. The company sold direct to consumers through ads in slot car magazines, as such these cars were probably sent in a plain shipping boxes big enough for the assembled chassis in their hinged plastic box and the body separate but in the same shipping box.

 

This is speculation on my part, would welcome any definitive info confirming or refuting.

[TSR]

Mark, this is what we also believe for the Adam & Sons RTR, the chassis in its plastic box and a Monogram packaged body kit set in a shipper's brown corrugated box with some newspaper to block the clear plastic box.

Another use for one of those clear-plastic boxes, the Cyclonic Tornado. All these boxes were made in Los Angels for all the slot car companies... in various sizes, all clear or with a colored bottom.  Also below is a slightly larger one for this CorBen "Aztec" Chaparral 2D that apparently never reached production:





Regarding the BZ clear plastic box also used y K&B, there is indeed a third user: AMCRC for the last version of their "Americana" mako Shark-like car manufactured for them by MPC:





Unfortunately so far, we were unable to find the corresponding inner tray for us to stick a car in the box...  the only one I have run across so far. The British AMF boxes are different and shorter and were made in the UK anyway. 
The previous box for the Americana is also quite scarce for the car: 



Don, we also have one of these Cobra roadsters in the same shrinkwrap, but they are quite scarce that way. Much more common "loose". They were produced in 1968 to liquidate stocks. But they do not show in any period literature or catalogues we have. 

No doubt a big contrast to the 1966 kits and RTR models such as this pretty Lola:



Regarding the K&B Cobra, ALL the "Series 2" kits had an often missing inner tray with beautiful color artwork. Here is another example:



As far as the Fred Specialties RTR car, we believe that with the Unique D-Type, it is likely the first 1/24 scale RTR ever produced, before the Strombecker Lotus 29 and all three certainly well before the Classic Manta Ray. It was available with or without a painted body. In fact the Fred Specialties car in that clear box is advertized in a 1964 flyer from Polk's Hobbies i I recall correctly. 






 

 

[Mark Mattei]

Your Cyclonic Tornado and Corbin Aztec are probably both unique as known examples in our area of interest, wonderful.

Regarding The Americana box I dug around and found these:





.

The first looks to be what you are looking for and seems to be a photo of the real item, the second and third are probably illustrations and may have never come to fruition.

[Mark Mattei]

More AMCRC/AMF cars in their Made in England boxes.



.

And some old American made boxes.

[MattD]

Thanks for those pics, Mark.    

I wonder how many of those early Fred's cars some of us have had and just figured they were cobbled together by some kid? I plead guilty to have maybe had them pass through my hands and not know what they were!
 
I do think the Revell vac kits were an inviting kit, and the RTR Lola is about as nice as a Russkit vac-body car.