25 replies to this topic

[edworth]

My slots are a spin-off of my hot rod toys and memorabilia. I've run across an interesting model box or so. Some still sealed. Some not.

I thought I 'd share a few. Let's start with the icon of the model car hobby...



AMT. This one, nearly perfect after some 50 years, was purchased at an estate sale on the next block from my house. The car was completed, likely made by the gentlemen that passed away.

Dig the red competition version. Don't you love those period convertible NASCARs. Where did we go wrong...

Notice the box art. It appears to be a Buick. At first I thought the model, a completed '61 Ford, was just stuck in the wrong box.
A second look revealed the history that just pre-dated my model building...



The AMT boxes were generic in the early days, with an ID sticker on the side. Careful eyes will note that the art is wrapped on the box, instead of the art being printed directly on the box.



Those wonderful customizing parts... nerf bars, spot lights. Still in the box and from the period no less.

"Official Model Makers to the Industry". AMT was the major builder of promo models for the manufacturers.



Early AMT models were derived from the promo model. Same molds and dies in some cases. Promo script on the bottom of this '61 Ford.

More to come...

[Horsepower]

Boy, that jogged the old memory! Beautiful stuff, Ed!

I remember seeing one at the gift shop about a half block from my house back in 1959 or maybe 1960. Of course it wasn't a 1961 model. They didn't sell a lot of stuff but had some interesting inventory. Those half tops were something else. Even then I wondered what would keep the wind from ripping it off?

Thanks for the memory trip. Those were good days indeed!

[TSR]

Fabulous kits! The LASCM is also collecting such kits and has already over 200 different ones, all MIB. We LOVE them!

[Jairus]

WARNING, WARNING!
The following picture is not for the faint of heart...



Icky huh?
What is it you say?

Well, vintage styrene and vintage vinyl tires are two different materials. When put together for a long period of time... a reaction happens which softens the styrene and eventually destroying it! This wheel and tire were from the same era as the kit box you posted there Ed.

I have a number of vintage mint car kits in my collection. Having worked for a model magazine and having been a member of the model car community... I an assure you that what I am saying the the truth!

Those kits need to be opened NOW if they have not already been, because the vinyl tires NEED to be separated from the styrene and placed in some sort of baggy. Unfortunately, with the passage of the last 45 years, the damage may have already been done. But my suggestion is to cut the sealing tape and fix what should have been done 45 years ago anyway.

Back when these kits were new... they never figured the parts would last this long. Heck, it's only a toy... right? During manufacturing, the tires were unceremoniously dumped into the box along with the decals. Then the parts trees are added and shoved into the open end of the body and put into the box on top of the tires. The directions were then placed on top.

What then happens is the parts, if there is a sharp edge... slowly grinds a hole in the surface of the decal sheet. And the vinyl tires start their slow process of eating away at the parts. If the body lands on one of the tires... the tire imprint is left in the door or fender. FOR GOOD, because the body is placed in on its side.

Revell, Monogram, AMT, MPC, IMC, Jo-Han, etc... eventually discovered the correct way to pack a box by bagging the tires, placing the decals within the folds of the directions and Jo-Han even developed a way to stack the parts trees so that pins cast to the tree would actually stack them so nothing touched and the chrome tree would receive no scratches! Cool, huh? But just try to get it back into the box once removed...

My suggestion Dokk is to open those boxes and perform some bagging of the tires and put the decals inside the directions. Collectors who might just possibly receive those kits in the far future will thank you and herald your name on high!

[TSR]

The same thing happens on some of the older die-cast cars using vinyl tires. The French Norev and CIJ models are often victims of this, as well as some model kits.
The same happens on... slot cars where the green and red Mabuchi lad wires EATS into the plastic bodies...

We leave sealed kits alone because their value is greater that way, perception is everything. If the seal has been removed, the tires are placed inside a poly bag that does not appear to be affected.

[Hworth08]

Jairus's rim reminds me of a few rims I have left from the 1:1 days. The walls around oval tracks have multiple coats of paint. When you "encountered" the wall it usually left 10 or 12 layers of paint between the rim and tire bead.

[Lone Wolf]

A few unbuilts from my collection to feast your beady little eyes on .

Dokk, I see you guys are going after some high quality kits. My first love is the drag racing stuff.

[edworth]

A few unbuilts from my collection...

Very impressive stuff Joe. Those Gassers at the bottom are, as the youth say, 'the bomb'

[Jairus]

Much of that artwork was overseen by a friend of mine, Bob Paeth, who worked at Revell during the time period when these were new. I got the chance to photograph/scan a few preliminary pieces of artwork by the same artist as the Themes Panel shown here. The rest are on my Fotki if you are interested.



The poor quality is because Bob stored them in his basement for a few years. I took an artists eraser to some of them trying to remove a little of the mold damage... but even so... the beautiful skill of the artist still shows through.

By the way, the 1957 Chevrolet jumping off the line in Ed's box collection has three names; Keeler (Jim Keeler), Paeth, and Jones on it's side. When the box was at the printer... they finally showed it to the Revell big bosses. Keeler was in charge and so he got called into the office for a thrashing because his name was first. Paeth was actually the one who asked the artist to put their names on the car. Keeler knew nothing about it and to this day Jimmy still holds a grudge against Bob.

Last year at the Greater Salt Lake Model Car Contest I got to enjoy a conversation with all three gentlemen all at the same spot. It was just a bunch of old men who would rather talk about their ailments than models... sheesh... Still, great guys!

To this day Bob Paeth and I are a couple of the oldest members of the Scale Auto Builders Association Inc!

[Cheater]

For those who might not know, Bob Paeth is a member here at Slotblog.

[idare2bdul]

A very talented member here at Slotblog!

[Cheater]

One of many very talented members at Slotblog, actually...

[Horsepower]

Hey, Joe! Where is the '53 Studebaker? That and the Revell '57 Chevy with opening doors were my favs!

Bob Paeth must be sick of writing about cars 'cause I haven't seen anything lately.

[Jairus]

Bob still posts on Spotlight hobbies. I see his posts nearly every day... sometimes on MCM forums but he rarely comes here unless I prod him with a subject.

[edworth]

To some not the icon, but no model car company better captured the hot rods and dragsters of the era than Revell.


I shelled out a few bucks for this nearly complete drag set up some time ago. As is from the 60's builder. Original Revell
Willys 'Stone Woods and Cook' shell no less. DC 85-6 volt, Aristo-Craft frame, 16/ 48 gears, tradeship rears, ball bearings on the
front and rear. It don't get much more period than that.


But this is about boxes, and it all came in this...

How cool is that cover. Nothing says early like a flagman in drag racing.




Every model builder knew just where to look... on the end-cap. $1.98. Still a lot of milk money at the time. If you were in luck, a
discount at your local Kresge's Dept. store might bring that down to $1.77!!!




Box side displayed more ways to spend the coming month's allowance. I have re-pops of the Orange Crate and the Showboat. Just think,
those guys were active then. Ivo is the only one alive today.




One last little treasure, in the big box was the little box for the DC85X and spec sheet. A hint of the plans for this, the solid bb wheels won't
be used. The important exterior detail parts; windscreen, grill, headlights, etc were present. The model kit frame, motor and other static
stuff were tossed or reused on another project by the builder.

More amusing boxes coming...

[endbelldrive]

Ed...that dc-85x Willys Gasser is tooo awesome for words!!

[don.siegel]

And a DC85X box - just icing on the cake, great stuff Ed!

I think these boxes really awaken something in all of us, as much or more so than the slot car boxes, since we saw them even earlier in our lives...

Don

[mdiv]

Ahh the ticky tacky...I remember that song; not very well, but it is up there.

Just gotta bring it down here

- Mike

[don.siegel]

Thought you might enjoy this old box that I just picked up at a local Dinky dealer (he found a bunch of old kits). It's a 1/32 Bentley in a huge box by a company called UPC, which is given on the box as Universal Powermaster Corp, NY 10 NY, so before zip codes. Also marked on the box is: "molded in Japan". Otherwise I would have thought they were reselling the Airfix version, but who knows? Another curious thing is that molded in chrome is a big "Bentley" and "1930" - maybe for a display?
Don

[TSR]

UPC is known for repackaging other people's stuff but also made large 1/12 and 1/8 scale F1 and Indy car kits in the late 1960's that are highly sought after today: a Ferrari 1.5-liter flat-12, a Lotus 49 and a Brabham-Ford BT12 AKA Brawner-Hawk in less-clear language.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE on E-Pay France.

[don.siegel]

Thanks Philippe!

Don

[MG Brown]

[MG Brown]

[MG Brown]

[MG Brown]