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Obscure Kits You Never Knew Were Made...Until Now


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Not a model....but not a toy....it's a nothing!!!!

How Ertl AMT allowed that kit to slip through is unbelievable!!

The interior was molded flat and you fold it up to create a bucket.....

Ertl owes us for that one still!!!

haha my friend n i decal bombed one in h.s then exploded with fireworks. wouldn't mind having one tho don't recall the origami interior lol

Edited by Scuderia
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Not a model....but not a toy....it's a nothing!!!!

How Ertl AMT allowed that kit to slip through is unbelievable!!

The interior was molded flat and you fold it up to create a bucket.....

Ertl owes us for that one still!!!

LOL..I built that Escort as a kid...thought it was odd for AMT to release a European Escort kit...may have been an Esci tool? IIRC, Revell released a European Escort kit about the same time. Alas, no kit was ever made of a US market Escort..my first 1:1 was an '84 Escort 5dr diesel.

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Given the interest voiced here in this subject, maybe I need to dig that article out and see if it can be made presentable...(smile) TIM

Given the interest voiced here in this subject, someone needs to dig out the molds and reissue the kit.

But since it would take someone in the model kit industry to do it, it will never happen.

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Ever heard of a company named Sharp?

1:24 Käfer:

Sharp%20TSMCW-2-500%20Beetle.JPG

1:20 Mitsubishi Fuso Mixer:

sharpfusomixer01.jpg

sharpfusomixer03.jpg

sharpfusomixer02.jpg

And this one is so obscure, I have never seen another one:

pic01.jpg

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It's a 1:24 Sankyo Mokei Nissan Cedric kit to commemorate what must be a Japanese police TV series or movie.

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FUJIMI!!! Dig out that 1/16 Maverick!!! PLEASE!! Any one ever see one in person??

I bought one in '99 or so, and cut the body up to make a Funny Car. The kit itself is typical "can-be-motorized" '70s Japanese, which is to say the body is accurate for the most part, but everything else you can immediately see (engine, chassis, interior, etc.) is kind if generic and half-thought out.

I think Chuck "ratnasty" has one currently.

Edited by Casey
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This thread made me dig out one of the oddballs in my stash... anybody else ever seen one?

Something I regret deeply. The 1:67 scale 20 Mule Team kit has been produced since 1958 and AFAIK is still being made!

They are (were?) sold in the gift shop at Scotty's Castle. And believe it or not, I passed on it when I was there.

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Something I regret deeply. The 1:67 scale 20 Mule Team kit has been produced since 1958 and AFAIK is still being made!

They are (were?) sold in the gift shop at Scotty's Castle. And believe it or not, I passed on it when I was there.

What that means... not very rare. Guess I'll go ahead and build mine, one of these days. B)

Anyone know of a good tutorial on how to get an accurate finish on a mule?

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Something I regret deeply. The 1:67 scale 20 Mule Team kit has been produced since 1958 and AFAIK is still being made!

They are (were?) sold in the gift shop at Scotty's Castle. And believe it or not, I passed on it when I was there.

Yea, there are 9 on ePay right now! But it really is a cool kit. I might have to pick one up to accompany my "non-automotive" shelf, which only has this so far:

$(KGrHqJHJFME92BB5b56BPegbWN7yg~~60_58.JPG

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What that means... not very rare. Guess I'll go ahead and build mine, one of these days. B)

Anyone know of a good tutorial on how to get an accurate finish on a mule?

Maybe not that rare, but very obscure nonetheless. Apparently they never hit the shelves of the toy or hobby trade, so not too many modellers know about it.

It is my understanding that they were either available by mailorder from the laundry soap company that used the borax, or in a handful museum and gift shops in or around Death Valley, that's it. As I said, the only place I ever saw them was in the gift shop at Scotty's Castle.

Oh, and there is a life-sized model at the Pacific Coast Borax Company in Boron, California:

boron_mule_team.jpg

This should give you an idea of what a model mule could look like.

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I remember seeing ads for the kit in magazines probably 30 years ago. I've never been up to Death Valley...will have to go sometime...usually when I drive across the void I'm in a hurry to get to the coast...

I never said this, OK? But that 'void' contains more interesting stuff than New York City.

Edited by Junkman
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Something I regret deeply. The 1:67 scale 20 Mule Team kit has been produced since 1958 and AFAIK is still being made!

In the 1980's I sent off to Borax for 2 of the models. Cost then was $1 and two box tops for each model!!! About a year ago I did find them online but were in the $20 something range!

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