Jantrix Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Give it up Rob..... Johan is Gone Forever..... I know, but the rumor is there are still a few molds still in existence because the current owner is still selling kits at shows. Although I have heard the quality is terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Give it up Rob..... Johan is Gone Forever..... What does this mean? Did the molds get destroyed? Gone? Gone where? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 IMC (Illinois Model Company) put forth a great effort to bring the JO-HAN '59 Rambler Wagon, Chrysler Turbine Car, and '74 Olds Cutlass back for us, but it didn't pan out, at least for now. Full details here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49120 That said, there must still be a few JO-HAN molds still in existence, or at least there were as recently as 1997, since Testors produced the '71 'Cuda Pro Stock, '70 Olds Cutlass 442, Comet Pro Stock, '69 Hurst SC/Rambler and the '69 AMX in their Hobby Shop Only line. These kits included pewter wheels, matching low profile tires, and a small photoetched sheet, but apparently the tires weren't very good. Previously posted info on these kits here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=27370 Here's a Testors ad from 1997 advertising the '70 Olds and '71 'Cuda kits: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gtx6970 Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I'll wager a bet the Turbine car, Rambler wagon, 71 cuda 70 cutlass make an re-appearence in the next 1-2 years I would not be surprised if the 69 roadrunner kit tooling is out there , any others I was told years ago , tooling was gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 What does this mean? Did the molds get destroyed? Gone? Gone where? There's only a handful of complete and viable molds left. There's a few more that would need restoration and/or new tooling to replace parts. A lot of the molds are missing inserts (the story goes that employees took them as souvenirs when JoHan closed shop, they were small enough to carry out by hand, while the main molds are so heavy you need a forklift), or have gotten their inserts lost or mixed up. There are supposedly a few molds that only need small parts like wheel backs to restore (parts that would have been on those inserts). The 59 Dodge is reportedly one of the molds that is a viable candidate for restoration. We know the 59 Rambler wagon, Chrysler Turbine, and 75 Olds are somewhat viable, since that's what the "new" IMC was planning to issue. As for what happened to all the tooling over the years, no one really knows. Some say they were sold for scrap, some say they're being held in hock until some debts are paid, some say they rusted away due to outside storage, some say they were made from a secret material taken from the alien crash site at Roswell and that one day the aliens returned to take back what was rightfully theirs... There's probably as many stories as there were actual kits... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 The speculation over what became of various Johan tools is one of those things that's going to be an internet legend for decades to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I know, but the rumor is there are still a few molds still in existence because the current owner is still selling kits at shows. Although I have heard the quality is terrible. Okey Spaulding does sell at shows as Johan. Part of what he bought was a couple of tools, along with a vast hoard of parts and misc for many other kits. The stuff he sells at shows today is either kits pieced together from that parts hoard or just the parts themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Okey Spaulding does sell at shows as Johan. Part of what he bought was a couple of tools, along with a vast hoard of parts and misc for many other kits. Problem is, I don't think he told anyone EXACTLY what he acquired from SeVille after that all got hashed out in court. As Rob said, we will probably never know exactly what happened to everything JO-HAN created, but I think the IMC story at least gives some of us hope there's more to be found. FWIW, there's a seller on eBay who's been listing printed JO-HAN box lids(??I'm not really sure what these are called in this pre-folded state. Proof sheets? Test prints?): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deathgoblin Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I'd like to have the Hornet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000-cvpi Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 I'd like to have the Hornet. Me too, but not for their price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 The truth is out there.....but those that know it all can't talk about it. IMC has given up on the reissues...but who knows.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 The truth is out there.....but those that know it all can't talk about it. IMC has given up on the reissues...but who knows.... Why can't "they" talk about it, Dave? It's not national security. No one will die. There's not a court-issued 'gag' order, is there? All this cloak and dagger stuff about 'the truth' would seem to be hyperbole. It's just an old, defunct manufacturing company that's ... dare I say it? ... gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 SShhhhh, Danno, your gonna mess EVERYTHING up!!! SSShhhhh!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 SShhhhh, Danno, your gonna mess EVERYTHING up!!! SSShhhhh!!!!! Dats funny George !!!!!!!!!!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 we don't want the cat outta tha bag....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blown03SVT Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Why can't "they" talk about it, Dave? It's not national security. No one will die. There's not a court-issued 'gag' order, is there? All this cloak and dagger stuff about 'the truth' would seem to be hyperbole. It's just an old, defunct manufacturing company that's ... dare I say it? ... gone. It's more amusing to speculate on the "Legend of JoHan" anyways. Seems as though some of the relaible sources have put most of the history in place. Was a interesting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 we don't want the cat outta tha bag....... MEOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW........................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Reliable sources indeed. We keep hearing this kind of stuff (?) over and over from the " Reliable sources" it's almost like it's a secret club or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Speaking of Johan kits, what are the differences between the Sox & Martin Superbird and the Petty one? I have the Petty one...I assume the wheels/tires and decals are different in the S&M one, any other differences in parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) Sox & Martin http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/instruction_sheetsh/instruction_sheets/johan/johan_sox__martin/ Petty http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/instruction_sheetsh/instruction_sheets/johan/johan-superbird-by-/ They look to be the same except decals Edited March 22, 2013 by Greg Myers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuzzed Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 In the early 1980's (1980-84) I worked for a burglar alarm company in Detroit, one of the older accounts was the Jo Han building on Moran. Over the years I had to go there 4 or 5 times to do repairs to their alarm system. Other than the fact they made model cars there-It was like every other machine shop we went to. I do remember they had an addition/lean to built on the rear of the building where they stored what looked like the dies/molds shown above. A couple of years ago I talked to my old boss from the alarm company and he told me he had that account back when it was called "Ideal Models" and he remembers John Hanley very well. It was a bad neighbor hood even back then- And another funny thing is the address listed on the original box art, it said "17255 Moran, Detroit Michigan 48212" which is not Detroit at all-it's technically Hamtramck. Isn't Hamtramck a neighborhood in Detroit, much like SoHo in NYC or Meyers Park in Charlotte? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 Why can't "they" talk about it, Dave? It's not national security. No one will die. There's not a court-issued 'gag' order, is there? Why can't "they" talk about it, Dave? It's not national security. No one will die. There's not a court-issued 'gag' order, is there? 'They' probably signed NDAs..or they are saving their secrets for a lucrative tell all book deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 (edited) Isn't Hamtramck a neighborhood in Detroit, much like SoHo in NYC or Meyers Park in Charlotte? No, separate city. But surrounded by Detroit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamtramck Edited March 22, 2013 by Rob Hall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 It's more amusing to speculate on the "Legend of JoHan" anyways. Seems as though some of the relaible sources have put most of the history in place. Was a interesting read. While true that the JO-HAN story is rather entertaining, it never ended, and that's what makes it so fascinating to me. I don't hold out any hope there will be a storage locker in Romeo filled with JO-HAN tooling inserts, but some of the tooling does still exist, and it came oh so close to being put back to work. Besides, you never know what you might find on the internet... The building at the Romeo, MI address is still there, but is now "Plastic Products". Not sure when and what all changed after the Seville Enterprises court dealings were settled, but I have some more digging to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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