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


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I'm surprised the Aussie promo has "1960" license plate detail...weren't cars sold there by model designation and not model year?

It's probably the same grill / bumper unit that's on the US promo. I'll bet they were both done by AMT and the Aussie version was shipped to Australia. It makes sense that Ford would do a promo of this car since it was brand new to Australia.

I don't think they did a 4 door promo of the US Falcon, so this is unique. I'm pretty sure that this is a resin copy... actually a bad fiberglass copy, of that promo.

Mvc005s-vi.jpg

Edited by Tom Geiger
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For once, I feel reasonably qualified to answer this one. Yes, it is an Australian promo. Yes it does have a right hand drive dash. I had one when I was a teenager in the mid seventies (light green) and unbelievably found a grey one at a sci-fi collector's show three months ago for..... $5!!!!!!!!! Talk about keeping the poker face on - I couldn't be happier. It is also a little warped and had a broken back bumper. I went to replace the broken bumper with a Ranchero one last weekend but it is about 2-3 mm wider than the promo bumper. I also compared the chassis with a Mercury Comet promo that Tom Geiger gave me last year and it is similar but different - does a Comet have a longer wheelbase or is this artisitic license?

Last year I saw an Australian four door 60 wagon in an Adelaide antique shop. Only one I've ever seen, white and hideously warped but at $225 it can stay there!

To the best of my knowledge there have only ever been five Aussie promos but I would love to be proven wrong - I believe they are the Falcons mentioned above, a 1968 HK Holden Monaro, an HK Holden Premier ( I have both and they are beautiful) and a 64 EH Holden Station wagon which I am told was given to dealers, not the general public. You can get a fibreglass copy of all of these but you will wish you hadn't!!!!!

Cheers

Alan

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I also compared the chassis with a Mercury Comet promo that Tom Geiger gave me last year and it is similar but different - does a Comet have a longer wheelbase or is this artistic license?

Comet had a 4.5" longer wheelbase than the Falcon (114" vs. 109.5").

Thanks for the info! How about some photos of your promos?

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Comet had a 4.5" longer wheelbase than the Falcon (114" vs. 109.5").

Thanks for the info! How about some photos of your promos?

I want to second the request to see more photos. I love Austrailian cars and am always interested in knowing more about them. Never about the promos of Australian car before this. Very cool!

Oh, and Chris is right about wheelbase difference between the Falcon and Comet.

Scott

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Hey Russell, when I was a kid here in Australia in the 1960's, those little kits came in the Weeties cereal boxes. We collected them frantically. Still got at least one of each. Aurora also sold them as Snaparoos - a slightly Aussie sounding name for an American model company!

Cheers

Alan

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The Comet passenger cars (coupe, sedan) had the longer wheelbase, but the station wagon did not. It's a Falcon wagon with Comet front sheet metal. After the North American Comet was restyled for 1964, Ford Australia acquired the '60-'63 Comet front end sheet metal dies. They combined the Comet front clip with a locally done restyle of the quarter panels and rear end, to update their Falcons for the '64-'66 period. They never used the North American '64-'65 outer sheet metal on their cars.

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Hi guys-

Just returned from a "hunting" trip in Japan (and by hunting, I mean that no scale models were harmed during the making of this journey)

I came back with some trophies, but I think the most rare is the Datsun Bluebird (810 in US Market) in 1/20 scale. Looking forward to having these on my desk soon!

BTpost-15032-0-85070400-1421133252_thumb.jpost-15032-0-06080800-1421133254_thumb.jpost-15032-0-08399200-1421133255_thumb.jpost-15032-0-72760300-1421133259_thumb.jpost-15032-0-65185400-1421133261_thumb.j

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Harbutt Plasticine Ltd Bugatti Type-35. I completely forget where I found this one long ago. This site shows the set it came from, where there's a one instruction sheet for all 10 cars in the set.

fdu9p3.jpg

When I was a kid, in the 70's, I remember buying little kits like these of Formula One type cars that came wrapped like Baseball Card packs. Does anyone else remember those?

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well this is a new one on me! While doing my usual search for '58 Fords on eBay:

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Ford-1958-Ford-Fairlane-Model-Kit-Made-in-Japan-/221679257703?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339d1d0867

Anyone recognize the company, and if they made anything else like this?

Along the same vein, the same seller has a Messerschmitt; again any info? I'm watching both kits to see if the bids head for Idiotville...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Messerschmitt-TG500-Model-Kit-Made-in-Japan-Complete-/221679251205?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339d1cef05

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I just got a 1922 Hispano Suiza and a 1929 Mercedes sport ssk, I was told they were given at citgo gass stations after u bought $2 in gas, they say citgo on them there not open, I think they 1/43 maybe, I would post picture but I cant get it to post, Oh yeh they are up for trade. Ive never seen these before.

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Sorry, did a re-org of my Photobucket, hence all photo links I posted hitherto are broken.

Will check which ones I can repair in due course.

However, if non-automotive kits are OK, how about these?

collection010.jpg

The plastic colours of these are even more baked than the box art:

collection011.jpg

Then there is this:

pic001.jpg

pic002.jpg

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