110 replies to this topic

[sjordan2]

You guys seem to have completely lost sight of what this topic is about.

"Does anyone know of a list of the kits in this series that Monogram put out?" (Monogram classics).

Sorry, Harry, I don't get your point at all. We've got the lists covered in spades, but there's plenty of opportunity here to discuss these type of kits, how they might relate between Monogram and other similar classic car kits of other brands, yada yada yada, and where to find additional information on them. Why is there a problem?

Edited by sjordan2, 15 August 2011 - 12:28 PM.

[Art Anderson]

Ah....I didn't count the Model A. Don't have that either. I do have the Connie and the Cord, plus the MG. I didn't know they made an XK 120. I'll need to get one of those.

That Bandai SJ sedan looks interesting. If it is in fact, 1/24 as Christian states (and it sounds like it is,) I may have to add that to my "look for" list, too.

Charlie Larkin

The Bandai kit is only a "semi-clone" of the Monogram Duesenberg base kit. The body shell has one half of the hood molded in one piece with it, the other side (right side) is a separate part. The body shell is somewhat loosely done as the 1934 Figoni et Falaschi Berline, which was done in Paris. A Berline (pronounced "Ber-lin" just like the German capital city) is a sedan, designed to be either owner- or chauffeur-driven, with a retractable divider window at the back of the front seat.

The actual car still exists, and differs a good bit from the Bandai kit. Bandai did the body shell to fit their 'clone" of the Monogram basic kit, meaning that the lower edge (sills) of the body are straight, and mate to the running board splash aprons on top of them, where the actual Figoni body is wider, almost predictive of the 1935-36 JN and SJN series Duesenbergs bodied by Rollston, having its sills outboard of the splash aprons, with a long sweeping curve below the top line of the frame. Other than that, the body lines are very, very close to the actual car.

Bandai also did a much more crude knock-off of the Monogram '37 Cord 812 Supercharged Convertible Phaeton--hardly worth mentioning.

An addition to the lists I've seen here should be the Monogram metal-bodied 1:24 scale 1931 Packard 845 Dual Cowl Phaeton. It's not done on the same chassis as their Speedster Boattail or their Speedster Phaeton, but the similarities would make one think so at first glance.

I remember being shown drawings in 1981, for a second release on the Monogram 1932 Cadillac Model 452 V-16 Phaeton, that body being the Fleetwood Convertible Victoria, which would have been a stunning kit if it had been done.

Another classic era car kit that was announced (even to the point of having a scratchbuilt display model built for the 1966 Hobby Industry Association Trade Show (used to be held every January at the old Sherman House Hotel in downtown Chicago--forerunner of RCHTA/iHobby); that being the 1928 Miller '91" Indianapolis 500 winner, the car driven by Louis Meyer (later of Meyer-Drake--producer of Offenhauser racing engines 1945-1979). This kit was stillborn however, probably due to a serious lack of pre-orders from hobby wholesalers and retail shops.

Art

[sjordan2]

I just won a Jo-Han 1935 Mercedes 500K coupe on eBay for a very reasonable $22 (which includes shipping) and am tremendously excited about it, and wondering if I will need to mash it with any of the Monogram kits. Interesting to note that (as I have heard), the Pocher 540K kits are actually 500Ks as the engine pictures indicate, and can provide some good engine and mechanical reference. There are only about 3 to 4 reference photos available for the original 500K coupe, but more for the Monogram 540K coupe as I posted above.

Edited by sjordan2, 15 August 2011 - 01:16 PM.

[Eshaver]

I have the Rolls Royce and the Cord as well as the "Boat Tail Packard . I built the Cord years ago and to say the least , I was thoroughly impressed by the kit . I can also say the same for the 1941 Lincoln Continental Mk- 1 also .



Here a view of the Continental from the top

Ed Shaver

[Junkman]

Does this prove my point?

[imatt88]

Chris,

Very nice. Looks pretty close to me. Have you tried kitbashing those together?

BTW, my area code here in the States is 49930...

HTH,

Cheers, Ian

[keyser]

Maybe redundant, but here's a list of kits I know:
Monogram Duesenbergs- Weymann Torpedo Phaeton; Town Car; Roadster; metal boattail. Bandai Sedan. Art Anderson AAM had a great line of resin bodies mostly mastered by Lee Baker RIP. Revised and corrected body of metal boattail (had clamshell vents on hood; Weymann Boattail (black and white); Franay tapertail; Gurney-Nutting Boattail (orange and black), 4-door Sedan, and Judkins 3-window coupe. Also had J engine and hood conversion, and disc wheels from Weymann Boattail. South African company ScaleKraft had Mudd coupe, Franay, some PE wires (someone stateside had some as well, were $60/set IIRC)
Packards: Boattail, Phaeton, and completely different metal dual cowl phaeton (lots of different parts, many not interchangeable)
Rolls Roadster and Phaeton (+ Italeri RR)
Cord 812 Phaeton; AAM 810 Beverly smoothback and 812 trunkback sedans; 812 Sportsman roadster; awful Pyro
Lincoln 41 Continental (someone did resin coupe) and awful Pyro 48; MPC 28 Roadster and Phaeton
Pyro 35 Auburn Boattail
Chrysler roadster and convertible sedan MPC; Italeri version of convertible sedan
Johan 31 Caddy roadster, Phaeton, Towncar; Italeri 33 Town Car and Convertible Sedan; Monogram 32 Phaeton
Bugatti 35B Monogram; Italeri Royales Coupe Napolean and another, Lindberg Victoria; Heller 50
Mercedes SSK Lindberg; Johan 500K coupe and roadster; Monogram 540K Cab A and Coupe; Heller 500K Special Roadster, 170 Sedan Delivery and Sedan; Italeri 540K Cabriolet B
Heller Alfa 1750; Bentley Blower; BMW Dixi and 328; Delahaye; Delage D8SS; Talbot-Lago; Citroen 5CV several versions. 15CV sedan
Probably forgot some, and didn't cover all the resin. All 1/24-1/25
Ooops, didn't see ya Art. How are ya, it's the doc. I won't mention the Mormon Meteor project :^)

Edited by keyser, 18 August 2011 - 09:46 AM.

[Junkman]

Citroen 5CV several versions.

There was only one version of the 5CV, the Trefle. There were various versions of the C4 however.

[Art Anderson]

Since this thread/lists includes cars of the Classic Era that aren't considered "Classics" by the definitions used by Classic Car Club of America, it's fair to include, I think, some more cars:

Monogram 3 1930 Model A Fords: Deluxe Coupe, Cabriolet (these two shared most body components, as did the actual cars) and a Standard Phaeton. In addition, Monogram's 1930 Model A Ford Station Wagon, while issued only in street rod form, can be combined with the coupe chassis, fenders and chrome parts to make a stock Woody Wagon (in addition, at least one reissue has parts to blank off the rear quarter windows and the window opening in the tailgate to do the very rare Deluxe Sedan Delivery, which was produced from wooden station wagon bodies. Addtionally, Monogram also produced the most accurately done 1934 Ford Deluxe Coupe and the 1936 Ford 3-window coupe, in stock form when these two were first produced back in the middle 1960's.

Heller also produced a pair of early post-WW-II Mercedes-Benz 170's, a 4dr sedan and a sedan delivery, both of which kits came out in the late 1970's, but quickly became unobtainium for nearly 20yrs, finally reissued in the past 7-8 years. The 170 had its beginning in 1935, but as a 4-cylinder budget priced car, it never quite achieved Classic status.

Also, we ought not to forget that Lindberg kitted a pair of really Classic cars: 1928 Mercedes SSK, and a Bugatti Type 41 Royale, the convertible victoria that resides at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MI. Wills (later Southeast) Finecast in the UK produced a Mercedes SSKL Roadster (the version with the huge "Swiss Cheese" holes in the frame rails), and a Jaguar SS-100, both these cars in full white metal kits, 1/24 scale. SE Finecast also produced a prewar vintage MG K3 Magnette and the legendary 3-wheel Morgan, also both in 1/24 scale.

Art

[FordRodnKustom]

I like these American Classics too and I'm working on collecting them all. Not Monogram but I like this one. I was lucky to score a mint original . This is a scan of the box I have.

[oldscool]

Hey Ron, I love that Pyro Auburn. I built one of them when I was a kid and remember it being molded in a reddish brown sort of marbled looking plastic. Can you show us the sprues?

gus

[FordRodnKustom]

Hey Gus, I had one too as a youngster and the styrene was a light gray like this one. No Chrome!

[sjordan2]

The same kit has been boxed by Lindberg except it contains a chrome sprue.

[Jim Gibbons]

Here's the original issue, box art, and instructions for the Mercedes 540K. I was able to score this for $9.95 on Ebay this spring. I was also able to get an original issue Bugatti T35 with the diorama accessories for an excellent price this summer. I've started work on the MB 540K to replicate the one I received for my 10th birthday. I'm still debating whether or not to finish the interior more accurately, or simply leave it as I built it all those decades ago.

[Junkman]

This is the issue with the swirly brownish red parts:



Have all the MPC classics been mentioned yet?

[Junkman]

Heller made it in 1/24:




Well, it is a 540K Spezial-Roadster if you say it is.

Edited by Casey, 06 August 2012 - 02:32 PM.

[sjordan2]

Heller made it in 1/24:




Well, it is a 540K Spezial-Roadster if you say it is.

I think a lot of it has to do with what's under the skin, and I think a lot of kit builders like Pocher have it wrong. There are so many similarities between the 500K and 540K it's hard to keep it straight. But I'll go with what RM Auctions says. They ought to know.

[sjordan2]

From what I can see, the biggest visible difference between the 500k and the 540K has something to do with the fender profile/wheel well radius and the engine: the 500K has a long cylindrical air filter next to and parallel to the valve cover, and connected to the supercharger with a rubber hose (different from the shot below). The 540K has a cylindrical air filter mounted directly over of the supercharger. I think Pocher used the 500K engine layout for their 540Ks. The instruction sheets show them being the same.

I believe the 540K began production using the coachwork of the 500K, which was soon modified. Obviously, there are other differences in the engine compartment. Both cars had a few body type variations.

500K engine:



540K engine:

Edited by sjordan2, 22 August 2011 - 11:04 AM.

[charlie8575]

Even the engine is a work of art on these cars...

Charlie Larkin

[sjordan2]

Even the engine is a work of art on these cars...

Charlie Larkin

No kidding. But as I have read it from my references, the engine-turned finishes were not from the factory. Both of the examples I posted above were from cars that have been criticized as "over-restored."