Model Cars Are Go!

[Mr.Franken]

Hi all, my first topic on this forum! 😄

For a while I am trying to identity the Jo-Han and AMT car models the special effects team used in the Supermarionation shows Thunderbirds (1965), Captain Scarlet (1966) and Joe 90 (1967).
For some reason I cannot identify this car model because it is heavily modified for the series. The front looks like a Jo-han 196? Chrysler Imperial but the rear?? Does anyone recognise the parts??

[Can-Con]

I don't think that's an actual kit from a model company. Looks to me like a larger scale plastic toy from somewhere.

Note the grille in this pic ,,, '62 Chrysler 300 , probably from the AMT parts pack. I know that's 1/25 and looks tiny on the car.  ,,, Yes, I do think it's a larger scale toy modified to use on the shows.

[Oldcarfan27]

I think they're pretty much designs from the animators mind.

While some styling cues look like they reference one car, other parts of that car don't match up.

Roof angles and glass shapes don't match anything either. 

I suggest to make them using your best guess. Who'll agrue?

[Casey]

10 hours ago, Can-Con said:

I don't think that's an actual kit from a model company. Looks to me like a larger scale plastic toy from somewhere.

I tend to agree. Pressed steel toys were popular back then, too, and considering how slender the C-pillars look (and how 'sharp' the angles appear) I doubt these are kit bodies.

[Mr.Franken]

So the scale would probably 1:18-ish I guess...but yeah it looks like they mixed everything up and added parts from different kits. Thanks for the help!

[doorsovdoon]

I remember watching repeats of this series in the UK, I loved it. I think the cars they used were in house designs by the production team. The scale would have been like 1:8 or larger as you'd see the puppets move in the cars sometimes and the detail was pretty darn good. Here's a picture of Lady Penelope's Rolls Royce, it's huge! They might have used 1:25 scale models for static outside shots where the camera pans up to one of the office block windows, but for the action shots I'd say they were using much larger scale vehicles.

[cobraman]

Here’s another pic of that car . 

[peteski]

That one with the lady looks more like 1:4 scale!

[ChrisBcritter]

They used a lot of 1/25 scale models as well - check out the IMCDb page:

http://imcdb.org/movie_57790-Thunderbirds.html

 

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by ChrisBcritter