Slang Terms & Words

[70gmcer]

I've always been around models since the late 50's, but I don't understand some of the slang words or terms that models are referred to. Such as, "Curbside", "Annual" and so forth. Can someone explain in plain words what these terms mean? Did the model companies start these terms or was it the hobbyist? After all these years, I should no this, but do not.......

[Art Anderson]

I've always been around models since the late 50's, but I don't understand some of the slang words or terms that models are referred to. Such as, "Curbside", "Annual" and so forth. Can someone explain in plain words what these terms mean? Did the model companies start these terms or was it the hobbyist? After all these years, I should no this, but do not.......

These aren't "slang" so much as they are descriptive terms, brought into use to help describe a type of kit, or model.

"Curbside" is a classification coming from the model car contest scene in the very early 80's, as there were a number of builders trimming out promotional models (those ready-built model cars you could get at your friendly neighborhood new car dealer). In order to differentiate this type of model from those full detailed ones, having opening hoods, engine bays and engines, the term "Curbside" came into use to describe a model built and displayed as you would see it on the street, either running, or parked at the curb. Of course, the hood would be closed (molded in place), just as the car would be in daily driver service. Also, no attention is paid to the chassis, in other words, what gets judged at contests is only what you can see just standing there, looking at the real car, the body, paintwork, chrome and such interior as can be seen through the window glass.

"Annual" is what we've come to use to describe those yearly series of model kit of then-new Detroit production cars, the AMT, JoHan and MPC 3in1 customizing kits. "Annual" refers to those car kits that were first produced and released during the sales season of any given model year--then the tooling was either retired to storage, or modified into the next year's production version. Thus they were kits that did not, with only a couple of exceptions (the SMP '60 El Camino being one), see continued production beyond the year of the actual car, unlike say, the AMT Trophy Series kits, which were models done from the ground up to be as you would remember them, but available until the companies couldn't sell any more of them, at least for a while.

Art

[70gmcer]

That's what I needed to know. Thank you.....