FloridaBoy Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Like a couple of other fellas on this forum, we have been fortunate enough to have been around for the entire model car kit building hobby. By that I mean either way you look at it. There were preAMT kits by Revell, and dealer promos before 1958, but to me the Golden Age of Model Car building started in '58 with the AMT 3in1 kits. As the hobby caught on within months, and coinciding with the Rod and Custom emergence into our awareness, some non-mainstream manufacturers made some very nice models. Unfortunately I owned some built them all, and got lost along the wayside of life. I didn't value them as much as my precious AMT models which brought home the gold and silver for me. But in a sparse moment here and there, and despite the glorious selection of models old and new available to us, I remember some of those great old kits and wish I could have some today to see just what I would do with them. If I had Alzheimer's it would have been easier just to forget them. For example - Eldon. Eldon was not one of the "big-uns" back then, but they made a spare motor Ford 427 motor which was outrageous, and a T Milk Wagon that has not been equalled since. Another example - Hubley. Known mainly for their somewhat horrible metal Model A kits (at least to me), they also had a couple of nice plastic kits which still make me salivate. Hubley made Ford Station Wagons of 1960 and I am told later model years although I never saw any. Then there are those fabulous lost JoHan toolings. AMT toolings are missing, as well as some Revell toolings. I just can't fathom any manufacturer who knows its market, knows that just about any tool will be successful if reissued in a couple of years after the initial offering, but these idiots let the tools go lost or to waste. Wake up guys, we are still buying. Hasn't the popularity of the original 3in1 issue of the AMT 1962 Buick opened your eyes? How about that 1961 Buick curbside station wagon with the outrageous Hemi display? or the origianl issue of the 64 Malibu? I am lamenting because back then I was so close minded, so bigoted towards AMT exclusively that I dissed a lot of stuff that I really shouldn't have. I searched Evilbay to see if any of these old models pop up, but when I do see one in a while, they are cropped up for the big bucks by collectors. Heck all I want to do is build them. When this recession is over, I want to see some old new models............. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Ken , I too must have the desease . I have wanted either the 61 0r 62 Buick Special wagon for some time . I did see a Hubley 1960 wagon built and restorable for fifty at the Foothills plastic show this past weekend in North Carolina . Money being what it has been for me this year I had to scrimp just to buy the gasoline back to Virginia . Hey lets not forget that Hubley also did the Nash Metropolitian too . Ed Shaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Like a couple of other fellas on this forum, we have been fortunate enough to have been around for the entire model car kit building hobby. By that I mean either way you look at it. There were preAMT kits by Revell, and dealer promos before 1958, but to me the Golden Age of Model Car building started in '58 with the AMT 3in1 kits. As the hobby caught on within months, and coinciding with the Rod and Custom emergence into our awareness, some non-mainstream manufacturers made some very nice models. Unfortunately I owned some built them all, and got lost along the wayside of life. I didn't value them as much as my precious AMT models which brought home the gold and silver for me. But in a sparse moment here and there, and despite the glorious selection of models old and new available to us, I remember some of those great old kits and wish I could have some today to see just what I would do with them. If I had Alzheimer's it would have been easier just to forget them. For example - Eldon. Eldon was not one of the "big-uns" back then, but they made a spare motor Ford 427 motor which was outrageous, and a T Milk Wagon that has not been equalled since. Another example - Hubley. Known mainly for their somewhat horrible metal Model A kits (at least to me), they also had a couple of nice plastic kits which still make me salivate. Hubley made Ford Station Wagons of 1960 and I am told later model years although I never saw any. Then there are those fabulous lost JoHan toolings. AMT toolings are missing, as well as some Revell toolings. I just can't fathom any manufacturer who knows its market, knows that just about any tool will be successful if reissued in a couple of years after the initial offering, but these idiots let the tools go lost or to waste. Wake up guys, we are still buying. Hasn't the popularity of the original 3in1 issue of the AMT 1962 Buick opened your eyes? How about that 1961 Buick curbside station wagon with the outrageous Hemi display? or the origianl issue of the 64 Malibu? I am lamenting because back then I was so close minded, so bigoted towards AMT exclusively that I dissed a lot of stuff that I really shouldn't have. I searched Evilbay to see if any of these old models pop up, but when I do see one in a while, they are cropped up for the big bucks by collectors. Heck all I want to do is build them. When this recession is over, I want to see some old new models............. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman Eldon is still around, but left the toy industry behind, now a major producer of plastic office equipment. The model car tools you mention were last run by Doyusha of Japan, about 20 years ago or so, and frankly, they didn't sell very well, otherwise they would have been rerun more times, and in larger quantities. It was pretty much the same as when Eldon brought them out the first time. Eldon was primarily known, in the 1960's, as a maker of cheap, often crude plastic toys and low-end slot car racing sets primarily for the discount store market, so when they brought out their small series of wild custom show cars, they just weren't taken very seriously. As for old tooling made decades ago by the major model car producers, none of those outfits had any sort of "crystal ball" (nor did hobby industry people, and I submit very few modelers back then much cared once the next year's offerings hit the stores). So, model companies revised tooling where they could, make a new version, in order to generate new sales from a ton or so of hardened steel, rather than just have the molds sitting on a warehouse rack, cosmoline attracting dust and dirt. Some tooling also disappeared, either because it was made from rather valuable metal (JoHan used primarily beryllium copper inserts, and supposedly a lot of those inserts walked out the employee entrance in lunchboxes, next stop unscrupulous scrap dealers), or went through several forced moves at long distances, in which many inserts were unceremoniously crated up, separated from their original mold bases (AMT and Lesney AMT) which would require a major effort, possibly hundreds of man-hours to sort through hundreds of tons of crated, unlabeled tooling, just to figure out what goes with what. Along the way, some tooling may well have been damaged by mishandling, rust or corrosion which makes them rather unusable without thousands of dollars of rehabilitation, even to the point of having to be recreated. Also, it is wise to remember that nearly all those annual series kits of once new cars were done from promotional model tooling, produced to orders gotten from the Big Three Automakers along with AMC and Studebaker, and weren't particularly hot sellers when they hit the shelves in the 60's, and likely would not generate anywhere near the sales required for major investments in them today will require just to break even. It's sad of course, but very true unfortunately. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mademan Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Ken, that Buick wagon wasn't a big seller & was retooled into a Chevy Nova wagon circa 1962/63, also not a big seller, & then it was retooled into the "Boss Nova" SW dragster/wheelstander in the late 60s/early 70s, which did still include that great Hemi. The Model King reissued the "Boss Nova" a few years ago. The Malibu was a "Craftsman" curbside kit & was retooled into one of the AMT AWB cars, & then the body was retooled into the "Modified Stocker" series short track car in the early 70s, & was reissued a few years ago as well, by Dirt Track Race Cars through the Model King. The only way you'll get those two kits in the original versions is to pay big bucks for them if you find them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 Ah come on guys your bringing a tear to my eye. Seriously tho, building is in my blood I'm stashing kits and learning how to cast just so I never run out of kits. Um I might have access to one of the original Nomad kits, maybe one of those old metal model T kits, but I think it's listed for $79CDN. I'll let yeah know tomorrow what I've got. Now this is also a part of this great hobby/past time, I enjoy, helping fellow builders find kits. Sorry guys only read the post and first reply. Will do later. Curt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscool Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 I remember having a couple of obscure kits that I cant recall the manufacturer. One was a twin engined show car that I think was called the Invader? It had gold plated parts instead of chrome and a picture of the real car on the box. Also had a bathtub show car that was different from the Monogram bathtub buggy made by the same company as the Invader. Also remember a modern "what if" version of a Duesenburg. i can remember my parents telling me to be sure and get an AMT kit so it wouldnt be so frustrating to build. Hows that for a model company reputation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) Ok here's what I have I'm willing to sell them but I'd also be interested in a trade. I'm interested in the 1/16 Revell funny cars. Anyway here ya go. 1 AMT: "55 Chevy Nomad" drag version with the "I" beam front axle and driver (driver miss but helmet is there). The body, chassi, painted; windos installed (bad job) and the egine has been painted and started. Parts all look to be there. Started no instructions 1 Hubley: 1928 Ford Model A Sedan (all metel) with taxi sticker option. All parts incl, no instructions. (Made in England printing on box) 1 Auto-Kits: Mercedes SSKL 1929-31 Series #.013 started missin left body panel and wheels have been started. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Unfortunatly I won't be able to get them out of storage until the Dec-Jan time frame. Curt Edited October 2, 2009 by Plastic Freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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