1/24 Monogram Black Widow

[Chuck Most]

I actually like many of the old hot rod kits- I think I have every recent Model T and A hot rod reissue from Lindberg in my stash right now, so you can bet I'll be picking up a Black Widow or ten. To me, it's a much more interesting subject than Revell's other Black Widow! As far as its ommissions and inaccuracies- I can work around those or look the other way depending on how I want to build it. Who cares if there's no tranny, and that the rear axle is just a big plastic twig- you can't see any of that when the model is sitting on its tires. Which, oddly, is the way I prefer to display my models.

[Harry P.]

I agree with Ken that if a modern kit were tooled with some of the strange omissions this kit has (though, wasn't this offered in a motorized version once?

Yes it was. The static kit originally sold for $1.49 and the motorized version was $2.49. And obviously the tooling was such that it was made to accommodate the electric motor and batteries needed for the motorized version, so a few compromises to detail were made.

Wow.... those prices show you how old this kit really is!

[Chuck Most]

Sheesh- gas was $1.49 (what seems like) not too long ago! I'm gettin' into geezerdom...

[roadhawg]

It turns out VERY well built the way Ken is talking about. Here is one I built for a review. The only paint used was red for the engine block and interior parts, and a little cream for the interior door panels. BMF was used for the gauge bezels. Other than that, everything is the way it's molded. This build took less than a day, from opening the box to taking pictures. I plan on picking up a few more to play around with on slow days!

[Pete L.]

Folks,

You know, when I was a kid it was this type of model that first lured my into the hobby.

[Dave]

I built mine last weekend, it was a fun build. I did some minor detail painting and just put some Future over the body parts. I've a couple other simpler kits, Ice T and T'rantula I am also looking forward to building. Reminds of when I first started in modeling. Might need to track down a Green Hornet too.

[Paul Payne]

Guys (and gals!),

Check out what I did with restoring an original built example- this is a great start for a model which is not available in any other kit form- see more at "Black Widow rebuild project and Black Widow comparison in "Under Glass".

[horsepower]

I remember building that kit back when I was very young, 10 or 12 I believe, I sure would like another whack at it now. Even though I might be just as limited by eyesight now as I was by age, or lack of then.

[Guest]

I missed out on these when I was a kid,but for some crazy reason,I want one! I cut my teeth on the "Early Iron" series.

[Paul Payne]

By the way, the newly tooled tires look awesome- as far as I know, this kit was only offered with solid rubber grooved tread tires for front and rear- the same tires used on the sport coupe and original Green Hornet. The re-issue of the Green Hornet had poorly detailed 2 piece plastic tires which were the only disappointment in an otherwise fine re-release.

[Pete L.]

Folks,

The new front tires look to be what is sometimes referred to as "implement tires", correct ?

[ra7c7er]

I'm hardly an old-timer and haven't been in the hobby so long that this kit was available...even at a garage sale...since I've been building, but the discussion here is one I find extremely intersting to observe.

I agree with Ken that if a modern kit were tooled with some of the strange omissions this kit has (though, wasn't this offered in a motorized version once? Might explain it) like the transmission, etc. and the overly-simplistic "detail" it would get savaged. When people are give a blank-check to imagine a dream kit, it's usually a 35-variant 400-part superdetail kit that comes out.

The funny thing is, I have a feeling I'll be seeing a lot more of these built than any of the full-detail kits Revell brings out this year. It always seems to go that way, too. These simpler kits have a way of making it to the finish line, which makes sense because you can enjoy building them for what they are, and not stress over achieving perfection. There are a lot less potential pitfalls of making a mistake, and if you do...well...it was only going to be "so good" anyhow due to the limitations of the kit.

Man, if 3/4 of the stuff on the market were ancient tool kits like this, I'd be thrilled. Although I haven't yet, this kit is on my "must buy" list, and if it were a beautiful new-tool zillion-part rendition of a 1920...err...30s-whatever-this-thing-is (I honestly don't know or care) I would never, ever buy it.

Might also be the fact that these old less detailed kits are more than 10 dollars cheaper than their new higher detailed kit counterparts. I think price has a lot to do with it.

[Greg Myers]

and . . .

[jbwelda]

that black widow is the perennial kool kar kit. simple but effective. good to see it back to join the green hornet, blue beetle/bandito and hopefully its other fellows eventually.

jb

[niteowl7710]

Hard for me to get too excited about seeing that Black Widow Hot Rod thing come back out. Every LHS in the area has at LEAST one of the supposedly highly limited SSP reissues from last year. I get putting it in the general catalog will expose it to more eyes, and onto the shelves at Wally World, Michael's, etc, but when you reissue the same kit - especially one that didn't sell the last time you did it 12-15 months ago, that's treading into the '99 Ford Lighting territory where you just roll your eyes and wonder why it's back again.

The Blue Whateverwe'recallingittoavoidlicensingfees is at least something that's been gone for a long time, been tooled back to it's origins, and while not something that interests me is a cool piece to see come back to the market.

[Casey]

 

I've wonder why Revell decided to tool up all-new (or are they shared with (an)other kit(s)?) vinyl tires for this kit, but the reissued Green Hornet kit got styrene tires molded in halves, as did the reissued Monogram Slingshot (and Long John, too?). The Black Widow appears to use the same big and little tires found in the original Monogram Model A hot rod kits, too, so maybe that specific tire mold(s) was lost or damaged over the years. 

[Draggon]

I would have rather seen the original tires myself. The styrene reissue tires are really crummy, so not using those is OK by me. The only logical reason I've read to the new tires is that R/M was using the 1:1 Black Widow for inspiration, and the tires are close to what it runs. The new tires are specific, at this point, to the Black Widow. Perhaps they are/were thinking of re-releasing the Green Hornet at some point and wanted the tires for it, too. 

Edited December 6, 2017 by Draggon

[Greg Myers]

The Blue Whateverwe'recallingittoavoidlicensingfees is at least something that's been gone for a long time, been tooled back to it's origins, and while not something that interests me is a cool piece to see come back to the market.

Lots of extra parts as well as some more really Kool Wheels and tires/ 

[Greg Myers]

On 10/1/2014 at 4:15 PM, jbwelda said:

that black widow is the perennial kool kar kit. simple but effective. good to see it back to join the green hornet, blue beetle/bandito and hopefully its other fellows eventually.

 

jb

Like to see this one.

[Casey]

6 hours ago, Draggon said:

I would have rather seen the original tires myself.

Me, too. I mean, these are just, well, gorgeous: 

[Greg Myers]

aren't those hard to find wheels that fit other than what they came with ?

[CabDriver]

I guess this years-old thread with it’s missing photos is as good of a place as any to ask this question…

Picked up four of these from eBay recently, but not sure if they’re original issues or from the later reissue:

The tires are rubber, and the metal axles have serrations to lock them into the wheels…would that indicate that these are originals?  Sounds like the reissue has styrene tires instead?

[Mr. Metallic]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:06 PM, CabDriver said:

I guess this years-old thread with it’s missing photos is as good of a place as any to ask this question…

Picked up four of these from eBay recently, but not sure if they’re original issues or from the later reissue:

The tires are rubber, and the metal axles have serrations to lock them into the wheels…would that indicate that these are originals?  Sounds like the reissue has styrene tires instead?

Those tires would indicate these are originals. The "new" issue from a few years ago did not have plastic tires, but newly tooled rubber tires to match the 1:1 Black Widow showcar that was designed after the original model kit.

It's all a big circle isn't it? Model kit inspires showcar, showcar inspires improvements to model kit 😂

Here's the showcar, complete with cool retro box art inspire display

[CabDriver]

8 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Those tires would indicate these are originals. The "new" issue from a few years ago did not have plastic tires, but newly tooled rubber tires to match the 1:1 Black Widow showcar that was designed after the original model kit.

It's all a big circle isn't it? Model kit inspires showcar, showcar inspires improvements to model kit 😂

Here's the showcar, complete with cool retro box art inspire display

That figures - thanks for the confirmation Craig!  

I’d like to go all the way round that big circle and make a full-detail replica of the 1:1 using the kit (but adding stuff that real cars need, like a transmission and axles and all those inconveniences)

[Mr. Metallic]

9 hours ago, CabDriver said:

That figures - thanks for the confirmation Craig!  

I’d like to go all the way round that big circle and make a full-detail replica of the 1:1 using the kit (but adding stuff that real cars need, like a transmission and axles and all those inconveniences)

You are definitely the person to do that. I don't know that anyone has done that to completion.