Oldest Model Contest, 1956-7?

[HotRodaSaurus]

I have just picked up an old little pages Rod & Custom magazine from April 1957, there is a full 5 page feature on a contest hosted by R&C.

Was this the 1st national model show? most of the kits seem to be Revell Mercury's, Cadillacs and other 1/32 kits.

1,135 models were entered, the most popular kit being Revells 56 Ford pick up. Looking at the photo's this looks to be the small scale 1/48? kit

The winning entry was by Jim Savage with a model of a 56 Ford , customised with other parts from Revell's Mercury and Cadillac.

If anyone wants me to, I could scan the magazine but the pictures are very small.

Thanks, John

[bob paeth]

This may very well be the oldest model; car contest, however, the Portland Classic Model Car contest is the oldest, contunious, contest. PCMC was started in 1972 and continous to this day. Number 36 will be held on February 29th, March 1st & 2nd. BTW Jim, I think, is an old aquaintence from an old,old international model club but I cannot remember the name. The club was located in Southern California.

bob

[Jairus]

Portland Classic? Isn't that the old Portland Roadster Show?

Think I took Best of Show there wayyyyy back in the 80's if memory serves.

[bob paeth]

Yes Jairus, way back then, when you were just a runny nosed kid, you won a motor scooter as having entered a model deemed "Best in Show". Rumoe has it that you hocked it for two tubes of Testors cement and a Premier kit of the Oldsmobile 98 convertible.

( like i said, he was just a kid )

bob

[Jairus]

[Gregg]

And a bottle of Pepsi, if I remember the story....

[lordairgtar]

And a bottle of Pepsi, if I remember the story....

It wasn't Pepsi, it was a bottle of YooHoo chocolate drink.

[Gregg]

Choclate drunk?

What dat?

[outsider]

thats cool! on a side note i have a 1/32 revell/amt modern car kit 1956 mercury montclair 4dr sport sedan that is unassembled and in the original 1956 issue box. my pop gave it to me as it used to be his.

Edited January 28, 2008 by outsider

[Uncle Mike]

I have just picked up an old little pages Rod & Custom magazine from April 1957, there is a full 5 page feature on a contest hosted by R&C.

Was this the 1st national model show? most of the kits seem to be Revell Mercury's, Cadillacs and other 1/32 kits.

1,135 models were entered, the most popular kit being Revells 56 Ford pick up. Looking at the photo's this looks to be the small scale 1/48? kit

The winning entry was by Jim Savage with a model of a 56 Ford , customised with other parts from Revell's Mercury and Cadillac.

If anyone wants me to, I could scan the magazine but the pictures are very small.

Thanks, John

Hey, John...I was talking to Tom Medley ("Stroker McGurk" and other cartoons since) who was there in the R&C offices in those days. Tom tried to explain what pandemonium it was with model cars on shelves, temporary tables, window sills, stairs, the floor, desks, and every flat surface! He said they just kept arriving (it was a 'mail-in' contest!) and never stopped, entries pouring in after the cutoff date! There was no way to return them, either...Wonder what happened to all of them!

[HotRodaSaurus]

Hey, John...I was talking to Tom Medley ("Stroker McGurk" and other cartoons since) who was there in the R&C offices in those days. Tom tried to explain what pandemonium it was with model cars on shelves, temporary tables, window sills, stairs, the floor, desks, and every flat surface! He said they just kept arriving (it was a 'mail-in' contest!) and never stopped, entries pouring in after the cutoff date! There was no way to return them, either...Wonder what happened to all of them!

The magazine feature does ask anyone who has not received their model back to write in with a description etc.

Did I read something of this show in one of the model kit history books by Terry Jesse?(please excuse spelling if incorrect) I would have checked but my books are unavailable.

John

[Jairus]

Enough speculation.... I traded it in on a used Yamaha 100 dirt bike about a year later that could climb a tree for heavens sake!

First however, I drove the Honda Spree for 85 miles... which told me very quickly that that puppy couldn't get out of it's own way and I was going to end up in the ICU if I didn't find a new owner fast! (Think I had to fill the tank on the Spree only once.....?)

The car that won? Ended up on the cover of SAE.... anybody know what it was?

[Biscuitbuilder]

This may very well be the oldest model; car contest, however, the Portland Classic Model Car contest is the oldest, contunious, contest. PCMC was started in 1972 and continous to this day. Number 36 will be held on February 29th, March 1st & 2nd. BTW Jim, I think, is an old aquaintence from an old,old international model club but I cannot remember the name. The club was located in Southern California.

bob

Bob,

International Association of Automotive Modelers, or IAAM. LA is the last bastion of that organization. Incidently, IAAM started out as the Chicago Association of Automotive Modelers, about 1951 or so, and still lives on--name change to Lake Michigan Model Car Club (LMMCC). It's believed to be the oldest continuous model car club in the US, perhaps the entire World.

Biscuitbuilder

[HotRodaSaurus]

Thought you mike like to see these from the Rod & Custom issue.

Please wait a few seconds for the pictures to load

Edited February 2, 2008 by HotRodaSaurus

[Guest rick r]

Re: the piles of models at the R&C offices... it happened again, too!

Don Emmons told us years ago that when the model car thing got big in the 60s the Petersen building soon got on the list for samples from the model companies, mostly AMT.

They would send a case(!) of each new model kit to each name on each of the magazine mastheads, well past the car titles and writers to the other staff, even of unrelated titles.

This got old pretty quick but with trades and gifts it did last a while... Eventually Bob Petersen called the model companies to tell them to STOP! and arranged for the cases and cases of kits to be taken to the YMCA and the Boys' Clubs in the Hollywood area.

Edited February 3, 2008 by rick r