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"Golden Wheels", remember that program?


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way back when MPC was under "Fundimension", a part of General Mills, they had a "savings stamp" program that let you cut proof-of-purchase logos out of the kit box and send them in for free kits....

and after MPC was absorbed into AMT, the program covered both lines, although i THINK only the MPC branded kits had the tokens on the box.

anyways; i had dozens of kit boxes stored away (nothing really collectible, thankfully) and i went through and clipped every one of those tokens out, shopped the little "catalog" for kits, and sent off a scad of tokens one summer in the early '90's....

AMT sent me six kits total for my efforts. i think i ordered their venerable '49 Ford, as it was not currently on the store shelves, and probably a couple of the excellent new '68 Road Runner kits.

would it kill one of the kit makers to do something similar today? say, scan hobby shop reciepts showing you paid full price for kits and earn some credit against a "mail-in" kit?

pie in the sky, i know, but it was a good memory.

BTW, the only per se "collectible" kit box i have (in my opinion, anyway) is my dusty old JoHan Petty Plymouth box. there's a Boot Hill Express stored in it.

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I remember the program Curt, can't remember if I sent away for any kits though.Would be nice to have some type of "rewards" program but keep in mind that they cost money so you have to ask if you are willing to pay for it. Granted there are some that wouldn't participate but much like the replacement parts program Revell has, there would some looking to game the system for a free kit or two.

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Surely remember well that MPC gig, starting back in 1980 or '81, got me to buy or get many MPC car kits from the early to mid 80s. Plastic model car kit sales declining drasticly since a few years, back then, Fundimension idea was not bad for "boosting" sales.

Still remember sending my 20 first MPC " Golden Wheels" tokens + $1 (USPS fees) to get a brand new MPC "Night Moves" El Camino SM kit, back in 1981, costing about...$4/$5 at local K-Mart, at least i got my 1st choice kit (you had to choose 3 on form/coupon in case stock ran out).

5 buys of 1/25 MPC kits got you a Free kit ..(.for $1!)

One 1/25th scale car kit box = 4 tokens:

20 Tokens to get One 1/25 car kit

30 for One 1/20th car kit

50!!! for the 1/16th "Black Bird" T/A with working lights or TV DOH Trio: '69 GL/Daisy CJ5/Roscoe Monaco.

100!!!! got you The GENERAL 1/25th Steam train or the 1/12th Christie Fire Engine,( back in 1982). ;)

Got 10 "Golden Wheels"...(Half a 1/25th car kit!) when got the BIG 1/16th scale 1984 Vette + a chance to win the real one! pretty exiciting for a guy who was near getting his driver license :P

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There were a lot of companies that did this back in the day. Captain crunch did it just recently. My 6 year old wanted to try the crunch berries a few month's ago so remembering how much I liked them I bought 2 boxes. As we were enjoying a bowl one morning I noticed a t-shirt offer on the box. I offered it to him but he wasn't interested in it. so I clipped the proof of purchase's, and sent them in with my 1.95 for shipping and handling and 4-6 weeks later I got my Captain crunch t-shirt. I tried to give the money to my mom to wright the check and send it in for me, for the full authentic experience but she wouldn't do it. I may be 41 but still 10 inside.

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What they could do today is a similar progam to the one in the "Charlie and the choclatefactory" story. Something like a golden ticket in the box that wins you a price.

Say that they make 1000 kits and out of those maybe 100 boxes have a ticket that gives you a discount on a new kit and maybe a 50 boxes have a ticket that gives you a free kit and then for a big price in only one box could be a trip to someplace and say 10 free kits and supplies.

The numbers I used here are just taken out of the blue but I guess you get the idea.

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The Golden Wheels programme ran through '85 or '86 .

When AMT / Ertl purchased MPC , two things happened :

- Golden Wheels programme cancelled . The allocated space on the box top's side was repurposed with some Ertl-specific "letterbox"

- The MPC nomenclature had an "ERTL" added to its banner

I got a number of kit through the Golden Wheels programme ; to name a couple :

- 1983 Toyota Supra

- 1984 Corvette

- Fall Guy GMC pickup

- 1985 Camaro annual

Thanks for the trip down memory lane (or , in my case , "Midlife Crisis Lane" :D:lol: )

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-One of the first "GW" flyers in '79: " mini poster" from Bradley's designs for MPC 1980 car kits.

-1981 coupon with selectec GW KITS (mailed a few! :rolleyes: )

-1982 selection flyer of "GW" & other "Golden Opportunities" series kits: planes, boats, etc.

-MINT (uncut!) Golden Wheels MPC F/S car kit boxes, yes still exist even factory sealed after 30 years :P ...From my kits vault; 1984 '85 mpc "best sellers" annual C4 vettes (both HOT MPC sellers back then the 1/16 C4 was one of my favorite car kit back in mid 80s)...The Bigger you buy...the more "GW" you got! :

Picture535_zpsa29a1ba8.jpg

Picture523_zps4e6b876b.jpg

Picture515_zps73972413.jpg

Picture533_zps423a80ca.jpgPicture526_zps5961c4fc.jpg

Edited by ZIL 111V
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now i remember where i was getting all the tokens- K-Mart had an after-Christmas clearance sale while i was stationed in Great Lakes and they had a LOAD of T.J. Hooker police cars and A-Team vans that were going for (get this) twenty-five cents each.......

i bought enough to nearly fill the trunk of my '67 Dodge (this was in '87) and i had nowhere else to keep them...

i think that i actually bought twelve of each, and some others that were marked down equally fantastically.... it was better for me than going out drinking every weekend.

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Remember it quite well, still have a bunch of the kits with it. I would never cut my boxes up though! I think they should have put the tokens in the box rather than them being part of the box.

I agree with you Ben....just think of all the really old boxes that would have been cut up from the 60s era?...man that hurts I love the old box arts.

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