John Bisci

I spoke with Tom Daniel a few years ago (before he moved out of Las Vegas) and he told me the CEO of Monogram "back then" was ex-military (WWII USAF, I think?) and he said this guy hated Rommel. He told Tom, "There is no way we are going to release this kit anymore" and supposedly destroyed the mold with an axe. That would be one logical explanation for its not being reissued. If the RR is a new tooling, it means the old RRs will be that much more valuable to some people (collectors). Me, I just wanna build one again (had the original when I was a kid) without having to pay $200. 99GT: I understand where you are coming from, but I'll share this with you. I worked as a nightclub and radio DJ for 20 years. From time to time, a manager would come to me and say, "I don't like this song, don't play it anymore." And I would remind them: It's not what YOU want, it's what your CUSTOMERS want -- they're paying the bills. There are many, many reissues that do not interest me, while others cause me to purchase them by the case. It's all a matter of taste and I am sure that Monogram saw a market and went for it.

If anyone needs them, I have a number of color and B&W reference photos. If you e-mail me, I'd be happy to share them (free-of-charge, of course). And -- believe it or not -- the real car actually appeared in the July 1989 issue of PLAYBOY. It appears in an article/pictorial called "B-Movie Bimbos" and is an excuse to photograph women with showrods -- including the Bathtub Buggy and the Red Baron. The Bathtub Buggy pic is a full-page portrait shot of the rear of the car (back of the tub, license plate, gas tank, side lamps, etc.). I can send those too -- let me know if you want them G-rated (with the "naughty bits" Photoshopped out) or the R-rated (untouched Playboy pics -- there's a sudsy girl posed in the tub and she apparently forgot to get dressed!) pics. I also have a color pic from the 1980 hardcover book, "Showtime" (a 20-year history of Bob Larivee's ICAS shows). If you like showrods and do not have this book, I highly recommend it. It also contains color pics of the TV Batmobile, MPC Paddy Wagon, MPC Fire Truck, Roth's Outlaw, the Monkeemobile, Boot Hill Express and many, many more. I picked up some copies at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas a few years ago for only $10 each. The new Bathtub Buggy reissue (thankfully) has the decals printed in GOLD (I have no idea why the originals were red!) and much nicer rear tires. Bravo! JB

Although crazyjim's question has been answered, I'd like to add this. Many of Tom Daniel's models have been rereleased over the years (Red Baron, Beer Wagon, Pie Wagon, Paddy Wagon, Garbage Truck) so they are not that scarce. But, to the best of my knowledge, the Rommel's Rod and Tijuana Taxi have not been seen since around '74 (correct me if I am wrong). They came to us during the Laugh-In era, when it was "okay" to poke fun at groups. Like many of us, I wrote to Monogram, pleading for reissues of these boyhood favorites (I was 12 when they came out in '69) but was told the "molds were no longer available." I thought they simply were being politically correct, so I suggested they remove the offensive swastika from the RR spare tire cover and call it the "Desert Storm Rod" or something like that, and rename the TJ Taxi to the "Texas Taxi." Fell on deaf ears. Although many people question the value of these cars (including the 1:1 and 1:25 Bathtub Buggy), I am happy to finally see them return. I buy a few at a time -- keeping a couple for myself and giving one each to my cousin and a good friend who are the same age and remembered building these as kids. And to answer blubaja, I do not believe the Taxi ever came with figures (except for the roof chicken!). JB www.lancasterheroes.com