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Showing results for tags 'grasshopper'.
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The ancient Monogram Green Hornet kit, a show car fashioned after the Grasshopper, became one of my favorite kits when it was reissued many years ago. We don't know why Monogram didn't simply call it "The Grasshopper" since it would have been more recognizable to that generation of builders. There has to be a story! Anyway... I didn't build the above model. I saw it sitting on a dealers table at a show many years ago. It was built by Tom Trementano of the Liars Club in New York. It's a clean box stock build and I couldn't grab it quick enough for the $8 asking price. I got it home and saw great possibilities. Like the original Grasshopper, the body comes off the chassis revealing a very cool, but simple, assembly that could be used under nearly any Ford body of the 1920s through 1934 era. The kit is 1/24 scale, but the chassis seems to fit everything. The car was a '23 T roadster with an Oldsmobile 461 blown engine. And here's the original Grasshopper. Note that the original car didn't have the fenders or headlights found in the kit. I am not a fan of the single seat with the fuel tank sitting in the passenger area. I have added a passenger seat in my builds. I understand the car is long gone, but someone has built a 1:1 replica. And here's the hobby shop display base that Monogram sent out back in the day! So I started to play and I was amazed at how well it fit onto bodies in my junk box... I believe this was an old AMT Model A. Although a Model T is narrower than the later models, the fact that the chassis is 1/24 scale plays well with the fender spacing on 1/25 scale bodies. An old Model T Phaeton And one I just fell in love with... The old AMT '29 Ford pickup just looks sinister on this chassis. The next post will go into some more build ideas!
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