How About Some Box Art Cars?

[Tom Geiger]

I recently went to the GSL in Salt Lake City. One of the events is an auction to benefit the museum. Revell / Monogram donated some of their older box art cars and I was lucky enough to bid and win a few...

First up is an older release of the Revell '57 Ranchero with the chopped top.

And here's a Monogram 1/24 scale Bronco. Note that they outlined the decals on the box. There is often airbrush work done on the published photos.

Here's the Monogram 1959 Chevy convertible low rider edition. Very well done! The model is missing the sun visors, the up top and one vent window.

You can see that this one was quickly built to just be photographed from the top. Note the flat black chassis and missing engine! Hood is glued shut.

I have a few more posts to make here....

[Tom Geiger]

continuing....

Once I saw the photos on the box, I realized that the model was built to come apart. So I took it apart for the below photo. The box art on the box top was a painting, as was the one on the '59 Chevy low rider kit.

I always loved the box on the 1954 Chevy sedan delivery kit. Probably built by the same builder as the '59 Low Rider, it also has no engine and the hood is glued shut. The kit engine was no doubt built separate and is the one shown on the box. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the box. Nor were the bumpers. I'm sure I have a few...

I need a better photo of the box, but here's the Monogram 1/24 scale Chevelle.

I wasn't able to find an example of the box for the Dodge Nascar series truck.

I have over 1000 kits and wouldn't ya know, I don't have the box for any of these! So I'll be looking out for them at future swap meets.

If anyone knows who built any of the above box art cars, please let me know!

Edited May 11, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[von Zipper]

Here's one I built when it was reissued a few years ago .

[gluebum]

Here's one I did a couple of years ago.

Edited May 11, 2015 by gluebum

[Dragline]

The coolest topic in a while. Keep em coming if you can.

[Porscheman]

They look great Tom!!!

[Tom Geiger]

I built this 1979 Ford pickup for the Model King release.... here's the base box art below. Doug Whyte put my dog Ted in the passenger seat.

[rctruk]

Here is a Chevelle

[Dave Van]

Tom IIRC you will not find a #43 Dodge NASCAR truck box.....never made it to production. They killed the truck kits right before this.

There were only one or two Dodge kits......

[Modlguy]

Tom, how about the Deora?

[angelo7]

Sorry, wrongly posted.

Edited May 12, 2015 by angelo7

[Tom Geiger]

Okay Bill, here's the Deora. This is the original box art car for the release you see with the car. They air brushed the car to be more yellow, but there are a bunch of little details and flaws that are on the car and the box photos so I am sure this is the original car. I bought it at the GSL Auction in 1999.

Back in those days the box art cars were built without glass to avoid the glare. It was airbrushed in the artwork. They also did things like paint the tire tread gray, so it would be visible in the photos. The Deora is one of my favorite show vehicles so I was very pleased to buy this one!

Guys posting... this thread was started to show the original box art cars that Revell / Monogram commissioned folks to build to be photo graphed for the new kit box art. It's cool that folks are posting models, but please let us know if you built the kit for the box for the manufacturer, or if you built the kit to match the box.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[Tom Geiger]

Tom IIRC you will not find a #43 Dodge NASCAR truck box.....never made it to production. They killed the truck kits right before this.

There were only one or two Dodge kits......

Thanks for letting me know Dave! Interesting that the one vehicle there was no bidding interest in, and I stole for $5 opening bid, turns out to be the rarest one!

[tmathew1us]

Very cool topic!!

Do you have documentation that these are the original photo models? Might come in handy when proving provenance if you ever decide to sell them (I sound like a darn 1:1 car speculator writing something like that)

Just out of curiosity, what was an average price for one of these cars? If you are not comfortable telling, that's okay too.

[peter31a]

Hey, Tom. I'm just curious on the 25 Folgers car. The chassis on the box is red but the one in your pic is grey. Just wondering what you think might have happened. Mixed up with another kit they produced maybe?

[rmvw guy]

Finished the roadster this year. The other stock version a few years ago. I now have another to build in black like the box art.

[DaveM]

I love looking at these. I have several of the kits and I am always fascinated to see the actual models the boxes were based upon. It's great to see how many changes they airbrush in, and the tricks they use to make them so sharp on the boxes. The Deora is really neat with the contrasting treads.

The one car I am really starting to wonder about is the Tim Richmond Monte Carlo. The Folgers car sure was retouched! Color of the numbers went from gold to white. Decals were added. Even the alignment of the decals changes. (The yellow decal between "Holley" and "Champion" looks to move a lot closer to the tire, and the A.R.P. decal seems to move forward) With the aforementioned change of the chassis color, I wonder if there weren't multiple models used for that box art. Now, with photoshop, it would be easy to retouch and realign the decals and the like, but back in the '80s, it would have been a heck of a job. I remember doing a few promotions right around 1990 for a few short track cars. When they took the photographs of the cars, they had us leave off some of the stickers, since we needed artwork with a couple of different sponsors for the East and West races. I think the adjustment to the artwork ended up costing more than the extra money we made by splitting the sponsorships!

Really neat collection of box art models. Thanks for sharing them with us. (I love the panel truck too. Great colors!)

[Tom Geiger]

Very cool topic!!

Do you have documentation that these are the original photo models? Might come in handy when proving provenance if you ever decide to sell them (I sound like a darn 1:1 car speculator writing something like that)

Just out of curiosity, what was an average price for one of these cars? If you are not comfortable telling, that's okay too.

I don't have certificates or anything. Most of them came in Revell promo boxes, but the fact that they were sent by Revell from their archives to the museum. I wasn't worrying about selling them. People at the auction didn't really have interest in them. I bought maybe half of the ones sold, low end $5 for the Dodge truck, and I bowed out of the bidding at $30 on some. So I'd say top end was $50 maybe.

Hey, Tom. I'm just curious on the 25 Folgers car. The chassis on the box is red but the one in your pic is grey. Just wondering what you think might have happened. Mixed up with another kit they produced maybe?

I saw that after I posted too. There often are multiple cars used for the box art, and they did a lot of photo shop work too. The builder of the '59 Chevy PMed and said that specific model isn't the box art car, but was built for RM to display at trade shows. So now I know who built it and it's history. Box art vs trade show car, still used by RM for promo purposes, so I'll keep it in the collection. The Folgers car could've been something similar as well. Won't know unless someone in the know chimes in.

[jeffdeoranut]

On ‎5‎/‎11‎/‎2015 at 3:42 PM, Tom Geiger said:

continuing....

 

 

Once I saw the photos on the box, I realized that the model was built to come apart. So I took it apart for the below photo. The box art on the box top was a painting, as was the one on the '59 Chevy low rider kit.

 

 

 

 

I always loved the box on the 1954 Chevy sedan delivery kit. Probably built by the same builder as the '59 Low Rider, it also has no engine and the hood is glued shut. The kit engine was no doubt built separate and is the one shown on the box. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the box. Nor were the bumpers. I'm sure I have a few...

 

 

 

I need a better photo of the box, but here's the Monogram 1/24 scale Chevelle.

 

 

I wasn't able to find an example of the box for the Dodge Nascar series truck.

 

I have over 1000 kits and wouldn't ya know, I don't have the box for any of these! So I'll be looking out for them at future swap meets.

 

If anyone knows who built any of the above box art cars, please let me know!

did you ever find out about this truck...im looking for decals for any of the red/white 43 nascar truck

[Tom Geiger]

10 hours ago, jeffdeoranut said:

did you ever find out about this truck...im looking for decals for any of the red/white 43 nascar truck

 

On 5/11/2015 at 7:40 PM, Dave Van said:

Tom IIRC you will not find a #43 Dodge NASCAR truck box.....never made it to production. They killed the truck kits right before this.

Jeff- Dave's earlier post may answer your question.  I haven't done anything further with the truck

One addition to this thread -   The black Monogram Chevelle was used as our raffle car at NNL East a few years ago.  So we gave that one away!

[Bernard Kron]

AMT Trophy Series '40 Ford Tudor

[cobraman]

On 5/11/2015 at 1:48 PM, von Zipper said:

Here's one I built when it was reissued a few years ago .

I didn't know that kit could look so good.

[Snake45]

Just finished this one.

[Jantrix]

I bought this with plan of doing a box art build, I just haven't gotten to it yet.

 

[Deuces]

I also have it.... Very cool kit!...