A Little Fun With The Green Hornet

[Tom Geiger]

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!

[GMCMAN52]

I love old Monogram kits form the 60's and the box art as well. I never thought of using the frame under any other old Ford bodies. Thanks for the heads up.

Your store display is killer always on the hunt for one but never close.

When I lived in Chgo in the early 60's my Aunt worked for Monogram and I always got Monogram kits for Xmas, B-Days, boy do I miss them days

[Tom Geiger]

My first build on the Green Hornet chassis was a mash up with the AMT Beverly Hillbillies Truck.  So I call it the Beverly Hills Hornet (not all that clever!). Everyone ditches the plastic two part tires that Monogram put in the last release, so I used the tires and mags from the Hillbillies truck.  The engine and body are the custom pieces from that kit as well.  The exhaust is from the drag boat in the Model King 1970 Pontiac convertible kit. It just worked so well!   That's the Tom Trementano stock build in the background.  

The Green Hornet chassis adapts well to any build.  I will warn you that this old kit does have some age issues. There are sink marks on things like the kit's radiator shell and the length of the frame rails.  But we're big boys and can fix that stuff!  I did away with a lot of chrome on this build.  Oh, the grille shell is the BH unit cut down a bit, and since the headlights are fender mounted in that kit, I attached them to the shell.

Yes I did add a passenger seat. That's from a second kit since it only comes with one seat.  The back is the Jethro's hotrod bed. And since I eliminated the kit's fuel tank, I made one and put it on the bed.  That's nothing more than a piece of Evergreen tube with plastic disks on the ends and a gas cap from my parts box. It was then covered with Alclad. 

Here's a typical modern build that was done by Mike Havranek of New Jersey. Mike passed away a few years ago and I bought this nicely built Hornet from his estate.  Like most contemporary builds on this kit,  Mike chose his own tire / wheel combo and ditched the fenders. He then built the rest of the kit stock, choosing his own color and wiring the engine for a very tasteful.

Chassis view on Mike's build.

 

Ha! This is the body from my first post. You knew i just had to build this one. When I built the BH Hornet, I used the Tom Trementano chassis for my mock ups.  On this one I used the BH Hornet.  

Just to add some interest, I continued the chassis's lightening hole theme onto the pickup bed. The holes in the rear will hold tail lights from the custom version of the Beverly Hills Truck kit.  This one will be a blue theme, and will have it's own chassis.  I've picked out the Ford flathead from the Monogram Pie Wagon for this one.   Of course it's not finished!  

And why not??  Since I already had the AMT 29 Ford pickup / woody kit on the bench I started to fiddle with the woody body as well.

 

So it was a little long.  We can take care of that easy on this box on wheels.  I cut out enough to get the wheelbase where I wanted. 

And here's the shortened body. Note that I didn't shorten the roof, I thought the sunsun visor effect was cool so I left well enough alone.  I have no idea of what the chassis / engine will be on this one.  I had a thought of taking this and the pickup, and having them share one chassis,  like a Switchers theme.  I'd display the finished model with one body on the chassis and the other on saw horses. Yea someday!    

I always like seeing what folks have done with this kit.  Many people dismissed it as an early simple kit. So I'm hoping to open a few eyes here.  I still find them at shows cheap, and I always buy them.  

Soooo.... what's your take on the Green Hornet?

 

Edited October 23, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[StyreneDestinations]

Maybe bob that pick up box off a little shorter- I love that look.  Here's my 1/16 Minicraft Rat Trap done that way.

[wayne swayze]

Kinda ironic...I found one today at my fav. hobby shop. The box was open..everything was there, but the chrome moon discs were scratched, and I wasn't pleased that the tires were 2 piece. So I put it down and walked away. Reminds me of a T.V. commercial where the women did just that, and when they returned, the item wasn't there.

[BIGTRUCK]

Nice stuff Tom

[Ace-Garageguy]

Does look like fun. 

[Tom Geiger]

Kinda ironic...I found one today at my fav. hobby shop. The box was open..everything was there, but the chrome moon discs were scratched, and I wasn't pleased that the tires were 2 piece. So I put it down and walked away. Reminds me of a T.V. commercial where the women did just that, and when they returned, the item wasn't there.

The wheel thing goes two ways.  Most of the builds I see today have different wheels and tires on them. The kit axles have big nubs sticking out of them for that wheel to attach.  You will need to cut those off and figure out another way to mount modern wheels on the axles.

You can see the way the wheels attach on the front end. I cut those off and inserted a piece of brass wire the same size as a wire axle instead.

And as far as the large wheel discs... here's where I used a set of those.  An interesting discovery... I found that these discs fit right into the Monogram tires with the white wall inserts.  I took the tires from a 1959 Chevy Convertible kit and the discs popped right in where the white plastic disk would!

Wayne, if that kit had scratched wheel covers,  I have a few nice sets.  I'd be happy to send you one.

[wayne swayze]

Thanks very much Tom, but I have to wait until next week before I go back to the HS , and hope it's still there! I'll let you know.

[charlie8575]

That wagon is kinda cool. 

I say go with that.

Charlie Larkin