AMT Annual kits

[Tom Geiger]

Back when we were kids, the traditional new car model debuts were in September for the next year's models.  The new models were carefully hidden away until a certain date, and unveiled to much fanfare and excitement.  I remember that as a kid.  That magic is gone today.  New cars come out whenever a manufacturer gets them to market, and the only way you know a new one has been released is that you see them on the dealer lot.

Annuals, by the very definition, are car kits issued in the year of the car's manufacture.  I don't consider the reissues, like the eternally released 1964 Chevy to be an 'annual'.   Generally the annuals were financed by the new car manufacturers ordering promotional models.  That gave the model companies an 'official' relationship with the car companies, so they benefitted by getting early releases of engineering drawings. The promos needed to be in the dealers hands prior to the new car release.  The subsequent model cars were generally on the market the same time the new cars debuted.   That made it exciting for kids as well. And the auto manufacturers were smart enough back then to realize that us kids were the next generation of customers for them.

The kit manufacturers would release the hardtop kits in September or so.  Then once the excitement cooled down, and all the kids had the kits, they'd do some kind of mid-year release.  Sometimes a convertible, sometimes another variation of the kit to get us excited all over again.  For instance the Revell 1962 glitter cars were that year's mid-year release.  

Then the tooling for say the 1962 car would be recut to become the 1963 promotional model. And then it went through the cycle of kit productions, until it was again needed to produce the 1964 promotional model.  You will find a lot of commonality between these  annuals since they are from the same tooling modified from year to year.  And as such, the collectibility of the annual is high because it was only available one season.   Then there would be times that lets say the 1:1 car changed dramatically, and that justified cutting a brand new tool.  So for instance, the 1965 Chevy was quite different from the 1964, so the 1964 tooling was put aside and a new tool was created for the 1965 car.  So by circumstance that 1964 tool survived and is available to crank out kits today.   So I'd call an original 1964 model an "annual"  and the subsequent versions issued over the years "reissues"  or even "regular kit line" since they've appeared in the yearly line up  on a regular basis.

There were also annuals that the tooling wasn't used for the next year's car that went different directions.  For instance that 1965 Chevy tool did indeed become the 1966 car.  But that tool was set aside and a new tool was done for the 1967 Chevy.  The 1966 tool was then considered obsolete, so the model company modified it into a stock car to make it desirable again, to pull more money out of that tooling investment.  So the 1965 and 1966 Chevy annuals are sought after today as one year cars.

Edited October 28, 2015 by Tom Geiger

[gtx6970]

 

Very good synopsis. Thanks for sorting  that out. This all makes me wonder where do the "frictions" fit in all of this?

This is only a guess on my part.

But I think the frictions were another way for manufacturers to get more mileage out of tooling . I have been told by several higher end promo collectors/dealers and all have told me friction cars were sold in the secondary market ( not dealerships )

In MOST cases frictions differed from true dealer promos in color combinations exclusive to frictions, As an example. a true 1969 Plymouth GTX promotional will be all one color ,, ( blue with blue interior  as an example ,,,, where as  A friction chassis 1969 GTX will be blue exterior but will have either a white or sometimes grey interior )  I've never seen a friction chassis 1969 GTX where the exterior and interior were like colors .

[Art Anderson]

Back when we were kids, the traditional new car model debuts were in September for the next year's models.  The new models were carefully hidden away until a certain date, and unveiled to much fanfare and excitement.  I remember that as a kid.  That magic is gone today.  New cars come out whenever a manufacturer gets them to market, and the only way you know a new one has been released is that you see them on the dealer lot.

Annuals, by the very definition, are car kits issued in the year of the car's manufacture.  I don't consider the reissues, like the eternally released 1964 Chevy to be an 'annual'.   Generally the annuals were financed by the new car manufacturers ordering promotional models.  That gave the model companies an 'official' relationship with the car companies, so they benefitted by getting early releases of engineering drawings. The promos needed to be in the dealers hands prior to the new car release.  The subsequent model cars were generally on the market the same time the new cars debuted.   That made it exciting for kids as well. And the auto manufacturers were smart enough back then to realize that us kids were the next generation of customers for them.

The kit manufacturers would release the hardtop kits in September or so.  Then once the excitement cooled down, and all the kids had the kits, they'd do some kind of mid-year release.  Sometimes a convertible, sometimes another variation of the kit to get us excited all over again.  For instance the Revell 1962 glitter cars were that year's mid-year release.  

Then the tooling for say the 1962 car would be recut to become the 1962 promotional model. And then it went through the cycle of kit productions, until it was again needed to produce the 1963 promotional model.  You will find a lot of commonality between these  annuals since they are from the same tooling modified from year to year.  And as such, the collectibility of the annual is high because it was only available one season.   Then there would be times that lets say the 1:1 car changed dramatically, and that justified cutting a brand new tool.  So for instance, the 1965 Chevy was quite different from the 1964, so the 1964 tooling was put aside and a new tool was created for the 1965 car.  So by circumstance that 1964 tool survived and is available to crank out kits today.   So I'd call an original 1964 model an "annual"  and the subsequent versions issued over the years "reissues"  or even "regular kit line" since they've appeared in the yearly line up  on a regular basis.

There were also annuals that the tooling wasn't used for the next year's car that went different directions.  For instance that 1965 Chevy tool did indeed become the 1966 car.  But that tool was set aside and a new tool was done for the 1967 Chevy.  The 1966 tool was then considered obsolete, so the model company modified it into a stock car to make it desirable again, to pull more money out of that tooling investment.  So the 1965 and 1966 Chevy annuals are sought after today as one year cars.

Actually Tom,  New annual series kits were never introduced in September of any year that I can remember, simply because "New Car" introductions, in the 1960's and early 70's didn't happen until early October extending to perhaps the first week in November, every year. Even the dealer promotional models generally didn't show up for at least a few weeks after the new models were in showrooms (my experience).  In addition, through most of the 1960's (the heyday of what we call "Annual Series Kits" now), generally speaking, and for whatever reason, if there was a convertible kit to be released, invariably that came first, before the hardtop (again speaking from personal experience, haunting as I did our large LHS back in the late 50's/early 60's, then working there from 1964-73).

In truth, nearly every year (the 1958 kits from AMT--who started all of this--did not start hitting hobby shop shelves until April or May, convertibles first, hardtops about 3-4 weeks later) of annual kits through the 1960's did not start hitting the stores until late December or into January (on occasion, an annual kit might not have made it to stores until February).  Also, Revell's 1962 Chrysler Corp. model kits weren't really "Annual Kits", as they were done independently by Revell, not seeing store shelf-space until very late summer of 1962, and were not derived from promotional models as was the case with AMT, JoHan and later, MPC--they were "free standing" kits.

As for "regrinding" existing tooling to make "next year's model", that really didn't happen, except in cases where the only styling changes were in the form of say, a few bits of different chrome trim, new scripts etc.  That's simply because injection molding tooling for such mass runs was then, and generally still is, steel which when finally approved as a model kit die is hardened.  To weld up any major portion of a tool section for regrinding into a seriously different shape is at best risky.    That's where tool planning came in:  Lay out the tool base with cavities for accepting smaller inserts, which could be put in place for production, then removed, and an updated insert installed--that still happens in plastic model kit tooling and production.

Art

[Art Anderson]

This is only a guess on my part.

But I think the frictions were another way for manufacturers to get more mileage out of tooling . I have been told by several higher end promo collectors/dealers and all have told me friction cars were sold in the secondary market ( not dealerships )

In MOST cases frictions differed from true dealer promos in color combinations exclusive to frictions, As an example. a true 1969 Plymouth GTX promotional will be all one color ,, ( blue with blue interior  as an example ,,,, where as  A friction chassis 1969 GTX will be blue exterior but will have either a white or sometimes grey interior )  I've never seen a friction chassis 1969 GTX where the exterior and interior were like colors .

There were two distinct markets, by perhaps 1951-52 for those promotional models:  First the new car dealerships, and second, the toy trade.  In order to make their promotional model car business truly profitable (and the story of say, AMT Corporation is, they bumped along, trying to eke out enough profit just to stay alive in their years before they hit on the 3in1 kit concept), AMT began pitching their promotional model cars to toy wholesalers.  It's hard to believe today, but 60 years ago, the bulk of the toy business was in the hands of not the big chains, but independently owned toy stores, who bought most of their merchandise from wholesalers, just as the vast majority of LHS's do today.   In order to give some variety to their rather small assortment of available product, AMT molded those in a variety of colors, and to give them more play value, added flywheel (AKA "friction") motors to their chassis, most generally at the front axles.  When JoHan came along in 1955, they did the same, as had Product Miniatures Company about 1953.  By 1954, all three companies were dabbling in giving those toy store flywheel cars two-tone color schemes, keyed to actual colors used on the real cars.  Product Miniatures went the other two a big step farther though:  They hit on the idea of doing (for such brands of cars where interest could be generated), doing their promotional models up in a wide variety of colors, which had a dual effect:

In the 1950's, a large new car dealership might have 40-50 new cars on the lot, most were smaller, perhaps 10-15--now how best to show off the ever wider range of colors, and paint schemes available?  PMC did complete assortments for car dealerships that wanted them, of say, all the colors your new '54 Chevy could be had in, even two-tone color schemes.  All three companies did that, to some extent, in the assortments they marketed to toy stores & hobby shops (I spent many an allowance on flywheel models up through early 1958, before I discovered the new 3in1 Customizing Kits!).

Of course, by the middle 60's, two tone paint schemes were pretty much a thing of the past, as were the "spray-masked" two color interiors on promo's) so yes, there was a lot of variety there, body one color--interior another shade.  However, one thing I do remember:  Toy store "flywheel" model cars faded away in most places when model car kits of the same subjects came about.

Art

[StevenGuthmiller]

 if there was a convertible kit to be released, invariably that came first, before the hardtop

That makes more sense to me.

That explains why almost all of the earlier annual kits had convertible interiors in them.

Along with the fact that some of the tops on the earlier hardtops were not as nicely engraved as the rest of the body.

Some of them look as if they were almost an after thought.

 

Steve

[Snake45]

Art, I distinctly remember the new cars being introduced in September, usually around the third week, in the late '60s. I remember because September would always be an exciting time--new school year, new TV shows, and the new cars.

[Harry Joy]

This has been one of the single most educational threads I've seen on the forum so far - although I must admit I haven't gone more than 20 or so pages back in the general forum so far. (I'll have to wait for another hip replacement to work through the other 600+.) I searched several times for info on the AMT annuals and never got anything this good. Thanks folks, I'm learning much more than I thought I would!

[High octane]

This has been one of the single most educational threads I've seen on the forum so far - although I must admit I haven't gone more than 20 or so pages back in the general forum so far. (I'll have to wait for another hip replacement to work through the other 600+.) I searched several times for info on the AMT annuals and never got anything this good. Thanks folks, I'm learning much more than I thought I would!

Harry, there is a "wealth" of information on this forum, without a doubt.

[Casey]

It continued well into the '80s, as MPC was still producing promotional models of Chevrolets and other makes. MPC added a special band around their already-shrink-wrapped kits to let buyers know the kt was new for whichever model year was current. This also kept a bit of pressure on MPC to update the look and parts content of their kits, to ensure the '83 kit wouldn't look the same as the '82 kit.

[Mark]

Except, parts-wise, both MPC Cavalier kits are identical except for the dark tint clear parts (and color of the unplated parts) in the '83.  The Ford EXP and Toyota Supra (also '82 and '83 only) are also unchanged.

GM wanted a promo of that Type 10 Cavalier so that's the one MPC had to do...but that version wasn't around long.  After the first couple of years, the hatchback lost that unique front fascia, making the kit obsolete without an update that MPC apparently didn't think was worth doing.

[StevenGuthmiller]

It's my opinion that the true "annual era" began dying out in the very late 60s.

Prior to that, starting in the very early 60s, nearly every major make of car was represented in one form or another every year in a consecutive fashion.

My meaning is for instance, in 1962, whether you wanted to build a Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile or Cadillac, they were all represented.

Even a good number of the compacts.

To me, this is the biggest feature of an "annual", meaning that a particular make was changed to represent the real car on an annual basis for an extended period of time.

Granted, cars like the Chevrolet Impala continued it's "annual run" until well into the 70s, but by the time 1967 and 1968 rolled around, entire makes began dropping off of the radar, like Buick, Mercury and Plymouth.

 

It's my opinion that some of the cars pictured above, although offered in the same year as the real car, are not truly an "annual" due to the lack of real annual continuity.

The production of most "new" kits became way to sporadic to really be considered annuals.

 

Just my opinion.

 

 

 

Steve

 

[unclescott58]

26 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

It's my opinion that the true "annual era" began dying out in the very late 60s.

Prior to that, starting in the very early 60s, nearly every major make of car was represented in one form or another every year in a consecutive fashion.

My meaning is for instance, in 1962, whether you wanted to build a Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Dodge, Plymouth, Chrysler, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile or Cadillac, they were all represented.

Even a good number of the compacts.

To me, this is the biggest feature of an "annual", meaning that a particular make was changed to represent the real car on an annual basis for an extended period of time.

Granted, cars like the Chevrolet Impala continued it's "annual run" until well into the 70s, but by the time 1967 and 1968 rolled around, entire makes began dropping off of the radar, like Buick, Mercury and Plymouth.

 

It's my opinion that some of the cars pictured above, although offered in the same year as the real car, are not truly an "annual" due to the lack of real annual continuity.

The production of most "new" kits became way to sporadic to really be considered annuals.

 

Just my opinion.

 

 

 

Steve

 

I hate to disagree Steve. But, I see the big change as a move from AMT doing most of the Annuals and promos in the 60's. To MPC doing them in the 70's. Sure there were less. But interest in cars in general had declined as the the 70's wore on. The more I think about it. I guess the less I disagree with you Steve.  

[Erik Smith]

I kind of think of any kit that was made at the same time as the real car as an annual. A 1962 Tempest model that came out in 1962 is an annual. A 1960 Corvette model that came out in 2010 is not an annual. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

1 hour ago, Erik Smith said:

I kind of think of any kit that was made at the same time as the real car as an annual. A 1962 Tempest model that came out in 1962 is an annual. A 1960 Corvette model that came out in 2010 is not an annual. 

I guess it all depends on how you look at it.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

Edited May 5, 2020 by StevenGuthmiller

[hedotwo]

On 10/28/2015 at 7:58 PM, Snake45 said:

Art, I distinctly remember the new cars being introduced in September, usually around the third week, in the late '60s. I remember because September would always be an exciting time--new school year, new TV shows, and the new cars.

I might have to agree with you about the late September release, although my school years were early sixties.  The grade school I went to in Madison was right next door to the local Chevy dealer and I would daily (after school) walk past the showroom hoping that the new cars would arrive.  We knew when they showed up because the dealership would go through the trouble to curtain all their large windows, holding off the unveiling after building some hype.  My dad would always take me there within the first week to try out the new "demonstrators".  Such great memories!