need some help re: Revell 29 Ford

[BDSchindler]

I know people are familiar with the Revell 1/8th scale Big T but I am looking for one that was recently released.  The one I am looking for has the name "HARNEY" on the decal sheet for the license plate.

Here's why...

I was a former writer for Toy Cars and Models and The Car Room Magazines.  My standard column was reviewing 1/24th scale diecast cars and trucks as well as a number of Feature articles...one of which was on Revell-Monogram line of Creative Masters 1/20th scale Diecast Cars.  These were highly detailed for their time (early 80's to early 90's) and consisted of only 7 models in just a handful of liveries.  One of them was a Yellow 69 Z/28 Camaro that reportedly only 200 of them were done and sent to Germany.  This model drifted back into the US and some sold as high as $6,000.00 (I know someone who actually paid that much for it via Ebay).

Many collectors never knew anything about the line so there was this air of mystery about it.  Before long, many tales and stories of industrial espionage and outlandish stories started to rise out of the woodwork. Many dealers took a lot of advantage of the folklore and used it to bring in enormous amounts of money in secondary sales.  I loved the line and my thirst for it sent me on a fact-finding mission.

I did the research and found the 4 men that were the backbone of the line.  One of them was Roger Harney.  Roger started with Revell when he was very young and spent his entire working career with them spanning 57 years.  He started as a model builder just building models according to the directions to ensure there were no issues.  At the time of his death in 2014, he was the Sr. VP of Revell-Monogram Inc. in charge of Manufacturing and Tooling.  During his tenure, Roger was responsible for designing a majority of the models we all love in a variety of scales both military and nonmilitary.

Roger and I became fast friends and even though he was in Chicago and I was Maryland, we talked often mostly about nothing at all...just sharing a friendship, one that I miss tremendously.  Roger's wife sent the yearly Xmas card to my family and in it she enclosed a note that Revell did a 29 Ford Hot Rod and in the decal sheet, enclosed the name "HARNEY" as a tribute to the man that was a modeling legend.  But his wife never mentioned the scale so I am trying to find it.

The reason I pinpointed the 1/8th scale one was when the original Big T was designed, it was actually a fluke.  Roger was tasked with designing/building 1/8th scale engines kits for display and eventual Marketing when he mentioned to his then boss that it would be better if there was a complete car to go with it.  His boss told him there was no budget for the R&D to develop the car.

Roger being the ever creative modeler went home on that Friday and returned to work on Monday with the Big T Chassis and complete drive train totally and 100% scratch built.  The executives loved it so much that was immediately approved with the kit being released less than a year later.

When he told me this story, the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I built that model when I was younger and here, 45 years later, I was talking to the man that designed it.

Roger was one of the most kindest and generous men I ever knew.  I want to find this kit with the license plate name of "HARNEY" to build as a tribute to him and present it to his wife as my thanks for sharing her husband for so many years and bringing so much joy to so many people for so many years.  Without him in place, I doubt this hobby would be where it is today.

Edited December 5, 2015 by BDSchindler

[Ace-Garageguy]

The name "HARNEY" appears as one of the license tag decals in the just-recently-released 1/25 scale Revell '29 Ford...this one:

 

[BDSchindler]

Thanks Bill.  I appreciate it as I said, I had no idea of what scale so I just assumed it was 1/8th.

Edited December 5, 2015 by BDSchindler