AMT Mako Shark

[Snake45]

What Elvis movie did the Mako Shark appear in, painted red?

It wasn't the Mako Shark, it was the original Sting Ray.

http://www.corvettereport.com/corvette-timeline-tales-10-18-67-united-artists-premieres-elvis-presleys-new-film-clambake-featuring-elvis-pretty-girls-awful-songs-and-the-1959-stingray-racer/

[unclescott58]

It wasn't the Mako Shark, it was the original Sting Ray.

http://www.corvettereport.com/corvette-timeline-tales-10-18-67-united-artists-premieres-elvis-presleys-new-film-clambake-featuring-elvis-pretty-girls-awful-songs-and-the-1959-stingray-racer/

Okay, that makes sense. Plus I knew that the Sting Ray was painted red at some point. Was the movie the reason for that, I wonder? I know that was the reason for painting the Lincoln Futura red. So it showed up better on film, in the the movie It Started With a Kiss.

 

Edited July 27, 2016 by unclescott58

[unclescott58]

Whoops. I should have read the link Snake posted before I asked the question about painting the Sting Ray red for the movie. It states right in there, that's why it was done.

[mk11]

Hope this isn't too much of a digression 

[peteski]

Sharks do not have metallic-sheen scales.  They have skin.

The lower part of a shark would be light gray (as one of the earlier photos shows), not silver or metallic or color shifting. The article above confirms that.  I have the promo (assembled) model and the lower part is factory-sprayed silver, which as we know is incorrect.

[GLMFAA1]

Gee I always thought the story was that the fish in his office was a marlin and not a shark and they took the fish to match the colors instead of using shark colors.

greg

[mikos]

Great article!  Thanks for posting!  The top page pic of the car still looks modern even today, almost 60 years later.  

[PintoKING]

This kit, the Make-Shark II, NEEDS to be reissued!

It was last available in the late 1980s, as the (blue) "Custom Corvette', MPC kit #6359, with wider tires and rims.

[Rob Hall]

2 hours ago, PintoKING said:

This kit, the Make-Shark II, NEEDS to be reissued!

It was last available in the late 1980s, as the (blue) "Custom Corvette', MPC kit #6359, with wider tires and rims.

I built that 80s version as a teenager.  Would be nice to see it back in stock form w/ the correct wheels and tires.

[Mr. Metallic]

11 hours ago, GLMFAA1 said:

Gee I always thought the story was that the fish in his office was a marlin and not a shark and they took the fish to match the colors instead of using shark colors.

greg

The story I heard was the head of the project (sorry the name escapes me) said paint it to look like the fish/shark in my office and they tried several times to get it right and failed. So they stole the fish/shark and painted it to match the car. ?

[sfhess]

20 minutes ago, Mr. Metallic said:

The story I heard was the head of the project (sorry the name escapes me) said paint it to look like the fish/shark in my office and they tried several times to get it right and failed. So they stole the fish/shark and painted it to match the car. ?

That's the story I have heard.  Pretty sure the fish was hanging in Bill Mitchell's office.

[mikos]

5 hours ago, PintoKING said:

This kit, the Make-Shark II, NEEDS to be reissued!

It was last available in the late 1980s, as the (blue) "Custom Corvette', MPC kit #6359, with wider tires and rims.

Yes, I totally agree!

[Danno]

It was Bill Mitchell and his fish was stolen, painted to match the finished car, then returned to his office - without him being the least bit aware. Or so he let them believe. I've also heard he was fully aware of what they did - he was nobody's fool - and he actually admired their ingenuity, although he didn't let on.