Terrible Box Art

[Oldcarfan27]

13 hours ago, ChrisBcritter said:

"GET OFF THE TRACK YOU IDIOT!"

So funny! Puts the whole box art into perspective. 

[Sledsel]

On 6/18/2019 at 9:15 AM, Deathgoblin said:

Man, they didn't even try to get the top on that one correctly.    And that was the box art?!?

 

On 6/17/2019 at 10:56 PM, Trendsetta68 said:

Here's one for the ages.....

 

No windshield either

 

[BlackSheep214]

On 12/17/2020 at 2:05 PM, Sledsel said:

 

No windshield either

 

HA! Didn't notice that...

[NOBLNG]

On 6/17/2019 at 9:56 PM, Trendsetta68 said:

Here's one for the ages.....

 

Whoever retouched the photo has no better skills than the builder, or....maybe it was fine before the retoucher got ahold of it.

 

[Oldcarfan27]

And what designer at Monogram thought this series was a good layout, visually?

The award goes to them for the most dull, uninteresting box art of the century. Cars, while built clean, have unflattering angles and show the kits flaws, front and center. Some of them even look like they're falling off the grey table they're sitting on. None of them look like real cars.

Edited December 19, 2020 by Oldcarfan27

[Sledsel]

To be fair... no box art can save this kit

 

[Classicgas]

On 12/14/2020 at 11:55 PM, Casey said:

Sory...

Can this be built stock at all?

[TarheelRick]

On 12/17/2020 at 7:52 AM, BlackSheep214 said:

 

And how in blue blazes does one get into the car? One of the most ridiculous model kits ever produced.

Getting in may not be too difficult, but crawling out again after a couple hundred laps could prove interesting, got a feeling those pipes would be toasty.  Plus with the exhaust right outside the window, how is he going to talk with his crew-chief?  And with caution laps the carbon monoxide would be pouring in through the windows. Laughable box art at best.

[Erik Smith]

37 minutes ago, Classicgas said:

Can this be built stock at all?

I believe so - there are holes in the body for the, uh, wonderful go fast accessories, but the stock bumpers, grill, and wheels are included. 

[NOBLNG]

15 minutes ago, TarheelRick said:

Plus with the exhaust right outside the window, how is he going to talk with his crew-chief?

Even if he shut it down, his crew-chief would have to stick a bullhorn in his ear after he listened to those pipes for a few laps.

[tim boyd]

14 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

And what designer at Monogram thought this series was a good layout, visually?

The award goes to them for the most dull, uninteresting box art of the century. Cars, while built clean, have unflattering angles and show the kits flaws, front and center. Some of them even look like they're falling off the grey table they're sitting on. None of them look like real cars.

Interesting observations here.  If I had to hazard a guess (and I guess I will do just that) it may have been Monogram's major chain store clients that dictated this layout. rather than Monogram's art department. 

In the packaged goods industry generally, and more specifically for model car box art, there was often an attempt to depict model cars that were "jumping off the box top" within the typical department store narrow aisleways.  MPC's commercial art department began this approach in the late 1960's, but it spread throughout the industry at various stages in the  years to come.  And the direction to do so often came from the company's higher-ups rather than the Art Department personnel themselves.  

In talking to the industry's executive teams about the days (years, decades) prior to WalMart dropping all model kits, it is still surprising to me to learn just how much of what we were given as model car builders was dictated by the major retailers rather than the model companies alone. 

Even when I went to interview with Monogram's President Tom Gannon in 1978, he had little interest in my model car building achievements; it was my school record and work experience that had prompted him to take the time for the interview.  When it was all said and done, he told me to go work for K-Mart (the WalMart of the hobby industry back then) for three years and then I'd have a job waiting at Monogram.   Another words, learning the retail industry was far more important to him and Monogram than what skills I could bring to Monogram as a accomplished model builder at the national level back then. (FWIW, I had little interest in learning the retail big box store business, so I passed, and went to work for Ford 35 years instead.  Ironically, Monogram's Bob Johnson ended up doing much of what I would have advocated had I ended up working there, and he did a great job of it too. So in the end, everything kinda worked out for the best fore everybody....)

TIM   

Edited December 19, 2020 by tim boyd

[foghorn62]

47 minutes ago, tim boyd said:

(FWIW, I had little interest in learning the retail big box store business, so I passed, and went to work for Ford 35 years instead. 

Good choice Tim!

[1972coronet]

This is the first that I'm seeing of those (terrible , quasi-dimensional) Monogram box art "designs"... they're even worse than the c.1990 kits' artwork (perhaps even a modification thereof ?). 

Horrible box art notwithstanding , I'd take that 1/12 scale 1969 Camaro again ! Oh , and for the fact that they were at least made in the USA still...

[Brian Austin]

I think these boxes were designed to appeal to the modeler's mother rather than the kid himself.  :-)  These were toys, after all.

 

Also, I think some of you are confusing box art with the overall theme of the kit itself, two separate entities.

[AMT68]

Great thread and an interesting look back at model car history. For me personally getting back into the hobby the last two years after decades being inactive with the hobby I've enjoyed purchasing some of the vintage kits I'd had when I was young. And it doesn't matter whether or not the box art is very good as it's provided a sense of nostalgia. That being said I've never seen a good deal of these and it's hard to believe they were produced in such a fashion. But oddly enough I do like some of them notably Revell's Nomad wagon on the beach. 

As for that unappealing   Buick Century stock car I guess Lindberg thought it had a winner and did a Grand Prix. But then that's more of a kit content matter. 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by AMT68

[Captain Spaulding]

2 hours ago, AMT68 said:

Great thread and an interesting look back at model car history. For me personally getting back into the hobby the last two years after decades being inactive with the hobby I've enjoyed purchasing some of the vintage kits I'd had when I was young. And it doesn't matter whether or not the box art is very good as it's provided a sense of nostalgia. That being said I've never seen a good deal of these and it's hard to believe they were produced in such a fashion. But oddly enough I do like some of them notably Revell's Nomad wagon on the beach. 

As for that unappealing   Buick Century stock car I guess Lindberg thought it had a winner and did a Grand Prix. But then that's more of a kit content matter. 

 

 

 

 

When I first saw the pics of those kits I was like why is there a table on the trunk lol.

[AMT68]

54 minutes ago, Captain Spaulding said:

3 hours ago, AMT68 said:

 

When I first saw the pics of those kits I was like why is there a table on the trunk lol.

Yeah exactly...lol. The big cat coughing up the Cougar is pretty hilarious too. 

[Erik Smith]

On 12/14/2020 at 9:55 PM, Casey said:

Sory...

So I couldn’t resist this awesome model and bought one. The weird thing is, not only is it ugly, but the kit itself is weird. It measures out to 1:40 scale, dwarfed by the Lindberg 1/32 Charger, which, based on wheelbase, is exactly 1:32. The wheel openings, though, are roughly the same size as the Charger. If anybody wants all the “Stock Car” parts, I won’t be using them, although the side pipes are alluring. 
Oh, we will see what can be done with it...

[Classicgas]

Is it buildable as a factory stock?

[doorsovdoon]

Awesome kit, terrible box art! The T-Bird of Paradise. I can understand some kits like the Squad Rod and Fuzz Duster looking like a toy to maybe appeal to a younger audience, but this? who is it being marketed to? The car is from the early 70's, way too expensive and new a car to 'hippy it up' and just plain naff in any other time. What happened in the meeting when they came up with this? I would love to know what decisions were made and the reasoning they came up with it! The poor thing looks like it's racing away from it's owners as fast as it can, "I'm outa here" Lol

[Mike999]

3 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

The poor thing looks like it's racing away from it's owners as fast as it can, "I'm outa here" Lol

? I've also wondered about that goofy "Bird of Paradise" theme.  Maybe it was just an attempt to be eye-catching by any means possible. And it ties into the general "psychedelic" vibe of 1971, I guess

I did a quick search on AMT box art for 1971.  Another big "personal luxury" car, the '71 Chevy Monte Carlo, was shown on the drag strip doing a wheel-stand.  That seems about as likely as the paint job on the B.O.P.  '71 T-Bird. 

And here's another wheel-stander from 1971, the "Wonder Pony" '71 Pinto with a 429 engine.  It'll be a "wonder" if it doesn't explode into pieces halfway thru the quarter-mile...

[1972coronet]

1 hour ago, Mike999 said:

And here's another wheel-stander from 1971, the "Wonder Pony" '71 Pinto with a 429 engine.  It'll be a "wonder" if it doesn't explode into pieces halfway thru the quarter-mile.

Perhaps more frightening is how the front wheels --spindle-mount , nonetheless-- are clocked ! There goes the front suspension , oil pan , etc. , etc. 

That Bird Of Paradise 1971 Thunder-Lincoln does appear as though it's trying to hide . Maybe it's on a bad trip and it got The Fear ?

[Erik Smith]

On 12/27/2020 at 6:35 AM, Classicgas said:

Is it buildable as a factory stock?

I would say, sort of, Lee. There are holes to fill where the “Stock Car” parts attach. The stock and “Stock Car” chrome sprues are both in the box. Interior appears to be just a stock interior. Glass is stock. 

I say sort of because the wheel openings appear way too large, so maybe this kit always had this issue or they changed it for the “Stock Car” kit. 

[Rob Hall]

The stock version of the Buick was reissued in the 90s by Lindberg, with pretty awful box art also.  The Grand Prix, Grand Am, and El Camino were reissued also IIRC..

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Rob Hall

[doorsovdoon]

That Buick looks like it's had a catastrophic failure of brakes and wheel bearings and cant stop.