Terrible Box Art

[Mark]

23 hours ago, Vince Nemanic said:

I read somewhere that the flower power boxes were meant to be put under a "black light". Can anyone confirm this?

 

Yes, the boxes do react to black light.  I remember trying it many years ago.  I used to call those kits the "head shop series".  AMT was probably trying to bag a few "craft shop" sales in addition to the collectors who knew what was in the boxes.  

The same decal sheet was used in all six kits in the series.  Seeing as how a couple of those cars are readily available in later issues, I wouldn't mind seeing them built and painted like the box art (except the colored tires of course)...

Edited January 1, 2021 by Mark
Spelling

[doorsovdoon]

On 12/31/2020 at 5:03 PM, unclescott58 said:

You indicated that you don't understand what's going on with all the airplanes on the book of the Che Riviera kit? The Havana Banana is part of the same joke. When these kits were release, a lot of U.S. planes where being hi jacked to Cuba. No extradition treaties. And security was almost nonexistent in U.S. airports at that time. This changed after serveral planes made non scheduled stops in Havana in the late 60's, early 70's.. 

The Beard of Pardise is the one that doesn't make as much sense to me. Why the old biplane? Still it's fun box art. 

Ah, right. These events were way before my time. I did some reading up on the situation and it makes sense now. Known as "The golden age of Hijacking!" It was so bad they considered building a fake airport!  If I said "Take me to Cuba" to a taxi driver today he'd have no idea what I'm on about, but apparently it was quite the joke back then! Crazy times.

[alan barton]

I wouldn't call this "Terrible Box Art", more like a little "whoopsie" that I spotted, probably because I have built three of the kits and have a real 29 roadster in the shed.  Check out the blue roadster on this Revell box.  On the side panel, everything is as it should be but on the main image on the front, it looks like someone knocked the windshield off during photography and then stuck it on BACK TO FRONT!

The bit I can't figure out is that the rear view mirror seems to be on the correct side of the glass  - Photoshop?

Cheers

Alan

[Captain Spaulding]

Was looking on Ebay tonight and found this, is that a spoiler or a shelving unit?

[Casey]

Ah, early '80s AMT/Ertl boxes. Talk about a shoestring budget...

[peteski]

While not attractive, at least those showed the photos of actual models. Sometimes what the box art depicts, and what the model looks like are 2 distinctly different things.

[Daddyfink]

On 1/16/2021 at 7:26 PM, Captain Spaulding said:

Was looking on Ebay tonight and found this, is that a spoiler or a shelving unit?

The box art is actually pretty cool. The side panel is a bit wacky, but that is what was in the kit. 

[iBorg]

On 1/2/2021 at 12:27 AM, alan barton said:

I wouldn't call this "Terrible Box Art", more like a little "whoopsie" that I spotted, probably because I have built three of the kits and have a real 29 roadster in the shed.  Check out the blue roadster on this Revell box.  On the side panel, everything is as it should be but on the main image on the front, it looks like someone knocked the windshield off during photography and then stuck it on BACK TO FRONT!

The bit I can't figure out is that the rear view mirror seems to be on the correct side of the glass  - Photoshop?

Cheers

Alan

Pretty easy to do if you're skilled in Photoshop.

 

[iBorg]

Concerning the MPC 1971 model kits, MPC had a whole series of Mild and Wild kits. If you'll google the Mild and Wild series you'll see some really disgusting examples. MPC had great success with the Zinger series and tried to recapture it with this series.

[alan barton]

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

[Oldcarfan27]

On 12/3/2017 at 6:56 PM, ToyLvr said:

Here's a photo of a built-up Premier kit of the Corvair (photo courtesy of Tom Geiger). This one looks like it was mastered by someone on LSD?

 

Uh Mike, you might want to check the pressure of your Corvair - I think it's over inflated!

[Oldcarfan27]

On 12/5/2018 at 1:22 PM, Daddyfink said:

Yup! But I don't think the box art was that bad.

And the other Lowrider was the '57

This one certainly wasn't bad art, it did what it was supposed to do. It made me want to buy one, even though I already KNEW how hard the kit was to build!

That's the exact opposite of "bad" box art.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Oldcarfan27

[slusher]

9 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

This one certainly wasn't bad art, it did what it was supposed to do. It made me want to buy one, even though I already KNEW how hard the kit was to build!

That's the exact opposite of "bad" box art.

Those old Revell kits was not easy to build..

[Daddyfink]

11 hours ago, alan barton said:

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

Bluetooth Frame Rails. It's the future! 

[Mike C.]

?

[Oldcarfan27]

14 hours ago, alan barton said:

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

Doesn't need one, the engine supports both ends! ?

[Claude Thibodeau]

On 2/22/2022 at 9:57 PM, alan barton said:

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

HI!

I built the car when it came out in the 60's, and I never noticed this snafu in the illustration... But it DID have a frame, I can report...

CT

[Sledsel]

On 2/22/2022 at 9:57 PM, alan barton said:

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

It is built like an old tractor.... the drive train is the frame.

[Modelbuilder Mark]

On 2/22/2022 at 8:57 PM, alan barton said:

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

Maybe this is what the airplane industry is referring to when they talk about "airframes". 

[Sledsel]

 

I grabbed one of these recently even though it looks all distorted on the box art. The roof looks kinda squashed and the entire car looks twisted.

After opening the box, I thought about using it as a donor kit for an MPC trans Am, but I have enough "projects" so I quickly traded it off. The body was a mess in my opinion and I was not gonna try to correct it..

 

[Oldcarfan27]

Enjoy these ones!:

Why did ERTL even bother, did anyone even buy these things?

Edited February 26, 2022 by Oldcarfan27

[Oldcarfan27]

From the ERTL "kitchen floor series", with the ever desirable distorted angles, badly finished details and the occasional wide track tires.

Honorable mention goes to this one for false advertising - putting an original annual on the box with an atrocious retooling inside. The kit would never even come close to looking like this!

[keyser]

Kitchen floor series. ????

[deuces wild]

On 2/22/2022 at 9:57 PM, alan barton said:

I think I mentioned this a long time ago but I just stumbled on the box art in my stash so checked to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

Question is, where is the frame rail?

 

[Mike C.]

On 2/26/2022 at 1:35 AM, keyser said:

Kitchen floor series. ????

?