Birth Year for model cars ?

[MrObsessive]

I did some digging and I ran across this............

They say it's a '53 and it was called the Firebird It Looks a lot like that model kit.

[unclescott58]

52 minutes ago, gtx6970 said:

Anyone know anything about this one? Seller says it was made in 1958 . The is the 1st Ive seen or heard of this one.

Actually wouldn't mind having one for myself .

The above is GM's Firebird XP-21, later known as Firebird I, turbine car from 1953. This the first I've ever known of a plastic kit of the car. Very, very cool. I wonder if the molds still exist? And if they do, who might have them? I've never heard of Paragon before this, either. 

[gtx6970]

I'm familiar with and have seen the 1/1 in person ( all 3 actually Firebirds 1 , 2 and 3 )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_Firebird#Firebird_I

And I was pretty sure  the car was earlier than late 50s which is what had me wondering on the actual release date of the kit.Provided the kit is legit .

 

here is another picture. It looks more like its vacuum formed plastic  than injected stryene

Edited July 5, 2018 by gtx6970

[SfanGoch]

Read the history of Berkley Models

 

I actually remember Berkley Models. They were still available at toy and candy stores and discount shops in the neighborhood like J.J. Newberry's, John's Bargain Store, Cheap Charlie's, George's Variety Store, Ted's Stationery, Jam's Stationery and Eddie's Junk Shop into the mid-late '60s. I had the Firebird, and let me tell you, it burned rubber using those CO2 cartridges. Disintegrated when it hit a curb; but, cool while it lasted.

Edited July 5, 2018 by SfanGoch

[Motor City]

4 hours ago, gtx6970 said:

As a boxed kit.?

Im familiar with the promo of that car . Warped and all

There was a kit on evilbay that sold for over $100 within the past year.  I forgot to copy/paste the photos into a Word document.

[mr moto]

The Berkeley kits are an interesting bit of history but they had carved balsa bodies and that wasn't unique. It was really the "state of the art" before molded plastic came along.

On the AMT '58 Edsel box, note that while the other kits are identified as "Ford Fairlane", "Pontiac Bonneville", etc. the Edsel just says Edsel and the kit itself doesn't have a model name script on the front fender. 1958 was Edsel's first year in existence and I'll bet that the kits were tooled up before FoMoCo marketing settled on all the model names. It appears to be a Pacer, I think.

[unclescott58]

3 minutes ago, mr moto said:

The Berkeley kits are an interesting bit of history but they had carved balsa bodies and that wasn't unique. It was really the "state of the art" before molded plastic came along.

On the AMT '58 Edsel box, note that while the other kits are identified as "Ford Fairlane", "Pontiac Bonneville", etc. the Edsel just says Edsel and the kit itself doesn't have a model name script on the front fender. 1958 was Edsel's first year in existence and I'll bet that the kits were tooled up before FoMoCo marketing settled on all the model names. It appears to be a Pacer, I think.

You are correct. It would be a Pacer. Ranger and Corsair did not offer a convertible. And the Citation convertible looked different. With much more elaborate cove trim and the bigger Mercury shared body shell. 

[Art Anderson]

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9 hours ago, MrObsessive said:

That's the first I've ever of that one too as a plastic kit! I've seen resins, and now i have to wonder if this is where they were able to get the castings from.

The year is correct as that would be the Firebird III(?) for '58. The original Firebird a couple years earlier was a bit different.

EDIT:

Correction.............this would be the Firebird III one-off for '58.....

Not quite sure what the above is supposed to be..........

 

Bill,  the model kit shown above is GM's Firebird I, which made its debut in 1953  The car in this picture is the GM Firebird III, which made it's debut in 1959 on the GM Motorama Circuit.   GM's Firebird II is now in the permanent collection of the Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn MI.  Saw it, took this shot of it back in late March--BTW, it's freakin' LARGE too!

Art