Confessions of a kid modeler from the 'fifties; my life of 'model crime': read with caution (you may recognize yourself!)

[W Humble]

They say confession is good for the soul, and at age 77, I have to unburden myself to Mr. Revell, Aurora, Monogram, AMT, and all the others:  starting at age eleven, I began a secret sin of larceny against their companies!  It was the fault of 1.) living in a tiny, rural high-desert town in CA (so far north/east that it could have been in NV or OR just as easily!), and 2.) those darned coupons in the kit instructions that offered to replace any parts that were damaged, warped or MISSING!  Well, also 3.) I guess even a modeler can be a rotten kid?!  And me a Boy Scout!  Mea culpa -- maxima

I developed a bad habit of sending those coupons back asking for the 'missing' decal sheet from my kit -- and Messers. Revell, et al, kindly sending the sheets requested by return mail, no questions asked.  It gets worse; looking through my collection of vintage instruction sheets (late 1950's-on) I realized that I chiseled them out of a few chrome trees as well!  Now, I know none of you ever did this heinous  thing (though I thought our police chief would eventually come banging on my door, I couldn't stop; the goodies were just to tempting!) but perhaps someone out there who is without blame can give me absolution?  I'd sleep better!  If you won't tell what happens in confessional, I'll also admit that I still have some of those decal sheets in my files -- ooh, the shame of it.  I noted that the first one was from Revell's multi-piece 1956 Ford Convertible kit, and the last probably the orignial AMT 'Ala Kart', or that ilk.  Goes to show!  

So, they say confession must be followed by restitution, and since I doubt the kit guys want 60-year old decals back, I'll share some with you, my confessors.  Can't guarantee quality, but...   Gee, I feel like a new man!  What a load off my mind!  Still, it didn't stop the eleven-year old... remind me to tell you about the time I swiped a package of Schick injector blades for cutting styrene...  Wick

PS/ Actually, I felt so guilty swiping something I could buy for a buck that I risked getting caught AGAIN and snuck them back into the store and on the display!  

[Raoul Ross]

If I would'a known it was possible... yea I would'a done it too!

[GLMFAA1]

Somewhere in my stash is the AMT parts list where you could purchase certain parts from the kits during the 60's. It must have been you that caused them to go to a price list for the goodies. thanks. I mostly bought the cement blocks that came in the trophy kits. Had a fellow car builder that wanted to build a building with them. 

greg

[Mike C.]

Ha! I thought I was the only one who did that too. It all started in the 70s with a Peterbuilt kit. I can't remember the manufacturer. One of the chrome trees looked as though someone had splashed some kind of solvent all over it. It was legitimately ruined. I wrote a letter (remember those?) to the company, and they sent me a perfect replacement chrome tree. After that I began to think, I could do this again and again and fill my parts bin to the rafters. And that's just what I did. I did it with a decal sheet or two also. Now these days there are sellers on eBay that sell parted out kits, wheels, tires and decal sheets. Don't feel so bad. I probably cost them next to nothing to send you all that stuff. Today, you can pay for it if it makes you lose sleep.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Mike C.

[Claude Thibodeau]

Interesting crime, but I dout AG Garland decides to prosecute. I hear he has "bigger fishes" to fry. Oh well...

Speaking of old decals... I found at the bottom of my "vintage" decal box the very "hip" side panel decals that AMT included in the 68 Corvette kit, back when it came out. It looks like houndstooth pattern.  The support paper is yellow, mind you, but I could not resist testing one decal from the sheet, in lukewarm water. Wow, no tear, and it laid out perfectly.

So, I may try to put them on a 68 "Vette this fall. I wonder how many greay beard modelers like me (us?) will remember this feature of the kit?

CT 

[W Humble]

I got to looking at my small collection (haha) and discovered my newest year-of-mfr kit was the AMT '65 GTO HT that I converted to a replica of my own '65 Tempest Custom HT.  I bought it just for the purpose, and I guess all the other new kits are of OLD rides!  When my kids were humoring me into thinking I'd be passing the hobby down to them, we did Trans Ams, 4x4's, and other newer cars, but while they wouldn't find time to build a kit nowadays, they took them when they moved out!  Gees, I do feel ancient!  Let me know if you have really ancient decal needs; my box is varied but there some good looking ones.  Aside: even back in the early '60s, I thought that the 'grapics' that were supplied with the kits were about 70% really dorky, as far as someting you'd paint on a 1;1 car without getting the raspberry!  Wick