Finding some “old” kits

[fordf-100]

I have been organizing some of my models to try and make some more room for all the great kits that will be out soon and I came across these kits that I got from a very good friend and a great modeler when he passed several years ago. Dave had some of the coolest stuff I have ever seen, his main focus was trains and boy he had some awesome stuff! So I just thought I would post these kits cause I think they are really cool from the box art to the way the kits are made. Let me know what you guys think of these! 
 

my favorite is the west Kraft super jeep, it is missing some parts but I think it is cool! It has the tires molded in a hard material not sure what it is, the instructions say copyright 1943 so I’m not sure when it was made. It came with olive drab dope and glue and precut parts!

the bazooka came in the mail with the 3 cent stamp! It just is some dowel rod and a few other parts! 
 

the ez Kraft jeep is pre cut and the tires are cardboard that are multiple parts, I didn’t want to open the bags that Dave put these in so as not to loose anything.

the amphibian jeep is also an ez Kraft pre cut kit, I didn’t want to open it up as it is wrapped in wax paper!

I just thought these are really cool and wanted to share them and see what you guys think!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Really cool. I've never seen any of those before. I'm a sucker for old kits of just about anything mechanical.  

[Mark]

All of those were made during the Second World War.  Prior to about 1950, there were few, if any, plastic model kits.  When they did appear, they took a while to catch on, as older modelers dismissed them as unassembled toys.  To them, real model making required working with wood and sometimes metal.  Of the companies we are familiar with, Monogram hung in with wood in some kits the longest, the last ones going away in the early Sixties.

Model kits were made of wood back then.  They didn't change much during the war, as wood and cardboard to produce them was still readily available.  Other hobbies were affected.  For example, Lionel trains were not produced during the war because they were made of steel, and all of that was commandeered for the war effort.  Lionel did produce a non-powered train set made up of cardboard and wood items.  Those turn up at toy and train shows from time to time.

Had model kits been made of molded plastic as they are now, the steel tooling that would have existed then might have been seen as non-essential and melted down so it could be repurposed for war materiel.

[fordf-100]

10 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Really cool. I've never seen any of those before. I'm a sucker for old kits of just about anything mechanical.  

These are really cool models, I have been thinking of making a copy the west kraft jeep and try to cut out my own and build it! I thing it would be pretty easy to trace all the precut parts and transfer them onto wood or even plastic. The wheels might be a little hard for me to cast but I might be able to find an old toy that the wheels would work. My friend Dave had some really cool old kits , my favorite was a Monogram B-17 that was mostly wood and had some red plastic engine cowling and props along with some other stuff in plastic, it was from a little later I guess since it had plastic parts but it was really cool! I would like to have gotten that kit but it was very pricey! Dave was an old time modeler who was really skilled and was into a lot of things, he had a neat little shop in his basement with a couple small lathes and a small mill and just was very talented at making stuff. His son lives there now and does some really good restorations on cars and bikes.

[fordf-100]

10 hours ago, Mark said:

All of those were made during the Second World War.  Prior to about 1950, there were few, if any, plastic model kits.  When they did appear, they took a while to catch on, as older modelers dismissed them as unassembled toys.  To them, real model making required working with wood and sometimes metal.  Of the companies we are familiar with, Monogram hung in with wood in some kits the longest, the last ones going away in the early Sixties.

Model kits were made of wood back then.  They didn't change much during the war, as wood and cardboard to produce them was still readily available.  Other hobbies were affected.  For example, Lionel trains were not produced during the war because they were made of steel, and all of that was commandeered for the war effort.  Lionel did produce a non-powered train set made up of cardboard and wood items.  Those turn up at toy and train shows from time to time.

Had model kits been made of molded plastic as they are now, the steel tooling that would have existed then might have been seen as non-essential and melted down so it could be repurposed for war materiel.

Mark thanks for the info on these kits, I kind of thought they were from the war but I wasn't sure they would have been producing anything like this even out of wood during the war but I guess it was a good "moral" boost for the young kids at home! 

[stitchdup]

You can still get these type of kits new. I've mostly seen them in shops that sell knick knacks or tousit trap type shops or even the gadget shop. I've got one that builds into a vintage car but its a slot together one and i've seen a fair few older style trains built by other people. They seemed pretty popular during the first pandemic christmas on this side of the pond but seem to have faded away again now. The ones for boats still seem popular but those are much more advanced and detailed. I quite fancy getting the viking ship one cos it would make for a great "up helly aa" diorama. I can remember seeing the older wooden ones that werea block of wood, axles and wheels in shop when i was a kid too and I'm only in my 40s, but when i was kid the local shops didn't take unfashionable toys off the shelfs, they stayed until they sold so dinky cars from the 50s could still be bought new too. But the islands weren't as connected in them days so things came on a need before want basis

[bobss396]

Being largely flat stock, those would be a cinch to 3D print or machine from plastic or thin aluminum stock.

[TonyK]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing.

[Mark]

That amphibious Jeep would be interesting to build.  Some of the real ones were built by Studebaker.  They tore up parts of their proving grounds to add areas in which to test the capabilities of these vehicles.

[BlackSheep214]

Oh very nice find! As Ace mentioned... I've never seen those before. I am curious on the copyright year in that cool kit.

Oh yeah... any chance that tube of glue still good? ROFL!!!!

[fordf-100]

17 minutes ago, BlackSheep214 said:

Oh very nice find! As Ace mentioned... I've never seen those before. I am curious on the copyright year in that cool kit.

Oh yeah... any chance that tube of glue still good? ROFL!!!!

I was going to wrap the glue in some plastic but then I figured its not going to leak!  Actually I looked last night and there were a couple of the EZ Kraft Jeeps on ebay, I was surprised when I saw them!

[Bainford]

Very cool old kits. Interesting stuff, thanks for sharing.

[Snake45]

4 hours ago, Mark said:

That amphibious Jeep would be interesting to build.  Some of the real ones were built by Studebaker.  They tore up parts of their proving grounds to add areas in which to test the capabilities of these vehicles.

Tamiya has a plastic kit of that, I believe. 

https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/135-military-miniature/ford-gpa-amphibian-4x4-truck/

[hedotwo]

Cool stuff, thanks for sharing!

[Bainford]

How many kits have you seen with instructions on how to make your own glue pot?

[fordf-100]

On 12/19/2023 at 11:13 AM, Bainford said:

How many kits have you seen with instructions on how to make your own glue pot?

Yeah could you imagine the lawsuits if that were on instructions today? Sharp edges and hot light bulbs, what a combination!

[milo1303s]

Very Cool !! 

[Joe Handley]

That amphibious Jeep looks like it would be built using modern plastic stock without too much effort!