The best heritage model kit company was ______ , because_______. Rate the oldies makers!

[Straightliner59]

When I began building, fifty-odd years ago, I would have said AMT and MPC. I just liked the way they designed their kits. There were a handful of Revell kits I liked. Same with Monogram, but, like Trevor mentioned their stuff seemed mostly toylike, and often oversimplified. Still, their stuff I liked, I really liked:, especially Badman and California Street 'Vette. 

At some point in the mid-late '80s, a friend gave me a glue-bomb Long John, because "I'm never going to build it." The kit's passing resemblance to Romeo Palamides' dragster piqued my interest, so I cleaned it up and built it. I had a ball! That led me to covet another friend's glue-bomb Sizzler (at the time, none of the reissues had been done) so much, I asked him if I could build it for him. He acquiesced, and refused to take it, once I'd finished. I picked up a Sling Shot bagger for a buck at a swap meet, because I'd noted its resemblance to the Cook and Bedwell dragster. It was really those three models that led to the great love I have for Monogram's kits, today!

Besides the aforementioned three projects, I have also built a Drag Strip Hot Rod (not too long after its initial re-release), their Kurtis Kraft Indy Car (which, to my great amazement) placed fourth at GSL in 1997), the Midget, Don Edmonds Supermodified, 1926 Mack Dump Truck, and a Badman (twice-once in about 1973-4, the other was completed, earlier this year). There's just something deeply nostalgic in them, for me. I probably go more nuts with them, than some folks would feel is rational, but, a touch of "crazy" ain't such a bad thing! 😄

[Wickersham Humble]

Walter Chrysler had the inclination to rationalize both bodies and drive trains as early as the first consolidation of his companies; once he homogenized Dodge Bros. into the line-up, it was a done deal.  It saved MoPar a lot of money over the years in manufacturing tooling and inventories; something GM and even FoMoCo resisted more or less until the 'seventies!  No wonder once it was total, they axed Plymouth; only the franchised dealers cared much.  l

The '61 Plymouth/Dodge offerings were meant to be a big switch in visual interest; dropping the huge fins Virgil Exner hoped to create the image, if not substance, of a new styling phase, but they were so poorly received that he was bounced and Engel brought in.  His '62 Ply-Dodge wasn't a big hit either, style-wise, but if a person is being objective, they certainly presaged the long hood-short deck revival that was supposed to be the province of the first Mustangs!  Strangely, the '62 Plymouth wasn't a bad looking ride -- IF you didn't choose the two-door hardtop (or sedan); the ragtop and interestingly the station wagon were quite attractive.  The Dodge; it was just weird looking, and the '63 not much better; but they were fast and strong!

Even in '62, I thought the Plymouth would look better with the 1960-61 semi-bubble-top roof, so I built this one from a Revell kit.  I know JoHan made the same cars, promo-style, but the Revell iterations were really quirky inasmuch as they had funny wheels/tires (brake drums cast with black tire backs?), 'working torsion bars,' and severely under-scale B-blocks!  I used the roof (a bit too wide, oc) from my '60 Dodge hardtop, one of the homeliest cars ever built (IIM Humble O)) and forced it to fit the downsized '62 body.  Later, when all my kits, built and unbuilt, came out of storage after my Army stint (1969-70) in crushed condition, it got restored for nostalgia's sake.  I put in a slant-six (Hyper-Pak, of course, 225) and called it the Plymouth 'S-6' which featured asymmetrical hood scoop and trunk finlet, as Exner was supposed to have designed onto it, in the original.  It was a real salvage job, and I'm afraid it shows...  The Dodge 'Dragon' 413/ram two-seater, as well.

Wick     Old enough to know better!