JO-HAN Molds?

[Mark]

I was just looking at some of my unbuilt Jo-Han kits the other day and other than the body, they are rather crude, even for those times.

But the body is what you see first, and that's where Jo-Han's stuff really shined. Some of the other parts they did were great, too:

-late Oldsmobile engine (so good that Ertl cribbed it for their '69 4-4-2 kit)

-426 Hemi engine (still one of the better ones out there)

-Boss 429 engine (the best one ever done)

-Logghe Brothers early funny car chassis (still the best one ever done IMO)

-Toronado front-drive unit (the focal point of those cars; Jo-Han took the trouble to do it right)

-Hurst mag wheels (again, the best ones out there)

-Firestone Drag 500 tires and slicks (only ones out there, but Jo-Han wasn't sticking dragster slicks in their pro stock kits!)

[Danno]

Dont think I am hating on Jo-Han, there are lot of Jo-Han kits I would like to get, but not paying the going rate, and I do have memory's as kid building the Caddy hearse /abmo kit, the Fury police car, the Caddy Eldorado kit, to me as a kid, they were good kits, and would love to get be able to do those over again.

Ahh, but you can, Grasshopper.

I know a very excellent source who happens to have them all.

Check for today's market prices.

[Casey]

And another funny thing is the address listed on the original box art, it said "17255 Moran, Detroit Michigan 48212" which is not Detroit at all-it's technically Hamtramck.

I noticed that when I Google mapped the address a few years ago. I think they may have listed "Moran Ave." as the road name, too, when it's Moran Street...unless that changed at some point?

Thanks for sharing that story, Chris.

[martinfan5]

Ahh, but you can, Grasshopper.

I know a very excellent source who happens to have them all.

Check for today's market prices.

I am pretty sure I know who the seller is you are talking about Chief , but I am not sure I can afford them right now , is there a lay-a-way plan available

[Draggon]

Funny how the Jo-Han threads keep reappearing. I loved the way the Jo-Hans sorta fell together, and looked very accurate. I've still got a Comet Pro Stock, an Olds Toronado, a 71 Javelin, an AMX, 62 Dart, 64 caddy, and the infamous 59 rambler wagon. Only the Comet, Javelin, and Dart are built. People must love these things as the prices on ebay are so high.

[Draggon]

Oh and I forgot about this

[Deathgoblin]

Not all of their kits were crude. Some of them were barely above promos, but then there were ones like the full detail Chrysler Turbine. There's nothing crude about that kit. It's as detailed and fiddly as any that are out there now.

[W-409]

but then there were ones like the full detail Chrysler Turbine. There's nothing crude about that kit. It's as detailed and fiddly as any that are out there now.

I have to agree. Turbine Car is really great kit and builds parts fit is very nice, too. Same thing with '72 Torino Oval Track Racer, parts are nice and there are pretty much of them, in chassis too! How about those Funny Car kits, that Jo-Han has produced, what's the quality of them?

[charlie8575]

Not all of their kits were crude. Some of them were barely above promos, but then there were ones like the full detail Chrysler Turbine. There's nothing crude about that kit. It's as detailed and fiddly as any that are out there now.

The 1931 Cadillacs are very nice, too. Someday, mine will all be built.

Charlie Larkin

[Rob Hall]

I'm particularly fond of Johan's Toronados, Eldorados, and deVilles...

[Craig Irwin]

There you go. Cherry pick the best stuff and sell them as kit accesories.

I sugested just that to Okey years ago, sort of a plastic resin kit if you will.

[von Zipper]

Would I like to see Jo-Han come back?

NOPE, I wouldn't want to see that.

We could chase our tails in circles until we turn into butter-but JoHan aint never coming back. Once the name went to SeVille - the original JoHan company was done and gone.

I was really hoping Okey could revive the name and bring back all those classic kits....and he gave it a valiant effort, but due to circumstances beyond his control it didn't come to be. I'm sure he wanted it to succeed as much or more than we did.

Look at Schwinn bicycles-once the company left Chicago and sent the company operations all over the globe, not to mention they are sold at Wal-Mart now instead of a once exclusive Schwinn dealerships-the classic bikes from the '50 to the '70s are worth more to than the new ones . They were only "Made in Chicago" that one time in history...and the way it's looking they aren't coming back any time soon (to Chicago)

I didn't start out as a model collector, but over the years it happens. I have more kits than I could build in a life time but still have to get a copy or two of all the new kits coming out. I'm glad that there were people back then that had the same problem and we still find vintage/mint in the box kits today.

They were only "Jo-Han" kits once, trying to replicate them would be as disappointing as the re-make of the Munsters.........

[sjordan2]

Back in the day when they were at their best, I always saw Jo-Han as second-rate up against Revell and AMT, particularly because I thought their interior tubs were too shallow for contemporary cars. On the other hand, while I don't have a broad view of their classic cars, I will put their 1935 Mercedes 500K up against anything being marketed today.

[Fat Brian]

How about those Funny Car kits, that Jo-Han has produced, what's the quality of them?

I have the 71-73 Mustang and Pinto funny cars and they are very good, better than AMT was doing at the same period. The only thing that is odd is that the rear axle is tremendously out of scale, it looks like it came from a semi truck, but everything else is great.

[route66modeler]

It seems as we all get older, we get pickier about everything. I grew up buiding kits with metal axles. they were cool, once you built the car you could actual roll them around. BTW, did you every look at the carbs on the MPC prostock kits? They were pretty bad compared to todays kits. But, for the 1970's I guess they were the best MPC could do. And have you seen how much mint old mpc prostock kits go for?

[Jantrix]

I will put their 1935 Mercedes 500K up against anything being marketed today.

Quite right. It's an excellent kit and I for one am wondering how that happened?

On a side note if anyone has a '60 Desoto Adventurer kit in any condition and are willing to part with it please give me a holler.

Edited October 29, 2012 by Jantrix

[gtx6970]

On a side note if anyone has a '60 Desoto Adventurer kit in any condition and are willing to part with it please give me a holler.

pm sent

[sjordan2]

Quite right. It's an excellent kit and I for one am wondering how that happened?

On a side note if anyone has a '60 Desoto Adventurer kit in any condition and are willing to part with it please give me a holler.

They had access to the actual car, which is faithfully shown on the box art in its 1965 restoration, shortly before the owner locked it away in his storage facility in South Central LA (after it failed to start at a Concours show and hacked him off). Only a couple of people have seen it since.

[Greg Myers]

your right, the chassis were pretty crude/simple. but, I contend johan's hemis were the best(stock and racing versions)!

[mr moto]

Johan was capable of making some of the best kits ever like the "Gold Cup" series of classic cars and the Chrysler Turbine Car. Their early annuals (pre-1964) were lacking in detail compared to their competition at AMT, etc. but, just like the competitors, they were really un-assembled promos and the basic tooling was intended to make promos not kits. All that really matters in the promo market is the body and the Johan bodies were always crisp, sharp and well proportioned.

As someone who was there back in the day (referred to as a "geezer"), I remember that when the annuals came out in 1964 Johan suddenly blew away AMT for detailed and authentic options especially the racing parts. The 1964 Plymouth annual built a pretty realistic Richard Petty stocker with full roll cage, stripped interior and Nascar style air cleaner or as a Golden Commando super stock. AMT had never offered anything like that. The '64 Dodge could be built as the Ramchargers super stock. It's hard to see what a big step that was from a modern point of view. The hobby has really come a long way!

Anyway, the Johan kits are what they are. Some are excellent and some are simplified. It just reflects the state of the hobby at the time.

P.S. Don't blame the "real" Johan for some of the incorrect parts in the USA Oldies releases. They were done correctly when they were first issued!

Edited November 1, 2012 by mr moto

[Luc Janssens]

Johan was capable of making some of the best kits ever like the "Gold Cup" series of classic cars and the Chrysler Turbine Car. Their early annuals (pre-1964) were lacking in detail compared to their competition at AMT, etc. but, just like the competitors, they were really un-assembled promos and the basic tooling was intended to make promos not kits. All that really matters in the promo market is the body and the Johan bodies were always crisp, sharp and well proportioned.

As someone who was there back in the day (referred to as a "geezer"), I remember that when the annuals came out in 1964 Johan suddenly blew away AMT for detailed and authentic options especially the racing parts. The 1964 Plymouth annual built a pretty realistic Richard Petty stocker with full roll cage, stripped interior and Nascar style air cleaner or as a Golden Commando super stock. AMT had never offered anything like that. The '64 Dodge could be built as the Ramchargers super stock. It's hard to see what a big step that was from a modern point of view. The hobby has really come a long way!

Anyway, the Johan kits are what they are. Some are excellent and some are simplified. It just reflects the state of the hobby at the time.

P.S. Don't blame the "real" Johan for some of the incorrect parts in the USA Oldies releases. They were done correctly when they were first issued!

What I especially like about some if not most of the Jo-Han kits, is the window trim, which is a crisp engraving and not some sometimes blurry line.

Also clear headlamps on their '69 Roadrunner, while the '90s amt/ertl kit, has them engraved in their chrome grille....they had some great craftsmen on board....

[Greg Myers]

Their "flat box" series is hard to beat.

[Mark]

I have the 71-73 Mustang and Pinto funny cars and they are very good, better than AMT was doing at the same period. The only thing that is odd is that the rear axle is tremendously out of scale, it looks like it came from a semi truck, but everything else is great.

The rear axle is correct; it is a Mickey Thompson unit. I don't think anyone else had access to some of the parts he produced.

The Jo-Han Logghe Brothers chassis is still the best one out there IMO. Jo-Han ran into problems with the later funny car kits, though. The Gene Snow Challenger chassis is a "transitional" unit from 1970, unique to that particular car. I've never seen another chassis exactly like it. The Mickey Thompson "titanium" chassis was also a one-off. Original plans were to build two (one Pinto, one Mustang). But the titanium tubing was expensive and difficult to get, labor intensive to weld, and not much lighter than steel because it couldn't be had in the sizes and thicknesses desired. Only one titanium chassis was built; it was used under the Pinto. The Mustang body was draped over the Pinto's chassis for some pictures. I don't know if the Mustang ever saw competition with either the titanium chassis or some other one. The Pinto saw extensive use; M/T only had one Pinto. Revell would offer a kit of the same car in a later version a few years later.

Jo-Han was boxed in by having tooled two one-off chassis that were superceded by Pat Foster's "digger" style chassis, that ironically first saw use under Mickey Thompson's 1969 Mustangs. M/T tried to improve on the concept but failed to do so. Had Jo-Han waited until, say, 1972 and tooled a more standard chassis design with a 426 Chrysler Hemi engine (like Revell did), they may have been able to get more mileage out of their drag car kits.

[Fat Brian]

Thats interesting to know about the axle, I was thinking of switching it out to something more commonly seen.

[michaelbaskett]

Well here's hoping they can acquire whatever Johan molds still exist and call it a sweep.

Give it up Rob.....

Johan is Gone Forever.....