Models in the movies

[Daddyfink]

Eric Clapton started building models when he began getting sober and apparently still does.

[sensei kamikaze]

In the movie Catch me if you can, with Tom hanks and Leonardo Dicaprio, Leo’s character buys promo model planes and put them in to the water to get the decals so can use the Panam logo In to the false checks…

I’m not sure that if is even possible.

The Simpsons: season 20 episode 18, Father Knows Worst, has a whole scene in a model store a very good one

[Wonderbread Kustomz]

One of the last episodes from That 70s Show, Hyde builds a Revell Charger kit when he decided to stop doing, well, you know.....but the box art wasn't period correct...

[highway]

Stacey David admitted to building as a kid.

I think that is a big player in the whole Revell-Gearz-Rat Roaster relationship.

That really makes me wonder too, just like some of the new Foose branded Revell kits and the American Hot Rod/Boyd Coddington AMT kits, if they may have built or still build (in the case of Foose) and if some of their ideas may not have started in plastic form.

[Atmobil]

On pickers Frank bought a bunch of unbuilt kits on a shelf. In another episode Mike bought a ship model of a guy, think it was the Arizona...

There is only one model that is interesting in that show but I think she is already spoken for

But, seriously, I have several times seen models being built, or boxes sitting in the background in movies and tv-shows. Many will rememer Higgins building his Bridge over the River Kwai in Magnum P.I.. Don't know if that was a kit or if it was "made-for-tv" stuff.

I can also remember a scene in (maybe Simpsons) a show where they are building models and end up with half ship half plane model. And I think I remember a similar scene in Home Improvement aswell, Tim and one of the sons are building a model and ends up with a mix of a Spitfire (plane) and a Mustang (car).

And what about James Mays Toy Stories where he had an entire episode about modelkits. He took a huge amount of models to a school and asked students to build. I belive it was the Golden Hind in some small scale first and then he had them build tanks for a longer project. Many of the kids got their dads to build them and when they where finished they where supposed to use them in a "movie project" where they where going to blow them up but one kid did not want to blow up his model because he had built it himself and was proud of it. I think that is great, he must be a future modelbuilder

For us Norwegians, when we are talking models in movies, there is one movie that will stick out and that is the 1975 animation film Flåklypa Gran Prix (Pinchcliff Grand Pris is what I belive it to be called in English) that has lots of modelcars in it.

Sadly, many of them are not listed on the IMCDB site http://www.imcdb.org/movie.php?id=73000 but check out the youtube link that is among the comments.

And if one can include computer games, in GTA San Andreas there is some missions for the owner of a model shop. One can walk in to the shop and look at kits and rc models. Sadly, none of them are real ones.

[Mike999]

There's a quick reference to model car building in the 1946 John Huston documentary "Let There Be Light."  Scene in a veteran's hospital shows a guy working on a kit.  Don't know if it's plastic or wood. But it looks a lot like that Maxwell Joseph Cotten is building in "Niagara."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038687/

[PowerPlant]

I recently saw the movie "Good Kill" in which Ethan Hawke plays a military pilot flying drones in Afghanistan, and in his spare time he builds Revell model kit aircraft with his son... There is a scene in which they open a Revell box together and lay parts out on the table...

[metalhead]

In the original movie "The Thing" near the end of the movie, Kurt Russell is battling the alien and falls on the floor. Just as he does, you can see three or four Revell or Monogram kits on the bottom shelf. I know at least on of them was a B-25. Maybe box scale?  I think it was just after the blood testing scene.

[Mike999]

In the original movie "The Thing" near the end of the movie, Kurt Russell is battling the alien and falls on the floor. Just as he does, you can see three or four Revell or Monogram kits on the bottom shelf. I know at least on of them was a B-25. Maybe box scale?  I think it was just after the blood testing scene.

I saw "The Thing" again not long ago, and noticed those kits on the shelf.  I think you're right about the "box scale." That's what stood out to me - those looked like really OLD Revell kits, from the 1950's.  They would have been rare/collectible even when that version of "The Thing" was made, in 1982.  BTW, the original "Thing" was made in 1951. With James "Gunsmoke" Arness playing a critter usually described as "a walking carrot."

In "Leave It To Beaver," there were often Revell kits sitting on the shelves in Wally & Beaver's room.  IIRC, they never seemed to move. Or get built.

Channel-surfing the TV channels that show old series one day, I hit an episode of "Lassie." Timmy was at the kitchen table building a model helicopter.  I think it was one of the original "Helicopters For Industry" kits, later released by Aurora. But it's been awhile, so I'm not sure.

[horsepower]

On this past season of Detective Story, the starring character would bring a model airplane kit to build with his son at his ex wife's house every visitation. But at the end when he realized his son wasn't interested any longer, and his wife was getting full custody and moving away with his son he destroyed all the models they'd built in a drunken rage.

[Dann Tier]

I saw "The Thing" again not long ago, and noticed those kits on the shelf.  I think you're right about the "box scale." That's what stood out to me - those looked like really OLD Revell kits, from the 1950's.  They would have been rare/collectible even when that version of "The Thing" was made, in 1982.  BTW, the original "Thing" was made in 1951. With James "Gunsmoke" Arness playing a critter usually described as "a walking carrot."

In "Leave It To Beaver," there were often Revell kits sitting on the shelves in Wally & Beaver's room.  IIRC, they never seemed to move. Or get built.

Channel-surfing the TV channels that show old series one day, I hit an episode of "Lassie." Timmy was at the kitchen table building a model helicopter.  I think it was one of the original "Helicopters For Industry" kits, later released by Aurora. But it's been awhile, so I'm not sure.

There are actually a couple of episodes that Beaver is actually building model airplanes.

[Mike999]

There are actually a couple of episodes that Beaver is actually building model airplanes.

Thanks!  I'll watch for them now.  Have all the episodes of "LITB" on DVD but haven't watched them yet.  Still working my way thru "Highway Patrol" and "Adam-12."  They have more great old cars to gawk at.

Speaking of that - last night Turner Classic Movies showed a flick that could not be seen for many years, due to legal hassles - the 1951 remake of Fritz Lang's "M."  Lots of great old cars - the movie was shot around the Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles. With the conclusion shot inside the famous Bradbury Building on Third Street. Which was also used in "Blade Runner," "Double Indemnity" and many other old movies.  I'm sure TCM will be showing it again and it's definitely worth a look.

[Dann Tier]

Thanks!  I'll watch for them now.  Have all the episodes of "LITB" on DVD but haven't watched them yet.  Still working my way thru "Highway Patrol" and "Adam-12."  They have more great old cars to gawk at.

Speaking of that - last night Turner Classic Movies showed a flick that could not be seen for many years, due to legal hassles - the 1951 remake of Fritz Lang's "M."  Lots of great old cars - the movie was shot around the Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles. With the conclusion shot inside the famous Bradbury Building on Third Street. Which was also used in "Blade Runner," "Double Indemnity" and many other old movies.  I'm sure TCM will be showing it again and it's definitely worth a look.

Nice!   I too have the "Leave it to Beaver" complete series box set as well!!   -"Gumball Rally" has a ton of great cars as well!!

[metalhead]

I saw "The Thing" again not long ago, and noticed those kits on the shelf.  I think you're right about the "box scale." That's what stood out to me - those looked like really OLD Revell kits, from the 1950's.  They would have been rare/collectible even when that version of "The Thing" was made, in 1982.  BTW, the original "Thing" was made in 1951. With James "Gunsmoke" Arness playing a critter usually described as "a walking carrot."

 Ahh. Didn't know that there was an earlier movie. I think there was a remake around 2008 or so.

[Mike999]

I saw the 2011 version expecting a remake. But it was really a "prequel."  Told the story of what happened at the Norwegian research site, before the Americans got involved.  The very last scene of the 2011 movie (helicopter chasing dog) ties right into the first scene of the 1982 movie.  It might be fun to watch the 2 of them back-to-back.

I liked it. But a lot of fans of the 1982 version sure didn't. To try and get back on-topic, I think we need more kits of Sno-Cats:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0905372/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2

[Deathgoblin]

Just remembered...  "Modern Family" with Ed O'Neill as Jay Pritchett as the grandfather figure is a model builder on the show.  They got into his "forbidden room", and there were model airplanes and RC aircraft, and even model space stuff (which ends up being the focus of the episode).  

[Junkman]

In "Diva" (Jean-Jacques Beineix, 1981), the main protagonist's nerdy friend works on an aeroplane kit, while many finshed model planes hang from the ceiling of his room.

[Old Nasty]

Mel Tormei's son Steve March Tormei has a local daily radio program where I live & one day he said his dad built WWII plane models as a hobby.  Not really in the movies but I found it interesting.

[Bob Ellis]

I know Mel Torme was into model railroading. Not sure what other hobbies he had.

 

[Mike999]

In "Ronin" (1998), the retired hit man Jean-Pierre (Michael Lonsdale) is building a big diorama showing the "47 ronin" story.  He's shown painting the figures and explaining, "It's my hobby."

Great movie for gearheads anyway, with the car-star being a "supercharged, nitrous-injected" Audi S8.  There's an awesome chase thru Nice, France with the S8, a big Citroen sedan, and a Mercedes with a sunroof - very useful when you need to fire a rocket launcher at the car you're chasing...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122690/?ref_=nv_sr_2 

Here's a short article on the cars of "Ronin." Forgot about that Ferrari California in the garage...

http://carsalways.com/2012/09/25/the-awesome-cars-of-ronin/

Edited January 8, 2016 by Mike999
Error

[Richard Bartrop]

In Three Days of the Condor, there's a scene where Max von Sydow's character is painting some model soldiers.