$0.49 ? What happened to these ? Where's the dragster ?

[Greg Myers]

[rel14]

$0.49 thats a 60's price

[bbowser]

I used to save my pennies until I got $2 plus .06 tax and then run to the store to buy an AMT kit. Of course minimum wage was about $2 then also!

[Rob McKee]

Gone are the pocket change models. On the plus side kits are much better now than they were back in the 60s and 70s.

I guess it is like everything else, costs to produce, market, and ship products are much higher than back in the day. I don't see any of the hobby shop owners that I know rolling in the dough. Their costs to keep the lights on are much higher as well.

[niteowl7710]

Well in a way model kits are still a "pocket change" expense. Total cost might be more, but it's still something you're purchasing with money you have lying around after you pay your grown-up expenses.

[Rob McKee]

Good point James.

I still experience the same excitement as I did when I was a kid when I but a new kit.

[RatRod]

I heard awhile back that Dave Burkett tried to bring these back, but there was some kind of problem. I for one would love to see these 1/32 kits back on shelves, but the 0.49 price will be lost forever....

[Tom Geiger]

Well in a way model kits are still a "pocket change" expense. Total cost might be more, but it's still something you're purchasing with money you have lying around after you pay your grown-up expenses.

Back when kits when kits were $5, it cost me $10 to fill up my tank. Now I pay about $50 to fill up my Caravan, so if kits are around $25, they're the same cost to me. LOL

[Mr mopar]

I remember building these kits ,that was along time ago ,loved then and still love them today . Would be cool to see once more on the self.

[Blown03SVT]

Back when kits when kits were $5, it cost me $10 to fill up my tank. Now I pay about $50 to fill up my Caravan, so if kits are around $25, they're the same cost to me. LOL

The best analogy to describe how inflation relates to model cars in relation to real world expenses

[CJ1971]

Seriously get over this "living in the 50s/60s/70s... It's 2013... The 21st century... Time to stop whining about how cheap things were. Get over it. It's NEVER going to be 0.49c for a plastic kit anymore. What's the point of recycling the same old story? Seriously it's mind-numbing boring.

[slusher]

Seriously get over this "living in the 50s/60s/70s... It's 2013... The 21st century... Time to stop whining about how cheap things were. Get over it. It's NEVER going to be 0.49c for a plastic kit anymore. What's the point of recycling the same old story? Seriously it's mind-numbing boring.

lt's really nice ti remember good simple times and memories are free. l was born in 65 and love the good simple times....

[doctor phillips]

Seriously get over this "living in the 50s/60s/70s... It's 2013... The 21st century... Time to stop whining about how cheap things were. Get over it. It's NEVER going to be 0.49c for a plastic kit anymore. What's the point of recycling the same old story? Seriously it's mind-numbing boring.

When you get to be my age there's more to look back on than forward. Still... I find it fun and interesting to revisit the hobby back in the "good old days". It's a privilage to have been there to experience it first hand.

[imarriedawitch]

I pulled a kit out of my stash this week that still had the original $6.00 sticker on it. Brought back a lot of memories.

[slusher]

I pulled a kit out of my stash this week that still had the original $6.00 sticker on it. Brought back a lot of memories.

The memories are as nice as building...

[rel14]

I have a Johan Olds with $1.39 sticker,, God i only wish i could find some for that price,, Remember getting a Coke and candy bar, and gettin change back from a Quarter,,,,,,,,,

Basic life,, when your young, you live for the future,,

when your middle age(with kids), you live for the day.

when your OLD, you look into the past.

(think about it.)

Edited October 20, 2013 by rel14

[ToyLvr]

Seriously get over this "living in the 50s/60s/70s... It's 2013... The 21st century... Time to stop whining about how cheap things were. Get over it. It's NEVER going to be 0.49c for a plastic kit anymore. What's the point of recycling the same old story? Seriously it's mind-numbing boring.

So is driving on the wrong side of the road..... ;-)

[Ace-Garageguy]

What happened to gas for 15 cents a gallon? :huh:

[ToyLvr]

What happened to gas for 15 cents a gallon? :huh:

Now you're really being an old geezer, Bill. ;-)

The cheapest that I remember in high school in the 70s was around 40-cents.

So goes the price of styrene...

[wisdonm]

Not true. If you pay with a 1916-1964 50 cent piece, you can buy more than 3 gallons of gas today. It's the paper dollar that's lost value, not the price of gas or styrene that has gone up.

[Greg Myers]

OK, here you go, the Forty Niner Dragster.

[Dragline]

I had all of these as a young lad. My quest for the set continues. I have only the Fiat.

Bob

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've never seen the 49er dragster box before, nor did I realize it was that inexpensive a kit. I scored several of them as gluebombs a while back, and have been using parts to build period diggers. Thanks for the info.

[John Goschke]

The 49er Dragster was part of an earlier (1962 or so) series of kits that sold for 49¢. The Willys, Fiat, and '34 Ford were included in a later 75¢ series.

Other cars in the 49er series were a '59 or '60 Corvette, MGA sports car, Bugeye Sprite, Ford T pickup rod (almost like a mini-Black Widow), and a channeled Deuce hot rod (shown in the photo at the start of the thread), all in 1/32nd scale, I think.

Also included in the 49ers series were three "box-scale" airplanes, an F-101 Voodoo, Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, and Russian TU-16 "Badger" bomber.

Rarest kits in the series were three sets of airplanes taken from Monogram's impressive 1/240 Air Power display set, including a set of five Century series fighters (F-100, 101, 102, 104 & 105) on a flight stand, a set of three bombers (B-58, B-57, B-66) on a flight stand, and the "Mid-Air Refueling" set on a flight stand featuring a KC-135 Stratotanker and a B-47 Stratojet.

By 1965, when the 32nd scale Willys, Fiat, '34 Ford drag cars first appeared, offered for sale at 75¢, the kits in the 49ers series, were increased in price to 50¢ and the 1/240th airplane sets were dropped from the catalog. Two other 75¢ 1/32 cars were introduced at that time, a Ferrari GP car, and a Lotus GP car.

This info comes from the small catalog leaflets Monogram included in all their kits.

Edited October 20, 2013 by John Goschke

[Tom Geiger]

Seriously get over this "living in the 50s/60s/70s... It's 2013... The 21st century... Time to stop whining about how cheap things were. Get over it. It's NEVER going to be 0.49c for a plastic kit anymore. What's the point of recycling the same old story? Seriously it's mind-numbing boring.

Stick around! We also like to whine about the Aussie dollar being on par with ours! We liked it much better when it was 50 cents US!