"Guilty Pleasures" Kits?

[Ace-Garageguy]

The ancient AMT '29 Ford kit continues to inspire more and more builds too. This is a 4-banger powered lakes car, circa November 1941.

A traditional "A-V8", flathead powered full-fendered model A roadster...

And a nailhead-powered '29 roadster on '32 rails.

There's also an early lakes streamliner based on this kit just starting, and another lowboy-style hot rod.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Ace-Garageguy

[Agent G]

Revell's Police/Fire Chief/Taxi, Chevrolet Caprice as well as it's successor the Impala SS. I have built upwards of 30 of them now.

Revell's late model Mustang kit, 6 so far.

Revell's 32 Ford, 4 and counting.

Revell's 90 Mustang LX, 2 so far.

DML's Panzer III series, 4 so far, 4 in the wings.

DML's M4A3 Sherman, 2 built with plans for 3 more.

G

[Snake45]

Revell's Police/Fire Chief/Taxi, Chevrolet Caprice as well as it's successor the Impala SS. I have built upwards of 30 of them now.

Revell's late model Mustang kit, 6 so far.

Revell's 32 Ford, 4 and counting.

Revell's 90 Mustang LX, 2 so far.

DML's Panzer III series, 4 so far, 4 in the wings.

DML's M4A3 Sherman, 2 built with plans for 3 more.

G

Are those all really "bad" old kits? I was under the impression that most of them were pretty nice.

We're mainly talking here about substandard old junk that we can't resist building anyway, despite its flaws, and the fact that a much better kit of the subject is available.

[Snake45]

Another one of mine... the old Monogram Green Hornet kit. Above is a box stock build that I bought from a friend as you see it.

I also own this one, which was built by NJ modeler, Mike Havranek, who passed away a few years ago. I bought it from his estate sale.

Here's one of my works using this kit. I used the chassis as a base to build this Beverley Hillbillies kit version.

I've played a bit with this chassis on a bunch of different bodies.... Model A or '32 roadster body..

I have the above two in progress with different engines and such. The pickup will have the Ford flathead from the Tom Daniel Pie Wagon, with the three carb scoops. The other may have the '53 Studebaker kit's hemi with the dual blowers. Just having fun, and I have another 4 of this kit on my shelf just waiting for more inspiration.

It was way before my time but it's my understanding that the Green Hornet was based on a real car (I've seen photos of it) that was kind of a triple threat street/show/drag altered car. I bought a couple of these reissues and I'm planning to build one pretty much OOB but as a dedicated early '60s drag altered. It'll be part of my planned "History of the T-Rod and Kits of It" series.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Snake45

[1972coronet]

My Guilty Pleasure kits are really more subject-related versus manufacture-related :

- AMT 1953 F-100

- Monogram 1955 F-100

- Revell 1956 F-100

The latter of those three is an undisputed pile ... but its finer points have always sucked me back in , no matter how many failled attempts I've made over the years to assemble one that was "look-at-this" worthy ! Admittidly , my last attempt at that dinosaur was 27 years ago (!!) . I finally had its bed-to-cab-back gap dialled-in ; laid down a sweet Cherry Red paint job ; and had the Pontiac engine looking respectable ...

... then on 1st Oct 1987 @ 0742 HRS , all of that work --and about 85% of my collection-- was destroyed by an earthquake .

- MPC 1973-1976 Duster and Dart Sport annuals / reissues

- Monogram 1970 Chevelle SS-454 ; 1970 Boss 429 ; 1970 GTX 440 Six Barrel ; 1970 Challenger T/A ; 1969 ¹/₂ Super Bee Six Pack ; 1971 Hemi'Cuda hardtop

From their introduction in c.1982 until c.1992 , I built untold numbers and versions of those classic kits. At one point in 1986/1987 , Kay-Bee Toys was selling the Challenger and Super Bee kits for 99 cents ! That was an absolute steal even back then !

- MPC 1976-1978 Pinto and Mustang II annuals

The 1976 annual was one of my very first glue kits . I was 6 years old and had finally graduated from snaps ; the 1976 Pinto Sportabout box art grabbed my attention , sitting on the shelf at the local Market Basket . IIRC , its price was $3.25 .

As of recent , I've grabbed a couple of the Monogram 1955 F-100 kits ; I'm impatiently awaiting the arrival of the AMT 1953 F-100 ; and I have been toying with the idea of buying one of those dreaded Revell 1956 F-100 kits ...

... hopefully mother nature will favour my efforts with that kit this go'round .

[unclescott58]

I forgot to mention AMT's '57 Thunderbird. One of my earliest loves, along with the '63 Vette, in model building. I thing every one I ever built, I painted light blue. With a light blue interior and white top. I also like leaving the engine chromed in that one.

Scott

[clovis]

Not a car kit, but I want to build the vintage 1/32 Bf-109 that I built as a teenager. I understand that there are tons of better Me-109 kits on the market, but I LOVED that build.

[ChrisBcritter]

ITC '40 Mercury. Thank goodness they're incredibly tough to find or I'd have a bunch of them, instead of the one that I've been gathering bits and pieces and researching photos to try and make a good decent passable finished model out of it.

[unclescott58]

Tom Daniel kits. The Red Baron, S'cool Bus. Rommel's Rod. Beer Wagon. Street Fighter. Poison Pinto. Mean Maverick. Ice "T". And Cherry Bomb.

Scott

[Draggon]

I've got a handful of those 34 snap kits too. These are the only ones out of the box.

[Tom Geiger]

It was way before my time but it's my understanding that the Green Hornet was based on a real car (I've seen photos of it) that was kind of a triple threat street/show/drag altered car. I bought a couple of these reissues and I'm planning to build one pretty much OOB but as a dedicated early '60s drag altered. It'll be part of my planned "History of the T-Rod and Kits of It" series.

It was a 1:1 called The Grasshopper

The model is very true to the original. Don't know why they renamed the kit.

[Snake45]

Yeah, that's it! I've also seen a photo of it on a street that the original Monogram box art that was obviously based on.

The green looks different in the above two photos. I'm going for the shade in the upper photo. I gotta figure out a way to mix that shade up.

[Chuck Most]

Put my name in the "AMT '32 Fords" column as well. As flawed as those kits are, I always keep coming back for more.

[FordRodnKustom]

[Ace-Garageguy]

Ron...isn't that top one the old old Monogram 2-piece body '32?

I've got a few of those too.

Terrific looking models, by the way.

[rmvw guy]

I love the box art cars you guys do! Also cars like the Green Hornet and Black Widow. They weren't engineered that great to begin with but, have a certain kind of appeal hard to describe.

Edited October 6, 2014 by rmvw guy

[FordRodnKustom]

Ron...isn't that top one the old old Monogram 2-piece body '32?

I've got a few of those too.

Terrific looking models, by the way.

Yes it is. I built it from the reissue kit. Thanks.

[Snake45]

They weren't engineered that great to begin with but, have a certain kind of appeal hard to describe.

THAT'S what I'm talkin' about! That's why I started this thread! You get it!

[rmvw guy]

Here's another one of those some what funky kits that I have grown to love. I don't remember what it was called. I do remember it had a big plastic gear for the rear axle and a small one to put on an electric motor with plenty of room under seats for instalation.

[Don Sikora II]

I really like the old Deuce kits too. Here are a few I built.

AMT original-issue roadster

AMT original-issue roadster

Yes, that's the bottle from the paint I used when I built this car maybe 7 or 8 years ago!

AMT original-issue roadster. I only finished this one, somebody else started it when the kit was new.

AMT original-issue 5-window coupe

Monogram Drag Strip Hot Rod (SSP reissue)

[rmvw guy]

Nice collection Don! I love the 15 cent bottle of Testors. That first roadster has to be from the same kit as mine. I like your version better.

[webestang]

AMT 66 Mustang coupe............terrible kit but I still love it. I want to build more.....I built this one 15 years ago.

[Draggon]

So youre the one that built that first one, Don. I've got that pic saved, I really dig it!

[rmvw guy]

Another of my guilty pleasures has been collecting all the AMT Corvette Stingrays from '63 to '67. Even though the Revell kits are much better I still prefer the AMT originals. I got my first in 1963 as a 13 year old kid. I remember the opening lights on the convertible never repeated again. Every year I would buy the new model untill 1967. I guess at 17 I was more interested in 1:1 cars. Misteriously I did buy a '68 model. I craved the original AMT '67 most of my adult life and finally found a coupe body in someone's junk pile for $1 back in the '80s. Last year I spotted an unbuilt AMT '67 for $135, too much for me so, I instead bought a terribly built $25 '67 convertible for parts and managed to finally get the '67 of my dreams. I should have went for the $135 offering. Anyway here they are in all their glory.

Edited October 6, 2014 by rmvw guy

[Don Sikora II]

Nice collection Don! I love the 15 cent bottle of Testors. That first roadster has to be from the same kit as mine. I like your version better.

Thank you. I think your kit might be an old Lindberg Deuce, but I'm not completely sure.

So youre the one that built that first one, Don. I've got that pic saved, I really dig it!

Thanks!