STEVE SCOTT ,A.KA . [ UNCERTAIN T ]

[Bugatti Fan]

I have an article about the Uncertain T that was printed in Model Car science way back in the Sixties when the Monogram kit first came out and was followed within by an article about converting it to a Milk Truck  It makes you wonder why Monogram have never re released the Uncertain T after all this time. The Tijuana Taxi was all but forgotten about for forty years or more and suddenly re released 3 or 4 years back. Judging by the apparent clamour on this thread for an Uncertain T kit, maybe it would be better to bombard Revell/Monogram as they are now with requests, unless of course the moulds have been scrapped or are beyond repair.

[Phirewriter]

35 minutes ago, Bugatti Fan said:

Judging by the apparent clamour on this thread for an Uncertain T kit, maybe it would be better to bombard Revell/Monogram as they are now with requests, unless of course the moulds have been scrapped or are beyond repair.

The tooling was scraped years ago...

Edited August 12, 2020 by Phirewriter

[Bugatti Fan]

I wondered if the Uncertain T moulds had been scrapped Michael, so thanks for the update. Monogram had some other customs and show rods in their range in the Sixties. One that I can remember building was a very futuristic looking 3 wheeler powered by a VW engine. Cannot remember the name of the kit unfortunately. I expect the moulds for this have been scrapped as well.

[Phirewriter]

You're thinking of the Futurista, was a Darryl Starbird creation and yes that tooling was scraped around the same time as the Uncertain T, unfortunately.

[Toner283]

7 hours ago, Phirewriter said:

You're thinking of the Futurista, was a Darryl Starbird creation and yes that tooling was scraped around the same time as the Uncertain T, unfortunately.

I seem to remember reading on one of the threads here on the board that the main tooling for the Futurista had been found but all of the clear tooling and the tooling for the tires was missing. IIRC, it was determined that the benefit to retooling missing parts didn't balance out to what it would cost to cut new tooling in order to reissue the kit.

The above is based on a fuzzy memory and may not be factually correct. Hopefully someone who knows better than me or has a better memory than me will chime in.

[Bugatti Fan]

The Futurista. That was it Michael!  Did Monogram make another Darryl Starbird show rod pick up named Orange Crate, as I think I built this model as well, way back when?

Edited August 15, 2020 by Bugatti Fan

[SSNJim]

Someone mentioned earlier that Steve couldn't get his injection molding machine to work. That implies he has molds. Is it possible he has the original molds? It's not outside the realm of possibility; everything is negotiable. Not very likely, but possible. 

[Deuces ll]

4 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

The Futurista. That was it Michael!  Did Monogram make another Darryl Starbird show rod pick up naked Orange Crate, as I think I built this model as well, way back when?

Was this it????.....

[Mark]

11 hours ago, Toner283 said:

I seem to remember reading on one of the threads here on the board that the main tooling for the Futurista had been found but all of the clear tooling and the tooling for the tires was missing. IIRC, it was determined that the benefit to retooling missing parts didn't balance out to what it would cost to cut new tooling in order to reissue the kit.

The above is based on a fuzzy memory and may not be factually correct. Hopefully someone who knows better than me or has a better memory than me will chime in.

The Futurista used the same tires that were used in the Li'l Coffin (fronts), as well as the Predicta.  Those were used in the first issues of Monogram's 1/25 scale Fifties vehicles also ('59 Chevies, '50 Ford pickup).  Tires wouldn't be a problem.  Revell/Monogram has retooled parts for older kits in the past (Roth Road Agent for example).  Clear parts wouldn't be a major problem either.

The (unconfirmed) word is that Monogram was making good money in the early/mid Seventies and scrapped some items deemed obsolete to get them off the books.  Said (most often) to be among them were the 1/20 scale Cadillac, Uncertain T, Futurista, and Sizzler dragster.  It's all conjecture though, nobody close to the company has ever talked or written about it.

The Futurista would appear to have been a major disappointment for Monogram.  Like the AMT XR-6, thumb through period model car magazines and you don't see photos of built ones, or even any of the major/recognizable parts from them used in building anything else.

[Greg Myers]

I made a slot car out of my XR-6

[Draggon]

Seems (to me) his project was doomed as soon as he committed himself to making it in styrene. I'm sure that excited a lot of folks. I was one of them, just not $50 excited. 

[Bugatti Fan]

Guido, The Futurista, that was the model I made all those years ago. The picture of the period box art was a nice thing you put up to share, so thanks for that.

Glenn,   $50 for a kit back in the sixties?    As tennis star John McEnroe once said ' You can not be serious!'  

[Deuces ll]

No problem sir..... I looked it up online and there it was.... ??

[tim boyd]

On 8/14/2020 at 7:46 AM, SSNJim said:

Someone mentioned earlier that Steve couldn't get his injection molding machine to work. That implies he has molds. Is it possible he has the original molds? It's not outside the realm of possibility; everything is negotiable. Not very likely, but possible. 

When I did a story on this kit for Model Cars magazine many years ago (around 2007 or so, IIRC), I called Revell/Monogram's VP of Engineering Roger Harney, who I'd known since the late 1970's, for the straight scoop on the status of that tool (mold).   

He told me it had been scrapped many years ago; he couldn't pin down the exact date but it was probably in the late 1970's when Monogram's President Tom Gannon had them clear out a bunch of old and unused tools that were (at the time) thought to have little or no commercial value going forward.  Obviously, with benefit of hindsight, Roger wished it hadn't been let go, but from the perspective of the late 1970's, when virtually no one had an interest in dated mid 1960's custom show cars, it's not hard to understand how the decision was made at that time.  

I have every reason to believe what Roger told me was the truth.  Oh well.....TIM 

[sfhess]

Thanks Tim.

Now can we lock this up and stop all the piling on?

[bobthehobbyguy]

On 8/14/2020 at 4:46 AM, SSNJim said:

Someone mentioned earlier that Steve couldn't get his injection molding machine to work. That implies he has molds. Is it possible he has the original molds? It's not outside the realm of possibility; everything is negotiable. Not very likely, but possible. 

In his original proposal Steve was going to teach himself the 3d software so he could you a 3d printer to test the files. Not sure how that wS going to make it to injection molds. Considering 500 presale kits at $50 each would only yield about $25,000. Considering the typical kit costs $250,000 to produce there seems to be a bit of a short fall.

[OldNYJim]

He also had a fundraising page setup years ago so he could buy the actual car back, and then he held a fundraiser to move from Hawaii because that’s what was holding him up with the scale version and then he had a fundraiser because he needed to install a fan in his hobby room for the 3D printer...

As far as I can tell he doesn’t own the actual car, still lives in Hawaii and still hasn’t made any parts.  He might have a fan by now tho ??

[Deuces ll]

What a character!....??

[styromaniac]

On 8/14/2020 at 3:18 AM, Bugatti Fan said:

The Futurista. That was it Michael!  Did Monogram make another Darryl Starbird show rod pick up named Orange Crate, as I think I built this model as well, way back when?

You are thinking of Monogram's "Orange Hauler." Here's a picture of a re released kit dated 1990 which I acquired awhile back...which seems to prove that not all of the molds of 60's show cars were deep sixed.

[styromaniac]

Funny thing....I have some old Car Model magazines from the sixties with ads that show that Darryl Starbird's "Orange Hauler" was to be given away as the top prize  in some national contest...I wonder who won it?...and where it ended up. Could it be in someone's garage or barn somewhere? Or did it suffer a fate similar to other forgotten show cars? Parted out...or rotting away in a used car lot.

Edited August 17, 2020 by styromaniac

[Phirewriter]

Check this out...

http://customrodder.forumactif.org/t1410-ultra-truck-darrill-starbird

Also Google "Starbird Ultra Truck" That should give you a few articles and photos.

[styromaniac]

Cool...thanks for the link!

[Bugatti Fan]

Orange Hauler. That was the one Steve. Thanks for the feedback! Surprising what extra information about a subject that fellow modeller have also shared on this thread about the real car.

[SpeedShift]

On 8/1/2020 at 11:15 PM, CabDriver said:

Oh wait, that list is still online - based on him pre-selling the kits at $40 a pop (the lowest I ever saw him sell them for) that’s $20k, and the price has been as high as $150 at times and most commonly for the last few years $80.

http://www.uncertaintmodelkits.com/registry.html

Buyer DEFINITELY beware

Did you notice how many times "Steve Scott of Hawaii"  appears in the list of people who pre ordered?

ON THE LIST OVER 75 TIMES.

Think he is going to be disappointed.......   LOL

Edited March 17, 2021 by SpeedShift

[OldNYJim]

6 hours ago, SpeedShift said:

Did you notice how many times "Steve Scott of Hawaii"  appears in the list of people who pre ordered?

ON THE LIST OVER 75 TIMES.

Think he is going to be disappointed.......   LOL

Not as disappointed as all the LEGIT customers who believed Steve Scott’s snake oil sales pitch for a kit that will never exist.  Disgusting.

Now (on the Facebook group for people interested in the kit) he’s blaming Wall Street bankers for ruining the economy for the delay in starting the kit (!) and, of course, Covid.

Oh, and he’s lost all his savings somehow, so don’t bother asking for a refund ?

Edited March 18, 2021 by CabDriver