Collecting Muscle Car Model Kits. Tim Boyd

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СКАЧАТЬ the other on Buick/Olds/Pontiac; AMC is included with Chrysler.

      Next, I cover the junior/compact muscle cars as a group, and the family-size muscle cars as another group. Domestic sports cars, and 1960s tuner cars (think: Shelby, Yenko, etc.) also each rate their own chapters.

      I’ll wrap up with advice if you decide you want to join (or rejoin) the ranks of today’s adult model car kit collectors, plus some thoughts about the future.

       What to Expect in Each Chapter

      Given my broad definition for muscle car, chances are you will see more than a few of your favorites in kit form. Many of the kits shown originated in the 1960s or early 1970s. However, there have been three additional “waves” of newly produced muscle car kits in the following decades, and I’ll cover those as well.

      At the end of most chapters is Scale Showroom. This shows how some of the kits covered in that chapter look when assembled by experienced adult modelers using currently available materials and techniques.

      A number of sidebars throughout the book explain some of the inside events that have taken place in the world of model kit development and manufacturing. Some of these secrets have remained unknown to even the most dedicated model car hobbyists and collectors until now.

      I’ll also provide some advice regarding which are the best kits and which should be avoided. For the model car companies, I’ll address future kit opportunities at the end of each chapter in a section called Missing in Action.

       A Word about Accuracy and Images

      Ask all of the editors I’ve ever worked for, and they will tell you that I am a stickler for accuracy. Accuracy makes a statement about your values and character, and, as a writer, it is your duty to pass along the most accurate and correct information you can secure.

      To set the stage for our discussion of model kits, I have first provided a summary of some of the key information about the real muscle cars that formed the inspiration for these kits. Like many of you, I have an entire library composed of six decades of muscle car reference books, magazines, and reference material, and I consulted it repeatedly in preparing this text. Though I’ve provided the best and most current information available to me, it is more than likely that some of this information is now considered out of date or incorrect. In those few (I hope) cases, please accept my apologies in advance.

      As far as accurate information on the model car kits, the history of model car kits during the last couple of decades is best summarized as “never say never.” Just when you think you know the whole story of model car kit history, new and contradictory information turns up. Again, I’ve made every effort to be as accurate as possible, but mistakes are possible. If you see one, please let me know via CarTech Books, Inc., but understand in advance that I’ll need to see photographic and other supporting evidence. Corrections will be included if there are future printings of this book.

      Finally, as you look through the images of model car boxes in this book, you’ll see some that are, well, pretty beat up. Many of the boxes in this book are leftovers from someone (myself or others) who actually built the kit that was in that box. Some modelers saved the boxes as remembrances, others repurposed them for collections of model car engines or parts, and some were nearly thrown out before being saved at the last second. I’ve chosen to include these well-worn artifacts in order to tell, and illustrate, the whole story of muscle car model kits. I hope you’ll be able to look upon them with the same appreciation that is now bestowed upon barn-find muscle cars.

       Model Car Kits: A Great Hobby Then and Now

      Model cars have been a part of my life since age eight and I attribute much of my personal and professional success to my involvement in this hobby. They are, of course, the reason that you are reading this book.

      My fondest hopes are that with this book, I may bring a smile to your face, perhaps a recollection or two of a fun time in your own past, and maybe even a desire to engage (or re-engage) on some level with a hobby that is among the most fun and enduring hobbies of this era of American history.

      Are you ready? Then let’s get going and dig deep into the world of muscle car model kits.

      CHAPTER

      1

       IN THE BEGINNING

      The Origins of the Model Car Kit Hobby

       In the beginning, most model car kits were derived from the same tooling used to produce 1/25th-scale new car dealer promotionals. These were factory-assembled and molded in colors, but omitted the engines, detailed chassis, and building options found in model car kits. Promotionals shown here, clockwise from the upper left, are the 1960 Dodge Dart and 1965 Plymouth Fury (produced by JoHan), 1969 Ford Galaxie XL (produced by AMT), 1966 Charger, and 1970 GTO (produced by MPC).

      The model car kit phenomenon developed quickly in just a few years, starting in the late 1950s. As is so often the case, this growth and progress occurred in several major steps. Promotionals, sliding molds, 3-in-1 kits … they all played a role in the rapid development of the model car hobby. Let’s take a look at these developments as I lay the groundwork for the coverage of muscle car model kits later in this book.

       They Came First: 1/25th-Scale Promotionals

      The popularity of promotional dealer-giveaway toys grew following World War II and continued through the 1950s. One of the earliest recognized promos was a very basic aluminum-based 1948 Ford miniature from a company not surprisingly named Aluminum Model Toys. Yes, this was the start for a company that later led the development of model car kits, later using the new name AMT.

      Promos became available for many of the 1950s cars, usually rendered in 1/25th scale. Each year, the car companies would contract with a manufacturer of promotionals for replicas of their best-selling cars. Eventually two companies, AMT and JoHan (joined later by MPC), became the primary sources for these promotionals. The material used for these “toys” was typically an acetate that allowed a reasonable level of detail, but was unfortunately prone to moderate to severe warping over time.

       One-Piece Bodies and Sliding Molds

      A huge step ahead in scale authenticity occurred with the invention of three-piece sliding molds, an accomplishment credited to then-AMT engineer George Toteff. These sliding molds produced three-dimensional, one-piece bodies for promotional models. A further achievement was when AMT began molding its promotionals in a more rigid material that did not distort. This material was called Cycolac, and AMT made the switch during the 1961 promotionals run (while JoHan stuck with acetate bodies through the 1963 model run).

       1/25th-Scale Assembly Kits with One-Piece Bodies

      Model car kits of varying detail, quality, materials, and scale size had been produced for several years, but these kits were compromised in many ways. Unlike the acetate or Cycolac promos, these car kits were usually made from styrene pellets that, when heated, could be injected into a mold and rapidly cycled, allowing mass production. Styrene parts could also be assembled together by the modeler using, well … styrene glue.

      By the mid-1950s, styrene hobby kits were becoming more common, but these kits all suffered from the need to glue the body together from separate pieces forming СКАЧАТЬ