Show Rod Model Kits. Scotty Gosson
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Название: Show Rod Model Kits
Автор: Scotty Gosson
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Автомобили и ПДД
isbn: 9781613252390
isbn:
Where has the real Dream Rod been hiding? Where else but Mark Moriarity’s Minnesota garage, home of America’s most beloved show rod restorations. Moriarity thanks the show rod gods for yet another opportunity to get his hands on the legendary cars that inspired him as a kid. (Photo Courtesy Scott Parkhurst)
Like any kit, Dream Rod looks even better when surrounded by appropriate paraphernalia. Mark Moriarity owns most of that nowadays, and he built the kit, too. (Photo Courtesy Mark Moriarity)
Dream Rod’s evil twin, the infamous Tiger Shark, which has developed its own unique cool factor and following over time. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Show rods come from wherever the inspiration is. In this case, Car Craft magazine was forecasting the demise of vintage tin for hot rod projects in 1961 and decided to build one from late-model parts instead. Dream Rod was designed to incorporate then-current Detroit steel from local wrecking yards. They brought in promoter Bob Larivee to coordinate with Bill Cushenbery, who finalized the design. The car was built by the Car Craft staff from such disparate elements as a 1952 Jowett Jupiter chassis, 1960 Corvair quarter panels, and 1960 Pontiac doors and fenders.
After a nine-month gestation period, Dream Rod immediately began working the show circuit. Sold to the International Show Car Association in 1966 and renamed Tiger Shark, several ill-advised changes destroyed its appeal. From 2005 to 2009, Monster Mark Moriarity restored it to the original iteration.
Revell # H-1274:200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Ed Roth, Re-issued 1997
Number six in Revell’s Roth stable, the Road Agent kit includes Rat Fink and tuxedoed Big Daddy figures. Rasmussen points out, “Roth is the taller of the two.” Road Agent was promoted as costing Roth “$1,500 and a year’s time” to build. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Luca Roveda’s Road Agent, complete with driver and passenger. (Photo Courtesy Luca Roveda)
After flattening trailer springs under Mysterion’s pronounced mass, Roth’s builds returned to svelte trim with Road Agent. By 1963, the signature fiberglass now sat on a Dick Cook chrome-moly round-tube chassis and was propelled by a minuscule Corvair engine. The full-scale Road Agent was pure Roth stream-of-consciousness rodding that more than realized Joe Henning’s initial sketches in Rod & Custom magazine. The finished product so resembled a model kit in real life that scaling it was an absolute no-brainer for Revell. By 1964, Revell had hired a teenaged Jim Keeler and the not-much-older Bob Paeth to perform R&D duties, but riding herd on Big Daddy likely took up most of their time, especially after Keeler moved in with Roth for a close-up view of Bohemia.
Revell # H-1277:200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Ed Roth, Reissued 1974 and 1996 as Dual Jewel
Dave Rasmussen decrees Mysterion to be Roth’s “greatest creation.” Dave Shuten (who built an uncanny Mysterion clone) concurs. The Revell kit stands today as a styrene testament to psychedelic 1960s kitsch. The 1996 re-issue came in a special collector’s tin. Still freaked out by Roth’s new biker image, the re-issue was renamed Dual Jewel. But the name didn’t seem to matter to anyone but Revell. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Although Ed Roth obviously attempted to top himself with each new build, he went delightfully over the top with Mysterion. Mark Gustavson declares it “Roth’s magnum opus.” After a smash debut at the Chicago Trade Show in February (to more than 800,000 witnesses), Revell scaled it, tooled up, and had kits on store shelves in May. Mysterion obliterated more attendance records, but Roth traded it to Bob Larivee in exchange for his old Outlaw and Tweedy Pie. The weight of the Gas dragster–inspired twin Ford FE engines wreaked havoc with the hydrogen embrittled chrome frame and Mysterion’s career ended abruptly and (appropriately) mysteriously. But Roth was still fetching a penny on every kit sold. That deal had earned him $32,000 in 1963, and 1964 was looking even better.
Mark Moriarity may own more Roth memorabilia than all Roth fans combined. His Mysterion sits on an original Revell mini-diorama. And Mark never leaves the house without his Mysterion lunchbox. (Photo Courtesy Mark Moriarity)
Dave Shuten’s full-scale Mysterion is probably closer to the original than the original ever was, after its first road trip (note dueling banjo rear ends). It lives at Galpin Ford in Los Angeles, where Shuten restores and re-creates show rods every day. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
AMT # 2162-200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Bill Cushenbery
In a bold move, AMT got generous with the extra features here, even including a swoopy custom enclosed trailer for Silhouette to ride in. These trailers inspired many wild tow truck builds as well. AMT tossed in a change of rolling stock and a blower/injector combo for the big-block Ford to accommodate builders opting for the “Drag” version of this 3-in-1 kit. Veteran drag fans will note the resemblance to Tony Nancy’s streamliner dragster. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Cushenbery’s rolling steel sculpture debuted with a gobsmack at the San Mateo Autorama, took the coveted inaugural Tournament of Fame at Oakland, won the Winternationals show, then was bought by Ford Motor Company (where the nailhead Buick engine was swapped for a Blue Oval 427) and put to work in their Custom Car Caravan, all in 1963. That stellar year of success was celebrated in scale in 1964 with AMT’s kit release. Silhouette went on to become a spokesmodel for Dupont (which painted it СКАЧАТЬ