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:
Although Hot Rod magazine staffer Leroi “Tex” Smith received a tentative response when he presented Petersen Publishing Company executives with Steve Swaja’s concept sketch, the Swaja dressing on Smith’s styling salad likely saved it from extinction. Smith’s Indy Car, show rod, and traditional T-bucket influences made XR-6 a hit with disparate camps: Petersen broadened its demographic overnight, as issues featuring the inclusive build-up enjoyed strong sales. The happy ending to the series was XR-6 receiving the World’s Most Beautiful Roadster trophy at the revered Oakland Roadster Show, where Bill Cushenbery’s Silhouette won the inaugural Tournament of Fame trophy, upsetting Darryl Starbird’s favored Futurista (which debuted with its Monogram kit, optimistically containing a scale Tournament of Fame trophy).
Malcom Barlow of Toland, Connecticut, owned XR-6 when Gerry Burger shot it in 1982 for a Tex Smith update in Rodder’s Digest magazine. (Photo Courtesy Gerry Burger)
Aurora # 570-198, 1963, 1/25 scale, Designed by Carl Casper, Re-issued 1972 by Aurora, 1997 by Polar Lights
Originally released by Aurora, Undertaker was a must-have kit for show and drag fans alike. A removable hardtop makes for instant roadster, true to appearance on the March 1964 Car Craft cover and at many shows. It includes a “chrome” frame, one of the nicer Potvin-blown race Hemis ever, vinyl slicks on Astro wheels, and a “tombstone” display case with ghost and undertaker figures. Carl Casper’s Ghost show rod was scheduled as Undertaker’s follow-up, but “never made it past the master pattern stage,” according to Aurora. Can you spot the Grim Reaper attempting escape from a gothed-up Casper on the box art? (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
Can dragsters be show rods? Look at this thing! A rare double-winner, Carl Casper’s stylized Comp Coupe made waves and earned raves, both at the drag strip and on the show floor. Undertaker was declared the National Competition Sweepstakes Champion at the vaunted 1963 NHRA Nationals at Indianapolis. Ensuing magazine coverage (it even graced the cover of the March 1964 Car Craft) iced the promotional cake nicely for Aurora. Dave Rasmussen declares Undertaker “a gas!,” but there may have been some nitro involved, too. That’s right; like all of Casper’s wild show rods, Undertaker was fully functional.
Casper’s personal Undertaker (with display), was built by his personal builder, Michael Wazny, who builds kits all day for a living. Don’t hate him, just aspire to develop his skills. (Photo Courtesy Carl Casper)
Undertaker went topless for the cover of the March 1964 Car Craft, inspiring many builders to follow suit and construct Undertaker roadsters. (Photo Courtesy Paul Canney)
AMT # 901-150, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Tom Daniel, Re-issued 1999
The model kit was thrashed together in the same fashion as the real Munster Koach, with the same success. As always, timing was everything. Kits included paint, brush, and glue. AMT released a double Blueprinter Series kit in 1989 that included Munster Koach and Drag-U-La. (Photo Courtesy Dave’s Show Rod Rally)
When Universal Studios hatched The Munsters concept in 1964, Ed Newton was working for Ed Roth, and Tom Daniel was doing design work for George Barris. Both camps thrashed to create an appropriate Munster family car, but Daniel’s concept got the nod from Universal. Scheduling was tight: “Barris called on a Friday, needing the art by Saturday,” confides Daniel. Dick Dean’s Barris crew knocked out the build in 21 long days, while Roth suffered yet another failed attempt at placing one of his cars on the flickering screen. Like Barris, AMT was poised to pounce, and released the model kit in time to take part in the show’s instantaneous success. Barris took credit for the design, prompting this from Daniel: “The people in the industry knew who did those cars. I guess that’s enough.”
Charles May bought the double kit and whipped up this intriguing towing-to-the-strip scene. (Photo Courtesy Charles May)
Barris and Koach even made a pit stop at the AMT offices one day, in between shows. Morale builder or production killer? It depends on who you ask. (Photo Courtesy John Greczula at Round 2)
Monogram # PC94-170, 1964, 1/24 scale, Designed by Darryl Starbird, Re-issued 1966 and 1995
Monogram boss Jack Besser knew a good thing when he spotted it at the 1962 Oakland Roadster Show. The kit was rushed into production (with quality control intact) in time to ride what would prove to be an eternal wave of popularity. Extras such as the skeleton figure helped Li’l Coffin achieve instant and lasting icon status. Dave Rasmussen points out that Li’l Coffin was pivotal in his return to modeling, “I took it home and built my first model in over 20 years. It lit me up beyond words. If not for that, there would be no Show Rod Rally website.” This is the 1966 re-issue box. (Photo Courtesy Luca Roveda)
Nobody saw this coming. Darryl Starbird helped former employee Dave Stuckey build Li’l Coffin from Stuckey’s old high school ride. It became famous via magazine ink (riding on Starbird’s legacy) but was begrudgingly sold to friend Larry Farber out of financial desperation. This all happened between 1954 and 1960. Monogram bought Li’l Coffin from Farber in 1962 and had Starbird, Stuckey, and Dave Puhl perform a light makeover. Starbird bought it from Monogram in 1967 and it became Monkey Ward Delivery, then a Coddingtonesque street rod, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1980 (with Starbird driving). A new millennium Starbird restoration to the 1962 iteration was the latest event to keep Li’l Coffin in the headlines. Such endless publicity has helped Monogram sell countless Li’l Coffin kits, with no end in sight.
AMT # 2165-200, 1964, 1/25 scale, Designed by Bill Cushenbery