Art & Inspiration What Model Cars Did You Build?

What Model Car Kits did you build as a kid? A buddy of mine stopped by and we were reminiscing about when we built model kits as kids. Turned out we had built most of the same ones: The Tarantula, Orange Crate, Red Barron, Boot Hill Express.....

 

Built dozens of AMT 3 in 1 kits all through the '60's and '70's. Still build models to this day.

 

I'm not much of a custom guy but there were quite a number of drag oriented cars, roadsters, muscle cars, etc. also, a few of the "wacky" 60's show cars.
One favorite was Monograms' "Trantula" fuel dragster, I did leave off some of the goofy stuff, another one was a 1960 Ford Starliner, painted it a light metallic green (three times).
The fastback roof paint liked to run, turned out pretty nice finally.
Once I got my drivers permit in 1969 at fifteen, the draw to model cars faded soon after.
I did build a 66 Nova Super Sport in the mid 80's to replicate our 67 Nova, at a glance only the headlights are different, the red paint really came out nice on the first attemp.








Not ours but nearly identical.
View attachment 6689594

 

All of them. Tarantula, the Red Barron car, Boot Hill Express, Lil’ Coffin, Monkeemobile, the Stone Woods & Cook Willys, lots of shoebox Chevys, NASCAR stuff, cl***ic trucks, you name it.

Model building was my gateway drug for old cars…

 

A bit off topic perhaps,but always wondered about the Franklin type die cast 32 Ford unchopped 5w coupe being all but forgotten, seems the 3w, 'B'-400, roadster etc. made production & of course the chopped 5w version in various colors & formats, but nowhere that I'm aware of is a quality version of the 5w to be had. As I understand it the rights for offshore production has been disbanded so it may never happen.

 

All of them, I built all of them. Here’s a sample.

 

I build the little ones cuz I can't have the real ones!

 

Growing up, I had a good size paper route and could afford a couple model kits per week.
Between 1960 and 1966 I built every hot rod model kit by AMT, Revell, Monogram, MPC etc. several times...I wasn't much into those "late-model" 3-in-1 kits though.
By 1966 I had moved on to 1/24th scale slot cars...rewinding/de-winding Mabuchi 36D motors and soldiering up my own br*** ch***is's.
I do remember the first kit I ever built though...AMT '40 Ford Sedan.

 

When I was a kid, I remember building lots of them and still have most of them somewhere in a box. But, I would be lying if I tried to remember what they all were. I remember one birthday party when I was in grade school. Every kid that came gave me a model car as a gift except for one that thought for some crazy reason that maybe I liked Star Wars or something and got me some action figure...

 

AWW Gee More than my share of Deuce coupes,
Got my first Testors Jag on the Model T Roadster.
40 Tudor first rattle can paint and corduroy upholstery. '29 bobber A P/U
Fell in love with the lines on a '59 Buick. Did the double dragster Topolino kit.
And a whole bunch more 'til Pops handed me the 2 key sets to both family cars.
Took 9 months to have him find replacements, as I wrecked the Dodge and blew up the Ford.

 

Every one I could get ahold of. I loved the AMT 3 in 1 kits; plenty of spare parts for other cars!

 

I built mostly 32's and 40's, now I have real ones too.

 

I started with the Highway Pioneers by Gowland/ Revell in mid fifties. I settled on mostly AMT/SMP 3in1s (annuals) starting in 1958, and then AMT Trophy Series (early hot rods) that followed.
By 1964 I was starting college and greatly slowed down the model building. I pretty much stopped models until about 2000. And now my vision limits my building to almost nothing.

 

I don't do model cars; I am into model trains, steam engines in particular. As a matter of fact, if I could figure out how to swing it, I would have a restored Pacific instead of all the cars. Cruise nights might be difficult.

 

I build cars but also LOVE trains. Got a Marx set as a kid, collected a bunch of Marx over the years.

 

Cool display. Looks like a lot more Lionel than Marx, though.

 

Very Imp***ive collection of the Marx Honeymoon Express varieties (I'm a tin-toy guy).

 

As a kid I built off topic stuff - I still have a trans am and a dodge charger I built. Back then wal mart had a 1/4 aisle of them for under I think $10 each. I’ve lately bought a couple off eBay for $30-40. Where are y’all buying kits now?

 

I built whatever I could get my hands on, before my teen years I preferred AMT, Monogram and JoHon because they were easier to build. But later I started building Revel, MPC and others.
I quit building because the model companies quit making new models, after you’ve built the same kit two or three times the thrill is gone well at least it was for me.

 

Yes, I built the showrods as an adolescent in the '70s. I've had a fondness for them since I was 10.

In the mid-'70s we lived in Canada for a few years, and my friends and I had a thing about wild g***eresque street freak kitbashes based on just about anything we could find. But I did other weird stuff, too. I remember a mid-engined "silhouette" Vega road-racer, and a flame paint job on a WWII tank.

 

Growing up, AMT was the way to go. I had more than one Revell kit that never got finished.

MPC came along in 1966 and I noticed the thinner molding on the bodies. AMT stuff was thicker.

I had a bunch of Johan kits that were quite good.

Now AMT is still re-popping old annuals and the molds have seen better days. Other brands like Revell or Monogram were much crisper, less flash, better fit, better detail.

Now I have jumped into 3D printed kits, which bring challenges of their own.

 

WOW!!

 

Funny Cars and Top Fuel. The Hawaiian, Tony Nancy, The Snake and ****oose, etc.

 

Nope, all Marx. Marx is Chevrolet, Lionel is Lamborghini. I get a complete Marx train or three for the price of one Lionel engine!
My original train I got in the 50s is the diecast steamer with the 4 car consist on the 3rd shelf up.

 

Must be my age. When I was a kid, ALL Marx was tinplate. In 1958, I switched to HO and never looked back.

 

My two favorites are Pacifics and Consolidateds. My FAVORITE Pacific would be the Southern Crescent....

 

I mostly built drag car kits, g***ers, altereds, rails, funny cars, AFX. hot rods. At Christmas when I was a kid I always asked for car models, paint and glue. Good times.