Art & Inspiration Is the Sundance Express a real car? Perhaps Early Times - Bay Area Roadsters

Found what's left of one of my favorite model kits way back when. After seeing the excellent Andy's Picnic photo threads, I began to wonder if the Revell Sundance Express kit was based on a real hot rod. It certainly has some of the cues from that era and location.

It also has "liner notes" rivaling that of any decent 60s jazz album, check out the scan.

 

I checked Dave's Show Rod Rally, which is an ideal source for older model kits, and couldn't find this model. It more than likely is a "updated" version of an earlier Revell kit, mirroring the times it was reissued. Almost favors Dean Lowe's pickup from the mid sixties!

 

This is the original release of Revell's A pickup kit, c1964.



The '70s "Sundance" release has the same mags/tires from the '53 Chevy panel and '54 Bel Air gasser kits (as the then-contemporary style update).

 

The roadster pickup was also released as the blue beetle before this version.

 

The Blue Beetle was Monogram's RPU kit and not the same mold.

 

You beat me to it. The Blue Beetle was one of the first kits I ever built in the early 60's. It came with a surf board & scuba diving gear. Thanks for the memories .

 

I saw that one on the 'bay, wonder what the "real hardwood pickup bed" was like.

 

My original '64 kit is sealed but I'd assume the "real wood" bed is just molded-in wood grain.

 

There was talk on the hamb a while ago about the blue beetle kit bearing a strange resemblance to our own Dean Lowes real rpu, especially the bucket seats! M.P.C. also released a rpu. with I think a chrome stingray bike. God I miss the simpler days of modeling.

 

The simple days of modeling still exist. Just go on eBay and buy an old kit, a builder and not a mint/sealed kit, and build it. I've done that several times. Considering the price of new models the prices for builders on eBay aren't that bad. I started a builder Blue Beetle maybe ten years ago, got stalled, and it's still in the stash with two other unbuilt BB kits. Many of the old kits we remember are still being produced so you can re-live your youth with the current versions of your favorite kits.

I think it's been said on the HAMB before but model companies often "stole" a real car through photos and made the model and paid no royalties to the owner of the actual car. Dean's RPU may well have influenced someone at Monogram and they created the Blue Beetle.

 

Cut55,did that just last weekend,went to a model show & swap and bought the reissued black widow , green hornet ,and that grossly under detailed deuce roadster (the one moulded in maroon ) just because I had them when they were new ! Could stare at the boxart for hours,todays kits leave nothing to the imagination . Also bought 5 reissued johan promos for instant gratification !

 

There ya go! I saw that reissued Black Widow recently and thought to myself how badly I wanted one as a kid in the early '70s when they weren't available. I'll have to get one. I have one or two unbuilt old BWs with the rubber tires while the reissue comes with plastic tires.

 

Thanks for the responses! Now I gotta find one of the original Revell kits Cut55 showed. I think there is a model swap coming up soon in my area...

 

If the one I have is any indication, it was a thin sheet of what looks like basswood.