Monogram 1/8 Scale Car Models

[cutlasguy]

Back in the eighty's Monogram was releasing a new 1/8 scale car model kit every year. I couldn't wait to see what the next one could be. I even sold my savings bonds to buy them. Today I still proudly display them in hand built cases. Boy, I sure miss them!

[Billy Kingsley]

Cool to see so many. You rarely ever see them built, even at the largest model car shows. 

[rocketraider]

The blue Corvette, the "Big T" and the Jag 2+2 go back at least to the 60s. Built all three in grade school but cannot remember what happened to them, though my mama had a housecleaning after I left home. She gave a lot of my treasured and well-kept toys to my cousin's brat, who could tear the horns off a brass billy goat. Doubt they survived him.

[Walt G]

Thanks for the post! I only had one the Jaguar XKE in red, I recall as the glue dried out I had to reglue parts back on, it is long gone.

[George Cole]

1 hour ago, Walt G said:

Thanks for the post! I only had one the Jaguar XKE in red, I recall as the glue dried out I had to reglue parts back on, it is long gone.

I had the same one.  It's long gone as well.  After 20 years in the Air Force, there's not much left to come home to.

[cutlasguy]

The first one I built was the blue Corvette! I kept it until I got married in 1970 after which my kids played with it and lost many parts. I glued it back together and after displaying it on a shelf in my den, decided to collect them! Several are the intricate and more detailed Pocher models . like the Alfa Romeo where the transmission actually shifts, and the wire wheels had to be laced. The Ferrari's are all metal and had to be screwed together with tiny little screws! I saw one at Carlisle for sale in kit form. The guy wanted 1000 bucks for it! I never saw another Ferrari F40 though!

[TerryB]

I have the Big Deuce model kit which I assembled about 55 years ago in the box in my basement.  It’s coming apart as the glue has dried out over time.  Maybe it’s time to dig it out and see what I can do with it.

[JamesR]

I remember those models! They were way beyond my budget as a kid, but I always wanted one...never had one. There was a model T kit that forever informed what my idea of what a classic hot rod should look like. I can't exactly remember what the name of it was, but I think it was red and white...and cool. 😉 Pretty sure it was from Monogram. This would've been in the late '60's or early '70's.

Edited September 27, 2020 by JamesR (see edit history)

[Laughing Coyote]

 

27 minutes ago, JamesR said:

They were way beyond my budget as a kid

And looking at Ebay right now, I can't afford them as an adult. 

 

[1937hd45]

Big T, The Deuce Roadster, and Visible V8 are still in the original boxes. This may have been the beginning of my never finished projects, except for the Riley 4Port back in 1974. Bob 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Yes I have the Corvettes, my C2 is red, had since a teen and it's out to this day, C4 is in the box.  Sadly, while I have the box for the C2, it is ripped across the front.  Fantastic cases, Mr. Cutlass..

Edited September 27, 2020 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[sftamx1]

I still have the "Big T" I built back in the late 1960s. Monogram had the very best finished kits with incredible shiny  molded in color. I added the 6 pack carb option to the 283 Power plant.  The piecrust slicks are an awesome touch. I also had the early Jag XKE, almost finished when my clumsy older brother stepped on it! I was heartbroken. A neighbor  completed the 32 Deuce hi boy model with working headlamps. Those were great times!

[JamesR]

2 hours ago, sftamx1 said:

 

 

Yeah, that's the model T hot rod kit I was thinking of...the Big T, as you say. Whenever I see it, old Ventures tunes start running through my head! 😄

[rocketraider]

I was in Hobby Lobby before the pestilence came, looking over their model car selection. Most priced $20 or higher. Made me think of the days when I'd save pennies, scour roadsides for Coke bottles to turn in for the deposit, hire myself out to neighborhood farmers etc to make enough money to buy a $1.50 AMT 3-in-1 kit or really splurge for a $2.00 kit. A Monogram was an indulgence but boy were they nice. 55 Chevy, 58 Thunderbird and 40 Ford pickup- great kits. The 1/8 scales were always Christmas or birthday gifts.

 

Although Revell had some interesting kits, I found many of theirs to be a bit flimsy and lacking in detail. Had fitment problems with most too, especially ones with opening doors and trunks.

 

I have a lot of unbuilt kits packed away. Eyesight and arthritis take their toll.

 

 

[Doug Novak]

Thanks, now I'll have to pull off the shelf in the basement the box of Models I built as a kid and later as a grown up. When I built them in the early days as a preteen they were expensive $2.00, for Revels. Spent many hours building and sometimes customizing some.

Now I have 1/18th ERTI Scale Models of the cars in my Garage and ones I owned in the past. The details are very exact. 

 

 

[JamesR]

7 hours ago, rocketraider said:

....$1.50 AMT 3-in-1 kit or really splurge for a $2.00 kit. A Monogram was an indulgence but boy were they nice. 55 Chevy, 58 Thunderbird and 40 Ford pickup- great kits. The 1/8 scales were always Christmas or birthday gifts.

 

When I was building models as a kid, I remember the typical Monogram kit as being 1/24 scale as opposed to the 1/25 scale that most other makers had used as a standard. That would make their cars look ever so slightly odd when put along side kits from AMT or other makers. But Monograms were, as you say, good quality, though. Maybe their slightly larger size helped in that regard. It was always my impression, however, that despite their lower price, AMT kits often had pretty accurate body proportions, though sometimes the front and rear bumper assemblies would stick out a little too far.

 

Quote

Although Revell had some interesting kits, I found many of theirs to be a bit flimsy and lacking in detail. Had fitment problems with most too, especially ones with opening doors and trunks.

Oh absolutely! The opening door, hood and trunk assemblies often made Revell cars look poorly proportioned. I'm guessing that molding the doors separately from the rest of the car kept them from following the exact same body contours, or warped them maybe. Nevertheless, we viewed Revell kits as desirable back then because they had all those working body panel features. We just assumed that they ended up looking a little misshapen because we had built them improperly (which we probably did.) 😄

[rocketraider]

I admit. I built the Revell 57 Chevy with moderate success. Those operating rear side windows did it for me! But I ended up throwing the later-built 56 in the trash because try as my 12 year old self might, the doors never fit the body right. Warped, gaps, more body work than I wanted.

 

My cousin, who had an appetite for destruction, wanted to blow it up with firecrackers. Patrick grew up to be a demolition engineer. Go figure.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

10 hours ago, rocketraider said:

My cousin, who had an appetite for destruction, wanted to blow it up with firecrackers. Patrick grew up to be a demolition engineer. Go figure.

Ha well, a couple pals and I also built a lot of ship models.  I recall taking gas, or something flamable one day and floating about 10 of the in a stream, burning.  We basically played out a big battle.  Somehow dad found out and was not happy, toxic fumes and all... 😁

[rocketraider]

I didn't have patience to build ships though I built aircraft and Rat Finks.

 

AMT and Jo-Han made the automakers' promo models, so that may have been why their proportions seemed better. Jo-Han kits were excellent quality for most of their existence but I noticed molding quality got very poor towards the end. A 70 Eldorado kit came with a frame that was so twisted even a few minutes in the oven didn't help.

 

IMC made some really interesting kits. I built the 48 Fords and the Mustang II concept. I know the 48s have been reissued in Testor's and Revell-Monogram versions, not sure on the Mustang. They were a little more complicated to build but showed well.

 

I wish I knew what happened to all of them.

[Flivverking]

I'm sure I built every Monogram ,AMT and Revell kit offered in the 60s and 70s of vintage cars like stock Model T's,A's ,32 Fords and various hot rods based on old cars atleast twice.Most were lavishly painted.

..Many got blown up by M80s eventually 🌋😨. 

Built the Touring car version of the Big T. A gift from my God Father when I was sick.

.Built a large Mercer Raceabout and 31? Lincoln all weather pheaton .

 

Remember the Phone booth T,Boot Hill Expresd,Lil Coffin,The Paddy Wagon,The Red Barron, Romal's Wagon.The Monster cars and  the list goes on and on..Many have been reissussed sever times.

I use to like the 3 in 1 kits..

 

Here is AMT's 1928 Porter /My Mother the Car ,dust and all that my father built in 1967, with original fadded box..A visiter dropped it about 8 years ago I have yet to fix it..Maybe this pushes me to do so.

.Just the right rear wheel and a piece of the front right bumper bracket bar needs to be made.

 

[Pfeil]

A friend a work who was into Car models big time ( like hundreds ) had some of his collection at model shops and always had them in shows also had a collection of pristine new/old model kits. One day he came over to my office to tell me he was selling up. I'm a Pontiac guy ( Olds and VW too). I bought about a dozen and a half untouched Pontiac kits ( AMT, Monogram and Revell from the late 50's to late 60's.

When I retired in 2006 I thought I would start to put them together........ Now, 2020 hum.... Haven't even looked at them yet.

[8E45E]

10 minutes ago, Pfeil said:

I bought about a dozen and a half untouched Pontiac kits ( AMT, Monogram and Revell from the late 50's to late 60's.

When I retired in 2006 I thought I would start to put them together........ Now, 2020 hum.... Haven't even looked at them yet.

That's EXACLY why I only by them already built!  My spare time is taken up in the garage (re)building the real, life-size vehicles they're modeled from.

 

One of my many scale model cabinets:

 

 

[cutlasguy]

   Long story short on this one! Thirty years ago the frame on the 32 Ford Street Rod I assembled many years ago and displayed, split, followed by the entire front end. It just collapsed. I figured "no biggie" I chucked it in the garbage after pulling off the useful parts. I would just buy another one I thought, but Monogram told me to try Ebay, because they're no longer being made. I ran out to the garbage and fished it out. For years I wasn't the successful bidder, even after raising the ante by hundreds. I finally gave up and began patching the old one back together. It had no suspension and the wheels alone propped up the front end. Then came the gift! For my 73rd birthday, my daughter came over with a large box. I ripped the wrapping open and beside myself with joy, just stared at it. A complete unassembled kit, still in plastic bags, with instructions inside.The Holy Grail of 1/8 scale Car Models. It's been three years now, and the kit is still unassembled. I hope to do it justice this Winter with my 76 year old hands! I hope!

[Steve_Mack_CT]

So is that the damaged one in one of your cases in pic #1, with flames? It looks pretty good.  

[cutlasguy]

It is! You'll notice it has no back window, because I had to re fabricate the top with vinyl! It is sitting on the front tires. They're resting beneath the fenders.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Forgive the positively horrible lighting.  But I figured I would go see, yep,deep in the corner on an old Exide battery tray it's still there, looking like a "barn find" maybe it's worth something!! 😁😁

 

This old Stutz model a great uncle built, who worked selling Stutz early in his career, gets better treatment.  Love to know more about it, I think this is a 40s, 50s vintage model.

 

Have had both for well over 40 years.

[sftamx1]

I built those Aurora models of the Stutz and Mercer back in the mid 60s, so they are not that old...

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Thank you!  Sftamx1, prior to that I didn't have more to go on than a guess based on his life, career time line.  

[Guest Mark McAlpine]

I spent 6th-8th grades in boarding school (another story and probably explains a lot about me) and every weekend it rained we spent the day inside building models and racing slot cars.  I built more model cars, planes, and ships than I can remember.  I have no idea what happened to them all.  What I really miss is the 1/24th-scale Cheetah slot car and Cox pistol-grip controller I had.  

Edited September 29, 2020 by Mark McAlpine (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

RenWal produced kits in mid 60s "updated" to what 1966 versions of classic cars might have looked like. I think Virgil Exner may have had input. I never built them, they were like $5 kits back then.

[8E45E]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

RenWal produced kits in mid 60s "updated" to what 1966 versions of classic cars might have looked like. I think Virgil Exner may have had input. I never built them, they were like $5 kits back then.

I recall there were four separate kits; Packard, Duesenberg, Stutz, and a Mercer Cobra.

 

Of the four, the Mercer was an actual concept car for the Copper Institute to highlight their idea for using copper as styling trim, and Duesenberg.  The Stutz actually made it to 'production'; being Pontiac Grand Prix's or Bonneville's modified in Italy.

 

Craig

[8E45E]

Just now, 8E45E said:

I recall there were four separate kits; Packard, Duesenberg, Stutz, and a Mercer Cobra.

 

Of the four, the Mercer was an actual concept car for the Copper Institute to highlight their idea for using copper as styling trim, and the Duesenberg.  The Stutz actually made it to 'production'; being Pontiac Grand Prix's or Bonneville's modified in Italy.  I believe the Packard idea only existed on paper with no actual-size car being built.

 

Craig