Greetings from Clay County, Missouri ! I remember the tape on the boxes. DON'T remember when bags started showing up. But DO remember when the price was right after the kit number. :) Then the price increases in the late '70's with the revised price stickers :( Thanks again, Mike ! 85 thumbs UP
Yeah, me too. Started building kits about 1955. I had so many of the kits displayed in this video. Always looked forward to going the store to see if they had any new models. The tape on the box was a definite bummer for a kid wanting to see what the kit looked like inside. Great memories.
Thank you for the informative and well presented video. I started in 1964 using my allowance (50 cents) and bottle return money to build almost a model a week. While I believe you about Revell's plastic bags I do remember well the 2 tapes and no plastic bags on the $.49 (and then $.50 and then $.60) plane models in the 1964-69 era. Perhaps Revell reverted after a couple of years. It made a big impression on me and my two best friends in comparison to Aurora, which used brittle plastic wrap. We liked that Revell did not use bags or wrap on our models. You just use your fingernail to cut a tape, and on the inside was the model, instructions, and decals. I am forwarding the link for your video to a couple of friends. Thanks again.
Thanks again Mr. M for the great video. Believe it or not that X3 Stilleto kit was the first kit I built with my son. I'm sure it was a reissue. I may still have the box. Wish I had that collection in my closet. 👍👍👍👍👍
Great video. Thanks for another stroll down memory lane. I remember the open packaging. And even with the cello-wrap, the box image still sold the model. And a fabulous collection you do have. Always loved that Neptune kit. The box art is still stunning. Thanks again Mr. Machat.
My first model was a Monogram Speedy built B-26, in 1955. I am still building, but at the cost of today's kits, it's difficult. This series brings back so many happy memories for me. And the smell of "tube glue" and how long it took to dry. Thank you so very much for Bringing back so many memories.
Another great video Mike! I was born in 1949 and started building these models in the mid- 1950’s. Very informative and you are a great tour guide down memory lane!
Awesome Mike! That is some nice collecting you got there. I'm guessing that you have an old glue and paint display or promo materials to go with your vintage hobby shop? The only other thing you need would be an old cash register and maybe a gumball machine by the door! Looking forward to you showcasing the other manufacturers, especially Aurora.
Thanks Adam, and yes, we have some upcoming episodes on store window displays, promo items, and the big Aurora airliner series. Will definitely have to get a gumball machine!
Another wonderful video, about a little known subject. While I personally have little interest (or ever had) in putting together plastic models, I do love the art on the boxes. I good friend of mine who lives in Germany recently sent me two Revell catalogs, in German, one from 1974 and the other from 1977, in mint condition. The artwork depicted is absolutely stunning!! :)
As someone who got into modeling in the 70's, I have to say we must have benefitted from the earlier trials and tribulations because almost every kit I bought back then was highly detailed and excellent (mostly Minicraft/Hasegawa) and never missing parts or decals. The only occasional issues I remember were with the Revell kits I bought - no missing parts but sometimes warped or cracked plastic. I particularly remember this Minicraft/Hasegawa Me-163B Komet model I made - the cockpit was so detailed I spent days on it.
What a lovely and well presented video, deserves more than the one like that I can give. That's a nice collection of model kits and well looked after, do you collect kits to keep or build sometime ? I have many kits I intend to build sometime but some have become valuable :)
I remember a Lindberg kit of a TBF Avenger which had the pilot's control stick connected to the ailerons and elevators with long metal rods. You could move the controls by moving the stick.
Wow, cool stuff you have there. I remember the Comet balsa kits as a kid in hobby stores and built quite a few of them. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
The first model I build was a KC-135 stratotanker with my dad. I was about 7 and I was so excited on the way home from the hobby shop I opened the box to look at the parts. When we put the model together we were missing half of an engine pod. We looked all over for it and never found it. Dad got mad at me for opening the box in the car. Now I think it may have never been in the box. I was mad at my Dad for picking a plane with no passenger windows, but I went on to build fighters and passenger plans on my own. One of my favorite models was “the phantom P-51” it was motorized the propeller spun and the landing gear went up and down. And it had a transparent fuselage think it was a Monogram model. Great memories!
Thanks for the wonderful story and comment, and yes, that "visible Mustang" was indeed a Monogram kit. I built the Revell KC-135 kit also after my Dad surprised me with a trip to the hobby shop. Wonderful memories!
I was an early 60's kid and I honestly don't remember my first kit build. It went all the back to my first memories. I became a model making factory. I built just about everything aircraft. It was easy for my folks shopping Xmas and birthdays gifts. And whenever I was home from school sick my mom would bring home a model to keep me occupied. Helen's Toy Store in Lancaster, CA had great variety of models for sale (I am sure I was the sole reason for it surviving). All those models in the $.49 cent to $1.49 models to choose from. In the late 60's Revell came out with the big 1/32 scale models that were $2.50! Now those were the pinnacle to me. But Monogram's Phantom P-51 was the ultimate! Never had one then, but my older brother did and I never lost my desire to get one, I now have 5 of them in my stash. Which leads to the question of how many models do you have in your stash(es)?
Mike, Another great video. And I was delighted to learn how Revell solved the deluge of requests for missing parts.; a quandary you told us about in an earlier video. Muchas gracias. 👍
Excellent again...I can almost smell the styrene and the glue, so many good memories. I can't wait for the next installment. Maybe you should consider opening a hobby shop!
I remember opening up the boxes to look at the parts, to see what color the model was molded in and also to get an idea how well it was made. They were often molded in odd colors, not at all like the box art.
It does happen, and I've been in that same place myself. Hopefully when things improve, you can start buying-back some of those same kits again. Appreciate the comment!
I've sold some things that maybe I wish I hadn't. However, I at least enjoyed the items for awhile. And I know they went to somebody else enjoying them and that's not such a bad thing.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I forgot to also mention that when you get to a "certain age", properly "deaccessioning" items (to use a museum term) means your family won't have to bother with it. And typically, they will know little about the subject anyway.
I remember in the 1950's when there was a sea of plastic kits on the hobby shop shelves similar to what we now see in supermarkets in the cereal aisle. Now, if you go into the store called "Hobby Lobby", there is perhaps a three foot wide area of the shelving with some kits. And when I was a kid, at a boy's birthday party, you got given a lot of plastic model kits by the other boys. I vividly remember opening the presents at my party one year with about a dozen kids there and there was a Revell Sikorsky helicopter. Continued opening gifts and there was another. And then a third. Got three of the things (must have been on sale or something).
Great story and excellent point! At the peak of the hobby (1954-1959) Revell produced 100,000 kits-per-run and sold them to stores by the gross. A hobby shop owner near the Lockheed plant in Burbank, CA told me his store sold 144 kits of Revell's new F-104 Starfighter in only two weeks. Hard to believe that ever happened now, and thanks for the comment.
My experience was that Lindberg was the worst of the plastic models. Pieces were missing, parts warped and so forth. They used to sell them with electric motors that had to be assembled, and I don't know of one kid that was able to actually build one. Revell was pretty good. Aurora made knight and monster kits in the mid '60s and I had most of them. I seem to remember that there were a small number of parts in those models. In any case I much preferred Airfix or Frog, and in 1/72 scale. Still, I would occasionally get a Lindberg kit from a well intentioned aunt but I don't remember any that weren't crap.
Thank you Mike. I absolutely enjoy your videos specially the ones with plastic models. I've only been watching for almost a year but I try not to miss any. anyways keep up the good work. Mike Crawford
Back in about 1960 when I was a kid I was looking at the toys in FW Woolworths. Back then these stores were in downtown areas not shopping malls. I saw a large model kit that blew me away. It was the "Westinghouse Atomic Power Plant" model by Revell. No shrink wrap or tape back then. I opened it up and OMG!!! A million parts in compartments and they were in different colors!!!! A little lady sales clerk saw what I was doing and scolded me for opening the box. Told me next time she would report me and my parents would be called. Scared the crap outta me!!!!! I didnt go back for a month and when I did my radar was up looking for this little ole lady. Never saw her again............or the model kit!!!😥
Revell was great about lost parts. In 1968, I built their 1/48 B-25B ''Doolittle Raider'' version. I was something of a maverick, in that I never built according to the box art. I delved deeply into the British ''Profile Publications'' for inspiration. My Mitchell, I built as a North Africa based bomber in overall khaki over gull grey. I tinted the canopies light green. A Twilight Zone episode, ''King Nine Will Not Return'' had just aired in syndication. The plot was based on the B-24 Lady Luck, recently discovered in Libya. This version has a [more accessible] B-25 with a guilt-racked Bob Cummings hallucinating under PCSD that he's interacting with his lost crew -- who stayed with the plane when he bailed out. From another kit I found a decal: Lucky Lady, and that was close enough. When the plane rolled off a counter top and pranged, smashing the landing gear, some gun barrels and the props, I wrote to Revell, offering to buy the replacement parts. Less than a week later, the new parts came in, free of chaarge with a nice lettter. They had a lotta class.
Thanks Max, and that's actually a combo of mine and a friend's warehouse stash, used strictly for our mock 1950s Hobby Shop background. Next-up in this live series - Aurora airliners and X-15 "Satteloid Plane," plus Gift Sets and Aircraft Carrier kits!
Do you happen to remember when models were given a "skill rating" - I think it was 1 through 5, 5 being the most difficult to assemble? I remember being in the 3rd grade at the time and bought a "motorized tank" model and it had a higher skill rating, and I don't think I ever figured out how to put it together.
WOW. Mike you have a wealth of knowledge on the aircraft models. Very informative I must say. I remember when I built my first car model back in 1968, the box had like some kind of wrap around it it wasn't plastic but something else. I liked Revel back then and even today. They are the best to me. Most of the other companies looked like they don't even care about the models. It appears in the instruction sheet. Anyway. I will stop rambling. Thanks for the great video. Take care Mike
I wouldn't call Revell the best Tamiya, Hasegawa and a lot of new companies have made better models than Revell did - but often at a much higher price. You got to be careful with Revell, at least Revell Germany, because they will put one of their old molding kits in a new box and sell it as a new issue ! OTOH they do have a very helpful spare parts department ! I once asked them if they would sell me the parts for slatted F-4F outboard wings & actuators to make an F-4S out of a Tamiya J, and they sent them for free !
@@jamesmaroon6161 I have a few AMT F7F Tigercats, they're OK - at least if you get the horrible "rubber" wheels out of the boxes as they'll eat through the plastic ... They have some kits you won't find elsewhere, like a 1/72 C-135 And rebranded ESCI/ERTL stuff
@@Wannes_ I build mostly Cars and Trucks. I was in the Marine Corps. So I kind of steer away from military stuff, I have PTSD that is why. But I know what your talking about. At least have fun with the models right.
When I was a kid every drug store had a whole island of model kits. Also there was a period, I think in the late 60’s when an inferior model glue was sold because a few kids were sniffing volatile petrochemicals wafting from the “S” (styrene adhesives). For a while models would not stay together unless you got a parent to buy the “S” glue kept behind the counter. Will you share some history / chronology on that subject in one of your episodes. Thanks again Mike for some of my favorite TH-cam content.
Well presented and interesting information but what made me sad was looking at the boxes and going...I had that....I had that, and wishing that they were still in the closet untouched.
It's amazing that a hobby shop could stay open selling models for two dollars apiece, probably why in this day and time, most model sales have been taken over by large chain stores like Hobby Lobby.
I like your idea of contemporary @celebratingaviationwithmik9782 ☺ That Hasegawa F-16 kit is like 40 years old ... new decals, new parts were added later, but it's still the same kit
I remember model companies putting extra items in the boxes back in the 60's. One, was Lindberg Line. There was a hobby shop in Coral Gables, Fla., called Uncle Eric's Happy Town. Well, Lindberg would put cement and other things in the boxes (model cement wasn't known as being dangerous back then), mark the said boxes having these items included. Uncle Eric had a nasty habit of opening the boxes and removing these items so he could sell them to you and make extra money. I thought this was a slimy tactic back then, and still do today.
My first model was a DC-3 that my great aunt bought me when I was maybe 8 or 9 back in the 1950's. I can't remember who manufactured the kit, but it was a light grey plastic. I think it had American Airline decals, but could be wrong. I got cement all over the places that it wasn't suppose to be, and worse, I got it on my fingers and THEN on the plastic, leaving finger prints on the wings and fuselage. I fogged up all the clear acetate windows, trying to glue them. Even though that model was a mess, I got it finished. It sat on the bookcase in my aunt's bedroom for years. Sadly it disappeared after she died in the late 60's. I guess whoever produced it is long gone out of business, but I'd love to build another just for her and to prove to myself that my modeling skills have improved in 60 years or so. Hope you do an airliner show or two soon.
Great comment Jim, thanks, and I'll bet that was the Monogram TWA DC-3 you built back then: www.ebay.com/itm/Monogram-Douglas-DC-3-TWA-1955-1-90-Sealed/224069025822?hash=item342b8e001e:g:YB0AAOSwKFpe8lvn
@@jim874 Monogram kits were never sealed originally, so there's no loss of originality issue. However, you may want to wait until an eBay listing shows up with photos of the the open box to guarantee everything is there. I just sent that one to let you know those kits are still out there. Good luck!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 OK.The listing said this: "This particular kit is cello sealed". Thanks for the advise and I'll do some homework, and shop around some.
I seem to remember some kits were sealed with the cover wrap? You had to slice it open with a pen knife or scissor blade? Great video, looking forward to more. I used to try to save the famous artist/air plane box tops, especially the ones printed on faux canvas. The Vigilante and the Nautilus were two of my favorites.
If you have time, what's a good place to purchase vintage models? Any local model shows? I got a couple off ebay a few years back and they looked better in the pic's than what I got. You got me interested in collecting again. Thanks again for the work in your videos.
I'm hoping model shows make a comeback after COVID, as they always gave you the opportunity to see the actual kit you were purchasing before you bought it, avoiding the "eBay Surprise." Check your local hobby shop - some buy vintage collections. (Brookhurst Hobbies in Orange near you?)
@@mikemachat Hi Mike. Just got home. I check there website and couldn't find vintage items, it may take a phone call tomorrow. I'm in Torrance and was at Pacific Coast Hobbies just this afternoon and all there items are new. I have three kits from when I was a kid, A Lindberg F-94C kit no. 459, A Lindberg B-17G kit no. 574 and a Aurora AVANTI box date 1964 . There almost just like the day I got them. I think I have some more but haven't come across them yet. Can't wait for Knott's and Disneyland to open.... Thanks for info.
The model companies never actually "solved" the problem of missing parts, the companies simply took "protective measures" to help prevent loss of model parts. Parts could have become lost during the model packaging process at the factory, without notice by the packaging people. I imagine this happened occasionally.
sure, but that was much less likely than being lost in the store, with kids picking thru all the boxes. Old packaging - no warning printed on the bag ! How did we survive?
@@orbitalair2103 My older brothers used to open the model boxes to inspect models for detail & quality (to see the actual value for their money). This was understandable, since the dramatic "box art" conveyed no information regarding the model kit itself. This was at the old 5 & dime store (Ben Franklin) near where we lived at the time.
Nicely done video! Anyone know what typical in-store prices were like back in the 50s for a typical model? I’m curious just how much my parents spent on me 😀
Thanks for your comment, and that's a great question. Models of that era were priced by the size of the box! The standard "shelf size" of hobby shops required boxes measuring 5"-high by 12"-long, and these were for airliners, bombers, transports, larger helicopters, etc. Price was 98 cents. Smaller boxes for WWII or jet fighters measured 4" by 10", and were priced from 79 to 89 cents. Aurora and Comet made even smaller models priced at 49 cents. As model complexity increased, like missiles with launchers, airliners with ground equipment, or larger ship models, prices climbed to $1.29, $1.49, and even $1.98 for a larger Aurora airliner or Revell ocean liner.
The two models I would like to build are both from the French Indo-China War, namely the Grumman F8F-1 in French Air Force livery and the Chance-Vought F4U-7 Corsair of Aeronavale.
Great video again Mike!... did you ever build kits by Frog and Airfix from England and Heller from France?.... living in Canada, they were quite available also....
Great question Jim, and for us in the U.S., those kits were quite rare in the 1950s. There was one store in New York City called Polk's Hobby Shop that carried "imported models" from England, Germany, and France, and I still remember my very first Airfix kits - the Blackburn Buccaneer and Saunders Roe S.R. 53 rocket-boosted interceptor. The FROG BOAC Britannia I drooled over cost a whopping $5.00 back then!
Thanks for getting back to me.... these imported kits, Frog, Airfix, Heller, etc., were very good.... I remember building a Airfix 72nd scale Avro Lancaster but couldn't find decals to replicate RCAF versions....this was before the restoration of the Mynarski Lancaster VR-A..... I would've done that if the decals were available..... also don't recall whatever happened to that model.... built many others but that Lancaster was always my favourite.... I really enjoy your posts so please keep them coming.... Thanks again Mike....@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782
The box art on these early kits reminds me of the box art on early video games. What I mean is what you wound up getting to play with didnt bear much resemblance to the box art!!! For example my glue bombs hand painted with a cheap brush and Testors enamel looked nothing like the picture. Later when we bought my young son the Tanks game for the Atari 2600 the blocks looked nothing like the tanks on the box.
As a kid, if I was missing a part, I’d go back to the store, open a like kit, and take the missing part. The sealed part bag prevented me from doing this.
@Peter McKay Hahaha! Those were such innocent days. I drove my Mom crazy with all the models I would display around the entire house. I just discovered this channel and I'm glad I did.
@Peter McKay Understand, thanks Peter, and the cover art on that Revell F-111 kit was one of Jack Leynnwood's greatest, showing Edwards AFB as it looked back then. Wishing you all the best, Mike
Every Lindbergh kit I've built has had bad molding, poor detailing, and bad fit with parts. For a company that takes so much pride for being "made in the USA", you would think that they would have much better QC and much better maintenance on their dies. I have never had any issues with Aurora or Revell.
You know you also got to figure that a good percentage of those lost parts were the junior model when he got at home and when he wasn't looking his little brother got a hold of the kit and maybe lost the part or broke it or something so I'm sure that accounted for a percentage of all these lost parts now a bag isn't going to solve that situation.
It's not surprising considering the quality and fidelity of a lot of Aurora model kits that their solution happened to be they just seal the box entirely with cellphones so that you can't look and see what's inside that box That's not surprising at all to me that Aurora really didn't want you to know what was inside of that model kit box until you paid for it and got it home
Mike can we please have your views in a video on the awful lowviz colour in the usn and marine a c,,comparing them witt the glorious livery of yesteryear. Luckily i see its making a comeback
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Thanx reply. Are you familiar with the works of Rembrandt ? No one is better, in fact in a class of one, in rendering armour. In aviation, the equivalent is reproducing bare aluminium. My #1 award for "Rembrandt equivalent" is Amendala's Convair 880. I am seriously keen to find a print of this box top, Glencoe. Do you know any source for print ? Was there ever a release of this ? Is the artist still around and how could I contact him ? Thanks in advance. (In addition to aviation career since 1966, I have BA Art - primary life aim was artist, but family too poor to afford fees for the sole accredited art school in my state. Add to that, engineering and piloting, thus my appreciation of every detail of aviation art works - rendering cloudscapes, my favourite. ..especially the differences imposed by different climatic conditions and latitude on colour - EG: all colour pallete washed out in Australian skies compared to UK, or another "step up", higher latitudes of Moscow & Peter/Finland/Swwden). As Russians always say "I wish you a light flight and a soft landing" Many others will agree when I say, pls keep the vids coming....I built many (very ✈✈✈) kits when they hit the shelves. Frog, Aurora, Airfix, Revell being prominent back then. Just as with pop music, Australian market had limited imports, so it is only now I see other great kit manufacturers. When living Moscow, a new world of European/Eastern European models makers was opened up which I had never known of. Best Regards, Cap'n Kris, Perth/Oz
Mike, try and see the movie,,tiger in the sky,, with alan ladd1957,see how june alyson desroys a batch of revell planes by swiping them from a desk. I was horified at the time, 1957. To think ,, how could they allow that,
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Greetings from Clay County, Missouri !
I remember the tape on the boxes. DON'T remember when bags started showing up.
But DO remember when the price was right after the kit number. :) Then the price increases in the late '70's with the revised price stickers :(
Thanks again, Mike ! 85 thumbs UP
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
As a 50's kid, this brought back so many memories of good times spent building these kits. Great job!
Yeah, me too. Started building kits about 1955. I had so many of the kits displayed in this video. Always looked forward to going the store to see if they had any new models. The tape on the box was a definite bummer for a kid wanting to see what the kit looked like inside. Great memories.
What a little nice collection you got there.
Congratulations my friend.!!
Appreciate the comment!
That's quite the stash! One to build, (at least) one to keep.
That's it!
Thank you for the informative and well presented video. I started in 1964 using my allowance (50 cents) and bottle return money to build almost a model a week. While I believe you about Revell's plastic bags I do remember well the 2 tapes and no plastic bags on the $.49 (and then $.50 and then $.60) plane models in the 1964-69 era. Perhaps Revell reverted after a couple of years. It made a big impression on me and my two best friends in comparison to Aurora, which used brittle plastic wrap. We liked that Revell did not use bags or wrap on our models. You just use your fingernail to cut a tape, and on the inside was the model, instructions, and decals. I am forwarding the link for your video to a couple of friends. Thanks again.
Love your channel. Brings back many memories.
Thank you!
Thank you Mike, another stunner! 😁
Thanks again Mr. M for the great video. Believe it or not that X3 Stilleto kit was the first kit I built with my son. I'm sure it was a reissue. I may still have the box. Wish I had that collection in my closet. 👍👍👍👍👍
Great video. Thanks for another stroll down memory lane. I remember the open packaging. And even with the cello-wrap, the box image still sold the model. And a fabulous collection you do have. Always loved that Neptune kit. The box art is still stunning. Thanks again Mr. Machat.
Appreciate the comment!
Brings back good memories! Thanks.
The Revell artwork got more "serious" but, still looked fantastic! Thanks for another great video Mike!
My first model was a Monogram Speedy built B-26, in 1955. I am still building, but at the cost of today's kits, it's difficult. This series brings back so many happy memories for me. And the smell of "tube glue" and how long it took to dry. Thank you so very much for Bringing back so many memories.
Appreciate the comment, thanks!
So many of those kits bring back so many memories. Starting with that X-3.
Very nice collection Mike. Those Aurora airliners in particular warmed my heart, especially the DC-8.
Thanks, and we'll be featuring those Aurora airliners in our next live "In-Studio" episode in a few weeks.
Great job. I love these videos.
Many thanks!
I built the X-3 S kit when it first came out. Thanks for the memories
Another great presentation, Mike. Oh my, the memories !
Many thanks!
Another great video Mike! I was born in 1949 and started building these models in the mid- 1950’s. Very informative and you are a great tour guide down memory lane!
Appreciate the comment Joe, thanks!
Awesome Mike! That is some nice collecting you got there. I'm guessing that you have an old glue and paint display or promo materials to go with your vintage hobby shop? The only other thing you need would be an old cash register and maybe a gumball machine by the door! Looking forward to you showcasing the other manufacturers, especially Aurora.
Thanks Adam, and yes, we have some upcoming episodes on store window displays, promo items, and the big Aurora airliner series. Will definitely have to get a gumball machine!
Another wonderful video, about a little known subject. While I personally have little interest (or ever had) in putting together plastic models, I do love the art on the boxes. I good friend of mine who lives in Germany recently sent me two Revell catalogs, in German, one from 1974 and the other from 1977, in mint condition. The artwork depicted is absolutely stunning!! :)
As someone who got into modeling in the 70's, I have to say we must have benefitted from the earlier trials and tribulations because almost every kit I bought back then was highly detailed and excellent (mostly Minicraft/Hasegawa) and never missing parts or decals. The only occasional issues I remember were with the Revell kits I bought - no missing parts but sometimes warped or cracked plastic. I particularly remember this Minicraft/Hasegawa Me-163B Komet model I made - the cockpit was so detailed I spent days on it.
Wonderful video Mike, thanks so much for posting, very informative.
My adventure into modeling really started in the 60s but I do remember all the box art and that was the biggest attraction of a kit for me.
What a lovely and well presented video, deserves more than the one like that I can give.
That's a nice collection of model kits and well looked after, do you collect kits to keep or build sometime ?
I have many kits I intend to build sometime but some have become valuable :)
Many thanks, and I both collect and build (although not a rare and valuable vintage kit).
Great episode. I built a few S kits in those days. It was like modelers memory lane for me. Thanks.
I remember a Lindberg kit of a TBF Avenger which had the pilot's control stick connected to the ailerons and elevators with long metal rods. You could move the controls by moving the stick.
Wow, cool stuff you have there. I remember the Comet balsa kits as a kid in hobby stores and built quite a few of them. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
The first model I build was a KC-135 stratotanker with my dad. I was about 7 and I was so excited on the way home from the hobby shop I opened the box to look at the parts. When we put the model together we were missing half of an engine pod. We looked all over for it and never found it. Dad got mad at me for opening the box in the car. Now I think it may have never been in the box. I was mad at my Dad for picking a plane with no passenger windows, but I went on to build fighters and passenger plans on my own. One of my favorite models was “the phantom P-51” it was motorized the propeller spun and the landing gear went up and down. And it had a transparent fuselage think it was a Monogram model. Great memories!
Thanks for the wonderful story and comment, and yes, that "visible Mustang" was indeed a Monogram kit. I built the
Revell KC-135 kit also after my Dad surprised me with a trip to the hobby shop. Wonderful memories!
I was an early 60's kid and I honestly don't remember my first kit build. It went all the back to my first memories. I became a model making factory. I built just about everything aircraft. It was easy for my folks shopping Xmas and birthdays gifts. And whenever I was home from school sick my mom would bring home a model to keep me occupied. Helen's Toy Store in Lancaster, CA had great variety of models for sale (I am sure I was the sole reason for it surviving). All those models in the $.49 cent to $1.49 models to choose from. In the late 60's Revell came out with the big 1/32 scale models that were $2.50! Now those were the pinnacle to me. But Monogram's Phantom P-51 was the ultimate! Never had one then, but my older brother did and I never lost my desire to get one, I now have 5 of them in my stash. Which leads to the question of how many models do you have in your stash(es)?
Great comment, thanks!
@@dalecomer5951
Dad was a Lockheed ‘test pilot’ flying out of Edward’s North Base. In Lancaster from 1960 to 1971.
Lucky guy with all the Aurora airliner kits. :)
We'll be featuring those in our next live "In-Studio" episode!
Mike, Another great video. And I was delighted to learn how Revell solved the deluge of requests for missing parts.; a quandary you told us about in an earlier video. Muchas gracias. 👍
Excellent again...I can almost smell the styrene and the glue, so many good memories. I can't wait for the next installment. Maybe you should consider opening a hobby shop!
Thanks, and that would be my dream retirement job - but only if it was back in the 1950-'60s.
Heck yea! Models were a big part of my childhood, I was into cars tho, buy I do love aviation models too these days
I remember opening up the boxes to look at the parts, to see what color the model was molded in and also to get an idea how well it was made. They were often molded in odd colors, not at all like the box art.
My favorite artists: Josef Albers, Roy Cross, Geoff Hunt. My favorite furniture makers: Marcel Breuer and Martin-Baker.
Love it!
Your bringing back alot of memories 👌
I fell on hard times and sold my kit collection on Amazon of old Frog, Hawk, Revell etc. Even some vacuform kits. I wish I could get it all back.
It does happen, and I've been in that same place myself. Hopefully when things improve, you can start buying-back some of those same kits again. Appreciate the comment!
I've sold some things that maybe I wish I hadn't. However, I at least enjoyed the items for awhile. And I know they went to somebody else enjoying them and that's not such a bad thing.
@@trainliker100 A common tale Charles, but thanks for passing along some vintage modeling magic to a good home.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 I forgot to also mention that when you get to a "certain age", properly "deaccessioning" items (to use a museum term) means your family won't have to bother with it. And typically, they will know little about the subject anyway.
@@trainliker100 Agreed 100%, and doing that very thing today.
Great work, that you’re doing. Brings me back to my youth and trying to build some of those kits.
Thanks, John!
Good memories with me as well. I didn’t understand a lot of the strategy of the model makers but you helped explain that.
I love those vintage kits...
What a tease showing all these kits , particularly these Airliners I can see
We'll be featuring those Aurora airliners in our next live "In-Studio" episode in a few weeks.
I remember in the 1950's when there was a sea of plastic kits on the hobby shop shelves similar to what we now see in supermarkets in the cereal aisle. Now, if you go into the store called "Hobby Lobby", there is perhaps a three foot wide area of the shelving with some kits. And when I was a kid, at a boy's birthday party, you got given a lot of plastic model kits by the other boys. I vividly remember opening the presents at my party one year with about a dozen kids there and there was a Revell Sikorsky helicopter. Continued opening gifts and there was another. And then a third. Got three of the things (must have been on sale or something).
Great story and excellent point! At the peak of the hobby (1954-1959) Revell produced 100,000 kits-per-run and sold them to stores by the gross. A hobby shop owner near the Lockheed plant in Burbank, CA told me his store sold 144 kits of Revell's new F-104 Starfighter in only two weeks. Hard to believe that ever happened now, and thanks for the comment.
That was fun!
Thank you Mike.
Mike, do you happen to have one of those Hawk atomic bombers that we could look at?
@@stevecausey545 We'll have to hunt through the archives for that one, but I'll try.
Fabulous, like comfort food without the calories. Great collection on display. Appreciate the video quality with the artwork.
Many thanks!
Very informative, thanks for sharing
I really enjoy your episodes on model airplanes. I am a RC Turbine jet hobbiest and would love to see some episodes on RC airplanes.
So the parts I thought I lost your telling me it was never in the box !!!
Omg I waisted alot of my childhood 😂😂😂😂
I love those illustrations. I always called them, "zoom-zoom pictures". They could make the Wright Flyer look cool.
My experience was that Lindberg was the worst of the plastic models. Pieces were missing, parts warped and so forth. They used to sell them with electric motors that had to be assembled, and I don't know of one kid that was able to actually build one. Revell was pretty good. Aurora made knight and monster kits in the mid '60s and I had most of them. I seem to remember that there were a small number of parts in those models. In any case I much preferred Airfix or Frog, and in 1/72 scale. Still, I would occasionally get a Lindberg kit from a well intentioned aunt but I don't remember any that weren't crap.
Thank you Mike. I absolutely enjoy your videos specially the ones with plastic models. I've only been watching for almost a year but I try not to miss any. anyways keep up the good work.
Mike Crawford
Glad you like them!
Back in about 1960 when I was a kid I was looking at the toys in FW Woolworths. Back then these stores were in downtown areas not shopping malls.
I saw a large model kit that blew me away. It was the "Westinghouse Atomic Power Plant" model by Revell. No shrink wrap or tape back then. I opened it up and OMG!!! A million parts in compartments and they were in different colors!!!! A little lady sales clerk saw what I was doing and scolded me for opening the box. Told me next time she would report me and my parents would be called. Scared the crap outta me!!!!! I didnt go back for a month and when I did my radar was up looking for this little ole lady. Never saw her again............or the model kit!!!😥
Revell was great about lost parts. In 1968, I built their 1/48 B-25B ''Doolittle Raider'' version. I was something of a maverick, in that I never built according to the box art. I delved deeply into the British ''Profile Publications'' for inspiration. My Mitchell, I built as a North Africa based bomber in overall khaki over gull grey. I tinted the canopies light green. A Twilight Zone episode, ''King Nine Will Not Return'' had just aired in syndication. The plot was based on the B-24 Lady Luck, recently discovered in Libya. This version has a [more accessible] B-25 with a guilt-racked Bob Cummings hallucinating under PCSD that he's interacting with his lost crew -- who stayed with the plane when he bailed out. From another kit I found a decal: Lucky Lady, and that was close enough. When the plane rolled off a counter top and pranged, smashing the landing gear, some gun barrels and the props, I wrote to Revell, offering to buy the replacement parts. Less than a week later, the new parts came in, free of chaarge with a nice lettter. They had a lotta class.
Great comment, thanks!
WOW! Great collection Mike!
Thanks Max, and that's actually a combo of mine and a friend's warehouse stash, used strictly for our mock 1950s Hobby Shop background. Next-up in this live series - Aurora airliners and X-15 "Satteloid Plane," plus Gift Sets and Aircraft Carrier kits!
Great video and well played out! Thanks for all the awesome information.
Do you happen to remember when models were given a "skill rating" - I think it was 1 through 5, 5 being the most difficult to assemble? I remember being in the 3rd grade at the time and bought a "motorized tank" model and it had a higher skill rating, and I don't think I ever figured out how to put it together.
WOW. Mike you have a wealth of knowledge on the aircraft models. Very informative I must say. I remember when I built my first car model back in 1968, the box had like some kind of wrap around it it wasn't plastic but something else. I liked Revel back then and even today. They are the best to me. Most of the other companies looked like they don't even care about the models. It appears in the instruction sheet. Anyway. I will stop rambling. Thanks for the great video. Take care Mike
Many thanks!
I wouldn't call Revell the best
Tamiya, Hasegawa and a lot of new companies have made better models than Revell did - but often at a much higher price.
You got to be careful with Revell, at least Revell Germany, because they will put one of their old molding kits in a new box and sell it as a new issue !
OTOH they do have a very helpful spare parts department !
I once asked them if they would sell me the parts for slatted F-4F outboard wings & actuators to make an F-4S out of a Tamiya J, and they sent them for free !
@Wannes_ Well I think any kit other than AMT is better. Don't make me go there. I have horror about AMT kits. I finally got one now that is decent.
@@jamesmaroon6161 I have a few AMT F7F Tigercats, they're OK - at least if you get the horrible "rubber" wheels out of the boxes as they'll eat through the plastic ...
They have some kits you won't find elsewhere, like a 1/72 C-135
And rebranded ESCI/ERTL stuff
@@Wannes_ I build mostly Cars and Trucks. I was in the Marine Corps. So I kind of steer away from military stuff, I have PTSD that is why. But I know what your talking about. At least have fun with the models right.
Great job Mike. Loved this lesson in model aviation history. Nice collection too. Thanks for the memories.
I remember those airmail envelopes.
Thanks Glenn, and for being a part of this story as well!
@@johnbockelie3899 I actually mailed letters home when I was in the Army using those.
Interesting info. Thanks.
Wow thank you i see some models that never saw before....
When I was a kid every drug store had a whole island of model kits. Also there was a period, I think in the late 60’s when an inferior model glue was sold because a few kids were sniffing volatile petrochemicals wafting from the “S” (styrene adhesives). For a while models would not stay together unless you got a parent to buy the “S” glue kept behind the counter. Will you share some history / chronology on that subject in one of your episodes. Thanks again Mike for some of my favorite TH-cam content.
Interesting idea on the model glue, and 'appreciate the comment, thanks!
Well presented and interesting information but what made me sad was looking at the boxes and going...I had that....I had that, and wishing that they were still in the closet untouched.
Great information and a beautifull stash of kits .. thank you.
It's amazing that a hobby shop could stay open selling models for two dollars apiece, probably why in this day and time, most model sales have been taken over by large chain stores like Hobby Lobby.
I like your idea of contemporary @celebratingaviationwithmik9782 ☺
That Hasegawa F-16 kit is like 40 years old ... new decals, new parts were added later, but it's still the same kit
I remember model companies putting extra items in the boxes back in the 60's. One, was Lindberg Line. There was a hobby shop in Coral Gables, Fla., called Uncle Eric's Happy Town. Well, Lindberg would put cement and other things in the boxes (model cement wasn't known as being dangerous back then), mark the said boxes having these items included. Uncle Eric had a nasty habit of opening the boxes and removing these items so he could sell them to you and make extra money. I thought this was a slimy tactic back then, and still do today.
Wonderful presentation Mike.
Many thanks!
GREAT GREAT vid, Mike. THANKS for making this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Incredibile, I had the Revell A5, didn't know it was older than me!😁
My first model was a DC-3 that my great aunt bought me when I was maybe 8 or 9 back in the 1950's. I can't remember who manufactured the kit, but it was a light grey plastic. I think it had American Airline decals, but could be wrong. I got cement all over the places that it wasn't suppose to be, and worse, I got it on my fingers and THEN on the plastic, leaving finger prints on the wings and fuselage. I fogged up all the clear acetate windows, trying to glue them. Even though that model was a mess, I got it finished. It sat on the bookcase in my aunt's bedroom for years. Sadly it disappeared after she died in the late 60's. I guess whoever produced it is long gone out of business, but I'd love to build another just for her and to prove to myself that my modeling skills have improved in 60 years or so. Hope you do an airliner show or two soon.
Great comment Jim, thanks, and I'll bet that was the Monogram TWA DC-3 you built back then: www.ebay.com/itm/Monogram-Douglas-DC-3-TWA-1955-1-90-Sealed/224069025822?hash=item342b8e001e:g:YB0AAOSwKFpe8lvn
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 That one is sealed up. Is it a major crime to open it up after all these years?
@@jim874 Monogram kits were never sealed originally, so there's no loss of originality issue. However, you may want to wait until an eBay listing shows up with photos of the the open box to guarantee everything is there. I just sent that one to let you know those kits are still out there. Good luck!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 OK.The listing said this: "This particular kit is cello sealed". Thanks for the advise and I'll do some homework, and shop around some.
@@dalecomer5951 It's been too long ago , like 65+ years, but I do remember being always attracted to Monogram. Probably because the DC-3 was Monogram?
Looking forward for more. Nice job. 👍
Many thanks!
Thanks Mike! Great stuff!
What a great job! I loved that and wish alot more of the informative videos were like this.Great job keep it up!
Many thanks!
I seem to remember some kits were sealed with the cover wrap? You had to slice it open with a pen knife or scissor blade?
Great video, looking forward to more.
I used to try to save the famous artist/air plane box tops, especially the ones printed on faux canvas. The Vigilante and the Nautilus were two of my favorites.
I did the same thing, Chuck - still have many of them today, which is where I get the scans for this channel!
Terrific...keep them coming ✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈
I'm still looking for my "2 THUMBS UP" emoji.
Thanks for the memories.
Awesome Video! And a very nice stash! Is it possible to get a Video about youre stash? Also any recommendations for books covering this topic?
If you have time, what's a good place to purchase vintage models? Any local model shows? I got a couple off ebay a few years back and they looked better in the pic's than what I got. You got me interested in collecting again. Thanks again for the work in your videos.
I'm hoping model shows make a comeback after COVID, as they always gave you the opportunity to see the actual kit you were purchasing before you bought it, avoiding the "eBay Surprise." Check your local hobby shop - some buy vintage collections. (Brookhurst Hobbies in Orange near you?)
@@mikemachat Hi Mike. Just got home. I check there website and couldn't find vintage items, it may take a phone call tomorrow. I'm in Torrance and was at Pacific Coast Hobbies just this afternoon and all there items are new. I have three kits from when I was a kid, A Lindberg F-94C kit no. 459, A Lindberg B-17G kit no. 574 and a Aurora AVANTI box date 1964 . There almost just like the day I got them. I think I have some more but haven't come across them yet. Can't wait for Knott's and Disneyland to open.... Thanks for info.
The model companies never actually "solved" the problem of missing parts, the companies simply took "protective measures" to help prevent loss of model parts. Parts could have become lost during the model packaging process at the factory, without notice by the packaging people. I imagine this happened occasionally.
sure, but that was much less likely than being lost in the store, with kids picking thru all the boxes. Old packaging - no warning printed on the bag ! How did we survive?
@@orbitalair2103 My older brothers used to open the model boxes to inspect models for detail & quality (to see the actual value for their money). This was understandable, since the dramatic "box art" conveyed no information regarding the model kit itself. This was at the old 5 & dime store (Ben Franklin) near where we lived at the time.
Nicely done video!
Anyone know what typical in-store prices were like back in the 50s for a typical model? I’m curious just how much my parents spent on me 😀
Thanks for your comment, and that's a great question. Models of that era were priced by the size of the box! The standard "shelf size" of hobby shops required boxes measuring 5"-high by 12"-long, and these were for airliners, bombers, transports, larger helicopters, etc. Price was 98 cents. Smaller boxes for WWII or jet fighters measured 4" by 10", and were priced from 79 to 89 cents. Aurora and Comet made even smaller models priced at 49 cents. As model complexity increased, like missiles with launchers, airliners with ground equipment, or larger ship models, prices climbed to $1.29, $1.49, and even $1.98 for a larger Aurora airliner or Revell ocean liner.
The two models I would like to build are both from the French Indo-China War, namely the Grumman F8F-1 in French Air Force livery and the Chance-Vought F4U-7 Corsair of Aeronavale.
Great video again Mike!... did you ever build kits by Frog and Airfix from England and Heller from France?.... living in Canada, they were quite available also....
Great question Jim, and for us in the U.S., those kits were quite rare in the 1950s. There was one store in New York City called Polk's Hobby Shop that carried "imported models" from England, Germany, and France, and I still remember my very first Airfix kits - the Blackburn Buccaneer and Saunders Roe S.R. 53 rocket-boosted interceptor. The FROG BOAC Britannia I drooled over cost a whopping $5.00 back then!
Thanks for getting back to me.... these imported kits, Frog, Airfix, Heller, etc., were very good.... I remember building a Airfix 72nd scale Avro Lancaster but couldn't find decals to replicate RCAF versions....this was before the restoration of the Mynarski Lancaster VR-A..... I would've done that if the decals were available..... also don't recall whatever happened to that model.... built many others but that Lancaster was always my favourite.... I really enjoy your posts so please keep them coming.... Thanks again Mike....@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782
I'm late to the party, but "GREAT VIDEO" Mike.
Many thanks!
The box art on these early kits reminds me of the box art on early video games. What I mean is what you wound up getting to play with didnt bear much resemblance to the box art!!!
For example my glue bombs hand painted with a cheap brush and Testors enamel looked nothing like the picture. Later when we bought my young son the Tanks game for the Atari 2600 the blocks looked nothing like the tanks on the box.
You have a nice collection of aircraft. Anything else besides planes?
Thanks, and yes - ships and cars. We'll be featuring some in upcoming episodes.
As a kid, if I was missing a part, I’d go back to the store, open a like kit, and take the missing part. The sealed part bag prevented me from doing this.
@Peter McKay He took my F 86 decal sheet, too.
@Peter McKay Hahaha! Those were such innocent days. I drove my Mom crazy with all the models I would display around the entire house. I just discovered this channel and I'm glad I did.
@Peter McKay Thanks for the comment, and so sorry to hear that. 'Hope you can start collecting again!
@Peter McKay Understand, thanks Peter, and the cover art on that Revell F-111 kit was one of Jack Leynnwood's greatest, showing Edwards AFB as it looked back then. Wishing you all the best, Mike
Wish I could see a F16 with a tail number of 80-0598, 86-0271 in a pictur from the 57th FWW from Nellis AFB from back when I served in 86-90 .
Just wanted to say hi.I own the JG400 print ""Wie Ein Floh... Aber Oho !", no:329/1000.
Good luck with your channel !
Many thanks!
Every Lindbergh kit I've built has had bad molding, poor detailing, and bad fit with parts. For a company that takes so much pride for being "made in the USA", you would think that they would have much better QC and much better maintenance on their dies.
I have never had any issues with Aurora or Revell.
Box-sized kits was another invention of Revell (I think)
Rather than fit a box around a kit on a given scale, they'd scale the kit to fit the box !
It would be cool of you can compare the old kits with newer kits
Basically like an old vs new
Super idea, thanks!
You know you also got to figure that a good percentage of those lost parts were the junior model when he got at home and when he wasn't looking his little brother got a hold of the kit and maybe lost the part or broke it or something so I'm sure that accounted for a percentage of all these lost parts now a bag isn't going to solve that situation.
It's not surprising considering the quality and fidelity of a lot of Aurora model kits that their solution happened to be they just seal the box entirely with cellphones so that you can't look and see what's inside that box That's not surprising at all to me that Aurora really didn't want you to know what was inside of that model kit box until you paid for it and got it home
When I was building model airplanes as a child in the 1960s I never knew about all this corporate drama. Lol 😂👀
I'll be spending a lot of time on this channel.
Many thanks!
Mike can we please have your views in a video on the awful lowviz colour in the usn and marine a c,,comparing them witt the glorious livery of yesteryear. Luckily i see its making a comeback
Love yr presenations.
HAVE A QUESTION - box art, but need TO SHOW you. How to do ? Contact pls
& thanks in advance. ✈
Thanks for the question, and we'll have to work on that!
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Thanx - do you know J. Amendala?
@@christopherbatty3837 Yes, I met John Amendola in the American Society of Aviation Artists.
@@celebratingaviationwithmik9782 Thanx reply. Are you familiar with the works of Rembrandt ? No one is better, in fact in a class of one, in rendering armour. In aviation, the equivalent is reproducing bare aluminium. My #1 award for "Rembrandt equivalent" is Amendala's Convair 880.
I am seriously keen to find a print of this box top, Glencoe.
Do you know any source for print ?
Was there ever a release of this ?
Is the artist still around and how could I contact him ?
Thanks in advance.
(In addition to aviation career since 1966, I have BA Art - primary life aim was artist, but family too poor to afford fees for the sole accredited art school in my state.
Add to that, engineering and piloting, thus my appreciation of every detail of aviation art works - rendering cloudscapes, my favourite. ..especially the differences imposed by different climatic conditions and latitude on colour - EG: all colour pallete washed out in Australian skies compared to UK, or another "step up", higher latitudes of Moscow & Peter/Finland/Swwden).
As Russians always say "I wish you a light flight and a soft landing"
Many others will agree when I say, pls keep the vids coming....I built many (very ✈✈✈) kits when they hit the shelves. Frog, Aurora, Airfix, Revell being prominent back then. Just as with pop music, Australian market had limited imports, so it is only now I see other great kit manufacturers. When living Moscow, a new world of European/Eastern European models makers was opened up which I had never known of.
Best Regards,
Cap'n Kris, Perth/Oz
@@christopherbatty3837 I only know that John Amendola passed away in January at the age of 91. Thanks for the comment.
The Sikorsky, another one built by my uncle!
Airfix models ruled in the late 1960s.
and then Tamiya came along
👍👍
"There were women in those days..." So the ancient tales were right...
Mike, try and see the movie,,tiger in the sky,, with alan ladd1957,see how june alyson desroys a batch of revell planes by swiping them from a desk. I was horified at the time, 1957. To think ,, how could they allow that,