Articles for the ‘Plastic Model Kit History’ Category
Saturday, March 9th, 2013
By Alan Bussie
Many thanks to Carlton Shanks, John Burns and all the KCCers for their extensive research and documentation
Pyro is unique in plastic models because the subjects for kits were not selected by popularity. Pyro was a very successful company without model kits. Since the production of molds was subsidized ...
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Thursday, March 7th, 2013
By Alan Bussie
I would like to thank artist and friend Michael Boss. Without his research this article would not be possible. Please note that any photos without credits are from the internet. If you did not receive credit or any of these photos are copyrighted, please contact me for credit ...
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Thursday, January 10th, 2013
By Alan Bussie
My sincere thanks to Art Cox. Without him this biography would not have been possible.
Box artwork is a major part of model kit collecting. In many cases, the illustration is more important that the contents! The most colorful and desirable kits are from 1953 to the early 1960s, ...
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Thursday, September 6th, 2012
Anyone who knows of the Golden Age of Model Aircraft has worked with balsa wood. This excellent article was printed in several of the Megow Company catalogs during the 1930s and 1940s. Fred Megow got his start selling balsa and wood stock from the famous 'Green Cabinet' in local ...
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Monday, November 29th, 2010
By Michael Boss and Mary Ridgway
Editors Note: Michael Boss is an illustrator who was good friends with Jack Leynnwood from 1971 till Jack's passing in 1999. This article was written by Michael and Mary in 1995. Thank you both for a superb inside look at one of ...
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Monday, October 11th, 2010
By Alan Bussie
While researching Red Ball Ltd., I came across a unique article that had been deleted from Wikipedia. Fearing that one day the history of this famous kit line would be lost, I began research on this pioneer model manufacture. Fortunately, the information could be ...
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
By Bill Campbell -Edited by Alan Bussie
When he provided me the information for his biography and Hawk Model Company, Bill was kind enough to write a history of the phenomenal “Weird-Ohs” model kits that he developed. – AB
After reviewing some of the dangling questions voiced on the internet by people ...
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Wednesday, February 17th, 2010
By Bill Campbell and Edited by Alan Bussie
Bill Campbell has had a steady and successful career in commercial artwork and marketing. In modeling circles, he is known for his 250+ box illustrations (mainly for Hawk Models) and as the creator of the eccentric and popular “Weird-Ohs” model line. ...
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Monday, February 8th, 2010
By Alan Bussie
In the USA, Revell, Monogram and Aurora are synonymous with early modeling. However, the name Marusan is equally well known in Japan as the pioneer plastic kit manufacturer. The history of Marusan is not well known outside Japan. I am indebted to John Burns, numerous ...
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Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
Editors Note: every once in a while you run across someone with exceptional knowledge in a certain field. During an email exchange about older kits, I asked Dave if he would mind writing an article about early kits in the US. Dave's knowledge has been an education ...
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Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Editors Note: I came across this article tucked inside an old Revell Electra kit. It tells the history of one of Revell's rare and more desirable model kits as well as shedding light on mold modification. The photos have been added. I do not know the ...
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Thursday, April 9th, 2009
Editors Note: The appearance of the great AMT XB-70, F7F Tigercat and XB-35 Flying Wing kits was always a surprise to me. They seemed to appear from nowhere – from a company that almost exclusively made car models. Many years later I was fortunate enough to receive ...
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Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Late 1940s assembled wood/metal HO craftsman kit
In the 1950s, “Consumerism” revolutionized the United States economy and social life. Two main items pushed the consumerist movement: discretionary income and free time. There had always been leisure time, but the activities that filled it varied. In the ...
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
In the early 1940s, Lou Glaser, a California entrepreneur, founded an injection molding company. Precision Specialties performed contract work for other manufactures. In the early 1950s Gowland and Gowland designed the famous 1/16 scale "Highway Pioneers" line of 34 cars, which were the first mass-produced plastic automotive kits. ...
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
The name Monogram is synonymous with quality in model kits. The founders, Jack Besser and Bob Reder, had a clear vision of what constitutes an excellent model kit and how to transform that into mass production. Not surprisingly, Monogram proved to be a profitable company for many years.
Early ...
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2007
Aurora was one of the most prolific names in American Modeling from 1952 to 1977. The line was very diverse and included aircraft, ships, tanks, missiles, figures (monster and many others), science fiction, automotive, animals, guns, totem poles, HO train items, electronic kits, "Coppersmith" sets, prehistoric scenes and more.
The ...
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