1/10 Park Plastics Napoleon Born Losers Series
Plastic Model Kit, Box Condition: VG
In the 1960s Park issued the 'Born Losers' series. This is the Napoleon kit issued in the plain white box with "Napoleon" rubber stamped on one short end. The model shows a cartoon-like Napoleon with a tear in his eye, standing on a bridge with a sign pointing to "WATERLOO." A severed hand is reaching up from the water to claim him. Nearby rests his tomb stone, a beat up cannon and a tattered flag. Never started. Inventoried and 100% complete with all parts and the correct (sanitized) instructions. The story of the Born Losers is a classic in model kit history. The 'Hitler' one is the most infamous. The model features a display base showing the outside of the "The Bunker." Around it are reminders of WWII - a damaged panzer, a wrecked Luftwaffe aircraft, gun ports, a severed hand rising up from the ground (to claim Der Fuhrer), a damaged flag and of course a tombstone saying "Adolf Hitler History's Greatest Loser." The figure itself is done in a comic-like sense and has Hitler in a tattered uniform holding a gun to his head. Parents were outraged by this and the Aurora Horror Kits of the time. The public outcry was responsible for a very short production run of some of the monsters. Park's problems with these kits was a bit more complex. They had designed the series during the monster and figure craze and was betting on the success of the product. Many units were produced; great box art was commissioned, boxes made and instructions printed up but then came the public 'revolution.' Park found them almost impossible to sell and the box art, which accurately depicted the completed models only made the situation worse. As they were, no reputable retailer would dare to sell them. This is why you can find these kits in three different 'formats' today: the rarest is in the original and colorful box with full artwork. But since they became unsellable, this lead to some ingenious ways of off-loading the stock and the other two formats. The most common was to put the kit in a bag, remove any mention of 'Park' from the instructions and dump them on any retailer who would buy them. The least common way was more retailer-friendly: Park bought some plain white boxes and used a rubber stamp to denote the contents - either 'Castro', 'Hitler' and 'Napoleon.' And that was all that the white box had on it: no illustrations & no mention of Park Plastics or anything else. Inside, there was the bagged kit with the fully sanitized instructions. This is one of those issues.
$165.00