Nostalgia - Remember these Kits ??

In my intro I mentioned how the 1/32nd scale Revell 1956 Mercury Montclair, Chrysler New Yorker, Buick Riviera, Continental, etc.,
got me into American car kits in the fifties. But it was these early AMT 3in1 customising kits that got me into 1/25th scale, circa 1960.
Sold here in the UK through Woolworth stores, I blew all my pocket money and savings in the Yorkshire Penny Bank on them.

Box Art for the cars were all the same, with small illustrations on one side showing the models available.
A small panel to one end stated what model was inside. Options for these models were the same in each box and included:
Custom version had a Continental kit, fender skirts, Appletons and twin antennas with scallop and flame decals.
Competition model had a simple hoop roll bar, hubcap-less wheels, race numbers and simple sponsor decals.
The Decal set was the same in each kit.

I managed to buy the 1959 Buick Hardtop and Convertible and 1959 Lincoln Continental Sedan
and Convertible models before the local store sold out.
What models do you guys remember ???

Yep, I have a few of the decals as mementos. Did the '59 Lincoln and the big Buick convertible of about '60. They retailed in the U.S. for $1.49, tho earlier kits (that Black '32 Ford roadster re-released fairly recently) was a dollar. Woolworths here, too, was among the biggest sellers of models outside of the hobby shops. Thanx for the blast from the past.

I see them sometimes on ebay, too steep for me. One day..............

And I found this in 'Popular Mechanics', they're on Google books.

I'm not sure I like the concept of water skiing behind a Cessna 180 though!

Cheers,

Chris

Hey DAD, (I love calling you that, it makes me feel young.

Your past seems to parallel my own more and more!! LOL

I built my first models (planes back then) in the mid fifties, bought at Woolies. But I don't remember them selling AMT kits.

My uncle, who was also a modeler, took me to 'The Model Shop' in Newcastle sometime in 1958/1959 and it was there that I bought my first 'big scale' 1/24 model car kit. I don't remember what it was but I do remember being amazed that it had rubber like tyres and a full engine!!!

BTW, do you know the 'The Model Shop' in Newcstle, was the first model shop in Britain?

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/lifestyle/nostalgia/charles-lutman-model-shopkeeper-1461990

They were primarily aircraft and railway based but carried enough selection of 1/24 car kits to keep this youngster satisfied for a long time. I used to save my pocket money for weeks to buy each kit.

Mr Lutman was a real gentleman and whenever I went to the shop without my uncle or other adult, he was just as caring and would take the time to offer advice to me, even keeping other customers waiting.

Different world back then.

Thanks for re-kindling the memories!!

what do i remember?.....as a child of the 60s it has to be Airfix and then Matchbox in the 70s..........i was brought up in a little village, the post office was my model shop! lol...........have strong memories, from about when i was 9 of a Belvedere of having trouble getting the blades attached to the hubs

i can remember when mother used to take me into the city for what ever reason, she would take me to GeeDees....a model shop that had a second 'kiosk' type shop next to the old bus station (and that got demolished 35 years ago lol)....nose up to the window looking at all the little sets of soldiers painted up....couldnt have been more than 7 or 8
GeeDees is still in existance, and since MZ has gone bust is now the citys premier model shop again

in my teens used to go into the city to go to Beatties.....that was a great shop!......where i got introduced to Tamiya

I was 10 years old in 1958 when my Mother and I moved from Houston, Texas to Tacoma, Washington. That's when I got started on models. I built a couple planes, and an aircraft carrier, then a couple figures I remember that one was a Viking and the other a Blue Knight. Then one day we went to the Safeway Grocery Store and I saw an AMT 1932 Ford Roadster. it was a Model B with the 4 cylinder engine, fender mount spare tires and a rumble seat. I conned Mom into buying it for me and away I went. Never built another ship or plane until the Plane Community Build at ZMC last year. From then on I hunted around for any store that sold model cars. I can remember going to the Seattle World's Fair and AMT had a building there. They had their Slot Track setup , but the real cool thing was you could buy any kit they made there. I went to that Fair 4 times while it was open and bought kits there every time. I thought it was the best part of the Worlds Fair.

I spent 7 years of my childhood in Lae, New Guinea. First kit was an F-86, when I was 6 ish.
Discovered Airfix & Frog aircraft a bit later. Mostly WW II planes until I discovered cars at 13 in 1973.

I can't remember the prices of them, but Airfix tanks in 1/72 scale were 80 cents at a local hobby store. Still remember when my mate Ian told me that Burns Phillip were selling them at 40 cents!

Sensation!!!!!!. So Burns Phillip got my business from then on.

I funded my modeling with pocket money & collecting Coke bottles. I learnt a lesson in market economics when the deposit on the bottles was slashed from 5 cents to 1 cent. I had about 50 bottles saved up! I saw my $2.50 fortune plummet to a mere 50 cents. Oh woe.

So the local fireworks sellers & Burns Phillip had a lean time for a while. Although why you'd sell fire works & pocket knives to a 10 year old is a mystery.........

Thanks for the feedback - it's great to hear other peoples memories on our favourite subject,
and I don't mind being called DAD, Al, - I have been called worse!
I grew up in Middlesbrough, and that is where I came across these AMT kits.
They were only sold at Wooly's for a brief time, but a bargain that I remember.
It made a change from yet another 3litre supercharged Bentley or Sunbeam Rapier by Airfix.

My father was a great influence with my modeling, as he was a builder too.
He was in the Royal Navy (during and after the war) and brought cases of models home on leave.
He'd largely build Planes and Ships, but odd stuff like full scale Flintlocks and Navy Colt revolvers,
and a series of mounted animal heads on plaques by Aurora or Monogram.
I still have a tiger's head he made which is a little dusty and missing a tooth, - must be about 60 years old?
In fact, that's all I have left of my fathers models as most were given away as leaving gifts to visiting relatives.

I started with planes and then moved on to Hussars on horses, my Father was very strict and if they didn't look exactly like they did on the boxes they would take a one way trip into the bin, so altering the looks or weathering them was a huge no no...

I still enjoyed myself building them though, there was a small shop in my town that sold the models as well as toy cars, trains etc, plus, they use to sell tobacco, cigarettes, newspapers, comics etc, every week I would go in there and by my comic and look at the models, then when I had saved enough pocket money I would go in and buy a model, I would also get one for Christmas and one on my birthday...

Andy...

I grew up in Southern California in a beach town north of San Diego (Carlsbad). Built my first kit around 1959 or 60. I recall kit prices between one and two dollars, and used my allowance to get the latest thing.

I still have some of the built kits, as my dad saved some of them. I have given away a few of them, but saved some for fun, and am "rebuilding" a few of them. Just as much fun the second time around!!

The local hobby store got all of my money, as besides models, they later added a couple of big slot car tracks, that were really fun. They had Saturday morning racing for a cheap price, and I was hooked. In was in the town next door (Oceanside), and I took my cars there on the rack on the back of my bike. I guess two of my passions (models and cycling) were started at an early age.  001