Pub Chair note: First Published April 2011
By Bobby Cox
At the tender age of eight I found myself fascinated with replicas of, to use a familiar title, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It began with my Mom siphoning off enough extra money from the family budget, which in those days of my life was very limited, to buy me an occasional model car, ship, or airplane. I remember my Mom and Dad sent me three model ship kits via US Mail from Charlotte, NC when I was spending some time in Martinsville, VA with my Grandparents one summer. They were the famous sailing ships named the “Nena, Penta, and the Santa Maria’. It was with great anticipation that I awaited the arrival of each model that the mail man brought each week during my stay so far away from home.
Some models were purchased complete and later I progressed to building model kits. As with most boys, my interest started with airplanes and ships, most of which were military. After a few years they were hanging from the ceiling and on shelves all around my bedroom. They were my pride and joy and gave me a sense of accomplishment that I could do something well. In fact, when I was around 12 or so, I entered a contest, promoted by “Chevrolet Body by Fisher” in which young boys designed futuristic model cars from clay and then carved into wood for consideration of future production automobiles. I didn’t have the expert parental help and unlimited financing as many of the participants did, so my model probably did not have the quality and perfection that some of the others had. I did not win any awards, but a few years later there was an amazing resemblance to the 1961 Buick that looked almost exactly like the model that I had entered. There is nothing official, but off the record, I think they used my design to a large degree. My regret is that I don’t have the model any longer or even a picture to show for my efforts.
As the years passed my enthusiasm did not diminish and my interest centered mainly on model cars. The model car “kit” industry began in the post WW2 era with Ace and Berkeley wooden model cars. “Revell” pioneered the plastic model car with their famous Maxwell kit, (remember Jack Benny’s Maxwell?) derived from a toy. Ok British enthusiast, get this, Derk Brand, from England, pioneered the first real plastic kit, a 1932 Ford Roadster for Revell. He was also famous for developing a line of 1/32 scale model car kits in England for the Gowland brothers. These kits were later introduced by “Revell” in the U.S. I’ll bet I probably built a large portion of them over the years, particularly the 1/24 scale because of the detail that was available in the larger size. I specifically remember building the Austin Healey 100 that took me months to complete because of its infinite detail and difficulty. What a beauty it was, wish I still had it. In fact I wish I had them all.
More about the growth of this industry; Aluminum Model Toys or AMT introduced model car kits in 1957. Jo-Han, Revell, and Monogram started producing model car kits about this same time, and the mid 1960s was considered the “golden age” for model car building from these new innovative customizing kits. Most of these were known as “annual” kits and were the unassembled kit version of the promotional models or promos representing the new cars that were introduced at the beginning of each model year.
In addition to building them stock, most annual kits offered “3 in 1” versions which allowed the builder to assemble the car in stock, custom, or racing form. MPC joined the kit/promo business in 1965. Typically, the kits had more parts and details than the promos. For example, kits often had opening hoods, doors, separate engines and detailed suspension parts.
Interest in the model car kits began to wane in the mid-1970s as a result of builders growing older and moving on to other pursuits. Resurgence was experienced in the late 1980s. Monogram helped spark this revival with a series of replicas of NASCAR race cars, as did AMT with newly tooled and improved models of the cars we all loved so much from the “Golden Age”. Today many of the classic models from the golden age of modeling have been reissued. Not only does this allow modelers to build the cars they always wanted (but couldn’t afford), but the reissued kits provided more detailing that comes with modern manufacturing/design methods, which include; photo-etched details, adhesive chrome foil for chrome trim, wiring for engines, and billet-aluminum parts. Many builders today can take a basic kit and detail it so it resembles a real car, in miniature.
The latest interest are the die-cast metal cars with incredible paint, detail, and design features that when photographed look like the real thing. In the last few years I have collected around 150 model cars of various types. These include a sizable collection of 1/16th , 1/18th , 1/43rd , and 1/64th models of our beloved British cars. These range from the 1930’s Astin Martin to the 2008 Morgan Areo eight. I wish the manufactures produced more different models of the British cars because it is now hard to find one that I don’t already have. I was in a conversation with a fellow a while back discussing our mutual love for British cars. When he asked me what cars I owned I proceeded to rattle off all of them, both real and the models. He looked at me in astonishment and said: either you are very wealthy, ie. Jay Leno rich, or a big liar. Well, I said, I am certainly not wealthy and thanks to my extensive model collection I am not a liar either! By the way, I have a very good friend, Dean Sprague, President of our club, that has indeed owned 156 real vintage cars. Most of which were British. Some of us just pretend others really do it.
My modeling enthusiasm goes beyond the model cars. I have become very interested in model trains and the detailed layouts that provide so much realism that when photographed or videoed they appear to be the real thing. I belong to the Piedmont Western Railroad Club in Valdese, NC and if you ever have the opportunity, stop by the Old Rock School when they are having an open house, do so, you will be impressed.
My newest interest is building diaoramas which are replicas of buildings and scenery. My current project is a diaorama of an old garage/service station in the 1940s era. I also enjoy collecting all types of memorabilia of the Thirty’s, Forty’s, Fifty’s, and Sixty’s including all types of signs, posters, neons, pictures, and gas station antiques both real and replica.
Yea, I am a hopeless case, over the top eclectic. I wonder what my kids will do with all the treasures I have collected over the years. Hopefully they will be passed down so they can be enjoyed by others. After all, these are timeless treasures that become more valuable as time passes.
