IF YOU CAN IMAGINE IT, YOU CAN
BUILD IT
What is universally agreed upon is that regardless of their release dates, the show rods landed on store shelves with the impact of buzz bombs and no one within the strike zone complained. Drawn in by dynamic box art and inspired by newfound creative freedom, the gates of conformity suddenly swung wide open for thousands of obedient assemblers who heretofore had never lifted their eyes from the instruction sheet. Thus began a new era of free-range improvisation on tabletops across the country.
Full-scale show rods instantly became the Pied Pipers of car show promotion, packing venues from the world’s most rural outposts to its greatest cities with rabid fans bearing disposable income. Most popular among the custom airbrushed T-shirts, decals, and other merchandise offered at shows were scale models of the show rods themselves. Bucks-down fans were inspired to save up for a trip to the hobby shop if they couldn’t afford to bring a miniature show rod home directly from the show. In hindsight, we recognize this phenomenon as marketing savvy, but at the time, we were too busy celebrating the availability of such unprecedented coolness to look any further.
At present, the hunt for these ghosts of America’s most stimulating day is fun, rewarding, and somewhat affordable, relatively speaking. But before hunters set out for prey, they must know their target. Speaking of which, a vibrant subculture that survived modeling’s infancy and still flourishes today is the so-called “kit-bashers.” These are unrestrained scale artists who pick and choose parts from various kits to create their own impulsive visions of show rods. Previous to the beginning of the scale show rod phenomenon, even the most disciplined and accurate builders weren’t above a little kit-bashing on the side. For that reason, I’ve highlighted some notable kit-basher treasures hidden within these boxes.
The show rod kits roam a decidedly strange landscape, where it’s best not to go it alone. Luckily, I was extremely fortunate and honored to have the assistance of a crack team of expert tour guides. Throughout the book, you’ll notice mention of these true show rod model Jedi warriors: Dave Rasmussen, A. J. Ciccarelli, Brandon Flannery, and Phil Davis, from the acclaimed Dave’s Show Rod Rally website; Black-belt builders Tim Kolankiewicz, Charles May, Mike Schnur, Chuck Darnell, and Daniel Foster; John Greczula, longtime model industry worker bee and current model kit development director at Round 2 (now the parent company of most of the established model manufacturers); Sam Bushula from MPC; noted builder and industry insider Howard Cohen; and even renowned model authors Mark Gustavson and Terry Jessee.
Although the scale show rod kit collector’s most frenzied season was the 1990s (thanks in large part to eBay fever), the hunt continues today. Retirees reclaiming adolescent glory make up the bulk of these predators, but all age groups have an equal shot at the prize. How can the novice hunter tell the prey from the decoys? Original boxes were made of thicker, sturdier cardboard. Re-issue boxes tend to be flimsy. Box art and even shrink wrap differ noticeably between old and new releases. Dates of manufacture are often printed on a box’s side panel. And manufacturers issued each kit a specific product number, which is usually printed on boxes and/or instruction sheets. These scale VINs can be referenced to manufacturer catalogs (or websites) to verify missing dates or other information.
A re-issue is considered a new kit and thus carries a unique part number, simplifying documentation. A. J. Ciccarelli supplied the part numbers for the model descriptions in this book. Prices of original kits commonly drop from 25 to 50 percent overnight when a re-issue is released, branding reproductions as both blessing and curse, depending on which you own at the moment.
It obviously pays to know your kits and the market. And the education is a lot of fun!
From Drafting Table to Mom’s Kitchen Table
The following is a chronological listing of the most sought-after show rod kits, then and now. Despite a valiant effort to achieve accuracy, some details remain elusive, lost to time. With that caveat, let us proceed.
Revell # H-1213:129, 1956, 1/24 scale, Designed by Harley Earl/Paul Gillian, Re-issued 1995
General Motors awarded Revell the model kit contract and they delivered handily. This is an accurate 1/24-scale reproduction, with bonus features including the “Dick and Jane” figures smiling their way across the box lid through “clear plastic windscreens” as they admire the detailed dashboard. Note the Authentic Kit signage on this 1995 re-issue. Budd Anderson only worked on this one kit (as pattern maker), during his brief stint at Revell. He went on to become the face of modeling as “The Kat from AMT.” (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Zowie! Pontiac’s Styling Studio delivered a severe case of future shock with this aluminum-wrapped surprise package of forward thinking. But how can a corporate styling exercise qualify for show rod status? Just consider the influence Pontiac’s futuristic one-off had on aspiring designers such as Starbird, Barris, and Jeffries, to name only a few. Paul Gillian (working directly for GM design head Harley Earl himself) scrambled sports car, aircraft, and land speed racing inspiration into this nicely balanced result. The Club de Mer prototype (running Pontiac’s standard 1955 287-inch V-8, connected to a transaxle) was revealed at Miami in 1956, alongside a 1/4-scale display model. GM destroyed the prototype in 1958, but Joseph Bortz of Highland Park, Illinois, nabbed the model. It ultimately sold to car collector Ron Pratt at a 2007 Barrett Jackson auction for $75,000. A rare moment of acknowledgment for an unsung hero.
Revell # H-1210:129, 1956, 1/24 scale, Designed by Bill Schmidt/John Ferzely, Re-issued 1997
Another OEM concept car that did pretty well. Hobbyists who risked a buck on a Futura kit in 1956 were generously rewarded a decade later, when Barris’ Batmobile remodel sold through the roof for Aurora, deeming Revell’s Futura an instant collector’s item. Who’da thunk it? Mom and Dad told us these models would never amount to anything. Surviving Futuras are considered to be molded from unobtainium today. (Photo Courtesy Dave Shuten)
Ford Motor Company encouraged Lincoln’s design team to run wild, then sent Bill Schmidt and John Ferzely’s sketches to Turin, Italy, where the Ghia workshop handcrafted Futura for $250,000 in 1955 dollars. Revell was still savoring its love affair with Detroit brass and snagged another juicy contract to scale down Futura. Unveiled to raves at Chicago’s Congress Plaza Hotel, Futura hit the show circuit, appeared in a movie (It Started with a Kiss), and was promptly sold to George Barris for the sum of one dollar. It sank into the ground beside Barris’ shop for 10 years before he remodeled it as Batmobile in 1966. Aurora got the Batmobile contract and outsold Revell’s Futura kit by a bunch. Regardless, Futura is still considered a grandfather figure in show rodding, while the resultant Batmobile is seen as more of a novel symbol of the breed. Public perception often clashes with niche culture values.
Futura’s debut at the 1955 Chicago Auto