Model Kit Monday: New for '82!

[Mark Tucker]

Didn't get around to posting this this morning. But better late than never, and seeing as how there's a little bit of a J-car theme going on...

This is a typical early-80s MPC kit. MPC and AMT both were in the business of making promotional models for dealerships as well as kits for toy/hobby stores, so both of them offered model kits of new cars at the beginning of the model year. For 1982, when GM brought out the J-bodies, MPC offered this kit of arguably the best looking of the bunch, the 2 door hatchback Cavalier.

But it's MPC, so they couldn't just leave it stock. You can build it that way if you want, but '80s MPC meant cheesy body kits, gaudy graphics, and "optional turbochargers" on everything. I can't imagine actually running a turbo on a carbureted Chevy 122 engine, but it did look cool on the box...

This is also the beginning of the "Golden Wheels / Golden Opportunity" kits. Buy a model kit, and it came with a number of tokens printed on the box. Save the tokens, collect enough to redeem, send them in along with $1.50 for postage (man, THOSE were the days), and they would send you another kit. I know I did this at least a couple of times back in the day.

I have a handful of this era MPC kits. The Fiero and the Mustang SVO will probably be built stock, because I like those vehicles how they are. But this one, and the Dodge Daytona, might get the cheesy body kits. I haven't decided yet.

[jminer]

That looks really cool!

[ttyymmnn]

@mark-tucker Man, that takes me back. I was 16 in 1982. I always wanted to build lots of models, but never had the patience to do it right. Maybe I should try again.

Nah, I'll just stick to writing about airplanes.

[Mark Tucker]

@ttyymmnn said in Model Kit Monday: New for '82!:

@mark-tucker Man, that takes me back. I was 16 in 1982. I always wanted to build lots of models, but never had the patience to do it right. Maybe I should try again.

Nah, I'll just stick to writing about airplanes.

I was 9 in '82, and the model aisle at Toys R Us was my Mecca. Every cent of allowance or birthday/Xmas money I had went there.

Actually, not a whole lot has changed... you can take the kid out of the toy store, but you can't take the toy store out of the kid...

[ttyymmnn]

@mark-tucker said in Model Kit Monday: New for '82!:

Actually, not a whole lot has changed... you can take the kid out of the toy store, but you can't take the toy store out of the kid...

Except that now all the toy stores are gone. The TRU near my house used to have a giant, multi-level playscape inside. Damned thing was probably 30 feet high. I used to take my boys there just to play, and then we'd wander through the store looking at the toys. My oldest was about 4 when he fill in live with a toy kitchen. We bought it for him, and it was one of his favorite things for a long time. Never would have bought it if we hadn't been able to play with it first. There are mall pop up stores, and one fancy niche toy store here, but it's just not the same.

sigh

[Shop-Teacher]

Toys-R-Us was around JUST long enough for my kids to miss it very badly. I'm quite certain had they made it to the pandemic, they would not have made it through. My wife worked in the toy industry for many years, and lets just say its collapse was inevitable.