Model Kit Monday - the AMT VW Scirocco

[Mark Tucker]

So I'm trying something new; let me know what you all think. This will be a weekly thing if people enjoy it.

I have a growing collection of unbuilt model car kits from the '70s and '80s. My tastes in cars are all over the place, so there isn't really a theme to it. I am trying to get back some of the kits I built as a kid, but I'm also seeking out models I wanted but never got. They range in size from 1/32 scale all the way up to 1/8 scale, but most are in that 1/24-1/25 scale "sweet spot" for model cars. I'm only collecting originals, not the Round 2 re-releases that have started popping up (I'll buy them, but they go into the "builder" stash, not onto the "collection" shelf.)

So to start off, here is the one that began this whole journey, and coincidentally is a model of my first car, the beloved Mk1 VW Scirocco. My dad got this kit for me about ten years ago, and it was the first one I put aside to keep instead of building. Round 2 has re-released it, and I'm planning to pick one of those up to build.

This is a kit from the Lesney era of AMT, and some of the kits even appeared with a "Matchbox" logo on the box. But not this one. Inside, everything is molded in bright red, with a tree of chrome parts:

(photo of inside)

The detail is pretty good, too. Wheels:

(photo of wheels)

and dashboard:

(photo of dashboard)

And the overall proportions are just about spot-on.

(photo of body shape)

It's not as good as some other kits I have in the same size, but it's better than a lot of others. AMT and MPC were both bought out by Ertl in the mid '80s, and the quality of both their models suffered. This is still one of the decent ones. It's no Tamiya or Fujimi, but it's pretty damn good for what was a five-dollar model kit in its day.

What always amazes me about these is that this was all done by people, not computers. No CAD/CAM to design the molds or account for shrinkage to make sure everything fits together, no CNC machining to make the molds, no Photoshop or InDesign to layout the box and instructions. It's a tiny little microcosm of design, manufacturing, and mass production from the days before there was a computer on every desk.

And just to be clear: I will build all of these eventually. But I'm in no hurry. As long as I get through the majority of them before my eyesight goes and my hands stop being steady, I'm good. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy all those brightly-colored cardboard boxes full of potential and history.

[RallyDarkstrike]

@Mark-Tucker Wow, that's awesome! I've had some model kits since I was a kid that I never actually built...most of them are unopened! I always preferred metal display models like those from Maisto and Bburago...didn't have the patience for plastic kits!

In fact, I have a 1/12th scale '57 Monogram Chevy Bel-Air kit around here somewhere I've been meaning to put up for sale...they're pretty rare (especially because of the size...it's big!)

[Old Busted Hotness]

I remember building that one when it was a new release.
I don't have any kits left, but there's a pile of built models here. The ones that I had the most fun with were modified/kitbashed/scratchbuilt. Like that Citation with a transverse 454 jammed under the hood, and the roof from a Mini Cooper used as a hood scoop. And that ain't even the weirdest one.

[ttyymmnn]

Can't wait to see the finished model. The first car I drove was my dad's 82 (maybe 81?) Rabbit. Not much on performance, but it had a 4 speed and it was damned fun to drive. The Rabbit was fine, but the Scirocco was like the hot girl next door you really wanted to date but you already had a girlfriend. That was back in the whole Ausgezeichnet! era. Good times.

[Skyfire77]

@mark-tucker Nice! Always good to see collectors and builders sharing.

[Mark Tucker]

@old-busted-hotness I knew I recognized that screen name... formerly Dremelit, right? I remember your builds on the old Scale 4x4 forums...

[jminer]

@mark-tucker That is amazing - I love this!

On your point about how things used to be done you're right. My father was a Mechanical Engineer who did HVAC and Sprinkler design mostly. He'd done it since the 70's so a large part of his career was spent doing it all by hand on a drafting table with a slide rule, then a calculator but still by hand. I remember a computer entering the home for CAD in the early 90's but the things we take for granted today still just blows my mind.

[Mark Tucker]

@rallydarkstrike I've built two of those '57 Chevys: one for display, and one coverted to RC using a BoLink chassis. It... didn't end well. Way too fast, and polystyrene is more fragile than you think...

[RallyDarkstrike]

@Mark-Tucker Nice! Have any idea what one would be worth these days? I've seen them up on Ebay for like....$90 plus shipping, but I have no idea if that's fair or overpriced or what....

[Mark Tucker]

@rallydarkstrike It's hard to say. They're not super-rare, but they're also not likely to be re-issued, so what's out there is what's left. Buy it now prices are notoriously inflated; check completed auctions to see what people are really paying.

[Old Busted Hotness]

@mark-tucker said in Model Kit Monday - the AMT VW Scirocco:

@old-busted-hotness I knew I recognized that screen name... formerly Dremelit, right? I remember your builds on the old Scale 4x4 forums...

You must be an OG to remember that name.
Scale4x4 has been down for two months. Don't know if it's coming back or not.

[Mark Tucker]

@jminer My dad worked for Caterpillar for 40 years, designing heavy equipment. I still remember how his office looked in those days - rows and rows of drafting tables, blueprints that were actually blue, and nearly everything calculated with a slide rule.

My first job in graphic design was in 1998, working in the pre-press department t a sign shop. We drew everything on an early version of CorelDraw, but the actual film for making screens or photopolymer plates was still processed by hand in a darkroom, and we still pasted-up layouts with red tape.

It's all much easier now, of course, but I like to be reminded now and then that we don't actually need all of the computer stuff.