I just got my Pegasus 1/18 X-1 model in the mail. Before it was shrink wrapped, someone took a black magic marker and blacked out all references to Glamorous Glennis and Chuck Yeager on the box and in the instructions. And to top that they cut out the Glamorous Glennis decal.
Where did you get this kit?
I did some looking around. The figure as far as I can tell never came with the toy, or the model version. AFA as the decal, it’s the box art. Did that get blacked out too.
If I were to guess, it sounds like there was a license (no license) issue.
Hmmm? Yeah that sure sounds like some kind of copyright issue. Was there a broom stick in the box?
If the decal was cut from the sheet, I’d guess an ebay deal that was resealed. Or maybe a LHS that got an estate deal and resealed boxes. I know one shop here that will re-shrink estate/collection stuff, but it is “as is”.
The kit is not a reseal. This is how the kits were shipped. Pegasus was unable to obtain the rights to use the copyright for Chuck Yeager and Glamorous Glennis thus they had to remove the unapproved items from the decals and boxart.
I’d send it back for a refund! (Stern letter to follow…) [cnsod]
Ebay
On the box art, Glamorous Glennis was blacked out
No broom stick, no pilot. I have a 1/32 Revell X-1 that has both
I considered it but I really have a thing for the X-1 and I love the 1/18 scale X-1. But it wont be right without the GG decal, for me anyway. I have a 1/32 X-1 and may paint it with the white on top version and use the GG decal on the 1/18 if it looks good. Otherwise I’m looking for the right decal if anyone has an idea
How does one copyright something owned by the taxpayers? The X-1 was funded by NACA, the predecessor for NASA, and owned by the USAF. No matter what name a pilot may paint on an aircraft, it still belongs to the US Government. Unless it is one day sold off. Like the Mercury Capsule Frienship 7 or Apollo Command Module Columbia, or Space Shuttle Enterprise, those are public owned historical names.
Decals can be printed from a computer. Get the correct color (white or clear) and the correct type (laser or inkjet ) and make what you need.
I hadn’t though of that [^o)]
The removal of yeager isn’t for copyright reasons. It’s a matter of likeness rights. These rights are outside of intellectual property law, and are not federal. They fall under the category of ‘privacy.’ Basically, every person has an exclusive right to the commercial exploitation of their name, image, or likeness. Licenses can be granted, for a price.
Does anyone remember Leonard Nimoy suing paramount over beer ads featuring Spock? I think this happened in the seventies. Paramount and the beer company didn’t secure permission from Nimoy to use his likeness in those ads.
I’d guess the kit maker didn’t get permission from Yeager. Whether those rights will survive a person’s death is another matter, and will vary by State. Although Yeager is still alive, I think that blacking out all refereces to him in the instructions goes too far (insofar as they give historical information). The kit maker could probably have included a generic pilot figure and not referred to it as ‘Yeager,’ as long as it didn’t look like Yeager.
The Glamourous Glennis issue is a more complex matter. The phrase may have been trademarked at one point. Or it may be protected as a likeness right of Yeager’s Wife. Or whoever painted the name on the airplane may have copyrighted the artwork. The law on this has changed since 1947, so I don’t really know.
As for the design of aircraft and spacecraft, that is protected by copyright (and maybe some patents as well). The copyrights would be owned by the designer, or whomever they sold those rights to. That the taxpayers fit the bill does not matter (although, some believe that the law should be changed in that regard). So North American would have owned the copyrights to the Apollo Command Module, and those are now owned by Boeing as successor.
And finally, in the USA there is no such thing as public ownership.
LAWYERS…PFFFFT ! [:^)]
Discussions like this are way over my tiny brain.
Amen…