Back in the mid 1960’s, a company named IMC brought out a line of 1/25th scale race car kits. They included Jim Clark’s Indy-winning Lotus-Ford, different marks of the Ford GT40, and many others. They were pretty good kits for their day, with detailed engines and interiors, opening doors and hatches. I was a big-time road racing fan, and built most of those kits. Not many kits of those cars available today.
Jim [:o)]
I was nuts for the Monogram fantasy hot rods designed by Tom Daniels - the armored car bank (with functioning plastic combo lock), the Paddy Wagon, the Red Baron (I broke the spike when I accidentally sat on it), etc. Ah, childhood was quite fun.
That´s a hard task to choose only one model…but , If I can I´ll be build a Revell´s SP Gun (I don´t remember the exactly name of the kit), I built this kit in 1970 or 1971 (I guess)…I never see this kit after that (in Brazil of course)…i´ts a beautifull kit.
Seeing other posts about johan kits reminded me of a '32(?) cad of theirs i built. It came molded with a green body and black fenders. Then I remembered the Monogram Duesenbergs All 3 looked great lined up on the shelf.
IMC also had a small line of 1/72 scale combat aircraft with a Vietnam theme with “battle-damaged” parts. Those were a heck of a lot of fun. - Ed
Ed - Some of those were reissued by Lindberg last year. I especially like the MiG-21 because you could actually model it with the pilot ejecting!
Great! I get to build them all over again! Thanks, Pat.
Pat & Ed:
I seem to remember an F-105 model that allowed you to eject the pilot by pushing a lever that stuck out of the side of the fuselage. Also remember a Vigilante that shot a bomb out of the rear at the touch of a button ! I think it was Monogram, or maybe Revell who put those kits out.
I remember building an IMC Mig-21, and I seem to recall it was about the best 1/72nd Mig-21 available at the time it came out.
If some of IMC’s airplane kits have been re-issued, maybe someone will re-release some of their 1/25th race car kits.
Jim
Derek:
The mention of Jo-han car kits brought back many fond memories to me as well. In the mid and late 50’s, every 9, 10 and 11 year-old boy in my neighborhood was building AMT and Jo-han cars kits. Those kits always came with plenty of extra parts as well as a large sheet of decals that allowed us to “customize” them. We would mix and match parts, and came up with some wild combinations. We had an absolute blast trying to out-do each other.
When I was a sophomore in high school, I built a Monogram Duesenberg ( red whith white top ) for a girl to try to impress her - didn’t work !
Jim
Jim, they were both Monogram kits. Never did get to build 'em, but I sure daydramed a lot whenever I bought a Monogram kit. Remember the kit pics on the sides of the boxes, and the mini-catalog in each kit? Wish the current manufacturers would do something like that. It had appeal to all types of modelling, since Monogram had examples of every type of kit they made.
BTW, I found the IMC Skyraider and F-100 kits. Looking for the rest of them. Off to the hunt! -Ed 
Well, here’s my trip down amnesia lane. I just loved the old 1/48 Monogram US Navy WW II aircraft. The Hellcat with the folding wings, the SBD with the movable dive brakes and the dropping bomb, the TBF with the swiveling turret and the dropping torpedo. I had them all; a whole shelf full of 'em! And let’s not forget the “action” deck crew figures they came with, too! Ahh, memories! [:)]
All of this talk about the old Monogram kits has really brought back the memories. I had forgotten about the little catalogs that Monogram packaged in their kits. I built several of Monogram’s car kits, and very much remember the UDT pick-up boat kit. Perhaps it was those little catalogs that enticed me to look at their “non-airplane” models.
I built the TBF when it first came out - I was 10 or 11 at the time. I remember how proud I was that when it was finished all of the working features worked the way they were supposed to. I have to admit though, that the wings sagged when unfolded. [:(]
Jim
PS - if Monogram would only bring their T-28 up to snuff and re-issue it !
Yep, Monogram’s T-28 would be great to see updated. I knew someone who really went to town on it once and made it a beauty.
All this talk about what currently is making us nostalgic makes me wonder what is currently new or recent on shelves will be seen as 20 to 30 years from here. What will the future classic kits be?
Monogram’s 1/48 F-101 Voodoo is a decent kit with a bit of work and has seen a few comebacks, deservedly so.
Tamiya’s 1/48 MiG-15 from a few years back is a definite future nostalgia target.
I strongly suspect Airfix’s 1/48 EE Lightning and Buccaneer kits are collectors items to be.
Even kits that really aren’t so old in the big picture are near classics today. Matchbox’s 1/72 Handley Page Victor is a beauty and is coming back this year thanks to Revell Germany.
I wonder if anyone will take the notion to revisit Fujimi’s 1/72 E-2C Hawkeye, dress it up a bit and include a decal sheet with some of its international users that didn’t have it when the kit first came into being.
What do you predict tomorows classic kits might be?
Tomorrow’s classic? Tamiya’s 1/350 USS Enterprise for sure. That one really set a standard for ships to live up to.
Ref the johan car kits, I read recently that they are to be produced again, I think it was in Tamiya model magazine, that’s produced in the UK. Anyway, the Plymouth police car will be one of the first, with about six different liveries too!
Almost all of the Matchbox aircraft kits had trenchlike panel lines, but it’s the only one going, sadly. I have just finished rebuilding a ‘Merit’ brand Supermarine Walrus (it was thrown together years ago by A.N.Other) and I’m now doing their Swordfish, (likewise for build quality) Not sure what the scales are, around 1/40th I think. Luckily I have some decent sets of plans, so much is missing/wrong on both kits. So are we all remembering kits of old through a rose coloured magnifying glass?
Future classics ? With so many manufacturers putting out so many great kits, that is a tough row to hoe. Since my main modeling focus is on 1/48th aircraft, I wiil list just a few that come to mind:
Accurate Miniatures F3F
Accurate Miniatures P-51/P-51A/Mustang 1A/A-36
Tamiya P-47 Thunderbolt
Pro Modeler Helldiver
Hasegawa Spitfire VIII/IX
I can think of 50/100 more, but I want to keep this from getting out of hand !
One more series of kits that are classics to me are Airshow Models’ 1/32nd scale resin aerobatic airplane kits. Really beautiful models of a relatively little modeled subject.
Jim
Hmm… speaking of nostalgia, there’s this kit that still haunt me to this date. I remembered when I was a kid, my Dad decided to reward me for something good I’ve done, and I asked for an Airfix 1/600 HMS Warspite. At that age, ships of this complexity was way beyond me, and I made a mess of it. In fact, several parts were broken by me! Needless to say, it was never completed. Up to this day, I still feel very guilty about it. I’ve been trying to get my hands on this exact same kit again. It’s a little difficult as it is now out of production. I only just managed to get a contact from Aussie that promised me this kit next month. Can’t wait for it to come so that I can complete what I destroyed when I was a kid and atone for my sins!
traderghost:
You’ve caused me to remember a very similar piece of “nostalgia”. I was about 10 years old, and tried my hand at building a Revell USS Constitution. Was in way over my head and completely messed it up. It had been a birthday gift and I felt guilty about screwing it up for a long time afterward. That was 45 years ago, and it was my first and ONLY attempt at a sailing ship ! From that time on I made it known that I did not want models as a gifts.
Jim
I think we’ve all got that failed kit as a gift that eats at our concience because someone was nice enought to give it to us and we’d like to make a good go of it.
When I was about 8 I was given a Revell ship model, I don’t remember the scale but it was the USS Burton Island. I was totally out of my league with that one and the end result showed it. Pity, I did like the look of the actual ship.
Perhaps one day I’ll get my hands on another model of it, Revell or otherwise, and get it right.
Another thought for future classics: the entirety of ICM’s 1/48 Spitfire series.
JGUIGNARD and upnorth:
Yeah, I share your sentiments exactly. We all had our fair share of “guilt” when it comes to models given by our loved ones, and in my case, my Dad. That’s what make those models all the more nostalgic, 'cause they reminds us not only of the models of yesteryears, but more so of our loved ones. This year, I was on a crusade to get back all the old models which was given to me or inherited from my Dad when I was a kid. I will build them all to the best of my ability and give it as a gift to my Dad!! This is what makes modeling so meaningful