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The model kit car hobby began in the post WW II era with Ace and Berkeley wooden model cars. Revell pioneered the plastic model car with their famous Maxwell kit derived from a toy. Derk Brand, from England pioneered the first real plastic kit, a 1932 Ford Roadster for Revell. He was also famous for developing a line of 1/32 scale model car kits in England for the Gowland brothers. These kits were later introduced by Revell in the US.

AMT began producing assembled 1/25 "Promo" models in the early fifties.These were an outgrowth of promotional models manufactured for automobile dealers. Youngsters would be given the scale models to play with while the parents and the salesman haggled. Collecting and trading these "promos" soon became a popular hobby.

During the 1950s and 1960s, interest in the hobby peaked, as many companies started to profit from the interest in the promo cars. AMT, Jo-Han, Revell and Monogram started producing model car kits during this time, and it was considered a "golden age" for model kit cars. Most of these kits were known as "annual" kits, kit versions of the promos that represented the new cars that were introduced at the beginning of each model year. AMT, Jo-Han and later MPC were the primary promo manufacturers. In addition to building them stock, most annual kits were known as "3 in 1" which allowed the builder to assemble them as stock, custom, or racing versions. Model Products Corp. joined the kit/promo business in 1965. Among their first annual kits/promos, was the full-size Dodge Monaco, which was released with a gold metallic painted body and is a valuable collector's item today. These plastic models were intricately detailed, with body scripts, trim, and emblems, as well as dashboard details, exact duplicates of the real thing, in 1/25 scale. Typically, each automaker would license their cars to one model company. For example, Jo-Han produced Cadillac models and promos, AMT did Chevrolet and Ford cars. Often these companies would change, for example Jo-Han produced the 1972 Ford Torino, and MPC did full-size Chevrolets in the early and mid 1970s. Typically, the kits had more parts and details than the promos. For example, kits often had opening hoods, separate engines and suspension parts, while the promos were molded with hood as part of the body, and chassis with metal axles and one-piece chassis with suspension details molded in. 1969 and 70 Chevy Impala kits were made by both MPC and AMT.

Some model companies sold broken-down versions of the promo cars, which were typically easier to assemble than the annual kits. They were often molded in color (instead of white) and snapped and screwed together (thus no glue or paint was required). When assembled they were almost identical to promos. Today these often command higher prices, especially AMT's "Craftsman" series of the early- and mid-Sixties.

Interest in model cars began to wane in the mid-1970s as a result of builders growing older and moving on to other pursuits. By the early 1980s, model building had been largely replaced by video gaming as a favorite pastime of American youth. A resurgence was experience in the late 1980s, due to many who been involved in the hobby in past years rediscovering it. Monogram helped spark the revival with a series of replicas of NASCAR race cars, as did AMT with a kit of the 1966 Chevrolet Nova, which modelers had been requesting for years. Today, many of the classic models from the golden age of modeling have been reissued. Not only does this allow modelers to build the cars they always wanted (but couldn't obtain or afford), but it tends to lower the prices of the originals. In some cases, the classic models have been issued with all-new tooling, which allows for even more detailing that comes with modern manufacturing/design methods. These include AMT's 1966 Fairlane and 1967 Impala SS, and Monogram's 1967 Chevelle and 1965 Impala Super Sport.

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Choosing the right car by Jason Hulott

We all dream about the car we'd like, Maybe we see one in the street and think “that's the one for me” then, being fickle, will see another a little further along the street and say “No, that's the car I want!”.

Don't worry, this is quite normal, very few people know exactly what they want.

Here, we give you some considerations on choosing the right car for you so you don't end up saddled with a car that, frankly, disappoints you! Remember that you are likely to spend a lot of your time sitting in it and the model you choose will say a lot about you to other people.

What will be your new car's main purpose?
Your lifestyle and what your new car will be used for is the very first thing you need to think about. Basically, your dream car may be TT Roadster (a two-seater) bit if the car is to be used to drop the kids off to school, then it really won't be suitable!

Consider this ….
• Is the car going to be used for family trips?
• commuting to work in? (then choose a diesel to get the most from your fuel)
• will it be a sporty second car for week-ends?
• Does it need to used for off-roading?
• Will it be needed for business?
• Are you married or single? Do you have children? etc etc

This will then help you build a picture in mind of the car that is realistically right for you

The costs
Another important consideration is running costs:

• What insurance group is the car? The higher the group, the more your insurance premium will be
• If your car is going to do a lot of mileage (over 12,000 miles a year), then think about choosing a car with a diesel engine – these are better on fuel consumption
• More expensive cars will have higher servicing and maintenance bills

Comfort
Depending on what purpose your car is used for, comfort is a consideration.

For commuting or high mileage vehicles, the car should be of the optimum comfort and, ideally, have air conditioning.

If it is a fun car, say a sporty number for weekends, then be prepared that the ride will be slightly harder (but a lot of fun!)

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By now you should have a good idea of the type of car you want and what it needs to be like to suit your circumstances!

Now, think about how much you can comfortably afford and start doing your research!

The internet is a good place to start looking, you can research prices, specifications and, if you are after a new car, for a bit of fun, you can even visit a manufacturers site and build a car to your own specifications!

Also, scour the motor section of your local newspaper to see what finance deals and offers are on at local dealerships. You could pick up a good deal!

Happy Motoring!

About the Author

Jason Hulott is a Director of
http://www.motorcarloans.com>Motor Car Loans an automotive resource guide for those looking to buy, insure , sell or in fact do all most anything with a car. Sign up to our free car insurance course, send an email to motorcarloans@getresponse.com

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