Revell full size Gemini contest

Tom

I remember a even bigger spaceship contest that was in the comic books...hard to describe but it looked huge...sort of a old sci-fi movie type of ship that would hold a bunch of kids, had a movie projecter that would display a viewsceen of your "flight". It looked too good to be true - maybe it was a hoax but I wanted that thing so bad...

The big spaceship prize was a little before my time, but I do recall the ads for hundreds of soldiers, tanks, etc. Revolutionary War and WWII as I recall. All for a $1.98 or so. My parents told me it was a scam and they weren't falling for it. Even as akid it seemed to good to be true, but those ads sure did look good.

A few years ago I found where someone had posted on the web just what you got for your troubles if you ordered: little flat plastic silhouettes of stuff.

And there one of life's little mysteries solved. Hell that was worth the cost of creating the Internet right there.

WmB

To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

In article ,

I remember that Gemini capsule. I feel that that kid in Oregon robbed me of my Gemini... although I don't know where I would have put it had I won ("it's OK, mom, I can live in it if we put it in the yard")

Yup. i got one of those sets as a kid. they came in a crappy cardboard box and they were just simple 2D plastic soldier shapes with a bas relief on both sides. Even as a 6 year old I knew that was wrong...for about the same amount of money, I could get a big bag of excellent green army men (or gray, for the Germans)

I had a set too...couldn't compare to talking mom into a set of the good ones from the end of the register in the grocery store! I notice ads in mags now for what looks like the same thing for 2 and 3 HUNDRED dollars! :-o

One of the items I did buy from a comic book when I was a kid was a "real log cabin" which described the fabulous western adventures you could have - all for $5 or so. After a horrendous waiting period, it finally came in the mail...and turned out to be a plastic drop cloth with "logs" printed on the sides which you draped over a kitchen table...AAARRRGGHHHH!!

James

For all of the folks that remember these comic book ads, check this out:

Proof that eventually all obsessions will find an home on the internet. I had the "Task Force" game, and couldn't believe the crappy game pieces when they arrived. Still, you have to love the company name - "Helen of Toy"; somebody had a classical education, I guess. :)

Amazingly enough, these folks plan to make clones of these games, and sell them again. I always wanted "Wood's Edge" or "Tank Trap"!

Chris Kansas City

In article , snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net says... The Ralston rocket?

There was an article in Filmfax about it. It was from the tv show Space Patrol. They really did give it away. They interviewed kid who won it. (He is retired now,) He really didn't like the show all that much. They removed all the hocus pocus from it before the kid got it.

No, not the Ralston rocket, but doing a google search of that name turned up a page which had a scan of the the one I was thinking of...a rocket ship given away by Kraft Foods. No details about what ever became of it.

Remove "nospam" from e-mail address if replying personally.

they were great magnifying lens and fireworks fodder.

was captain video the one that had the cardboard rocket you could play in? i think mine caught fire.

snipped-for-privacy@verizon.net (e) wrote in news:jkimc.14846407$ snipped-for-privacy@news.easynews.com:

Oh really. And how did that happen young man? We've told you not to playwith matched!

From the website: Revell was the model company of choice for us model-building kids in the '60s, with the best selection of spacecraft and airplane models. Their biggest competitor, Monogram, used flimsier plastic and their parts usually didn't fit together as well. end quote...

I beg to differ! Monogram was always the company of choice for me! I don't remember any flimsy plastic or ill fitting parts. Anyone else? Cheers,

The Keeper (of too much crap)

I wasn't around then...but of the old kits I've built,Monogram was better.Sometimes I'm almost sorry they merged...almost

Monogram was the best, definitely. Molded in color, perfect fit of parts, judicious choice of working features; the best.

I still remember how disappointed I was with my first MPC car kit; what an ill-fitting POS compared to the excellent Monogram Predictas and Blue Beetles I was used to. I _really_ hated the MPC kit's wordless instruction sheet; I had been spoiled by Monogram's (and Lindberg's) excellent text-and-pics instruction sheets. And the Revell kits of the same era (the Roth stuff, the notorious '56 and '57 Chevys) are _significantly_ harder to get together than the Monograms.

That said, the Monogram Tom Daniel kits of the seventies were definitely a downgrade. Although they still fit together perfectly, the detail was way down from the Sixties kits.

Steve H

Eyeball2002308 wrote:

I think Revell was the lesser of the two companies. I always preferred Mono over Revell. The 1/48th aircraft was the main draw but I think Mono's car kits were better too. Not that I own many of either. I opted for the AMT 1/25th standard early on due to the volume of kits offered in that scale. I would have been happy if the hobby had tilted 1/24th and Mono had dominated.

I think another case where quantity carried the day over quality was when Racing Champiions aquired ERTL.

WmB

To reply, get the HECK out of there snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

I can't recall any problem with Monogram aircraft. Soe of the missiles had slightly thin plastic. I don't remember the cars, AMT pretty much had that field locked up.

Can't coment on fit of parts. Too long ago. :-(

To

While it wasn't in the '60s (late 70s, early-mid 80s) I grew to avoid Revell kits. Fought with odd parts on their Corvettes too much. Loved Monogram, though. (Aircraft and cars)