ROMMEL’S ROD - THE MONOGRAM KRAZY KOMMAND KAR

Mat Irvine reports
When it came to modellers wanting particular kits reissued, one that was way, way, near the top for car enthusiasts was a strange ‘show rod’ produced by Monogram in 1969. Designed by famed custom car designer Tom Daniel, who had created many of Monogram’s other wacky creations, Rommel’s Rod was a take on what the World War II ‘Desert Fox’ Field Marshall Erwin Rommel should have driven, or be driven in, during his battles with Allied forces from 1941-43. Based (very loosely) on Rommel’s personal Mercedes-Benz half-track, Daniel’s design is ever weirder in that Rommel and his driver are represented by skeletons, maybe risen from the ever-shifting sands of the North African Desert!

Rommel’s Rod was one of Monogram best-selling show rods, and when the combined Revell-Monogram company started the Selected Subject Program (SSP) range in 1992, the ‘Krazy Kommand Kar’ was definitely slated for reissue. It was consequently listed in SSP Phase 4, dated Fall 1993, but then came a slight snag. Having announced it, the tooling couldn’t be found (it happens more than you might think), so it became one of three SSP kits that were announced, but never appeared.

But the idea never went away, and perhaps influenced by a Moebius Models proposal for a giant 1:12 scale Rod, Revell-Monogram did its own retool, so now we have a brand-new 1:24 scale Rommel’s Rod kit to build.

Purists and collectors note though - the new kit is not absolutely identical to the old one, as the opportunity was taken to modify some parts, including details such as the shovel that hangs on the driver’s door now being a separate item, instead of being moulded into the door panel as the original. But overall, Rommel’s Rod looks much the same as it did in 1969 - or should that be 1941?

Rommel's Rod is available in model stores, and online here.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 The new box features a prominent Tom Daniels signature.
2 The 1969 box.
3, 4 Two views of the Rod, including a diorama I made specially for it. Palm trees from Britains, sand from a builder’s yard.
5 The Monogram SSP Phase 4 range in Fall 1993 advertised the Rod, but it wasn’t released.

Sample kit supplied courtesy Revell-Monogram.

1:48 FIESELER STORCH FINISHED MODEL FROM TAMIYA

Busy lives mean that many of us (including this reviewer) don’t have as much time for model-making as we’d like. It’s a market that diecast makers like Corgi have been pleased to provide for, and with new manufacturing processes, it’s fair to say that ready-builts often vie with or even exceed the best efforts of average modelmakers. A case in point is the micro-fine wing rigging now applied as standard in these ranges - it’s a fit-and-finish zone that even the best of us may not be up to.

And now Tamiya has entered the ready-built market, using plastic instead of metal. There are advantages with both materials of course, but the main plus for plastic is that it allows for much finer surface detail. And this really shows with the Tamiya 1:48 scale Fieseler Storch (Stork), a widely used World War II-era reconnaissance plane.

Tamiya’s Storch is the particular plane used by the famed German ‘Desert Fox’, Erwin Rommel. It is depicted with ‘squashed’ undercarriage in the landing position - in flight, the legs extended much further (see bottom photo) which is why it gained its name from the long-legged bird of baby-carrying renown. The Storch has a wingspan of 297 mm (11.7 in) and comes complete with seated figures in the glassshouse cockpit: a pilot at the controls, with Rommel sitting behind.

A nice feature of this model is the beautifully applied weathering - it’s not overdone at all, with just enough to give the model a used look. Inspect the underbelly pic above to see what we mean. All in all, the Storch is highly recommended for the busy person, and we predict these Masterwork Collection products (there are AFVs out there already) will become a major part of Tamiya’s output in times to come.

Visit Tamiya here.