MPC RECIPE FOR A GREEN-CHEESE BLUE MOON TRIKE MODEL

THE LATEST 1:25 SCALE TACO TRIKE KIT from MPC includes a vast array of decals, one set being for a so-called ‘Luna Cycle.’

TACO TRIKE: 1:25 SCALE CUSTOM MOTORCYCLE KIT FROM MPC

THE MPC TACO TRIKE has a neatly-moulded V-8 engine, and a wedge-style body, hence its original 1974 name, Wedge Chopper.

ED 'BIG DADDY' ROTH'S MAIL BOX CHOPPER TRIKE TO 1:25 SCALE

THIS IS A CHOPPER-STYLE motorcycle trike, one of a six-strong 1:25 scale range, first issued by MPC in the 1970s. 

A VIDEO HISTORY OF THE MPC MODELS COMPANY

HERE’S A CLOSE LOOK AT MPC, short for the Model Products Corporation, an American manufacturer of plastic scale model kits and promotional models that were especially popular in the 1960s and 1970s. 

THE ALIEN LUNAR ROVER - A 'SPACE: 1999' VEHICLE THAT WASN'T

After Thunderbirds, arguably the second most popular Gerry Anderson production was the live-action TV series Space: 1999, originally aired from 1975-77. The series was based around the unlikely premise that the Moon was knocked out of its orbit round the Earth, to become a wanderer in space.

ANOTHER BLAST FROM THE PAST: ROUND 2 RE-RELEASE SOVIET-ERA VOSTOK SPACE LAUNCHER TO 1:100 SCALE

This is a 1:100 scale model of the classic Soviet A-Type launcher in its best-known Vostok version, as used to launch Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, on April 4, 1961. This time, the MPC kit comes as a Round 2 re-release.

INCOMING MONSTERFEST: ALIEN CREATURE KIT TO 1:8 SCALE FROM MPC

Mat Irvine: Here’s a blast from the past with a reissue of the first Alien kit ever issued, a 1:8 scale science-fiction monster from MPC, now produced by Round 2 LLC.

IT’S A SMALL WORLD - THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MODEL KIT

TINY VIEW BY MAT IRVINE

You may have noticed some of Round 2’s AMT and MPC kit releases that also include a miniature version of the kit's own 'big box.' A new idea? Not exactly, as AMT/MPC’s previous owner, RC-2, had produced a range of small diecast cars in its Johnny Lightning ‘Classic Plastic’ series.

IN STORES NOW - HOT-ROD ‘DARK SHADOWS’ VAMPIRE VAN FROM ROUND 2

SMN update from David Jefferis:

Oops, this Vampire Van has been in the ‘passed us by’ department for a while. It’s a fun kit that was released a couple of months ago by Round 2 under the MPC name, and is now generally available. The Vampire Van is well worth a look, not least because it paves the way for the upcoming vampire movie Dark Shadows, starring the excellent Johnny Depp and bodacious Michelle Pfeiffer.

INVASION OF THE CAR-TOONS - ZINGERS ARE BACK!

Mat Irvine takes a less than serious view:

Zingers date back to the 1970s, and are caricatures of cars and trucks. The vehicles have oversized engines, mounted on undersized bodies, an effect which gives them an original look, to say the least. Zingers originated by a roundabout route, as the idea actually came from model maker Dennis Johnson, as his entry in a competition run by the original MPC company in the early 1970s. His entries created such an impression that MPC decided to produce them as kits, coming out with eight-strong collection.

RETRO ROD CAR KITS FROM ROUND 2

Mat Irvine reports
One thing that has come out of Round 2 taking over the AMT, MPC and Polar Lights names is that a lot of kits that haven’t seen the inside of an injection moulding machine for decades are now being reissued. One AMT series that Round 2 has rediscovered is the way out ‘Show Rod’ car series, first released in the early 1970s.

Show Rods - usually defined as custom cars built purely to do rounds of the car shows - can be mild or wild, and the wilder they are, the more visitors like them. Admittedly many 1:1 scale show rods are really bizarre (many of Ed Roth’s creations, for example) but they are still drivable, even if in some cases ‘only just’! But many of AMT’s Show Rods went beyond this, as they have existed only as 1:25 scale kits, with no real-world equivalent.

One thing they usually have in common is that each 1:25 scale rod revolves round a theme. Two recent reissues that demonstrate this are the Li’l Stogie, a variation on a Wild West theme, and the Royal Rail, or what Henry VIII could have driven to get away from all those wives…!

Li’l Stogie is a covered wagon with a V-8 engine, a pick and shovel, plus a gear shift that wears a Stetson hat! And yes, you also get the Injun arrows.

The Royal Rail is even wilder (some may say even ‘stranger’) and is perhaps best summed up by the box caption: “Our ‘crowning achievement’ in far-out showrods! Majestic ‘Henry V-8’ Mill propels rolling throne, ground-gripping ‘gumballs’ provide traction, way-out extended ‘chopper’ forks guide high-and-mighty king thing down the royal rod road…” The kit includes a mass of decals to personalise your own member of royalty, and a small reproduction of the kit box, which you can cut out from the flat card.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 AMT 1:25 scale Royal Rail. The box has a sticker that indicates it is the special issue from the October 2009 iHobby Expo, Chicago. This version was moulded in luminous plastic, so if you don’t paint it, the rod will glow in the dark! Normal (if you can use the word for such a creation) issues will be in standard opaque plastic.
2 Both boxes for the AMT Li’l Stogie. The original 1970s issue is on top, present reissue supporting it.
3, 4 You get decal ‘patches’ for Li’l Stogie’s canvas top, and a set of arrows.
5 Opposite box sides show some of the ‘Stogie Stuff’.

Visit Round 2 here.

MAT’S US TRIP REVISITED - WHEN JAMES BOND WENT TO AMERICA

The Airfix 1:32 scale Aston Martin DB5, as modified and issued by MPC for the American market, was one of my acquisitions during my last US trip in April, and especially to the Kane County Toy Fair. I didn’t have a chance to examine the the DB5 fully until my return, but it now deserves a bit more of an explanation.

During the 1960s Airfix and MPC had a tie-in that led to Airfix kits being issued in the US market by MPC, and vice-versa. MPC made mostly cars, so that is what Airfix released for British modellers, including such classic kits as the Mako Shark and Monkeemobile. But for the UK ‘all’ Airfix did was to re-do the box-art using its own logo, while crediting the originators by adding - and this was a rare event - “Created by MPC”.

However Airfix did make - and still does - a much wider range of subjects, and those deemed suitable for the US market were invariably not only re-boxed for the US market, but sometimes had the parts content altered as well. With aircraft, it led to adding figures from the separate Figure Sets. With tanks and military vehicles, some of the Trackside Accessories - which wouldn’t normally fit in with American railroad layouts - were used. For example, the Travelling Crane became a dockside fixture, maybe for lifting seaplanes out of the water.

However, one major problem Airfix had with all its 1:32 scale car kits was that famous subjects such as the DB5 - which was certainly known to a US audience - did not come with features associated with home-grown American car kits from AMT, Jo-Han, MPC, Revell or Monogram. In particular, items such as chrome-plated parts and ‘rubber’ (actually vinyl) tyres were lacking. This led to many modifications for the MPC edition (top picture). Adding vinyl tyres wasn’t straightforward, but what could be done relatively easily (middle picture) was to chrome-plate relevant parts, which is what occurred with this Aston. But that wasn’t all. Racing decals were added, and a scene was printed on the side of the box showing a suitable backdrop, maybe the Pacific Coast Highway. There were even newly-tooled parts to make a stand to hold said background!

Some kits went even further. Although this could be deemed sacrilege, many veteran cars had customised parts added as well. The 1907 Lanchester (bottom) had a blown Chevy V8 engine added, along with racing slicks!

Mat Irvine