Looking back...best holiday model gift?

[cooper9411]

I was about 9 or 10 and on Christmas morning I was anxious as to what "Santa " brought me, the evening before we had a get together with aunt's, uncles and grand parents. While we were opening gifts, my dad had 2 gifts of the same size that he was holding onto until the very end. When my brother and I finally got to open them, I was very surprised to find a plastic model kit of the Goodyear blimp, with the paperwork to write whatever we wanted and it had a small electrical motor that I had to wire and it turned plastic gears inside the blimp that rotated the sign and it lit up just like the real one. I asked, pestered, nagged, begged, my dad for us to assemble it. That models has been long gone, not quite sure whatever happened to it, maybe it came down while it was flying high over the dining room table as it was broadcasting the smash em up race between the "General Lee" and the Bandits Trans Am, I don't know. If anyone has knowledge of where I can get one I would appreciate it.

[steve dickey]

Take your pick! Type in Goodyear blimp in the right most search by the "GO" button, should get 4 come up.
Be prepared to pay!!


http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php

[cooper9411]

Thanks a lot, I really appreciate the information.

[Rauhbatz]

Great responses...hope we have more as the holidays draw closer....here's a few more that came to mind...

+ The earliest Christmas I recollect had two great gifts; this plastic aircraft cockpit where there was a "radar screen" where backlit scenery rotated by as it you were flying...sort of pre-dated GPS to some degree...good fun! The other gift was a Hawk SNJ with that wacky orange plastic color. I have a builder and original Hawk kit in my collection...

+ When I was 9 I wanted the Airfix R100 kit that had the mooring mast that suspended the model. On a visit to Halls Hobbies in Columbus Ohio (located in a basement of a hardware store I seem to recollect on High St...wonder if it is still there) I managed to see one on a shelf. My mom told me later that my dad drove in a snowstorm to purchase it for Christmas...don't have one of those in my collection but oldmodelkits.com should delightfully lighten my wallet just as it did when I bought the dual Hawk V-1/Baka kit over the summer...

[Steve Nelson]

A couple more come to mind. In 1977 I got my first X-acto knife set and a PanaVise. The vise is still in use, although the X-actos have been replaced multiple times. As I recall, I despite the warnings of how sharp they were, I still manged to slice open a finger open before the sun set Christmas Day.

Then last week, my wife bought me a nice, shiny and nearly silent Passche D3000S airbrush compressor..which replaces the old Wal-Mart el-cheapo I had that was so loud you needed earplugs.

SN

[the330thbg]

plastic model kit of the Goodyear blimp

HAH!!!

I had that kit.., that was actually very cool!!! I wore all the plastic gears on the motor out.., Later used the motor to power my 1/32nd Revell F4U 3 blade prop up to my ceiling and back about 50 times..,

I then took the game outdoors and the blade would just fit on the shaft of the motor and would spin it enough to launch it into the air.,. so fast by the way that it went up into our pecan tree and was never seen again. I grafted by 1/32 Monogram F-51 prop onto the Corsair and made a 4 blader out of her.

That blimp was awesome and yes I have seen quite a few for sale over the years on ePay etc.

The euphoria about having your old kits back lasts about 2 mins. Then you realize you are not 9 or 10 any more.. alot of the people you associated with your childhood (teachers, quirky neighbors, parents friends etc ) are dead or old and you are back in reality.

[the330thbg]

I still have these little puppies. It was my older brothers and I always meant to build it. The yellow box (1952-3?) was not wrapped in cellophane on the outside.., but the parts are wrapped in a light brown tissue like paper. All original and all mint . I keep it as 'art' on my shelf. Not the best box top art by far.., but I love it.

The 1956 box (darker one) is still original cellophane but folded over, not shrink wrapped yet. Then the one from 1969 is very early shrinkwrap.

Cool stuff and great memories.

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[cooper9411]

Keep them the way they are. As far as the blimp, the prices that people are asking are outrageous! I'm sure my dad paid maybe $6 a piece, I understand inflation but, darn!

[Steve Nelson]

The euphoria about having your old kits back lasts about 2 mins. Then you realize you are not 9 or 10 any more.. alot of the people you associated with your childhood (teachers, quirky neighbors, parents friends etc ) are dead or old and you are back in reality.

Oh I don't know about that. I built this 1962 issue Revell "Memphis Belle" last year as a trip down memory lane..and had a blast. I tried to build it with as few modifications as possible and painted it with a brush. I even used the original (and inaccurate) 49-year-old decals. I bought the kit off Ebay, mainly for the box art, because it captivated me so much as a kid I built at least two of them (neither survived the harrowing combat missions over the backyard sandbox, unfortunately.) Sure, by modern standards the kit is a crude toy, but it was great taking a break from being ridiculously anal and just build something for fun.







Since taking these pics I done a bit of weathering and added the ADF "football" antenna and pitot tubes.

SN

[cooper9411]

Yeah we are not 9 or 10 any more but we still can dream and act like we are

[the330thbg]

Oh., I remember that B-17 well.

Your build is amazing considering what you had to work with. Nice JOB!!

I have that one along with the B-24.


Both still on sprues and waiting until we live in an apartment big enough to build and display them.

I built one of the old Aurora kits with my son. Not as easy as I remember with my much bigger fingers now trying to place pieces inside etc. But more good memories than bad came back.., but after some of these prices on ePay people are paying for this.., the euphoria goes out the window.!

[The Inspector]

Anyone recall the really tiny B-36 kit from AURORA? couldn't have been over 6 inches in length.

[the330thbg]

Anyone recall the really tiny B-36 kit from AURORA? couldn't have been over 6 inches in length.

This little puppy!!

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[the330thbg]

Keep them the way they are. As far as the blimp, the prices that people are asking are outrageous! I'm sure my dad paid maybe $6 a piece, I understand inflation but, darn!

yah, imagine paying $65-$85 for that..,

[cooper9411]

I tried to assemble a balsa wood B-17 a couple years ago, and it wasn't my fingers it was my eyes!