Monogram models

For other uses, see Monogram (disambiguation).

Monogram models

Industry	Hobbies
Founded	1945
Headquarters	Elk Grove Village, Illinois United States
Products	Model kits
Parent	Hobbico
Website	http://www.revell.com/

Monogram has been a premier maker of scale models of aircraft, spacecraft, ships, cars, and military vehicles since the early 1950s. The company was formed by two former employees of Comet Kits, Jack Besser and Bob Reder. After thirteen years as a fully owned subsidiary of Hallmark Cards' Binny and Smith unit, Hobbico announced it was acquiring Revell-Monogram in 2007 (Funding Universe webpage).

Origins

Monogram was founded in Chicago in 1945 making balsa wood model kits of ships and airplanes. Seaships were the first products. Meanwhile a company called Revell started making plastic kits in 1953, and soon Monogram responded with a red plastic midget racer and the race was on (Funding Universe webpage). In the late 1950s, Monogram hired modeler Sheperd Paine to construct and paint models and write the instruction booklets (DeRogatis 2005). During the 1960s Monogram was always right in the mix, if not the lead, focusing more on automobile models, which was the trend. Through the 1970s competition required increased production of a variety of fantastical custom, Hot Rod, and race cars of all types.

The Monogram Approach

As the 1960s progressed, Monogram and Revell squared off as rivals in the scale model market. While companies like AMT and MPC focused almost exclusively on cars, Monogram and Revell diversified into aircraft, naval craft and other military vehicles. Monogram aircraft kits were known for imaginative "operating features", such as a spring-loaded ejection seat on their F-105 Thunderchief model (operated by a tiny plastic tab on the side of the plane) and a tactical nuclear bomb which could be dropped from the RB-66A model - which also featured a moving tailgun turret.

Twenty-four page instruction booklet for the one-eighth scale "Big T".

By the late 1950s, however, the company was moving steadily into the car scene especially with its Hot Rods and race cars. In 1956 it released a Sprint Car, one of its first car kits. In 1959 its 1932 Ford Deuce 5 window coupe was issued. One 1962 kit, however, showed the company's prowess and intent - the "Big T" (kit PC 78). This was a huge 1/8 scale 1924 Ford Model T rod complete with hot-rodded Chevy engine. The 24 page 8 1/2 x 11 inch instruction booklet showed that the model came with an optional electric motor to power the wheels and featured customizing tips by Darryl Starbird, the famous Kansas customizer (Monogram 1962). The manual also shows how sophisticated the company's catering was toward Hot Rod culture - long before Hot Wheels or the Detroit muscle car craze.

Daniel Hot Rods and Customs

Whereas Revell carried many foreign cars and AMT and MPC handled the promo markets (and so moving forward with most of the American car brands), Monogram always had kept its hand, more conservatively perhaps, in aircraft and military vehicles. Into the 1970s, however, Monogram often focused exclusively on Hot Rods and customs. While AMT had customizers George Barris, the Alexander Brothers, and Bill Cushenberry, and MPC had Dean Jeffries, Monogram hired stylist Tom Daniels to do a variety of creations not always based on real cars.

Typical Monogram instruction sheets for Tom Daniel designs from 1970.

When the company was bought by Mattel about 1970, Tom Daniels and other custom vehicles were seen in both small and large sizes in Hot Wheels diecast - and then in Monogram kit form. Examples seen in diecast and also plastic kit form were the Ice-T buggy, the Red Baron, the Paddy Wagon, the S'cool Bus, the Sand Crab, and the Tarantula (even made by Mattel subsidiary Mebetoys of Italy) (Tom Daniel website). Some of the most handsome vehicles were the simpler rods without the crazy trappings like the "Son of Ford" '32 Ford rod and the "Boss 'A' Bone", a rodded '29 Model A pickup. Models of later vehicles were also common. A couple of examples were the sleek "Street Fighter", a Daniels designed '60 Chevy panel truck powered by a Z/28 Camaro engine (the "Quicksilver" was another variation of the same kit), and the 1955 Chevrolet "Bad Man" gasser (Tom Daniel website). By 1970 or so, many of these models were molded in bright reds and oranges and did not require painting.

Monogram offered a variety of more official race cars as well, again often leaving foreign vehicles to Revell which had established a Germany subsidiary. Monogram examples were the Tom McEwan driven Duster "Mongoose" funny car and it's rival the Barracuda "Snake" driven by Don Prudhomme. Of course, both of these cars were offered by Mattel well as smaller Hot Wheels.

Many Changes of Hands

In 1984 Mattel divested itself of many companies not associated with its traditional toy industries (Funding Universe website). In 1986, Monogram was bought by Odyssey Partners of New York. Later that same summer, Odyssey purchased Revell Models of Venice, California. Subsequently Odyssey Partners merged Revell with Monogram and moved all its usable assets to Monogram's Des Plaines, Illinois Plant Number 2.^{[citation needed]} After Revell was merged with Monogram, company headquarters was moved a short distance to Northbrook, Illinois.

In the early 1990s, Revell-Monogram embarked on an unfortunate experiment that tried to match historic modeling logos with a CD-Rom racing car game. After investing nearly $4 million, parents couldn't distinguish model from game and the project was scrapped after only 50,000 were sold (Wallace 1994). Also in the early 1990s, Monogram sold their 1/87 Mini Exacts HO series to Herpa, where some of the models continue to be sold even today. One difference from the normal Herpa models was a metal chassis.

In 1994 Revell-Monogram was purchased by Hallmark Cards as part of its Binney and Smith division (the owners of famous Crayola crayons). This relationship lasted for thirteen years.

In May 2007, Hobbico Inc., the radio control airplane maker, announced the acquisition of Revell-Monogram LLC. From 1987 to 2005 the Monogram logo had appeared underneath that of Revell, but since the Hobbico acquisition, the Monogram name has disappeared. Now the Revell logo stands alone as Hobbico renamed the subsidiary the Revell Group, which consists of both revered names (See the Revell-Monogram webpage for an interesting graphic progression of the development of the two companies' logos going back to 1945 - see Revell-Monogram 1996-2011). Concerning plastic kits, Hobbico also owns Estes, and is the exclusive distributor of Hasegawa, as seen on their company websites.

Kits

Monogram was a prolific model producer. The following lists are definitely not all-inclusive:

Aircraft

• Japan 1/48 scale
  • Mitsubishi A6M
• Germany 1/48 scale
  • Arado Ar 234, Dornier Do 335, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju-87G Stuka, Junkers Ju-88, Junkers Ju-52, Messerschmitt Bf 109, Messerschmitt Me 262
• United States 1/48 scale
  • Bell P-39 Airacobra, Bell UH-1 Huey with several issues: A, B, C and F variants, Bell AH-1S Cobra, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Boeing AH-64 Apache, Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, Cessna 180 also issued as a floatplane, Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, Convair F-106 Delta Dart, Convair B-58 Hustler, Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Consolidated PBY Catalina, Curtiss P-40C Hawk, Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, Douglas DC-3, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Douglas TBD Devastator, Douglas SBD Dauntless, Douglas A-26 Invader, Douglas A-1 Skyraider, Douglas A-4F Skyhawk, also issued as OA-4M, General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, General Dynamics F-111 also released as EF-111A Raven, Grumman TBF-1 Avenger, Grumman F4F Wildcat, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Lockheed P-38J/L Lightning, Lockheed P-80C Shooting Star, Lockheed F-104C Starfighter, LTV A-7 Corsair II, Martin B-26 Marauder, McDonnell F-101B Voodoo, McDonnell F-4C/D Phantom II, McDonnell F-4E Phantom II, McDonnell F-4J Phantom II, McDonnell AV-8B Harrier II, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornet, North American AT-6 Texan, North American T-28 Trojan, North American B-25 Mitchell, North American P-51 Mustang B and D variants, North American F-86E/F Sabre, North American F-100D Super Sabre, Northrop P-61 Black Widow, Northrop F-5E Tiger II, Northrop F-20 Tigershark, Northrop F-89J Scorpion, Piper Tri-Pacer, Republic P-47D Thunderbolt Razorback and Bubble-top, Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, Republic F-105D Thunderchief, Republic F-105F Thunderchief, Republic F-105G Thunderchief, Vought OS2U Kingfisher, Vought F4U Corsair, Vought F-8 Crusader
• United Kingdom 1/48 scale
  • de Havilland Mosquito, Hawker Hurricane, Hawker Typhoon, Supermarine Spitfire

Cars

• 1/24 scale
  • 1934 Duesenberg SJ, 1939 Mercedes 540K, 1941 Lincoln Continental, Cord 812
• 1/24 scale
  • 1957 Chevy Hardtop
  • 1965 Chevy Impala SS 396
• 1/87th scale
  • Ferrari F40
  • Ford Mustang

Armor

• 1/32th scale
  • M8 Greyhound Armored Car
  • M20 Armored Car
  • M3 Lee Medium Tank
  • M4 Sherman Hedgehog
  • M4A1 Sherman Screaming Mimi
  • Sdkfz 232 Panzerspahwagen 8-Rad Armored Car
  • Panzerkampfwagen IV Medium Tank
  • Sturmgeschuetz IV Assault Tank
  • Panzerjager IV L/70 Tank Destroyer
  • Sturmpanzer IV Brumbar
  • Flakpanzer IV Wirbelwind
  • Flakpanzer IV Ostwind

References

• DeRogatis, Jim. 2005. Military Miniatures Society of Illinois Annual Figures Show webpage. Historical Perspectives on Sheperd Paine. DeRogatis Art Critic website. [1]

• Funding Universe. No date. Company history of Revell-Monogram. [2]

• Monogram Models, Inc. 1962. Instruction booklet, How to Assemble the Big "T". Morton Grove, Illinois.

• Revell-Monogram Brand History. 1996-2011. Wepage of Revell-Monogram. [3]

• Tom Daniel. No date. TD Designs. The Official Tom Daniel website. [4]

• Wallace, David J. 1994. Toy Cars, Multimedia Make for a Poor Fit, Advertising Age, September 26.

External links

• Commercial site selling old kits, with several Monogram kits shown
• Hobbico, Inc. [5]