bryanm Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Classic Monogram kits are always a nostalgia blast for me. Anyone brought up in Rugby in the 1960s may remember the George Over shop on the west side of the Market Place. The facade is still there, now merely the front for an identikit shopping mall, but back then it was the entrance to a treasure house for a small boy. Primarily a stationer and bookshop, upstairs there was also a good modelling section with a selection of the hallowed Monogram kits. Very occasionally I was allowed to choose one and slowly built up a small collection, all long before I discovered 'paint'. The first was the Helldiver, full of magic with its retractable undercarriage, folding wings, working bomb release and sliding canopies. We mock such things today, but then........ They stocked Profile Publications and I was also able to build up a small collection of those, sadly lost in a house move a long time ago. It was a great shock when the shop closed, because it 'wasn't making any money'! What, I demanded, did that have to do with it? I have since wondered whether there was someone in their management who was a modelling enthusiast and set up that part of the shop. One I never made was the Typhoon, but found a second hand example for £10 on a stand at the Modelkraft show in Milton Keynes a few years ago. It was the 1995 Revell-Monogram release, moulded in a rather hard dark brown plastic which turned out to be remarkably workable. It's a simple kit, with nothing to stop it being 'see through' around the radiator moulding, so that was blocked off with a generous fillet of black painted Kristal Klear. The fit was good, there was little flash and the shape looks right. It is from the box apart from tape harnesses and is brush painted with Humbrol enamels. The decals were thick with yellowing backing paper but aftermarket decals for bubble tops are thin on the ground and I wanted this to be a Monogram Typhoon so persevered with them. The result isn't too bad, from a distance. In the stash is the Eduard Tempest, which I'm sure will be a very different build experience! Also a few years ago, I found a reissue of the Monogram Mosquito on a visit to the Mosquito Museum at Salisbury Hall. The accuracy issues of this kit are now well documented, but when first released it was a sensation. I couldn't resist it and built it in short order, this time around as a B.IV (rather than an FB.VI - removing the bomber nose was my first attempt at kit surgery) and with 'paint'! 34 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wulfman Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Great job on the old Monogram, they were state of the art back in the day ! Wulfman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith in the uk Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Lovely , remember getting the FW190 and looking through the box sitting in my dads Vauxhall Cresta The Typhoon was a great kit and before Hasagawa issued their kits this was a highly sought after model . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janneman36 Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 It looks very nice, and it definitely looks like a Typhoon👍 Well done.. cheers, Jan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Excellent piece of modelling well done 👏 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Lovely job on the old girl Bryan,don't forget the classic Revell/Monogram GB in the summer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMCS Posted January 8, 2022 Share Posted January 8, 2022 Fantastic work 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Pretty spiffy Tiffy! 👍 Mike 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maginot Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Good work on the Typhoon. Nice pairing with the Mosquito, which was indeed a much desired kit in its day. Monogram kits were a superior product back in the seventies. Interesting back story that sets me off in the wayback machine. Yes, miss the old magical model shops, many gone and sadly missed, like the evocatively named Model Dockyard, an Aladin's Cave of modelling treasures. Still a few stores hanging on, thank goodness. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryanm Posted January 9, 2022 Author Share Posted January 9, 2022 Thanks for the comments and 'likes' 20 hours ago, keith in the uk said: Lovely , remember getting the FW190 and looking through the box sitting in my dads Vauxhall Cresta That brought back some memories - the model is long gone but found this.......... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith in the uk Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Thats the one Bryan , great kit with many options although if i recall mine came in the later style of box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 7 hours ago, bryanm said: That brought back some memories You can say that again! Along with the Hurricane, Spitfire, Bf-109E, P-40B, and A6M5, those were all enjoyable models to build! My Fw was in the original blue box, as I recall. Those were the days- the sweet aroma of Testors enamels in the little square bottles and Revell Type 'S' cement! Mike Probably none of you did this, but in the early sixties I was a bag boy at the base commissary at Dyess AB in Texas, and as soon as I had a couple of bucks in tips, I would rush next door to the base exchange and snag the Monogram kits I had previously hidden among the other kit boxes, as they never seemed to order nearly as many of the Monogram kits as they did of the Revell, Aurora, and Lindberg ones! Sorry for the off-topic comments, but that box brought back so many happy modeling memories! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAT69 Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 2 hours ago, 72modeler said: Probably none of you did this, but in the early sixties I was a bag boy at the base commissary at Dyess AB in Texas, and as soon as I had a couple of bucks in tips, I would rush next door to the base exchange and snag the Monogram kits I had previously hidden among the other kit boxes, as they never seemed to order nearly as many of the Monogram kits as they did of the Revell, Aurora, and Lindberg ones! Sorry for the off-topic comments, but that box brought back so many happy modeling memories! No apologies needed. Great story. When I was in my late teens and could drive, I used to go to Dibbles Hobby Shop here in San Antonio, now, umpteen years later, the shop is still open and remains ever popular. The Typhoon and the Mosquito are nice build, by the way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 16 minutes ago, SAT69 said: No apologies needed. Great story. When I was in my late teens and could drive, I used to go to Dibbles Hobby Shop here in San Antonio, now, umpteen years later, the shop is still open and remains ever popular. The Typhoon and the Mosquito are nice build, by the way. Yep- hung out there almost every Saturday back in the 70-80's. All the local builders would gather at some point during the day, and then move the discussions to La Azteca Restaurant next door for mexican food. Those were the days! Still one of the very few LHS still in business, but I do miss dear old Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, the original owners. Mike 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rootbeerdude Posted March 7, 2023 Share Posted March 7, 2023 Nice job! I love the old Monogram kits! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now