bisc63 Posted January 10, 2020 Posted January 10, 2020 When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I received a gift of a motorcycle kit that had everything that could appeal to a model building kid like me. Of course, the box art promised much more than what the contents delivered, but I had a blast building the thing. It was a fairly small kit, maybe just some box-scale thing. It was maybe a Harley, but it was ridden by a skeleton decked out as a cowboy! Instead of a seat, there was a saddle. The skeleton had a hat, pistol, rifle (maybe in a holster?), and wasn't really molded as pictured on the box. I do remember (disappointment) that there were no chromed pieces, just all white plastic. I have never since seen another one, but would like to find one, if for no other reason than to see just how bad it may have been! Has anyone ever heard of or remember such a critter?
bisc63 Posted January 10, 2020 Author Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) Holy smokes! The memories just come flooding back! THANK YOU, CASEY! Wow, I love this forum. What a body of knowledge we have here. Makes sense to me now that it was a Pyro kit! This one and the Aurora F9F Panther are among my earliest modelling memories. I can just smell the Testors glue and enamel thinner... Thank you again. Edited January 10, 2020 by bisc63 added info
peteski Posted January 10, 2020 Posted January 10, 2020 3 hours ago, Casey said: Pyro Ghost Rider: Wow Casey, where did you get the original artwork (not a photo of the box)? The colors are vivid and the details are sharp!
Casey Posted January 10, 2020 Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) 10 hours ago, peteski said: Wow Casey, where did you get the original artwork (not a photo of the box)? The colors are vivid and the details are sharp! Google search for "Pyro motorcycle". ? Edited January 10, 2020 by Casey
TarheelRick Posted January 10, 2020 Posted January 10, 2020 10 hours ago, bisc63 said: I can just smell the Testors glue and enamel thinner... Yep, those do hang on for years.
Mike999 Posted January 10, 2020 Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) Here's an old motorcycle kit I'd love to find. The ITC Harley-Davidson with sidecar. ITC was Ideal Toy Company, more famous for its line of toys but they did do some model kits. Some have been re-issued thru the years, but none of the motorcycles as far as I know. As a kid, I had the solo, non-sidecar version of this Harley. I kept that thing around for years, re-gluing parts that fell off. According to the internet these were 1/9 scale, the same as the ESCI bike kits. Though I suspect they were "box scale" when first issued. ITC also did a BMW racing motorcycle, which, like the Harley sidecar, I've never seen in the flesh, or plastic. There's a partly-built ITC solo Harley on eBay now, with a starting bid of US $75.00. Here's a link to the ITC page at Old Model Kits. I never knew they made a 1/25 scale '56 Lincoln Mk II. The listing says the model kit may be even more rare than the real car: only about 10 have publicly changed hands over the years. https://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?manu=ITC Edited January 10, 2020 by Mike999 goof
Junkman Posted January 11, 2020 Posted January 11, 2020 Holy thread highjackerisation! May I please have my Kleeware Rubber Cow back then?
bisc63 Posted January 12, 2020 Author Posted January 12, 2020 (edited) Loving those old bike kits; never seen either of those! FWIW, I don't consider either post above to be threadjacking, since I already got the info I needed! Edited January 12, 2020 by bisc63 added info
Mark Posted January 12, 2020 Posted January 12, 2020 On 1/10/2020 at 10:39 AM, Mike999 said: I never knew they made a 1/25 scale '56 Lincoln Mk II. I'm pretty certain that kit is 1/20 scale. I believe Modelhaus briefly sold resin copies of one.
paul alflen Posted January 13, 2020 Posted January 13, 2020 Mark is right that Lincoln is 1/20 or 1/16 scale . I believe Modelhaus did the chrome for that kit first.
Casey Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 Perhaps Round2 or Atlantic could dig deep to reissue this old gem? Not sure how that bunnyhopping officer got two of the three wheels airborne like that, but he's clearly in hot pursuit. ?
mr moto Posted January 27, 2021 Posted January 27, 2021 I have an Auto World catalog from 1961 and it shows Pyro kits of the Harley with and without the sidecar and also a BMW. A black and white version of the sidecar hog artwork is shown and it's the same as the ITC box art. So Pyro may be the original source of all that tooling. There's no word on a scale but it says approx. 9 1/2" long.
Casey Posted January 28, 2021 Posted January 28, 2021 There were a surprising number of 1/16 Pyro motorcycle and scooter (really) kits produced. Not sure if the 1/16 motorcycle kits Lindberg released in the '70s and '80s were of their own design, a mix of their kits and Pyro's, or all ex-Pyro kits, but, they seem to come up frequently on eBay, and not terribly expensive, either. Might be a good Community Build idea... More mentioned here by Mike, too:
A modeler named mike Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 On 1/27/2021 at 3:01 PM, Casey said: Perhaps Round2 or Atlantic could dig deep to reissue this old gem? Not sure how that bunnyhopping officer got two of the three wheels airborne like that, but he's clearly in hot pursuit. ? FFW a few years.. I just saw photos of the PYRO ghost rider model kit online on an Atlantis thread that mentioned that Round-2 lays claim to PYRO. Not sure if that would be patients and or moulds if they're still around? Just wanted to throw that out there. It would be cool if some of these old bike kits where reproduced.
Straightliner59 Posted October 11, 2023 Posted October 11, 2023 On 1/11/2020 at 11:10 AM, Junkman said: Holy thread highjackerisation! May I please have my Kleeware Rubber Cow back then? I have this kit in an ITC box. Same box art, except the mfg. label. It's kinda cool!
A modeler named mike Posted October 11, 2023 Posted October 11, 2023 17 hours ago, A modeler named mike said: FFW a few years.. I just saw photos of the PYRO ghost rider model kit online on an Atlantis thread that mentioned that Round-2 lays claim to PYRO. Not sure if that would be patients and or moulds if they're still around? Just wanted to throw that out there. It would be cool if some of these old bike kits where reproduced. Ok.. I wrote an email to Round2 asking about what I had read.. I was told by round2 that they do not own the PYRO kits and there for they will not be releasing them.. What a bummer..?
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 11, 2023 Posted October 11, 2023 (edited) There’s a started but complete Pyro “Ghost Rider” kit up for auction right now on eBay. Starting bid is a paltry $499.99. But the shipping is free! ? Steve Edited October 11, 2023 by StevenGuthmiller 1
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 11, 2023 Posted October 11, 2023 44 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said: There’s a started but complete Pyro “Ghost Rider” kit up for auction right now on eBay. Starting bid is a paltry $499.99. But the shipping is free! ? Steve I wonder if he'd sell two for $999.50...
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