Renwal Models

[my80malibu]

I saw a Renwal Submarine cutaway model at the Local hobby shop yesterday. Now I am curious.

[Brett Barrow]

Renwal was an early model company, based on Long Island and known primarily for their military models. They did a series of car kits known as the Renwal Revival series, they were modern takes on classic cars. Renwal was bought by Revell in the late 60's or early 70's. One of Revell's best known and longest running models, the 1/4 scale Visible V-8, was originally a Renwal model. Revell has been reissuing some of the old Renwal kits in original-style packaging recently.

[Racephoto1]

They also did some cars. They did some 1/48 scale or so cars. Foyt roadster,Clark lotus, an old Miller Indy car. Simple kits.

[sjordan2]

Beware their 1/12 Mercedes Gullwing and Ferrari 275 GTB -- two of the clumsiest, ugliest, most inaccurate kits ever issued by anyone in any scale, including Pyro –– and reissued by a clueless Revell under their label.

Edited November 23, 2013 by sjordan2

[Greg Myers]

here are a few of the older kits. WWI Aircraft being a big segment: http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?manu=Renwal

and a few more (Google is our friend ) https://www.google.com/search?q=renwal+models+history&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=oCSRUprPAdKlqQHlh4G4CA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1242&bih=746

Edited November 23, 2013 by Greg Myers

[Casey]

Revell has been reissuing some of the old Renwal kits in original-style packaging recently.

I think they've been doing it for four or five years now? Teracruzer, Atomic Cannon, and the Wrecker Crane are three which were recently reissued, but as Brett said, Revell has reissued many Renwal kits over the years. The 1/12 '65 Mustang GT, which Revell reissued under the Road & Track magazine box art in the '80s may have been the most automotive related subject besides the Visible V-8.

[Toner283]

I would love to see them reissue the visible chassis kit that goes along with the visible V 8 engine. Sadly the tooling is probably long gone for that kit. I would love to build one to go along with a visible V8 to put in it but I am not willing to pay the crazy eBay prices that it usually goes for. Usually commands close to $1000 for a complete unbuilt kit. Still hope to come across one at a garage sale or an estate sale someday. the visible V8 has been released several times over the years but the visible chassis has only ever been released the once.

[Art Anderson]

Renwal was an early model company, based on Long Island and known primarily for their military models. They did a series of car kits known as the Renwal Revival series, they were modern takes on classic cars. Renwal was bought by Revell in the late 60's or early 70's. One of Revell's best known and longest running models, the 1/4 scale Visible V-8, was originally a Renwal model. Revell has been reissuing some of the old Renwal kits in original-style packaging recently.

More of the story: Renwal actually began as a housewares manufacturer in the late 1930's (http://www.boomerbookofchristmas.com/renwal-company-not-renewal/), one of their first products being a glass knife. During WW-II they moved into plastic products (like a lot of consumer products manufacturers) and concentrated on plastic toys. One of their signature product lines was a series of toy dollhouse furniture that I remember as being 1/24 scale, my two sisters having had virtually the entire series. Another of their plastic toy products was a hand cranked plastic toy wringer washing machine which one of my sisters got for Christmas about 1954-55 (it held water, used laundry detergent, the hand crank oscillating the agitator very realistically. Even the wringer would squeeze the rinse water out of my sister Katie's doll clothes.

Model kits were something Renwal (the company name was actually the founder's last name, Lawner, spelled backward) got into in the late 1950's, with their line of "Authentic Scale Models" of military vehicles, including such things as the US Army's 90mm "Skysweeper" anti-aircraft gun, some howitzers, an M-47 Patton Tank, the Walker Bulldog tank, USMC's "Ontos" tracked 105mm recoilless rifle carrier, and the ultimate: The experimental US Army "Atomic Cannon". In 1959, Renwal released a line of US Navy ships, including the Battle Ship USS North Carolina, which featured turrets which not only rotated, but with guns that elevated individually as well, along with relatively accurate below-the-waterline shapes (which Revell always "fudged" back then). These were followed by an amazing set of George Washington Class Polaris submarines, which turned out to be their first "visible" models, their second release having the fold-down hull side (done originally so one could see inside the sub and its missile silos (these were larger, and much more accurately done than the very similar but smaller scale Revell Polaris submarines, Renwal's coming out with the correct EIGHT Polaris launching silos, while the first release of Revell's kits had just four (!). Those were followed by their longest running, and most popular series, the "Visible Models" such as the Visible Man, Visible Woman, Visible Horse, Visible Cow, Visible Dog, and of course for us car enthusiasts the iconic Visible V8 engine and a Visible Chassis to go with it--both of those being absolute staples in the piles of Christmas presents for boys from their introduction all the way out to today.

Their model car kits were rather eclectic, the most visible and best remembered being their set of 7 "Revival" versions of famous Classic Cars, stemming from a set of styling renderings by retired Chrysler Styling Chief, Virgil "Father Of The Forward Look" Exner for Esquire Magazine in 1964: #101 '66 Mercer, #102 Stutz, #103 Duesenberg, #104 Packard, #105 Jordan Playboy, #106 Bugatti, and #107 Pierce Arrow. Of those 7 designs, two were actually recreated in real life, the Mercer (on a stretched 289 Cobra chassis for the American Copper & Brass Institute as a promotion for the use of copper, brass and bronze trim on cars), and the Bugatti, on an actual Bugatti Type 101C that Exner himself had purchased from Ettore Bugatti shortly after WW-II. Both these cars reside in concours condition, in the vast collection of General William Lyon, USAF ret. in California. Renwal did the two 1/12 scale kits mentioned above, as well as a line of very simple, cheaply made 1/48 scale antique and classic cars which were never very well received and which tended to be sold mostly as promotional premiums by one of the oil companies.

Art

[Art Anderson]

I would love to see them reissue the visible chassis kit that goes along with the visible V 8 engine. Sadly the tooling is probably long gone for that kit. I would love to build one to go along with a visible V8 to put in it but I am not willing to pay the crazy eBay prices that it usually goes for. Usually commands close to $1000 for a complete unbuilt kit. Still hope to come across one at a garage sale or an estate sale someday. the visible V8 has been released several times over the years but the visible chassis has only ever been released the once.

While it would be cool to see the chassis again, its sales history was always dismal. Back in the 60's, the engine outsold the chassis by a factor of several to 1, mostly due to the price of the chassis, which was about 4X the price of the engine, and lacking the excitement of seeing working internals.

Would that it had been otherwise though.

Art

[Edsel-Dan]

I have several of th e1/48 scale cars, and thought they were good for the size.

In fact, the metal axles in those kits with them were Much finer than the

axles AMT offered in their 1/43 kits!!

I have built 2 57 T-Bird, Stanley Steamer, Model A Roadster/convertible, Indy/F-1 Race car

Jaguar XKE, 31 Cadillac, Duesenberg

I did not like the Revell re-issue of the 30's Classic's as they were not molded in color

or did not match the color on the box like the Original Renwal boxed kits did

I started buying them in "Nichol's Department store in 74-5 era as I recall.

The 57 T-Bird even had separate red tail lights for the Chrome bezels

NONE of AMT's 1/43 had that!!!

[Greg Myers]

who was responsible for this one from Nichimo ?

Edited November 25, 2013 by Greg Myers

[Deano]

who was responsible for this one from Nichimo ?

I've never seen it in any other box so I've always assumed it was original to Nichimo. It's not exactly what one would call a masterpiece, is it?

[spawndude]

The Renwal military kits bring back pleasant memories. Many trips to Woolworths and Kress department stores just to look at the boxes. Especially the cutaway subs.

I did have one of the subs but don't remember which one.

[FordRodnKustom]

Some eye candy for this thread. Great box art.

[Greg Myers]

Ok, lets see who among us has really built one of these subs. What did you find on one of the bulkheads that prompted you to get out your magnifine glass ? No, it's not the crewman at the periscope.

Edited December 1, 2013 by Greg Myers

[Foxer]

I built the George Washington when I was around 12 but don't remember inspecting the bulkheads that close. It sure took a long time to paint and was a great display model.

[Art Anderson]

I built the George Washington when I was around 12 but don't remember inspecting the bulkheads that close. It sure took a long time to paint and was a great display model.

I can still remember the considerable controversy over Renwal's (and Revell's too) George Washington Class Polaris submarine kits. Admiral Hyman Rickover, the "father" of the nuclear submarine spoke out before a congressional committee on the "wrongness" of such model kits being produced--they were giving away top secrets! (known staffers from the Soviet Embassy in Washington were seen scouring hobby shops all over the Washington DC area buying up those kits to send back to the Soviet Union as well!).

Of course, over time the controversies died down, and those Renwal subs were staples of the Christmas season at hobby shops for the next 5 or 6 years or so.

Art

[bbowser]

I would love one of those visible Pratt & Whitney engines! I vaguely remember (trying) to build one of the subs. I did have the Mercer and the Stutz from that series if I remember correctly.

[FordRodnKustom]

A few more...good memories for me. I grew up on Long Island during the late 50's and 60's and I got a lot of these as gifts. What I didn't get I saw in the stores. They were everywhere!

Did anyone's dad really smoke a pipe? Mine didn't, he smoked Winstons.

[imghttp://images18.fotki.com/v270/photos/1/192875/882193/cosmoramafrontsmall-vi.jpg]

[realgone58]

I would sure love to have all seven of the revival series cars. I only had one years ago, the Packard. Does anyone some time ago, remember reading that they were going to be re-issued? I swear I read something about that before. I wish they would, I can't afford the original ones.

Edited December 1, 2013 by realgone58

[lordairgtar]

They won't be reissued. The tooling is beyond repair or missing important parts.

[realgone58]

Sad to hear that. No wonder the originals are so expensive.

[Chromecop]

Some patience and a bit of luck is actually all that you need. I've finally managed to get all 7 Renwal Revival cars, most of them builtups, at very fair prices on the 'bay. Only took me about 15 years and about 150-200 bucks TOTAL!

[gbdolfans]

A few more...good memories for me. I grew up on Long Island during the late 50's and 60's and I got a lot of these as gifts. What I didn't get I saw in the stores. They were everywhere!

Did anyone's dad really smoke a pipe? Mine didn't, he smoked Winstons.

[imghttp://images18.fotki.com/v270/photos/1/192875/882193/cosmoramafrontsmall-vi.jpg]

I remember building this one!!!! I loved these military kits.I remember,when I got done with the Nike,I went out in the front yard and threw the missle around.It actually went a long way!!!

I recall it somehow made it up on our neighbor's roof and I had to get out the ladder and climb up to get it!!!

[Greg Myers]