2Modeler.com
  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Projects
    • HAWK Beta-I Atomic Bomber Rebuild Plus Ragnarok
    • Lindberg 1/172 XB-70 Rebuild
    • 1/144 F-82 Conversion
    • Resin Figure Mew Zakuro
    • Yo Yo 1/48 B-24J Custom Paint and Decals
  • History
    • Monogram Air Power Set (1959)
    • History of Titanic Model Kits: The Big List
    • Revell Gemini Kit History - 1/48 and 1/24
    • AURORA MONSTER MODELS
    • Atlantis / Revell 707 and KC-135
    • Revell's 1/535 USS Missouri: An Iowa Class Act
    • Monogram Days of Thunder NASCAR Kits
    • Atlantis USS Nautilus SSN-571 Model Kit Review and History
    • Weird-ohs, Roth Finks, Flypoggers and Lindy Loonies
    • Car Modeling in the 1970's
    • Armor Modeling
    • Smokey and the Bandit
    • Revell Apollo 11 Spacecraft
    • Minicraft Civil Aircraft in 1/48
    • Aurora's Alfred E Neuman
    • KC-135 and 707 Part One: The 1/72 Kits
    • KC-135 Part Two: The History and The Build
  • Reviews
    • AIRCRAFT KIT REVIEWS >
      • Minicraft RB-29 Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/200 H-4 "Spruce Goose" Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/48 Cessna T-41 Mescalero Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-52D/F Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-52H "Current Flying Version" Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 F-51 Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 KC-135 Review
      • Minicraft T-34A Mentor Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 E-3/E-8 AWACS/J-Stars Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-24J / PB4Y-1 / B-24D
      • Minicraft C-18 (Boeing 707)
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-17G Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 Lancaster MK 1 Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 A6M2 Zero Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 G4M Type 1 "Betty" Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 Ju 88A/C
      • Minicraft 1/144 P-47D Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 TBF Avenger Review
      • Atlantis 1/135 Convair 990 Review!
      • Atlantis 1/139 Boeing 707-120 Kit Review
      • Atlantis 1/77 F-89D Kit Review
      • Atlantis 1/54 F11F-1 "Blue Angels" Kit Review
      • Atlantis 1/120 B-29 Kit Review
      • Atlantis PBY-5A Catalina
      • Atlantis P-3A Kit Review and History
      • Atlantis S2F Hunter Killer
      • Atlantis AH-56 Cheyenne Helicopter
      • Atlantis B-36 Kit Review
      • Atlantis HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant" Review
      • Atlantis B24J Buffalo Bill 1/92
    • Minicraft 1/350 Titanic Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/500 USS North Carolina Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/128 U.S. Space Missiles Set Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/70 F-100C Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/48 Japanese Medium Tank
    • Atlantis Snoopy and his Classic Race Car Kit Review
    • Atlantis Models Metaluna Mutant Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/48 JS-III Stalin Tank Review
    • Atlantis 1/32 Tom Daniel Funny Cars: Mustang, Camaro, Duster, Charger!
    • Atlantis 1/665 USS Wisconsin Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/618 Bismarck Battleship Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/24 Son of Troublemaker Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/1200 US Combat Task Force Fleet Kit Review
    • Atlantis The Amoeba review
    • Atlantis Air-Land-Sea Gift Set
    • Atlantis 1/245 Monitor & Merrimac Ironclads Diorama Set
    • Atlantis 1/96 Moon Ship Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/8 Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare Kit Review
    • ATLANTIS 1/25 King Kong Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/32 1982 Camaro Review
    • Atlantis Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel / Red Baron Reviews
    • Atlantis Glow-Godzilla Review
    • Atlantis Phantom of the Opera Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/535 USS Iowa and Wisconsin Battleship Kit Review
    • Atlantis Mr. Gasser Review
    • Moebius 1/1 Hal 9000 Kit Review
    • Moebius 1/144 Discovery XD-1
    • Dream Gear 1/3000 Arkhitect Kit Review
    • D&H 1/35 Cyclops and the Chariot from Lost in Space kit Review
    • Academy Titanic 1/700 MCP Review
    • Revell ALL NEW PT-109 Review
    • Tamiya 1/48 Ford Army Staff Car
    • Pegasus Space Ark - When Worlds Collide
    • A Weird-Oh World - The Art of Bill Campbell
    • The Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art
  • Contests
    • 2021 IPMS-USA Nationals Report
    • 2019 IPMS/USA Nationals Report
    • Boise Mad Dog Modelers Fall Show
    • IPMS-SLC Group Build
  • Rocketry
    • Starting Rocketry
    • History and Use of the Estes AstroCam 110
  • Gallery
    • Bill's Airliner Models Gallery
    • Dick's Large 1/72 Aircraft Models
    • Dick's scale Model car gallery
    • Guest Gallery
  • Sponsors
    • Minicraft Models Sponsor Page
    • Atlantis Models Sponsor Page
    • Moebius Models Sponsor Page
    • Amazon Associate
  • IPMS/USA
  • Contact

Monogram's 1/24 Days of Thunder NASCAR Kits

​Models and the Movies:  Days of Thunder NASCAR Model Kits By Bill Engar

UPDATE:  This is one of our most-viewed pages!  I'd say there is plenty of interest out there for NASCAR modeling, or lots of fans of 1990's Days of Thunder!  I've added some additional photos at the end of the article.  Thanks for surfing with us!
In 1986, Hollywood hit-maker duo Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson produced the high-flying Top Gun movie.  Critics were divided in their opinions, but the public loved the F-14’s in Top Gun, making it the most popular film of the year.  Instead of producing an immediate sequel, the producers decided to use essentially the same plot, except instead of U.S. Navy fighter aircraft, the action would center around NASCAR racing. On June 27, 1990, Days of Thunder debuted for audiences starring Tom Cruise.  His dramatic entrance on a motorcycle was--well, very similar to some scenes in Top Gun.
 
Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder character needs no introduction.  He’s pretty much the same frustrated, talented upstart as in Top Gun, overcoming obstacles put in his place by his father’s behavior.   Randy Quaid plays Tim Daland, owner of a semi-fictional Chevrolet dealership (holding out for a management position paid off--Randy Quaid fans will understand this joke--hint:  watch Christmas Vacation).  Daland (Quaid) hires Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) to build the City Chevrolet Chevy Lumina, the first racecar with which Tom Cruise would compete.  It was actually based on Rick Hendrick’s Chevy dealership named City Chevrolet, so the movie car promoted the fictional Chevy dealership as well as Hendrick’s real one.
Nicole Kidman plays essentially the same role that Kelly McGillis played in Top Gun.  One of the famous 1990’s Hollywood relationships began when 5’7” Tom Cruise married 5’11” Nicole Kidman after they worked together on Days of Thunder.  One of the more technically interesting aspects in the film was how the director was able to de-emphasize this height difference between these two on screen.   Pure Hollywood magic!  

​
Testors released a hypothetical 1/48 F-19 Stealth model aircraft during the summer of 1986.  A heavily publicized crash of the real thing, super-top-secret at the time, propelled this kit to be their #1 top seller.  ​
Picture
​Real race cars on a real racetrack during a real race.  Days of Thunder is universally praised for its action-cinematography.
Top Gun’s success no doubt contributed to interest in the kit, which sold over a million units.  Building on this success, Testors smartly decided to license Top Gun model kits.  Testors didn’t normally produce licensed kits and this was a pretty unusual move for them.  They capitalized on the popularity of the movie by selling existing model aircraft kits in Top Gun movie markings.  Thanks to Top Gun and Stealth Fever circa 1986, model airplanes were a fairly hot commodity, at least briefly.
 
Fast forward a few years and Monogram Models hoped the presumptive blockbuster movie for the summer of 1990 about stock car racing, Days of Thunder, would be just as popular.  They crafted a licensing deal with Paramount Pictures to feature the name of the movie and images of Chevy Lumina stock cars in three different Days of Thunder model kits in 1/24 scale.
Picture
This is probably the most popular of the Days of Thunder model kits, Cole Trickle’s Mello Yello car featured in the climax of the movie.  Do you think that Tom Cruise’s character will win the Daytona 500?
The Chevy Lumina was GM’s new midsize car, which debuted for the 1990 model year.  GM was criticized by some for its lack of response to the groundbreaking jelly bean-shaped 1986 Ford Taurus, but by 1990, the aerodynamic Chevy Lumina sedan was finally ready.  To tantalize prospective buyers, GM sponsored the Lumina body in the Winston Cup NASCAR season in 1989, before the “real” car was available in Chevy showrooms.
 
NASCAR model kits were popular in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s with a good selection of body styles, color schemes, and drivers.  NASCAR ran Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Chevrolets, and Fords in their “Big League” Winston Cup races during this period and kits of these racecars could be found for each of these brands at one time or another.  
Circa 1990, “neon colors” were all the rage and Monogram’s Days of Thunder model kits capitalized on this style trend with black backgrounds and intense colors for the movie title and the cars on box tops.  Three kits with this dynamic box art included different NASCAR schemes for the same Chevy Lumina plastic representing different cars featured in the movie.  Two cars (City Chevrolet and Mello Yello), were driven by Tom Cruise (as Cole Trickle).   The Hardees car was driven by fellow team driver/antagonist Russ Wheeler, played by Cary Elwes.  

Kit builders will do well to be notified of a couple things.  Not being a NASCAR knowledge-freak, I can’t vouch for the total accuracy of the cars.  The movie cars have exhaust exits on the left side of the car, and the models have a “Y” exhaust with pipes that exit on either side.

Decals in the kits look a little better than the typical thick-film sheets that came with most Revell/Monogram kits circa 1990.  However, the ubiquitous sponsor stickers are obviously sparse (read: missing) compared to the movie cars.  ​
Picture
Same plastic, different colors.  Here’s the contents of the Hardees car kit.
In the 1990’s, model kit manufacturers had increasing difficulty depicting corporate logos on model kits without the necessity of crafting licensing agreements.  No doubt the movie licensing for Universal Studios alone was expensive for Monogram.  It is notable that nowhere on the kit box or instructions is NASCAR even mentioned.  So Monogram probably didn’t have to pay a NASCAR licensing fee for these kits.
Picture
By the 1990’s, model kit manufacturers worked hard to produce kits that would attract serious modelers, and the Monogram Chevy Lumina kits were very nicely done.  The complex tubular frames are well depicted and a couple nice details such as a clear fan shroud inspection window and distributor with attached wiring harness were also engineered.  No need to string ignition wiring!
To get around the sparse sponsor sticker issue, modelers who have built a bunch of NASCAR racers probably have spare decals to complete the movie schemes.  Another great alternative is the aftermarket sheets available.  Powerslide makes very high-quality decal sets for the Days of Thunder cars if the modeler doesn’t have a stash of the in-scale sponsor bumper stickers that festoon the fenders of the cars.
 
Two Days of Thunder cars not featured as kits but seen in the movie can also be built thanks to Powerslide’s aftermarket decals.  Tom Cruise AKA Cole Trickle  drove (and spectacularly crashed) a hot-pink and white Exxon Superflo lubricant car, and the early antagonist, Rowdy Burns (played by Michael Rooker) drove a black Exxon car that was actually based on Dale (“The Intimidator”) Earnhardt’s famous #3 Goodwrench racer.  Monogram didn’t release kits of these cars, but aftermarket decals aren’t hard to find.  The cars depicted in the movie were not totally fictional, or at least they didn’t end up that way.  ​They did become part of actual NASCAR history, so don’t ever let a model contest judge tell you they are “fictional” and should be entered in a science fiction/entertainment category.
For the movie production, Hendrick Motorsports ran some of the movie cars in several actual races--NASCAR would not allow the cars on the track during the race to film scenes for the movie unless they qualified as official competitors.
 
The #51 Mello Yello car driven by Bobby Hamilton and the #18 Hardees car driven by Tommy Ellis both qualified at the back of the field for the 1990 Daytona 500.  Neither entrant was scored as they were parked at 40 laps (100 miles) as planned after getting footage for the movie.  From 1991-1994, Kyle Petty used the same black-and-green Mello Yello scheme on his car.
Model kit companies don’t usually divulge numbers of models produced.   But I have a distinctive memory of a massive floor display with probably hundreds of kits at our local Target store as the movie came out in 1990.  Multiply this by a bunch of Target stores as well as other retail chains that sold the models and you can bet the numbers of kits produced were much higher than usual.  Many were sold on clearance at very low prices for years betraying the fact that far more kits were made than market demand for them. 

​All three kits can still be found on eBay at low prices, which would lead one to assume that they definitely are not rare, in spite of what eBay sellers might say.    Revell/Monogram must have taken a bath on these kits.  Days of Thunder wasn't nearly as successful as Top Gun, not even cracking the top-ten list for ticket sales in 1990.  Plus, in 1990, kids were probably more interested in Days of Thunder video games than building models of the cars from the movie.  
Picture
These color schemes definitely did not fade into obscurity after the movie’s 1990 run.  Kyle Busch ran the same yellow-and-green City Chevrolet scheme on a Camaro at the 2013 Nationwide Series race at Daytona as a tribute to Days of Thunder.
​For modelers, the Hardee’s car seems to be the cheapest and easiest to find.  The film’s main antagonist, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker) turned into an ally of Tom Cruise’s character, Cole Trickle (based loosely on NASCAR driver Dick Trickle).  Another antagonist, Russ Wheeler, came along a little later to replace the original antagonist once Rowdy Burns and Cole Trickle become back-slappin’ buddies.  Actor Cary Elwes’ Russ Wheeler character was played as little more than an irritating jerk and his Hardees car just wasn’t as popular as the Mello Yello and City Chevrolet cars driven by Tom Cruise’s character in the movie.
Picture
If you want to build other versions of the Chevy Lumina, buy the inexpensive Hardee’s Lumina on eBay and use it with aftermarket decals for the NASCAR scheme of your choice.  Of course the Hardees Lumina is molded in bright orange plastic, so you’ll have to use a good primer to cover up that day-glo styrene.
I noticed that the mold quality in the Hardee’s Lumina kit I’m working on appears to be better out of the box than later releases of the same plastic sold as other NASCAR racers (such as Dale Earnhardt’s 1990 and 1991 cars).  There are fewer sinkholes in the orange plastic, the mold parting lines are less pronounced, and the ejector pin marks are much shallower.  This would be consistent with heavy mold use required to make many thousands of Days of Thunder cars before using the same mold tooling for later NASCAR releases.  

It’s pretty unusual to find decent quality quarter-century old model kits in near-mint, sealed box condition for half the price of a new model.  But the market is still relatively flooded with these Days of Thunder Chevy Lumina kits.  So have fun, build models, and keep web-surfing with Dem Brudders.

Picture
Like many car kits. the front subframe has sink marks that ought to be filled to make a contest-quality model.
Picture
The body from the Hardee's Lumina with the body from the Dale Earnhardt Lumina (rear).  I've glued the rear deck spoiler on the Earnhardt lumina.  It's the same plastic, different color.
Picture
Closeup of the engine halves.  There is a little flash to deal with on kit parts.  But cleaning that up is part of the fun of building models, right?
(SPONSOR LINKS)
Picture
There is a thin spot at the front of the engine block halves (top of picture).  I'd recommend a dab of epoxy glue or CYA adhesive on the inside of the parts over this thin spot to strengthen it.  Don't use a solvent putty; it might distort the thin plastic there.
Check back often!  We have a lot of cool upcoming content!


NEW:


Oct 2022:  Atlantis 1/48 JS-III Stalin Tank Kit Review!
Sept 2022:  Atlantis 1/32 Tom Daniel Funny Cars Kit Review!
August 2022:  Atlantis 1/665 USS Wisconsin Kit Review!
August 2022:  Atlantis 1/618 D.K.M. Bismarck Kit Review!
​29 July 2022:  D&H Cyclops and Chariot From Lost in Space Kit Review!
16 July 2022:  Moebius Hal 9000 Review YouTube Video!
07 June 2022:  Atlantis 1/135 Convair 990 Airliner Kit Review!
01 June 2022:  Atlantis 1/24 Son of Troublemaker Kit Review!
​21 May 2022:  Atlantis 1/1200 US Combat Task Force Fleet Kit Review!
14 May 2022:  Atlantis 1000/1 The Amoeba Kit Review!
06 May 2022:  Atlantis Air-Land-Sea Gift Set!
26 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/139 Boeing 707-120 Kit Review!
25 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/77 F-89D Kit Review!
22 April 2022:  Atlantis 1/245 Monitor and Merrimac Civil War Set
15 January 2022:  Dream Gear 1/3000 Arkhitect Review!  Landmark new kit includes integrated lighting!
15 December 2021:  Atlantis 1/8 Forgotten Prisoner Review!
10 December 2021:  New Atlantis 1/96 Moon Ship Review
01 December 2021:  NEW Minicraft Kit Releases!
30 November 2021:  Atlantis 1/139 707 Kit Update
25 November 2021:  Atlantis 1/54 F11F-1 Cougar Kit Review
15 November 2021:  Convair 1/135 990 Test Shot from Atlantis!
September 2021:  NEW 1/25 Atlantis King Kong Kit Review
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/200 "Spruce Goose" Review and History
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/48 T-41 Review Update
September 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 F-51 Review
September 2021:  NEW Atlantis 1/32 1982 Camaro Review!
August 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 B-52 (Current Flying) Review
August 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 E-3/E-8 AWACS/J-STARS Review

July 2021:  New Atlantis 1/300 Nautilus Review updates our Nautilus history page!
July 2021:  Revell's Gemini Spacecraft Kits History
June 2021:  Minicraft 1/350 RMS Titanic Review
12 May 2021:  Titanic Models List!  One Movie.  Lots of Titanics.
29 April 2021:  Snoopy vs Red Baron live on YouTube!
15 March 2021:  Atlantis Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel Lands -- What Happens when they meet The Red Baron?
12 March 2021:  Atlantis 1/120 B-29 Review!  New Kit!  
08 March 2021:  Minicraft 1/144 B-24J / PB4Y-1 / B-24D Review!
10 February 2021:  Moebius 1/144 Discovery on YouTube!
07 February 2021:  Guest Gallery!  See our pals' models!
05 February 2021:  Moebius 1/144 Discovery XD-1 Review
Will the Utah Monolith stay vertical this time?
05 January 2021:  Hawk Beta-I Atomic Bomber Rebuild!
28 December:  Bill's Airliner Gallery! 
19 December:  Just in time for Christmas!  Atlantis Phantom of the Opera with Glow-in-the-dark Parts!
13 December:  Godzilla Returns Again!  Atlantis Godzilla with Glow-in-the-Dark Parts!
30 November:  Revell KC-135 and 707 Kit History!
23 November:  Minicraft 1/144 C-18A/707 Kit Review!
Another feature in our series about the KC-135/707!

12 November:  Atlantis Mr Gasser Review updated photos
09 November:  Dick's Lindberg XB-70 Restoration
09 November:  Monogram Air Power Set YouTube Video!
30 October:  Special Project:  Monogram's 1959 Air Power Set! (web page)
09 October:  A Review of Minicraft's KC-135 Kits continues our special series on the KC-135 (feature in-progress).
28 September:  Let's Play Battleship!  Atlantis 1/535 Iowa Class Kits review - and bonus comparison between Revell's USS Missouri and Atlantis Iowa Class Battleship kits!

20 September:  Kit History --  Revell 1/535 USS Missouri
07 September:  Ship It!  Academy 1/700 Titanic ICP Kit Review
22 August:  Revell's All-New PT-109 Elco PT Boat Kit Review
13 August:  KC-135 History Series Part II - AMT's 1/72 Kit:  It's In There
04 August:  Dueling Subchasers-- Atlantis S2F Hunter Killer Review
29 July:  Kit Review and History:  Atlantis Models P-3A Orion
26 July:  Book reviews:  The Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art by Roy Cross
A Weird-Oh World - The Art of Bill Campbell by Bill Campbell

24 July:  DEM BRUDDERS GO OFF THE DEEP END WITH THEIR  ATLANTIS PBY CATALINA KIT VIDEO REVIEW!
22 July:  Why Buy a PBY:  Atlantis PBY-5A Catalina Web Review!

09 July:  No shyin' away from the Cheyenne:  Atlantis AH-56 Cheyenne Kit Web Review
06 July:  Rank the Lanc:  Minicraft Lancaster MK-1 Kit Review
17 June:  88 Reasons:  Minicraft Ju-88A/C Kit Review
16 June:  We Dug the Jug:  Minicraft P-47D Kit Review
15 June:  DICK DOES CARS!  Dick's Car Gallery!
10 June: 
Minicraft RB-29 Review Updated!  Minicraft's Own Lewis Nace Builds an Amazing B-29 Conversion Collection!
05 June:  Minicraft 1/144 B-17 Kit Review!
03 June:  The Big Stick:  Atlantis' B-36 Kit Review!
30 May:  Minicraft A6M2 Zero Kit Review in 1/144
26 May:  Dem Brudders On Youtube!  Watch our Atlantis Ah-56 Cheyenne review. (We're a little disappointed with our new spokesman Roddy Redshirt.  When we find all his pieces, we might not use him again.)
22 May:  The Girl Next Door:  Minicraft 1/144 G4M1 "Betty" Kit Review
20 May:  Unmasking the Avenger:  Minicraft 1/144 TBF Avenger Kit Review
18 May:  B young!  B-29 again!  Minicraft RB-29 Superfortress "Postwar" Kit Review - We've expanded content on this page!
06 May:  KC-135/707 Kit History Series Begins!

27 April:  Enter the Mentor:  Minicraft T-34A Mentor kit Review. 
24 March:  See Dick.  See Dick build.  See  Dick's Large Aircraft Gallery.  Build, Dick, Build.
04 March:  Eat all your vegetables.  Open-Box New Kit Review:  Atlantis HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant"  
06 February:  Requiem for Mad Magazine: Aurora/Revell Alfred E. Neuman Kit History
12 December:  BEECH TRIP!!!  Minicraft's Civilian Aircraft Product Line

20 November:  More pictures added to Dick's Yo-Yo page:  B-24J Liberator "Yo-Yo" - Custom-Painting a 1/48 Diecast Model
20 November:  IPMS/SLC Group Build, Italy/Bulgaria Theme!
12 November:  We welcome Minicraft Models as our first sponsor!
​07 November:  We've again expanded our Report on the 2019 IPMS/USA Nationals in Chattanooga, TN!
15 October:  IPMS Boise Mad Dog Modelers Fall Show!

13 September 2019:  Aerial Photography for a Song:  The Estes AstroCam 110
28 August:  Kit Review - Atlantis 1/92 B-24J Liberator Bomber 
01 August:  We continue our Apollo at 50 celebrations by kicking off our new model rocketry page, and ask:
​Apollo at 50:  Was it Worth It?
20 JULY 2019:  HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY, APOLLO 11 (We don't think you look a day over 40)!  Revell's Apollo Spacecraft Kits
25 June:  A New Blog Post:  Join us at the IPMS/USA Nationals!
19 June:  Build a Resin Figure Kit.  Dick shows step-by-step how he built Anime subject Mew Zakuro
15 May:  Smokey and the Bandit:  MPC's 1977 Pontiac Trans Am
25 April: 
History of Armor Modeling with pals James Guld and John Tate
03 April:  Car Modeling in the 1970's expands our History Series
26 March:  Kit Review--1/350 Space Ark from When Worlds Colllide
17 March:  Weird-oh's, Finks, Flypoggers, and More!  We continue our History Series with our various encounters in the Monster Figures craze of the 1960s
10 March:  Our First Kit Review!  Tamiya 1/48 Army Staff Car - Are we too hard on a Tamiya kit?
​23 February:  The Nuclear Family:  SSN Nautilus 571 - About the Lindberg, Revell, and Aurora Kits
15 February:  DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME I - Dick Builds a Batmobile--in 1/3 Scale!
13 February:  Modeling Outside the Box.  Dick goes all over the place, building a number of unusual subjects!
04 February:  NASCAR or Not?  Monogram's Days of Thunder Cars
31 January:  History Series Begins With The Aurora Monsters
27 January:  Build a P-82 in 1/144 Scale or Other Crazy Conversion
13 January:  The Anti-Modelers
05 January 2019:  The Day I Quit Modeling
01 January 2019:  dembrudders.com is live!!!

  • Home
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Projects
    • HAWK Beta-I Atomic Bomber Rebuild Plus Ragnarok
    • Lindberg 1/172 XB-70 Rebuild
    • 1/144 F-82 Conversion
    • Resin Figure Mew Zakuro
    • Yo Yo 1/48 B-24J Custom Paint and Decals
  • History
    • Monogram Air Power Set (1959)
    • History of Titanic Model Kits: The Big List
    • Revell Gemini Kit History - 1/48 and 1/24
    • AURORA MONSTER MODELS
    • Atlantis / Revell 707 and KC-135
    • Revell's 1/535 USS Missouri: An Iowa Class Act
    • Monogram Days of Thunder NASCAR Kits
    • Atlantis USS Nautilus SSN-571 Model Kit Review and History
    • Weird-ohs, Roth Finks, Flypoggers and Lindy Loonies
    • Car Modeling in the 1970's
    • Armor Modeling
    • Smokey and the Bandit
    • Revell Apollo 11 Spacecraft
    • Minicraft Civil Aircraft in 1/48
    • Aurora's Alfred E Neuman
    • KC-135 and 707 Part One: The 1/72 Kits
    • KC-135 Part Two: The History and The Build
  • Reviews
    • AIRCRAFT KIT REVIEWS >
      • Minicraft RB-29 Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/200 H-4 "Spruce Goose" Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/48 Cessna T-41 Mescalero Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-52D/F Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-52H "Current Flying Version" Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 F-51 Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 KC-135 Review
      • Minicraft T-34A Mentor Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 E-3/E-8 AWACS/J-Stars Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-24J / PB4Y-1 / B-24D
      • Minicraft C-18 (Boeing 707)
      • Minicraft 1/144 B-17G Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 Lancaster MK 1 Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 A6M2 Zero Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 G4M Type 1 "Betty" Kit Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 Ju 88A/C
      • Minicraft 1/144 P-47D Review
      • Minicraft 1/144 TBF Avenger Review
      • Atlantis 1/135 Convair 990 Review!
      • Atlantis 1/139 Boeing 707-120 Kit Review
      • Atlantis 1/77 F-89D Kit Review
      • Atlantis 1/54 F11F-1 "Blue Angels" Kit Review
      • Atlantis 1/120 B-29 Kit Review
      • Atlantis PBY-5A Catalina
      • Atlantis P-3A Kit Review and History
      • Atlantis S2F Hunter Killer
      • Atlantis AH-56 Cheyenne Helicopter
      • Atlantis B-36 Kit Review
      • Atlantis HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant" Review
      • Atlantis B24J Buffalo Bill 1/92
    • Minicraft 1/350 Titanic Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/500 USS North Carolina Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/128 U.S. Space Missiles Set Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/70 F-100C Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/48 Japanese Medium Tank
    • Atlantis Snoopy and his Classic Race Car Kit Review
    • Atlantis Models Metaluna Mutant Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/48 JS-III Stalin Tank Review
    • Atlantis 1/32 Tom Daniel Funny Cars: Mustang, Camaro, Duster, Charger!
    • Atlantis 1/665 USS Wisconsin Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/618 Bismarck Battleship Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/24 Son of Troublemaker Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/1200 US Combat Task Force Fleet Kit Review
    • Atlantis The Amoeba review
    • Atlantis Air-Land-Sea Gift Set
    • Atlantis 1/245 Monitor & Merrimac Ironclads Diorama Set
    • Atlantis 1/96 Moon Ship Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/8 Forgotten Prisoner of Castel Mare Kit Review
    • ATLANTIS 1/25 King Kong Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/32 1982 Camaro Review
    • Atlantis Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel / Red Baron Reviews
    • Atlantis Glow-Godzilla Review
    • Atlantis Phantom of the Opera Kit Review
    • Atlantis 1/535 USS Iowa and Wisconsin Battleship Kit Review
    • Atlantis Mr. Gasser Review
    • Moebius 1/1 Hal 9000 Kit Review
    • Moebius 1/144 Discovery XD-1
    • Dream Gear 1/3000 Arkhitect Kit Review
    • D&H 1/35 Cyclops and the Chariot from Lost in Space kit Review
    • Academy Titanic 1/700 MCP Review
    • Revell ALL NEW PT-109 Review
    • Tamiya 1/48 Ford Army Staff Car
    • Pegasus Space Ark - When Worlds Collide
    • A Weird-Oh World - The Art of Bill Campbell
    • The Vintage Years of Airfix Box Art
  • Contests
    • 2021 IPMS-USA Nationals Report
    • 2019 IPMS/USA Nationals Report
    • Boise Mad Dog Modelers Fall Show
    • IPMS-SLC Group Build
  • Rocketry
    • Starting Rocketry
    • History and Use of the Estes AstroCam 110
  • Gallery
    • Bill's Airliner Models Gallery
    • Dick's Large 1/72 Aircraft Models
    • Dick's scale Model car gallery
    • Guest Gallery
  • Sponsors
    • Minicraft Models Sponsor Page
    • Atlantis Models Sponsor Page
    • Moebius Models Sponsor Page
    • Amazon Associate
  • IPMS/USA
  • Contact