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Wikipedia: Monogram (company)
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Monogram (company) page on 24 September 2018, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Monogram has been a premier maker of scale plastic 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' Binney and Smith unit, Hobbico announced it was acquiring Revell-Monogram in 2007 (Funding Universe webpage). Along with Revell, AMT, and MPC, Monogram is sometimes called one of the traditional "Big 4" in plastic modeling.
Monogram was founded in Chicago in 1945, making balsa wood model kits of ships and airplanes. Seaships such as the USS Missouri battleship, the USS Shangri-La carrier and the USS Hobby destroyer were among the very first products. Meanwhile, a company called Revell started making plastic kits in 1953, and Monogram responded with "All Plastic" "Plastikits" the first of which were a red plastic midget racer and a "Hot Rod" Model A - and the modeling race was on (Funding Universe webpage). These two cars, and later an Indianapolis-style racer and hydroplane racing boat, were also offered with C02 "Jet Power". Early kits advertised that the models were made from "acetate parts molded to shape". The wording showed the newness of the plastics industry and how plastics were not yet being taken for granted.
Early airplane models were mainly balsa wood, but more plastic parts were added over the next couple of years. By 1954 the airplane lineup consisted of the 'Speedee Built' series which flew under rubber band power. A few of these planes were all-plastic. Also seen were the Superkits with a prefabricated balsa fuselage, but more plastic parts.
Auto kit makers AMT and Jo-Han started early but focused on manufacturers' promotional models and did not enter the kit fray until the late 1950s. As the 1950s progressed, Monogram increasingly included more automobile models and custom wheeled creations in competition with the other makers. Through the 1970s, competition required increased production of a variety of fantastical vehicles.
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Model Kit - 0761 | Alan Kulwicki's Quincy's Thunderbird | AK Collection, 1:24 scale, 1985-1986 |
| Model Kit - 2209 | '85 Corvette | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2211 | '55 Chevy Street Machine | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2262 | Ford F-150 Ranger | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2267 | Bad Actor | 1:24 scale, Custom 2-Door Panel Wagon |
| Model Kit - 2278 | Citation Turbo X | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2294 | '69 Pontiac GTO | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2297 | Ford Motorsport Mustang IMSA Racer | 1:24 scale, #16 |
| Model Kit - 2404 | Corvette Coupe | 1:20 scale C3  |
| Model Kit - 2406 | Custom Corvette | 1:20 scale C3  |
| Model Kit - 2430 | Havoline Ford Thunderbird | 1:24 scale, Davey Allison #28 |
| Model Kit - 2430 | #10 Tide T-Bird | 1:24 scale, Ricky Rudd |
| Model Kit - 2440 | #5 Tide Lumina | 1:24 scale, Ricky Rudd Chevrolet Lumina |
| Model Kit - 2442 | McDonald's Thunderbird | 1:24 scale, Jimmy Spencer #27 |
| Model Kit - 2478 | 10 Tide Thunderbird | 1:24 scale, Ricky Rudd |
| Model Kit - 2469 | Bill Elliott's #94 McDonald's Thunderbat | 1:24 scale, Jimmy Spencer #27 |
| Model Kit - 2478 | 10 Tide Thunderbird | 1:24 scale, Ricky Rudd #10 |
| Model Kit - 2715 | 3 'n 1 Heavy Chevy CHEVELLE | 1:24 scale, 1970 |
| Model Kit - 2724 | '65 'Vette Street Machine | 1:24 scale  |
| Model Kit - 2730 | Plymouth GTX 2 'n 1 | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2727 | Frank Iaconio's Budweiser-Motorcraft Pro-Stock T-Bird | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2754 | Cale Yarborough's Hardee's Oldsmobile Stock Car | 1:25 scale, #29 |
| Model Kit - 2775 | Casey Luna Ford Sprint Car | 1:24 scale  |
| Model Kit - 2779 | Wynn's/K-Mart Oldsmobile Stock Car | 1:24 scale, Lake Speed #83 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme |
| Model Kit - 2904 | La Bamba Ritchie Valens '58 T-Bird | Rockin' Rods, 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2921 | Mello Yello Lumina Stock Car | Days of Thunder, 1:24 scale, Cole Trickle |
| Model Kit - 2924 | '57 Corvette Roadster | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2946 | '91 Mustang GT Convertible | 1:24 scale  |
| Model Kit - 2949 | Western Auto/AC Delco Chevy Lumina #17 | 1:24 scale, Darrell Waltrip, 1993 decals (2949M0340) |
| Model Kit - 2950 | 1992 Corvette ZR-1 Coupe | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 2960 | #2 Rusty Wallace Pontiac | "Pontiac Excitement" 1:24 scale  |
| Die-Cast Body Model Kit - 6100 | '53 Corvette | 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit 3 Pack - 6241 | Pontiac Muscle Cars (Pontiac Firebird, Pontiac GTO, Pro-Street Firebird) | 1:24 scale, Kay-Bee Special Value Tri-Pack: 1978 Trans Am, 1964 Pontiac GTO, 1980's Firebird Pro Street |
| Model Kit 2 Pack - 6391 | Darrell Waltrip Combo | 1:24 scale, #11 1982 Mountain Dew Buick Regal and #11 1983 Pepsi Challenger Chevrolet Monte Carlo |
| Model Kit - HG1241993 | 7 Mac Tools | 1:24 scale, Harry Gant #7 Chevrolet Lumina |
| Model Kit - PC64-198 | 1930 Ford Phaeton Customizing Kit | |
| Model Kit - PC-124 | Scarab Rear-Engined | 1:24 scale  |
| Model Kit - 85-2968 | '67 Corvette 427 Roadster | Revell 1:25 scale  |
| Model Kit - 85-4142 | 1998 Revell Hi-Lo O'Reilly Auto Parts Top Fuel Dragster | Revell 1:25 scale Limited Edition 1 of 12,500  |
| Model Kit - 85-4260 | Rommel's Rod | Tom Daniel, 1:24 scale, Half-track military command car |
| Model Kit - 85-4280 | '58 Ford Thunderbird Convertible 2 'N 1 | Car Show, 1:24 scale |
| Model Kit - 85-7627 | '37 Ford Pickup | Revell 1:25 scale Checkers Market  |