Re: Glencoe Models

Ouch! Must have gotten a warped one. The one I built went together pretty easily (considering the molds are 50+ years old), no banana peel warping on mine! Still need to get it painted, as it is sitting in the assembly line shelf of doom with about 10 other kits waiting to be painted!

That "banana peel" hull of the Mars Liner is the biggest PIA that I have encountered in over 50 years of modeling!

Glencoe just released the old mid 50s1:48 Strombecker X-1B kit. Should be able to pick it up for $12-$15. Mars Liner is also available again.

Rob Gronovius

mitsdude

I agree the quality of these kits is not the best, not the worst either.  These are like ANY kit from the 50's early 60's. If you built back then you know what I mean.

Show me any other model company that produces 50's spaceships for $15-$20 !!! I'm a bit prejudice because I was around back then and experienced the excitement of early sci-fi/space travel so these models have a special meaning for me.

My favorite was the "Retriever Rocket" which was originally the vessel used in the Disney show where they traveled to the moon and back. It is definitely one I would buy and build again.

Gotta be the Mars Liner for me. Classic spaceship whether it goes to Mars, the Moon, or Infinity and Beyond!

mitsdude

I agree the quality of these kits is not the best, not the worst either.  These are like ANY kit from the 50's early 60's. If you built back then you know what I mean.

Show me any other model company that produces 50's spaceships for $15-$20 !!! I'm a bit prejudice because I was around back then and experienced the excitement of early sci-fi/space travel so these models have a special meaning for me.

Andy Small

Hi Don,

I recently picked up two Glencoe Subchaser Kits and both were missing the main deck (piece #7). I was wondering if you had any luck getting that replacement piece?

Thanks!

Andy

No, I was unable to get a new deck, so I scratchbuilt a new one- all ready to install.  I scribed a piece of plastic around outside of gunnels, and estimated the thickness of gunnels, redrawing a line that width inside of scribed line.  I found a book on the 110 foot subchasers that had scale drawings, to place mounting hardware for the deck fittings and deckhouses.

I agree the quality of these kits is not the best, not the worst either.  These are like ANY kit from the 50's early 60's. If you built back then you know what I mean.

Show me any other model company that produces 50's spaceships for $15-$20 !!! I'm a bit prejudice because I was around back then and experienced the excitement of early sci-fi/space travel so these models have a special meaning for me.

As far as I can tell, Glencoe has not issued a new kit in over 2 years. Their existing kits still appear in most catalogs, so perhaps they are just not planning on doing anything new but continue to produce their exisiting products? Can't find any current business info on them and the website they used to have no longer exists.

As for the quality of Glencoe kits, it seems to have varied depending on the quality of the original model/mold they were reissuing. My experience building all of their Von Braun/Willy Ley models (originally issued by Strombecker) was very good. Detail was fine (as reissues of the originals for the 1950's and 1960's remember). Plastic seemed as thick as any other kit.  Fit was as good as any other kit. One of my kits was missing a small piece. I e-mailed the company and they sent me a new piece, no charge, not even shipping cost. Don't know if they still do that, or even if they are officially 'still in business'. But considering that you just simply could not get these particular kits any other way besides paying $hundreds for the few remaining original collectibles, I found the value of the Glencoe space model reissues  to be excellent.

DON :

I feel for you .Mine have always had that , but the port and starboard wheelhouse bulkheads would not be there .After getting a book on them I built the wheelhouse from scratch .  Wish I could help , but I have only the one now .     Tanker-builder

Ten + years ago, Glencoe reissued some old Strombecker kits of sci-fi space ships designed by Wernher Von Braun and Willy Ley back in the 50's.  Also ships and spacestaions seen on Disneyland TV programs as well as the iconic TWA life-sized moon rocket at old original Disneyland in the late 50's.  I had built some of these as a kid, so welcomed the opportunity to buy the Glencoe repros.  What a disappointment- although they had the original box art, the kits themselves were made of thin plastic and rather ill-fitting.  I built one until it became hopeless and I threw it in the circular file.  I still have the rest in their boxes.

Hi Don,

I recently picked up two Glencoe Subchaser Kits and both were missing the main deck (piece #7). I was wondering if you had any luck getting that replacement piece?

Thanks!

Andy

tankerbuilder

DON , what part are you missing ? I have more than one and I could probably duplicate another for myself  . Let me know okay ?      tankerbuilder

The main deck, which would be pretty hard to scratch.  I have written for a replacement, and my dealer has picked up another kit in case I don't get a response from Glencoe.

DON , what part are you missing ? I have more than one and I could probably duplicate another for myself  . Let me know okay ?      tankerbuilder

I probably build about one Glencoe model a year.  Not the best kits as far as detail or fit, but they have such unique subjects :-)

Latest Glencoe buy is their 110 foot WW1 subchaser.  However, a major part was missing so I am awaiting a replacement before I start.  Yeah, it took over a year from their initial annoucement of the re-issue until I got my kit (from Roll Models), but I had other things to work on in the meantime.  BTW, they make a civil Curtiss Condor (biplane airliner) that, while in a funny scale, built up into a VERY nice model!

the doog

Rob Gronovius:

None of his kits are new. They are all 50 year old re-pop's of other companies' old models. He's done ITC, Ringo, Lindberg, Strombecker, Aurora,  just to name a few. The major benefit is that he offers kits that were once high priced collector's kits to the modeling community and adds really nice decals.

 

Man, I remember getting one of those Glencoe Russian amphibious tanks and couldn't believe what a piece of tish it was--just horrible. I couldn't even bring myself to think of starting it. I can't believe that he actually produced anything worth building after seeing that mess?

Those kits were already 40 yrs old before he got hold of them. "Modern" Soviet armor was hard to come by and the old OOP kits, FROG/BTR-50/PT-76 (originally made by ITC/Ringo), were expensive collector's items by the time Glencoe released them. I think they retailed for $10-15 at first.

The old sci-fi kits (original issues) were hard to find and worth even more before Glencoe reissued them.

Remember, he started in the pre-eBay days. If you were lucky enough to even find one of the original kits, it would have been insanely priced.

Very nice model of the USS Oregon, BB-3.

(not my build)

An old ITC model.

Rob Gronovius

None of his kits are new. They are all 50 year old re-pop's of other companies' old models. He's done ITC, Ringo, Lindberg, Strombecker, Aurora,  just to name a few. The major benefit is that he offers kits that were once high priced collector's kits to the modeling community and adds really nice decals.

As Rob has said yes they are still around but are real slow in getting product out to the public.

Thad

None of his kits are new. They are all 50 year old re-pop's of other companies' old models. He's done ITC, Ringo, Lindberg, Strombecker, Aurora,  just to name a few. The major benefit is that he offers kits that were once high priced collector's kits to the modeling community and adds really nice decals.

Yes there still in the Squadron catalog, i got a mule about 6 mounts ago ...Neat kit !

                                                                                  The Original 

                                                                           Mike Oscar Juno Oscar

                                                                                  Outcast !

                                                                 End transmission--Semper Fi 

Oh, I have not seen any of his kits out in the stores and was wondering. He had some really nice kits out too. Thanks and if you know where I can get some of their new kits let me know. I would like to see their newest ones and see if there is anything I really like.

Regards,

ggsinc

I believe he is still in business (from what I remember, it was a one-man operation by a guy in Mass.).

http://baronvonplastic.tripod.com/id2.html