Bamboozled by the Box Art-Not the G.B.
This is an interesting one.
As a child I saw many models that just took my breath away! The Cutty Sark, The Constitution, etc. Beautifully built. What did I know about all those Ladies at Revell, building these things with every tool they needed and an "Air" brush too! What the heck was that? Now model Cars, Oh, they were sure exciting to look at, even A.M.T.s early Curbsides! Or Revell, not to be outdone, showed the gorgeous Cadillac ElDorado in a situation that was sure to catch the eye. Guy in a Tux, and lady in an Evening Gown my poor mom would die for! Heavily Airbrushed waves of color behind.
Well, Then The "Futura)(No, not the Abomnation it became later) and the Pontiac"Club De Mere"( Dream Cars). Going on to The Revell standbys. The Small multi piece bodied kits, Still sailing along, but, What's this? An Austin-Healey 3000 like my neighbors and an M.G. like the one at the dealer around the corner? WOW!!! and in 1/25 scale! Oh look, the Cruiser Long Beach, the "Atomic "one, With a reactor room even !
Gee! Look at the New Carrier kit, That thing must be a mile long! Lookit all the planes(Never mind that most of us in that age bracket really weren't too careful with decals!) Or painting for that matter. But Gee, it don't look like the one on the box. They got rails, this has silver painted walls with some kind of engraving on them, Are those rails? Sure don't look like the pichure! Them stairs look like Uncle Clyde's stairs going up the side of the rent house with the storage room under it! Now! what Boy, Girl, Dad or Mom wasn't taken by the model Company's Box art? At least Monogram's stuff (Because of it being molded in color with White walls for instance) Looked like the picture when you were done,The Classics weren't all they offered either. Planes with working features. Space Models and so on.
The primary thing was this, in a John Steele painted box cover, of course an ordinary tanker, freighter or warship and planes all came alive, They almost jumped out at you. Each artist was hired for the drama they could induce in that cover. Many Boys longed for the day they would get into that Cockpit and fly the F-104(The Missile with a man in It !) Gee, nobody told us that took a College education and Flight training too! )
Ah, all that Bamboozling did do one thing though! It sold Kits! And fired up dreams too. So were we really Bamboozled? I had shore side businesses, but, I did wear The Captains Uniform and had MY Bridge to walk on. Bamboozled? Maybe? Maybe Not! DOC