EditMonogram Slot Cars
In the 1960s, Monogram slot cars were generally regarded as premium racers and vintage slot cars are still sought after by collectors today. Monogram's 1:24 36D Powered
Ferrari 275p and rear engine 1:24
Scarab were some of the best selling slot cars of their time and are still a nice "find" in today's vintage slot car market.
Later RTR "Thingie" slot cars like the futuristic
Monogram Vampire and
Monogram Snake are rare finds and can command a fairly high price among collectors.
(
Note: As it relates to slot cars, the term "Thingie" was actually coined by slot car manufacturer
Gar-Vic but, at the time, nearly all futuristic Lexan slot car body designs were generally referred to as "Thingies".)
Monogram offered fairly high-detail body styles and a fairly large variety of chassis' could be found underneath them. Because Monogram was primarily a model company, cars were sold as kits that contained as many as 82 individual parts for modelers and racers to assemble. Scrolling down to see the
exploded view of this Ferrari's 1:24 slot car chassis will show just complex building a winning racer could be.
EditMonogram Tiger Slot Car Racing Parts
Monogram recognized the fact that groups of enthusiasts were gathering to race their model cars, so they made sure they also supported slot car racers with a fairly complete line of racing parts and accessories under the
Tiger brand.
The "Tiger" line of 1:24 and 1:32 racing parts included everything from machined aluminum wheels with better tires to "hot" motors (like the
Tiger 100 and
Tiger 200 can motors) and complete aluminum and brass frames.
Perfect for the custom modeler as well, Monogram also sold accessories like decals and custom wheel inserts to add realism to slot car models and racing layouts. Take a look through the 1965 catalog to see the wide variety of body styles that were available at the time. The 1966-1967 catalog contains the majority of the various brass and aluminum frames that were also available.
Be sure to check out the
Vintage Brochures link for more information about the
1:24 Monogram Snake with the
Tiger Super X-220S can motor, the
Scarab,
Porsche 904 and
Ferrari 275p.
EditTypical 1960s Monogram 1:32 Chassis
This Monogram 1:32 chassis is a fairly typical design for the frames that could be found in early Monogram slot cars. This chassis has a fixed wheelbase, however like competitors
Cox Models and
Revell, it does make use of a drop-arm (swing-arm) for use by the guide flag. This drop-arm design often created more power by producing better connectivity to the track rails. A great design concept, racers would often add additional weight for further gains.
EditTypical 1960s Monogram 1:24 Chassis
Similar to many 1:32 and 1:24 slot car chassis designs of the day (like
Dynamic Models), this 1:24 Monogram slot car chassis offered an adjustable wheelbase in order to fit a wider variety of bodies.
EditMonogram Company History
Monogram has been a premier maker of scale models of armor and other military transports, spacecraft, aircraft, ships and cars since its founding 1945. It was formed by two former employees of Comet Kits, Jack Besser and Bob Reder. The company was purchased by
Mattel Inc. in the early 1970s.
A misconception has arisen regarding the company's name and status since it was bought by Odyessy Partners of New York in 1986. Later that same summer Odyessy purchased
Revell Models of Venice, California. Subsequently Odyessy Partners quietly merged the unprofitable
Revell with the highly profitable Monogram and moved all its usable assets to Monogram's Des Plaines, Illinois Plant Number 2. Gradually the Revell name was phased into the product lines due to
Revell's world wide brand recognition. The Monogram name is currently used exclusively on the company's high end "Pro Modeler Kits".
During the late 1960s, Monogram and
Revell were rivals for the scale model market. Monogram aircraft kits were known for imaginative "operating features", such as a spring-loaded ejection seat on their F-105 Thunderchief model (operated by a tiny plastic tab on the side of the plane) and a tactical nuclear bomb which could be dropped from the RB-66A model, which also featured a moving tailgun turret which allowed the guns to be aimed.
After
Revell merged with Monogram, their new combined headquearters was established in Northbrook, Illinois.
At the Revell-Monogram plant in Northbrook the hallways are decorated with the framed original box art paintings on the walls and Sheperd Painedioramas under glass. During the late 1970s through the 1980s many Monogram kits came with pamphlets by Paine on how to construct dioramas, in particular the 1/48 scale armor and aircraft. These pamphlets and dioramas were the inspiration to many young model builders to go beyond mere model making and attempt to create art.
In May 2007, Hobbico Inc. (Champaign, Illinois) announced the acquisition of Revell-Monogram LLC.
EditMonogram Slot Cars, Parts and Accessories on eBay