# MPC or Model Products Corporation



## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Interesting but I thought that MPC went to the wayside or got bought up by someone. 

I was in the local hobby place and found a few kits with MPC on them on the shelf...here is one:

http://www.retrohobby.com/flashback/tricktrikes/taco/taco.htm

Is this company trying to make a comeback? Or maybe it really never left...?

MMM


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## Prisoner (Nov 2, 1999)

I believe that MPC was acquired by AMT years ago. Retro Hobby may be like Model King - contracting with RC2/AMT/ERTL to do limited runs of kits. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Look for the July 1, 2005 entry near the bottom of this page:

http://www.rocketfin.com/model_weblog_july05.html


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## Jimmy B (Apr 19, 2000)

I see 'The Mummy Machine' around here and there. Never saw the one with the Werewolf face (forgot the name).

I think they also released the Dark shadows 'Vampire Van' a couple years back but they couldn't use the name


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## MonsterModelMan (Dec 20, 2000)

Prisoner said:


> I believe that MPC was acquired by AMT years ago. Retro Hobby may be like Model King - contracting with RC2/AMT/ERTL to do limited runs of kits. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here.


I guess that RetroHobby also got to use the MPC logo for this run of kits...MPC is proudly displayed on the bottom of the top corner.

MMM


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## brineb (Jun 12, 2007)

I wish they could re-release the Barnabas and Quentin Collins kits I had as a kid!!!


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

Jimmy B said:


> I see 'The Mummy Machine' around here and there. Never saw the one with the Werewolf face (forgot the name).
> 
> I think they also released the Dark shadows 'Vampire Van' a couple years back but they couldn't use the name


I know AMT reissued the Mummy Machine and Creepy T several years ago.
I picked them up at the mall.

My son was working on the Creepy T (similar type kit, except it had a skull instead of the mummy head). Don't know what happened to that.

The Vampire Van, I think was reissued by Revell.


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## Ravenauthor (Jan 24, 2004)

The Vampire Van was reissued by AMT. The original was called Barnabas Vampire Van. It was reissued without the tie to Dark Shadows so they wouldn't have to pay a licensing fee. However, the instructions still includes the name "Barnabas" for the included "vampire".

Here's a good link for this showrod and many others. 
http://www.showrods.com/home_page_links/alpha_list.html

Retro Hobby initially announced that they wanted to reissue some of these showrods. But after the 4 trikes hit the market, they seem to have disappeared. Here is their homepage to Retro's site that MMM included in the original post about the Taco Trike:
http://www.retrohobby.com/


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Here's a little model kit history for you guys from The Mad Cap Romanian on a Monday evening.

MPC was it's own company that rivaled AMT up until 1990 when it was bought by AMT.

Under the new merger, the MPC name was dropped, but AMT began producing MPC kits under their own logo. Therefore, kits that were previously owned by MPC, such as the original Star Wars model kits, the Dukes of Hazzard kits, the Smokey and the Bandit Firebird, the 1967 Pontiac GTO, the 1969 Dodge Charger kits, and many others soon came out under the AMT/ERTL banner.

How do you tell an MPC from an AMT kit today? Easy! Any AMT model car that has a crazy ammount of flash to it, tires don't fit square to the table, front wheels that have a little axel that attaches through a hole in the backing plate to the frame that is 1/2 thinner than the hole it fits into, and interior / hood fit issues. Also, any antique car AMT kit that has a live gear steering colum. (Turn the steering wheel and the front wheels rotate.) Those are older MPC kits that AMT is re-releasing.

As for the MPC logo making a return, I would agree that these are just "Nostalgia" kits and/or special interest kits with a limited run. It's hard to say if AMT has re-released them as such or if they are allowing other companies to do so. Both examples are feasible.

The Vampire Van kit was re-released by AMT a few short years ago along with The Beverly Hillbillies kit and the Jolly Rodger kit. these 3 kits were also originally released by MPC.


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## frankenstyrene (Oct 5, 2006)

Great link. Had the Vandal.


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## ModelManiac (Jun 16, 2007)

Thinking of MPC reissues brings to mind one I've always missed from my childhood (the box it was in got lost when the parents moved at one point): the Glo-Head Mummy. MPC/Fundimension's Vampire, Werewolf, Ape Man Glo-Heads were neat too, but the Mummy was my favorite, really quite well done in a comic book way. And there's just something about things that glow...

The other MPC Monster Rod was Night Crawler. The show-rods page Ravenauthor links to below has it, as well as the other two mentioned here.

David


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## StarshipClass (Aug 13, 2003)

brineb said:


> I wish they could re-release the Barnabas and Quentin Collins kits I had as a kid!!!


Yeah! Me, too! (Except I never had them when I was a kid  )


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## Jimmy B (Apr 19, 2000)

brineb said:


> I wish they could re-release the Barnabas and Quentin Collins kits I had as a kid!!!


Brineb & Pref Coff - if you're really on about having the D/S Quentin kit, you can pick up a resin do-over at Monsters in Motion:

http://www.monstersinmotion.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1986

It's $35.00 which is relatively cheap for a resin figure but to be honest not actually a bargain (especially with no box art).
If these kits were re-released in styrene I'd buy them for nostalgic value and for the box art, but I never thought these kits were very good, especially the Werewolf.
There is no Base Detail, and the head is so over-size proportioned with the body that it almost looks like a charicature.


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## brineb (Jun 12, 2007)

Jimmy B said:


> Brineb & Pref Coff - if you're really on about having the D/S Quentin kit, you can pick up a resin do-over at Monsters in Motion:
> 
> http://www.monstersinmotion.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1986
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link Jimmy ... I may have to pick him up for old times sake. I understand what you say about him being out of proportion, but that's cool with me!!!


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## Jimmy B (Apr 19, 2000)

Glad to help. Remember its poly-bagged, no box.


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## beck (Oct 22, 2003)

not MPC but Mojoresin ( i think ) has a really cool 2 figure resin kit of Barnabus and Quentin with a detailed base for around 50 $ . 
hb


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