ATLANTIS MODELS has released this G scale (1/24) 1926 MACK AC Bulldog Logging Truck.
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://railroadmodeling.net/news/1926-mack-ac-bulldog-logging-truck
This is partial text from the full article (usually with photos) at https://railroadmodeling.net/news/1926-mack-ac-bulldog-logging-truck
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Long time Monogram employee Bob Johnson was kind enough to write up this history of this kit:
Monogram Models 1926 Mack AC Bulldog
Sometimes things just do not go according to plan…No matter what size a vehicle may be, there are times when sales expectations
of their creators are never met… Names like “Delorean” and “Bricklin” fit into
that situation, but, it also happens in the world of scale models. The Monogram
vintage 1926 Mack AC Bulldog series surely “fits” into that conundrum as well…
Always known for highly-detailed replicas that were the hallmark of superb
engineering, some of the subject choices selected for development seem to be
somewhat esoteric in today’s world, but, were deemed to be quite logical
decades ago.In the 1960’s, Jack Besser and Bob Reder committed to create an amazing
1930’s Duesenberg Model SJ Torpedo Phaeton designed by Ken Merker. It was
followed by equally detailed replicas of the Mercedes 540K, Cord 812, Bugatti
Type 35 and a 1941 Lincoln Continental. Though not high-volume “sellers”,
these models attracted builders of all ages and sold steadily year after year. It is
most probable that Bob Reder championed the idea to to create a 1/24 th scale kit
of the Iconic Mack AC “Bulldog” truck, a 1926 to be specific since that was the
year of the actual Mack that served as a reference source. Reder also had a
contact with the Director of Public Relations within Mack in Macungie,
Pennsylvania… he proved helpful with two 1/32 nd scale projects in years to
come.During 1916, Mack introduced a new heavy-duty commercial vehicle with an
unusual “drooped snout” hood. The engine was a stout four-cylinder with two
“twin cylinder” castings and a very unusual chain drive that produced a very
distinctive clatter… British Troops thought that the curved hood looked like a
British Bulldog and applied that moniker to the stout U.S. truck… The name
stuck!!When the project was approved and moved into the design phase during the
latter part of 1972, Mario Falconi was the Engineer who developed the parts
breakdown and design layouts. The initial version was planned as a long-
wheelbase chassis with a flat cargo bed with removable stake panels. This
version was typical of freight haulers seen in daily operation in cities across the
United States for more than fifty years. The parts created for this kit were
representative of the heavy-duty design of the Mack AC and, unusual for a model
of a car or truck, no plated parts were included simply because “working trucks”
were far from “glamorous”. By 1973, molds were complete and Mario’s desk had
a number of assembled “test shots” visible to check and adjust parts fit.The first kit, Number 7537, was molded in yellow plastic and markings were
included for “Ringling Brothers Circus”. One wonders how many builders in
1973 realized that Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus was a subsidiary of
Mattel, Incorporated that also owned Monogram Models? Writers for model
magazines that reviewed the new kit were very complimentary about the vintage
Mack, but, it was apparent that this kit was predominantly a hobby shop product
that would not enjoy mass merchant distribution.Following the completion of the Mack project, Genevieve Grisetta was
completing the Packard 734 Boattail that was based upon the actual car that was
part of the Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada. The unusual Coral and Brown
color scheme was duplicated by using color chips supplied to Roger Harney by
Harrah’s and custom-blended into polystyrene colorant that matched…Concurrently, Mario began working on the design of a 1920’s Diamond “T”
truck that would be the second release in the vintage truck series and I began
creating part drawings for a fuel tanker based on a period Heil design. Within a
short time, the Diamond “T” project was shelved based on poor sales and the
decision was made to fit the new fuel tanker body onto the Mack chassis. This
new kit was introduced as the “Mack Fuel Tanker”, Kit Number 7539, and was
molded in red plastic. Vintage Texaco markings were provided…In time, it had become apparent that sales would not warrant developing a new
chassis such as the Diamond “T”, but, additional body styles would be added to
create a vintage truck series. During September of 1976, a member of the
Engineering staff traveled to the Public Works garage in Waukegan, Illinois;
about 35 miles North of Monogram Models, Inc. The subject of interest was a
late 1920’s Mack AC that was fitted with a Dump body and had been updated
with 1950’s wheels and pneumatic tires as well as enclosing the driver’s
compartment. It was painted red and the sound of the chain-drive was
unmistakeable as it was moved outside for photos. More than 50 years old, the
classic Mack could still “do a day’s work”!
Once the small plastic mold was complete that held the new parts for the Dump
body and Mario Falconi once again ensured that the part fits were suitable for
production, a vintage color scheme was explored. Tom Gannon, Jr. had come to
Monogram Models as President and General Manager in the first quarter of 1975.
He lived in nearby Northbrook and one of his neighbors was a principal in
Rockwell Lime Company; the oldest limestone quarry and supplier in Illinois. In
fact, Rockwell Lime used Mack AC trucks with dump bodies quite similar to the
new Monogram design and it was known that the trucks had been painted darg
green. The third version debuted as Kit Number 2400, 1926 Mack Bulldog Dump
Truck.
The Dump truck version was not the last of the Mack series… we had seen
photos of these “rugged workhorses” used to transport large cut logs in the
Pacific Northwest. That would make a perfect fourth version as it would easy to
design and make patterns for… well, at least we thought so!! The difficult aspect
was “the logs”!! Several patterns were created in the model shop, but, they did
not see to be “convincing”… not that plastic logs really suffice for the real thing…
Once a diameter was determined for three large diameter logs (in 1/24 th scale), a
trip into the local forest preserve with a bow saw solved the challenge…… A
length of a tree branch was cut and taken into the model shop… “halved” in a
band saw and deep “growth grooves” carved into the outer surfaces. Two
lengths of chain were supplied and the final version of the Mack series was
released as Kit Number 2401, 1926 Mack Log Hauler.When the time came to determine molds that would be shipped to Germany for
Revell production, many old mold sets were of no use to the enterprising
Germans though the Mack would have been a nice retro version of a U.S. Army
Transport truck in France!! Fortunately, Ed Sexton negotiated a “deal” with
Peter Vetri and many molds that would have been scrapped were saved… The
1/24 th Mack was a “noble experiment” and still has a following… It is truly a
superb model kit from the “Golden Age” of Monogram Models!!RAJ3 12/23/22
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Interesting. Thanks for sharing this 