By the early 1970s, Revell had several now-outdated kit tools from the prior decade that were generating zero revenue and taking up costly storage space in their tooling warehouse.
Among these there the original Bob Tindle
Orange Crate 1932 Ford sedan, and three Ed Roth kits:
Tweedy Pie 1925 Model T, the
Outlaw, and the twin-engine
Mysterion. Realizing that these tools had little appeal in their original form, Revell set out to modify each tool and merchandise them under new names.
The
Orange Crate became the
Chopped Deuce (No. H-1335).
Tweedy Pie grew new plumage as the
Rodfather (No. H-1444). The
Outlaw was warmed over into
Canned Heat (No. H-1448). And
Mysterion adopted a drag-racing persona as
Dual Jewel. Let’s use the
Dual Jewel kit for a closer examination of Revell’s 1970s merchandising approach.
Mysterion, of course, was arguably the most radical and, yes, freaky of the Revell Ed Roth kits. For this major update, Revell made a credible attempt to hide the
Mysterion origins to create the new “Twin V8 Roadster.” The otherworldly headlamp assembly was gone, as was the large bubbletop. The most obvious remnant of the original kit: the side-by-side engine layout with twin Ford FE 406 cubic-inch V8s and the fully plated chassis siderails with lightening holes.
A closer look inside the box revealed many more modifications and new parts. A race-style clear windscreen replaced the bubbletop and a new six-piece rear wing assembly with dual struts mounted atop the trunk area. A 1960s-style digger-rail roll bar now surrounded the driver’s seat and anchored a drag racing parachute. Funny Car headers now served to relieve the outboard cylinder heads of their combustion byproducts.
A “retro rod” faux Motometer topped the new front nose cone. It was framed on each side by two new and very traditional hot-rod headlamps and stands. Fortunately, the original “Mysterion” wheels and front tires remained, now complimented with new Revell two-piece drag slicks in back.
The all-new box art further hid the kit’s previous origins. Eleven different images of a built display model were arrayed across the box’s top, side, and end panels. Stick figures on side panels called out the kit features: “812 cubic inches! Triple carbs twice! Zoomie Headers! Slicks on mags and chrome, chrome, chrome.”
Dual Jewel’s a “dual altered that’s got more of everything.”
At the time, informed model builders presumed that this series of retooled Revell kits were permanently altered, meaning the Roth kits and
Orange Crate were to be no more. Fortunately, that was not to be the case. All were eventually returned mostly or completely to their original form, leaving the
Dual Jewel and its three sister offerings as genuine, one-time, classic-kit oddities.