US kit company Renwal made a range of educational anatomy kits in the 1950s and 1960s, featuring both human and animal subjects. The Visible Dog kit featured a pedigreed Boxer. It was released in 1961, and was later re-issued by at least two other companies.
The Visible Dog Assembly Kit - An Accurate Anatomical Model. Assemble...take apart...re-assemble. Complete with all vital organs - skeleton - transparent skin. Model number 806-398 sold for $3.98. Like the other Renwal kits, it came with an informative booklet - Introduction to the Anatomy of the Dog. The large square box showed both a boy and a girl reading the booklet, so it was clearly aimed at a wider audience than most kits, which were clearly aimed at boys.
The outer shell of the model was moulded in clear plastic, with the skeleton in bone-coloured plastic, and the internal organs in pink, although this seems to have varied over the years. There was also a black display stand. The finished model was over nine inches long, and around eight and a half inches tall. According to Scalemates the model was 1/5th scale, but Old Model Kits says 1/3rd.
Most references I checked say an adult male Boxer is up to 25 inches tall, but according to this site, that measurement is only to the shoulder, not the overall height. The head and neck add considerably to this, so overall height would be well over 30 inches. My guess is therefore about 1/4th scale.
This page from the 1969 Renwal catalogue on the Box Art Den emphasises the educational aspects of this kit: 'Biology students will find THE VISIBLE DOG a necessary adjunct to their high school and college courses; hobbyists in general will welcome this collection of "inside story" models.'.
This kit was still listed in the 1973 Renwal catalogue, again from the Box Art Den.
A good selection of photos from Mercado Libre, a foreign language site - just enjoy the pretty pictures.
In 1967 Marusan of Japan released what appears to be the same kit, although again there seems to be some doubt about the scale - 1/3rd or 1/5th. Model number 520. Scalemates do say New Tool, but this may not be correct. I could find very little information on this kit, beyond the Scalemates entry, which shows the box top. If this is the same as the Renwal kit, it was available in Japan in a Marusan box at the same time that it was still being listed in the Renwal catalogue in the US.
In 1994 a company called Skilcraft re-issued the old Renwal kit, as model number 74635. This seems to have been available in several different boxes, but lacked the original display stand ? The educational value of the kit is again being promoted, with the side of the box stating 'Study Anatomy as you Build your Visible Dog Model', and 'The Visible Dog is perfect for school assignments, Scout and 4-H projects.'. Skilcraft also did a number of other ex-Renwal Visible kits.
Scalemates listing for all Visible Dog kits. For further details of each kit, click on the one you want.
Totally unrelated to the Renwal kit, Revell have produced a series of X-Ray Anatomy Models. One of these depicts a German Shepherd, number 02093. This came out in 2012, and was to 1/5th scale. One side of the model is opaque, the other is clear, and all the parts come pre-painted. Again the educational value of these kits is strongly emphasised.
Photos are from Worthpoint, Pinterest, and Amazon UK.
Anyone got one, a visible dog?
Yours Sincerely,
Paul Adams from New Zealand
I love anatomy kits!
ReplyDeleteTransparently! ha ha
DeleteI do too Looey. There's some old ones at school in the science block I have my eye on!
DeleteHonestly, I love anatomy kits. You have shared some good knowledge with us. Keep spreading your knowledge.
ReplyDelete