Hi
Here is something that might interest Moonbase. A plastic kit of the Seattle Space Needle tower, with a Century 21 logo on the box. Do not get too excited, this has nothing to do with Gerry Anderson, and the name is just a coincidence.
This kit was mentioned, very briefly, on Max's Models Livestream 67. Intrigued, I decided to have a look at its history.
It is a plastic kit of the Space Needle - the theme symbol for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. Basically a very tall observation tower, with a revolving restaurant at the top. The box top describes it as an official Souvenir Hobby Kit from the Fair, and it is now rare. It does not seem to have ever been re-issued.
Made by Stalco Products Corporation, and bearing a Century 21 logo on the box. This has nothing to do with Gerry Anderson, but relates to the Fair. The logo reads Century 21 Exposition, with a globe symbol. Stalco also made a Coliseum Coin Bank (money box) souvenir.
The Century 21 Exposition, or Seattle World's Fair, was held in Seattle, Washington State, from 21st April to 21st October 1962. Construction work on the tower only began in April 1961. It stands 605 feet tall, or 184 metres. Diameter is 138 feet, or 42 metres. It has since become a Seattle landmark - although I should think it would be hard to miss.
Wikipedia entries for the Fair, and the Needle.
The kit Stock Number is SWF 298 (was that the retail price of the model ?). The finished model was an impressive 18 inches tall, and stood on a circular base. No scale is given, but that makes the model around 1/400th. The base is inscribed with the words Space Needle - Seattle World's Fair - 1962, with the Century 21 logo.
It came in a tall, narrow cardboard box, with a lift-off lid. Usually moulded in cream coloured plastic, but there was also an orange version. Cream and orange being the colour scheme of the real tower. According to the parts list on the instruction sheet, there are 23 parts. Testor's Paints were recommended for painting the model. Stalco Products Corporation, 11827 E. 165th St., Norwalk, California. Made in U.S.A.
There have been other kits of the Space Needle, in wood, cardboard, and metal from Metal Earth.
This is the Scalemates entry for the kit, and there is a photo of the instruction sheet. It is the only kit listed for Stalco.
Some more photos from Worthpoint:
Inscription on base
Orange version
All photographs from Worthpoint.
Anyone got this kit?
Anyone been to a World's Fair?
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Thanks Paul for a thorough examination of this kit that pops up from time to time in my eBay searches. I think it would fit quite nicely with the other C21 items.
ReplyDeleteNever been to a World's Fair but been up in the Needle. Still have the special coin you can mint as a souvenir.
Very well researched piece, Paul. I do like the model and box art.
ReplyDeleteAmazing find! I love these “one off” hobby kits of famous architectural landmarks. Superior Plastics (or was it Educational Plastics?) had a hobby kit of the United Nations building (which I once had), and the Taj Mahal (which I never managed to snag). Rare kits of iconic buildings was a “thing” back then! SFZ
ReplyDeleteThank you. I love digging in to the history of these oddball kits. They too deserve to be remembered.
ReplyDeleteGoing up in the Space Needle must have been amazing.
Superior Plastics had a line of five architectural kits, which were later re-issued by Educational Products, and later by a model railway company, under the K-Line name. I do not think K-Line re-issued the Taj Mahal, just the US subject kits.
I am not sure about this, but I think the last two Superior kits, the UN Buildings and Yankee Stadium, might themselves have been re-issues of kits by the Worcester Toy Company, of Worcester, Massachusetts. I have been meaning to look in to these kits, but keep getting side-tracked by other kits of the weird and wonderful.
Great detective work on those Superior kits! I vaguely recall both brands - maybe I ran into examples of each issue? The UN kit was simplicity itself, but such a groovy design, I really loved it! Trivia fact: I once spoke with Nick Argenti, owner of Glencoe Models, on the phone, and he said that he had purchased the molds for the Superior UN kit, and wanted to reissue it along with a couple of his Strombecker “Man in Space” kits as a “Space Command Center” deluxe gift set kit! Wouldn’t that have been something? Sadly, Glencoe folded shortly thereafter, so the chances of seeing that happen are near zero. I even wrote to Atlantis Models, suggesting they acquire the UN kit molds from Argento, but I never heard back, so I’m not holding my breath to see that beauty reissued any time soon. Glencoe did release the old Superior/Educational White House model, which never really interested me. SFZ
DeleteGreat post Paul. What an iconic tower, a beacon of the glorious future to come. But did it? The UK equivalent could either be the Post Office Tower or Skylon.
ReplyDeleteAnother iconic tower which made it to model kit form is the beautiful Tokyo Tower, issued in several scales in both plastic and paper. SFZ
DeleteLovely
ReplyDeleteNot sure about this, but I think I read that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson went to one of these U.S. World Trade Fairs, possibly even the Seattle 1962 one, to get design ideas for new puppet shows set in the future. So maybe the 'Century 21' company name was cribbed from there. Anyone know ?
ReplyDeleteThank you, that is really interesting. It would be wonderful if there really did turn out to be a link between the Seattle World's Fair and Gerry Anderson.
ReplyDelete