BACHMANN DOG KITS BY PAUL ADAMS

The second series of Paint-by-Numbers kits to be launched by Bachmann was the Dogs of the World line. This eventually ran to 11 kits, making it second only to the Birds series. Some of the advertising and boxes also have Paint-A-Pet on them.

The Dogs first appeared in the 1960 catalogue, with the first three kits (Collie, Wire Haired Terrier, and Basset Hound) listed as being 'Available NOW', with a further seven models to be 'Available Throughout 1960'.

I am not sure if the initial three kits were released in early 1960, or perhaps late 1959 ?

Unlike the Bird series, all the kits listed did appear. The Poodle was initially shown in the 1960 catalogue as white, but later catalogues and all the boxes I have seen show a black Poodle. Since the boxes were mainly white, I would assume a white dog would not show up very well, and it was therefore decided to alter the colour. The name also changed slightly, from Poodle to Standard Poodle.

The Collie came in two different boxes. The less common shows the Collie facing to the right of the box, while the more frequently seen box has the dog looking out at the viewer.

After the initial batch of ten kits, there was only one addition to the Dog range. First listed in the 1962 catalogue was a Mongrel, with a planned 'Fall Release' date. This seems like an odd choice for the range, given that all the other kits depicted pedigree breeds.

The Dog kits were described on the box tops as Plastic Scale-Size Models, but the actual scale was not mentioned.

Original Releases, white boxes, retail price $1.00

8000:100 Collie - two box designs

8001:100 Wire-Haired Terrier

8002:100 Basset Hound

8003:100 Cocker Spaniel

8004:100 Boxer

8005:100 German Shepherd

8006:100 Pointer

8007:100 Poodle - white in 1960 catalogue, black on box tops

8008:100 Dalmatian

8009:100 St. Bernard

8010:100 Mongrel

ITC also had a series of Paint-by-Numbers Dog kits, and six breeds appeared in both ranges: Collie, Wire-Haired Terrier (ITC Fox Terrier), Cocker Spaniel (Spaniel), Boxer, German Shepherd, and Standard Poodle (French Poodle).

The models unique to Bachmann being the Basset Hound, Pointer, Dalmatian, St. Bernard, and Mongrel.

I do not know how the two ranges compared in terms of size, but the ITC boxes were considerably larger than the Bachmann boxes.

The Dog series was one of the first ranges to be cut back, and the 1963 catalogue lists only nine Dog kits, the Wire-Haired Terrier and Basset Hound being dropped.

At least some of the dogs were still listed in the 1967 catalogue - with the Collie appearing on the cover - I have not seen any of the interior pages.

All the Dog kits sold for the same price, $1.00, and came in a white box with a lift-off lid. Like the Bird kits, these were simple, snap-together kits with only a few parts - six in the case of the Poodle, although the Pointer and Mongrel had as many as nine. Unlike the Birds, they did not have clear plastic eyes.

Each set came with a palette of paints, the colours being tailored to that particular kit; a bottle of Bachmann Styrene Painting Fluid and Glue, which was a solvent for the solid cakes of paint; and a brush.

Both the painting guide and the paints were numbered. All you needed to do was paint each area on the model the appropriate colour. To help, guide lines were moulded in to the surface of the model.

There was a stand on which to display the model. This was usually a smooth, oblong green base with rounded ends. Some kits shown in photos appear to have the irregular green base with a textured top surface usually found in the later Animal kits. Finally there were two labels for the base. One was printed with the name of the breed, the other was blank so you could name your own pet.

There was at least one large boxed set of five kits, 8305-498, which sold for $4.98. This contained the Collie, Wire-Haired Terrier, Basset Hound, Cocker Spaniel, and Boxer.

There were also some kits that came with a moulded low-relief, 3-D scene. There were at least four Birds and two Dogs in this series, which were shown on the back of the box. The Dogs being:

4101 Collie

4102 German Shephard

Some of the Birds and Dogs were also sold on cards, inside a clear plastic Blister, rather than in boxes. There were only ten kits in this series, listed in the 1965 catalogue, and on the back of the cards. These were available alongside the normal boxed kits. All sold for $1.00. Three Dogs are listed (out of the nine boxed kits still available at the time), and these have different numbers to the standard boxed kits. I have not seen any listings for these carded Dog kits, only a few of the Birds, so can not confirm they existed.

8600 Collie

8604 Boxer

8607 Poodle

The Paint-by-Numbers range was dropped in the late 1960s, but was partially revived in 1971, when a dozen of the Bird, Dog, and Animal kits were re-issued under the name Bachmann Nature Craft Kits. All received new numbers, with kits from the three ranges now being mixed together in a single series. Three of the Dogs reappeared. All the kits now sold for $1.50.

6504:150 Collie

6505:150 German Shepherd

6507:150 St. Bernard

This appears to be the last time any of the Dog kits were available.

12 photographs, all from Worthpoint, in six batches.

Paul Adams from New Zealand