Jim Keeler work history in the Toy and Hobby Industry

Started playing with my older brothers cast metal classic cars at age 4-5

Repainted them with real “house paint” and tried to “bake” the paint on in a tin can in a real fire in the backyard....hmmm!

Started building balsa planes and ships. It was the end of WW2 and I saw a lot of newsreels of the war and was fascinated with the ships and planes. One day I remember seeing massive fleets of B29 bombers flying over Salt Lake City to eventually bomb Japan. Their contrails streaked the sky as they flew west. There were so many planes!

My first car kit was an Ace brand 49 Ford coupe....basically a block of Balsa wood and plans that essentially instructed you to remove all the wood that didn’t look like a 49 Ford Coupe!

First plastic kit was a Plastic model of a Lockheed Constellation assembled with DuPontwood glue...fell apart two days later.

My first plastic car kit was a 1/32 scale Revell 1910 Cadillac.... customized that with a Kleenex tissue “fabric” roof. I knew they did not have shiny roofs because as a kid I saw. Then driving around my neighborhood. Still have one half of that model.

About that time 1/25 scale “promo” model cars came out and I had my share...I will admit that many met their fate at my hands with cherry bomb and M80 firecrackers.

About that time, in the early fifties, Derek Brand, an English model kit designer started tooling up 1/32 scale antique car kits in England. They were small, not a lot of detail, but fun to build and customize.They were initially sold by Gowland and Gowland, British balloon enthusiasts and later very successfully sold by Revell worldwide. (INSERT Glaser sales figures)

In 1955-56 AMT, Johan, SMP started doing 3 in one 1/25 scale kits and Revell was doing highly detailed 1/32 models of 1955 Chrysler, Cadillac’s, Ford, Mercury, Continental’s and Buick’s. Revell also did 1/25 scale (multi piece body) kits of the Lincoln Lincoln Futura, Pontiac

“Club de Mer” and the Cadillac Brougham...not too detailed but fun to build.

In 1956 I started sponsoring model car contests in San Diego, California. I got the local hobby shops to present model car contests, which were very popular. Hundreds of models showed up at the hobby shops..

In 1957 I got the local full size custom car shows to include a model car contest in their shows. Before long it spread from San Diego into the Los Angeles car shows as well.

Meanwhile, I had become interested in the GM sponsored Fisher Body Craftsman Guild.

GM ran these contests starting in 1930. The objective was to recruit young men to build the models, then send the winners to design schools and later recruit them to style cars at GM. I got very interested and learned about how to scratch build a model car from wood. Their booklets and instructions prepared me for my later job at Revell, Aurora, and other companies.

I started two models and ever finished the first. The second model got far along, but I never finished it because I got hired at Revell.

I kept buying and building most of the model kits that Revell produced. Cars, ships, boats, and aircraft. I built and customized the WW 2 aircraft carriers into modern carriers with canted flight decks.

About this time my father told me “You should quit spending ALL your money on model kits!

It will never amount to anything and was a waste of my time and money”

1958 and 1959 I continued building kits and entering and sponsoring model car contests.

I started playing with my older brothers 1930’s cast metal classic cars at 4-5

Repainted them with real “house paint” and tried to “bake” the paint on in a tin can in a real fire in the backyard....hmmm!

I started building balsa planes and ships after WW2.

My first car kit was an Ace brand 49 Ford coupe....basically a block of Balsa wood and plans that essentially instructed you to remove all the wood that didn’t look like a 49 Ford Coupe!

My first plastic kit was a plastic model of a Lockheed Constellation assembled with wood

glue...fell apart two days later.

First plastic car kit was a 1/32 scale Revell 1910 Cadillac.... customized with a Kleenex tissue “fabric” roof. I knew they did not have shiny roofs because as a kid I saw them driving around my neighborhood. Still have one half of that model.

About that time 1/25 scale “promo” Model Cars came out and had my share...I will admit they met their fate at my hands with cherry bomb firecrackers.

About that time, in the early fifties, Derek Brand, an English model kit designer started tooling up 1/32 scale antique car kits. They did an amazing series of model car kits. They were small, not a lot of detail, but fun to build and customize.

In 1955, AMT, Johan, SMP started doing 3 in one 1/25 scale kits and Revell was doing highly detailed 1/32 models of 1955 Chrysler, Cadillac’s, Ford, Mercury, Continental’s and Buick’s. Revell also did a 1/25 scale (multi piece body) kits of the Lincoln Lincoln Futura, Pontiac

“Club de Mer” and the Cadillac Brougham...not too detailed but fun to build.

1956 I started sponsoring model car contests in San Diego, California. I got the local hobby shops to present model car contests, which were very popular. Hundreds of models showed up at the hobby shops..

1957 I got the local full size custom car shows to include a model car contest in their shows. Before long it spread from San Diego into the Los Angeles car shows as well.

Meanwhile, I had become interested in the GM sponsored Fisher Body Craftsman Guild.

GM ran these contests starting in 1930. The objective was to recruit young men to build the models, then send the winners to design schools and later recruit them to style cars at GM. I got very interested and learned about how to scratch build a model car from wood. Their booklets and instructions prepared me for my later job at Revell, Aurora, and other companies.

I kept buying and building most of the model kits that Revell produced. Cars, ships, boats, and aircraft. I built and customized the WW 2 aircraft carriers into modern carriers with canted decks.

About this time my father told me “You should quit spending ALL your money on model kits!

It will never amount to anything and it was a waste of my time and money”

1958 and 1959 I continued building kits and entering and sponsoring model car contests.

Eventually, with the financial help of a company that sponsored the local custom car shows (read full size cars) I founded the American Model Car Association. Over a year or two it culminated with the first national mail in plastic model car contest in Los Angeles at the Trident car show at the Sports Arena exhibition center.

During all of this I wrote AMT to see if they would provide some of their new 23 Ford Model T and ‘32 Ford Hot Rod kits. I was surprised when they sent some prizes for my model contests.

My father was in the airline business (helped found PSA), and I could fly on the airline with my pass. Since Revell was in Los Angeles, not far from the airport, I called Revell, spoke to Henry Blankfort, Vice President of Public Relations. He said come to see him. I carefully packed a few of my contest winners and jumped on a flight from San Diego to Los Angeles. I took a taxi to Revell, located in Venice, California and met with mister Blankfort and talked to him about Revell providing some kits for my contests. He was excited about doing that and had his assistant give me the $1.298 tour of the factory. Afterwards he marveled at my models and gave me a bunch of kits to build... with the instructions to build them and later show them to him.

Over the next couple of years 1959-1960 I continued building and running model shows.

In the background, Rod and Custom Magazine started to show an interest in model cars.

Since they were within range of my free airplane flights, I decided to take some models to Hollywood to show them. The current editor, Spence Murray, who I had previously met was no longer there, having been replaced by Bill Neumann. We met, I showed him a couple of models and he asked me if I would write a model car column for Rod and a Custom Magazine. I was floored, but said yes!

At the January 1961 Winternationals Drag Races and car show I entered my AMT ‘40 Ford coupe, named “Carnation”and took first place.

The president of AMT, George Toteff, was at the AMT booth. I met and talked with him for about twenty minutes, suggesting Model kits they should build. It was cool meeting him. A month later I ran into George Barris at a show. He told me that I should have kept my mouth shut with Toteff, because Toteff was trying to hire me to work at AMT designing kits! I might have been the Kat from AMT!

I continued to meet with Henry Blankfort at Revell, and went to see him in March of 1961. I took him a Revell HO 1/87th scale Plymouth station wagon I had customized. It was pearl white, with opening doors, opening rear hatch, custom rims and tires, opening hood with a scratch built 1/87th scale engine. He loved it and kept it on his desk. As we finished up our fun discussion he said there was someone he wanted me to meet.

He took me downstairs to the Vice President's office. I got very nervous! He took me in and introduced me to Royce Glaser, the Vice President of R&D and co owner of Revell.

Henry had me get out my models for her to see then left. She closed the door and started asking me a lot of questions. Finally she pulled her chair close to the desk, leaned over and said “ How would you like to work here?”

My knees were shaking hard and I needed a drink of water as my mouth suddenly went dry.

I was like, this isn’t happening. I was just eighteen and not even a year out of high school when I took a deep breath and said YES!

She hired me to build prototype models for presentation to management. I almost didn’t need an airplane to fly home on that day.

When I got to the airport in San Diego my father picked me up. On the drive home I told him about what a waste building all those models had been!

He took me downstairs to the Vice President's office. I got very nervous! He took me in and introduced me to Royce Glaser, the Vice President of R&D and co owner of Revell.

Henry had me get out my models for her to see then left. She closed the door and started asking me a lot of questions. Finally she pulled her chair close to the desk, leaned over and said “ How would you like to work here?”

My knees were shaking hard and I needed a drink of water as my mouth suddenly went dry.

I was like, this isn’t happening. I was just eighteen and not even a year out of high school when I took a deep breath and said YES!

She hired me to build prototype models for presentation to management. I almost didn’t need an airplane to fly home on that day.

When I got to the airport in San Diego my father picked me up. On the drive home I told him about what a waste building all those models had been!