astro
March 16, 2014, 3:46am
1
I was reading a can of an old comic and happened on this page . I wondered whatever became of that prototype and googled it and of course someone had wondered before me and had discovered this.
I spoke to a man by the name of Howard Reider. Howard was the man who brought this idea to life. In 1967, he was the PR & Marketing Manager for Revell. He was very sorry, but had zero information on who won the prize. His best suggestion would be to look in local papers in Oregon or possibly Boys Life Magazine archives as the prize was donated by a winner to a local museum. Possibly, the museum in Oregon has a file on this and the boy that won.
To confirm for all, this was not a model. This was an actual replica that was produced by McDonald Douglas. The capsule had to be shipped via railroad direct to the museum. The prize was awarded via a sweepstakes type entry, in order to win; the winner had to agree that they would donate to a local museum for two reasons, (1) So that others may enjoy and (2) Because it had to be shipped via railroad direct to the donation site.
A little more trivia for you, the cost of building this kit was $5,000. In 1967 $5,000 was unheard for any type of prize. Plus the additional model kits that the kid won. At least the kid got to keep all the model kits as he watched his beloved capsule given away. There were numerous glitches along the way in production. At the last minute McDonald Douglas said they would not provide the capsule. However, after seeing all the press etc, they some how found a way to complete the project and deliver to the museum.
Check out the size of that thing in the pic linked. Can you imagine getting that as a prize?!
WotNot
March 16, 2014, 9:19am
2
The name of the winner’s also been found.
The answer is found in a contemporary issue of Boy’s Life magazine, which details that Boy Scout Robbie Alen Hanshaw, 13 years old, of Portland, Oregon, won the contest and donated the replica to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.
And he didn’t just win the capsule:
Not only did Robbie win the right to donate the replica, but he received over 200 Revell model kits plus five years’ worth of free Baskin Robbins ice cream! Wow, that is quite a prize for a 13 year old! The museum also gave him a lifetime membership.