Classic Ads: "The Wildest, Way-Out Prize"

In all my years of reading and collecting comics, I've come across literally hundreds of contests and promotional sweepstakes offered by comic book advertisers. My interest in each contest would vary depending on how cool the prizes were...some of which definitely did look cool, while most didn't seem worth the hassle.

Recently, I came across a 1967 sweepstakes ad that...quite simply...featured the coolest prize in all of comic book history. Or was it the most bizarre? I can't decide.

But before I get to the prize itself, a little background. As anyone who's collected comics between the 1950's and the 1970's would know, plastic model kits were a big hit with boys of the Baby Boom generation. So much so, that model giant Revell was able to stage an annual sweepstakes with amazingly lucrative grand prizes, such as motorcycles, around-the-world trips, or...

A Full-Size Replica of a Gemini Spacecraft!

 

Since the ad's copy is a bit tough to read, here's the first paragraph in blue, followed by my own comments:

"First Prize...a Gemini Spacecraft! No put-on. This is for real--the wildest, way out prize ever awarded in any contest: a 19-foot prototype of the famed NASA spacecraft."

Nineteen feet? Where in the world would a kid keep a nineteen-foot NASA spacecraft prototype? The word "treehouse" comes to mind. 

"Your Gemini capsule is just like the original. There's a detachable hatch, equipment section, and retro-fire package. Accurate from the ground up!"

I'd love to find out more about that "retro-fire package".

"When you win Gemini you'll be at the airport when it arrives in a 'Flying Guppy' Aero Spacelines plane. Your name and picture will be in newspapers and magazines all over the country. How will it feel to present your spacecraft to your city for a park or museum? Famous, that's how."

Well, apparently not famous enough...since an exhaustive Google search for who the winner might have been came up with nothing. If any of you out there have any clue as to who won the Gemini spacecraft replica, PLEASE send me an article or photograph that gives us "The Rest of the Story" as old Paul Harvey might say. I'll definitely do a follow-up to this post if anything pops up.

Finally, as if a 19-foot spacecraft wasn't enough....

"There's more. As the grand prize winner, you'll receive a professional Vox 'Serenader' guitar--plus, every Revell Model Kit! Sounds great."

 

So, picture this: Sitting up in your Gemini Spacecraft treehouse, assembling Revell models...pausing only for the occasional wicked lick on your Vox Serenader.

Could life get any better?

Comments

[Pat Curley]

Now, that's a major award.

And I'd suspect it's made of that favored material of comic book advertisers of the 1960s: 200-lb fiberboard.

[Comic Coverage]

I dunno, Pat...that photo looks pretty authentic. I realize what you see isn't necessarily what you get when it comes to advertising, but I don't think this one was cardboard. I may be wrong, though....but that's why I'd love to find out what happened, who won, what it looked like, etc.

[Ian B]

Well, they're saying it's worthy of donation to a museum, so either they are waaaaaaaay overhyping a shoddy fibreboard replica, or they had one of NASA's engineering prototypes- which would certainly be a remarkable prize!

Maybe the best way to get an answer would be to email Revell themselves- http://www.revell.com/. I daresay somebody in their customer service department wouldn't mind spending a short while finding out what it was and what happened.

A 19 foot fibreboard kit would be a challenge in itself to design and construct for a single competition winner so I'm actually holding out a little hope that the world really was such a remarkable place in 1967 that kids could really win genuine NASA hardware :) If the thing was real, it presumably would have been some kind of astronaut training mock-up?

[Comic Coverage]

An excellent suggestion, Ian! I will send something off to Revell and hopefully I'll get a reply. I'll do an update post if I get some information.

[greyman24]

Just searched around and found some chatter on a model site, here, that said a youth in Oregon received the "life-sized model" and donated it to the local museum of science and industry (OMSI). Checking out OMSI's site, it doesn't say anything about it, but some travel mags do say they have a full-sized model of the Gemini Capsule (not mentioning how they got it).

[Mark Engblom]

Wow, thanks, grayman! At least we appear to know where it went...but I'm still holding out for a photo of the thing being delivered to the winner. I sent an email to Revell (per Ian's suggestion), so we'll see what comes of that.

By the way, grayman...how did you dig that up? I swear I used every possible word combination to find info on the Gemini Sweepstakes. Good work!

[Hube]

I'm still holding out for my life-size Avengers Mansion prize ... ;-)

[greyman24]

Thanks! Used some boolean soft shoe.

The string was:
revell "gemini capsule" contest -model

Just another example of how goofing off on Google instead of actually doing anything of value can help you do...nothing really of value...

[Pat Curley]

Looks like you were right, Mark. With Greyman24's info I was able to locate some photos of the capsule, which is indeed impressive:

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2R3J

[John Nowak]

That is awesome.

They build a lot of boilerplate full-sized reproductions of spacecraft so they can test things like "Can the pilot throw all the switches while wearing a space suit?" and other ergonomic questions. I'm amazed that they were actually able to give one away.

Of course, the subtleties of the wording makes me suspect that the winner didn't get title to the hardware; he just got to choose which museum or park got to display it.

[Steve]

Yes, the full scale model of the Gemini capsule went to Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR. This according to http://www.live555.com/misc/CapsuleLocations.html. But OMSI apparently redesigned its website recently and the page where they discussed this is missing. I've emailed the webmaster there asking about it.

But it wasn't one of those cardboard cutout capsules. I had one of those. This was the real thing -- and if I had one, the darned thing was going straight into my back yard. I couldn't figure out why Revell's ads said "imagine how proud you'll be donating it to your local science museum." I was thinking "science museum? are they outta their minds?"

[Sonic_Nurse]

I didn't even know Revell was still in business! Wow.

[johnginpbg]

I won second prize in this contest. The guitar sucked, but I did receive about 10 model kits, too. I was 12.

[Spaceflightengineer]

Uh, no it wasn't a "cardboard cutout" but real thing? Yuh-no. Hardly.
If indeed that somewhat half-assed thing at the Oregon Museum is the Revell giveaway Gemini, then it too certainly isn't the 3-section Gemini replica represented in the contest ads. Is what's at the museum better than nothing? If one likes low fidelity representations, sure. Nowdays if Revell showed up with what's at that museum on someone's doorstep versus what's in the ad, there'd be legal action taken, hands down.

BP