Hawk Model Company’s “Satan’s Crate” plastic model from their Weird-Oh’s line.
After my introduction to the world of hotrods n’ monster models, I was pretty eager to do more of them. One of the first kits to catch my eye was “Satan’s Crate” from Hawk.
I mean, what’s not to love? This kit has skulls, bones, a wacked-out, improbable, coffin-jalopy, and Satan with bulging, veiny eyeballs. I was psyched to be able to pick the kit up for just under $20.
Of course, the price made more sense when it arrived. That’s when I discovered how small the model is in comparison to, say, King Kong’s Thronester.
This revelation let a lot of the air out of the project for me and effected how I felt about it throughout the build. After so much excitement and inspiration during the previous builds, I found myself just plodding through this one.
Kind of silly but there you are.
Modifications To The Kit
As I say above, I wasn’t all that inspired by the kit but I did add some of my own touches.
The instructions are rather vague on a few points, and the kit’s design isn’t the tightest I’ve seen, making the build a little hairy at times. This was particularly true of the steering column and wheel.
Satan’s hand is clearly sculpted gripping the wheel, yet the provided steering wheel is unbroken … and of a different thickness than the length sculpted into the hand. Plus the intended alignment of it is not at all that clear in the instructions. Do a search of the completed kit and see what I mean. There are all sorts of interpretations out there.
My own approach was influenced by my cutting the steering wheel exactly opposite of where I intended to. This “decision” drove me to replace the flimsy (and now far too short) steering column with one of my own devising: a short section of wantonly bent electrical wire. I feel it lends a subtle, almost Suessian air to the finished model.
Satan’s trident faced similar issues. The handle sculpted into the hand is larger than that of the provided implement. It is also points in a different angle than the provided slot. Easy to fix or obscure but still kind of disappointing.
The only other customizing I did to this kit was the addition of some clear plastic for the Crate’s windshield.
Satan’s Crate
Overall, I have to say I was underwhelmed by this kit. While the design is fun with lots of neat details, the kit itself is a little sloppy.
One of the best examples of this are the four bone ends included on the sprues. They’re meant to complete the bone axels on the Crate, yet the instructions x them out and leave them off the build entirely. Odd.
Also, for me, the smaller scale made it harder to work on. I was constantly afraid I was going to break or lose something.
Despite these gripes and whines, I DO like the end result and remain interested in both the Big Wheeler and Scuttle Bucket from this Hawk Model Company line. I hope they see eventual reissue.
