Tintin 1/24 Model Car 29926 – La Voiture des Gangsters – Tintin en Amérique

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Manufacturer: Editions Moulinsart / Tintinimaginatio
Format: 1/24 scale model car on display plinth with illustrated diorama and clear acetate case
Condition: Brand new and unopened. The model, display case and explanatory booklet remain in their original presentation packaging.

Description:

From the official Les Voitures de Tintin collection, this substantial 1/24 scale model of La Voiture des Gangsters, reference 29926, recreates the green car used by members of the Chicago criminal underworld in Hergé’s Tintin en Amérique (Tintin in America).

The model depicts the large green saloon with contrasting black wings, carrying Tintin and the men posing as police officers who are actually members of the Chicago gangsters’ organisation. It is presented on its original display plinth beneath a clear acetate case, against a monochrome cityscape derived from Hergé’s artwork.

Produced by Editions Moulinsart as number 26 in the 1/24 scale Tintin vehicle collection, the model recreates a specific sequence from the early pages of Tintin en Amérique.

Tintin has survived an attempt on his life and holds his attacker at gunpoint while waiting for the police. Two supposed officers arrive to take charge of the prisoner, but they are actually accomplices of the criminal. Unaware of the deception, Tintin follows them into their car to complete what he believes are routine police formalities.

The apparently official journey consequently becomes another of the elaborate traps organised by Chicago’s criminal underworld.

The model was issued with its display plinth, decorated clear case, grey and white outer cardboard box and a substantial explanatory booklet in French and English.

This example is brand new and unopened, with the model and accompanying booklet remaining in their original presentation packaging. This makes it a particularly desirable example for the collector seeking an unused specimen of reference 29926.

Reference: 29926
Scale: 1/24
Date: 2020–2021
Model: La Voiture des Gangsters
Album: Tintin en Amérique
Colour: Green with black wings
Material: Resin, metal and plastic
Presentation: Display plinth with illustrated diorama and clear acetate case
Packaging: Original grey and white outer box
Documentation: Original illustrated explanatory booklet in French and English
Condition: Brand new and unopened
EAN: 2992600000000

La Voiture des Gangsters: A Brief Account

The gangsters’ car appears during Tintin’s dangerous first encounters with organised crime in Chicago.

Tintin has barely arrived in America before the city’s criminal organisations identify him as a threat. Attempts are made almost immediately to intimidate, capture or kill him, establishing the frenetic pace which characterises the opening section of Tintin en Amérique.

During the episode represented here, Tintin has survived another attempt on his life and succeeds in overpowering his attacker.

Two men who appear to be policemen arrive and take charge of the prisoner. Their apparent authority reassures Tintin, who accompanies them in the car to carry out the supposed formalities.

The men are actually gangsters.

The scene is characteristic of Hergé’s early storytelling: one danger has apparently ended only for another to begin immediately, with Tintin repeatedly forced to improvise his escape.

Tintin and the Chicago Gangsters

Chicago dominates the opening part of Tintin en Amérique and is presented as a city controlled by organised crime.

Gangsters, illegal alcohol, firearms, kidnappings and automobiles form much of the visual vocabulary of the story. Tintin is repeatedly targeted because his presence threatens the criminal organisations operating throughout the city.

Hergé even incorporates Al Capone directly into the story, making him one of the relatively few genuine contemporary personalities to appear within the fictional Tintin universe.

The gangsters’ car consequently belongs directly to one of the album’s defining themes: the outward appearance of modern urban order concealing a criminal organisation capable of infiltrating apparently respectable institutions.

Tintin en Amérique: A Brief Account

Tintin en Amérique was the third full-length Tintin adventure and was created during the early 1930s.

The story sends Tintin to the United States, beginning in Chicago before moving across a highly stylised vision of America.

It is one of Hergé’s fastest-moving early works. Car journeys, chases, kidnappings, trains and escapes follow one another with extraordinary rapidity.

Automobiles are consequently central to the album. They provide transport, comedy, danger and much of the physical movement which drives the narrative.

Hergé and the Motor Car

Hergé’s fascination with motor vehicles was evident from the very beginning of The Adventures of Tintin.

Although the exhaustive mechanical research associated with later albums had not yet developed fully, cars were already among his favourite devices for generating movement.

The green gangsters’ car is particularly effective because its occupants give it a clear narrative identity. The model is not simply a representation of an inter-war saloon: it recreates a precise moment in which Tintin mistakenly places himself in the hands of his enemies.

The large 1/24 scale allows those figures to remain clearly visible and gives the vehicle considerably more visual presence than smaller-scale issues.

The 1/24 Moulinsart Model

La Voiture des Gangsters was issued as number 26 in the large-format Les Voitures de Tintin collection.

It was produced principally in resin and metal and presented on an illustrated display plinth beneath a transparent case.

The accompanying booklet was produced in French and English and provides contextual information concerning the vehicle, the album and the process of translating Hergé’s two-dimensional artwork into a three-dimensional collectors’ model.

The combination of several characters, distinctive green bodywork and the urban backdrop makes reference 29926 one of the more narrative-driven models associated with Tintin en Amérique.

Why Buy from Us?

At Hornseys, we are committed to offering collectible Tintin models, books and related objects that meet high standards of authenticity, condition and presentation. Every item is handled, inspected and authenticated in-house at our Ripon gallery.

Our Tintin collection is personally curated by Daniel Hornsey, whose interest in Hergé and The Adventures of Tintin extends back to childhood. Individual models are examined for condition, correct accessories, packaging and documentation before being offered for sale.

We wholly own all our stock. Postage is free within the UK, with tracked and insured worldwide shipping available. Every purchase is covered by our 14-day unconditional return guarantee.

Cataloguer: Daniel Hornsey

Daniel Hornsey has specialised in fine and rare books, maps, ephemera, artworks and collectors’ items for over thirty years. Hornseys was established in 1976 and, in its fiftieth year, continues to research and catalogue every item individually from its gallery and bookshop in Ripon, North Yorkshire.