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: Fine. Ex-display model in fine condition. Complete with original grey and white outer box and explanatory booklet. The outer box has minor shelf-wear.

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 its 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 scene from the early pages of Tintin en Amérique. Tintin has narrowly escaped another attempt on his life and holds his attacker at gunpoint while waiting for the police. Two supposed policemen arrive to take charge of the prisoner, but Tintin does not yet realise that the men are themselves accomplices of the gangsters.

Believing them to be genuine officers, Tintin accompanies the men in their car to complete what he is told are the necessary formalities. The apparently official journey therefore becomes another carefully prepared trap, typical of the rapid succession of dangers Tintin faces upon his arrival in Chicago.

The model was issued with a richly illustrated explanatory booklet in French and English, containing information about the vehicle, its appearance within the story and the development of the model itself. The large 1/24 format allows the passengers, bodywork and details of the scene to be appreciated particularly well.

This example has previously been displayed but remains in fine condition. It retains its original clear presentation case, grey and white outer box and explanatory booklet. The outer box has minor shelf-wear, consistent with storage and handling.

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, with minor shelf-wear
Documentation: Original illustrated explanatory booklet in French and English
Condition: Fine; ex-display
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.

In the episode represented by this model, Tintin has survived another attempted attack and succeeds in overpowering his assailant. He waits for the authorities, apparently believing that the immediate danger has passed.

Two men arrive who appear to be policemen and take custody of the criminal. In reality, they are members of the same criminal organisation. Tintin unsuspectingly accompanies them in their car, believing he is travelling to the police station to complete routine formalities.

It is a characteristic early Tintin sequence: apparent safety is immediately revealed as another trap, and a seemingly ordinary motor car becomes an integral part of the gangsters’ deception.

Tintin and the Chicago Gangsters

Chicago provides the principal setting for the first part of Tintin en Amérique, and Hergé fills the city with gangsters, armed criminals, corrupt organisations and elaborate attempts to remove Tintin.

The adventure draws heavily upon the European image of Prohibition-era America. Gang warfare, illegal alcohol, enormous American cars and urban violence provide an instantly recognisable background to Tintin’s arrival.

Hergé even incorporates Al Capone into the story, making the notorious Chicago gangster one of the comparatively few real contemporary individuals to appear directly in a Tintin adventure.

Against this background, the green gangsters’ car is particularly appropriate. Its occupants appear outwardly respectable and even official, but the car is being used to carry Tintin directly into another criminal trap.

Tintin en Amérique: A Brief Account

Tintin en Amérique was Hergé’s third Tintin adventure and was originally serialised in the early 1930s.

After his earlier adventures in the Soviet Union and the Congo, Tintin travels to the United States and immediately becomes embroiled in the criminal world of Chicago.

The album is notable for its extraordinary pace. Kidnappings, shootings, car chases, railway journeys and narrow escapes follow one another rapidly. Automobiles consequently play an especially important role in maintaining the speed of the narrative.

The story also reflects Hergé’s fascination with contemporary America. Skyscrapers, large automobiles, industrial development and organised crime contribute to an exaggerated but visually powerful portrait of the United States as it was imagined from Europe during the inter-war period.

Hergé and the Motor Car

Cars are already central to Hergé’s storytelling in the earliest Tintin adventures.

At this stage of his career, vehicles were frequently used primarily for movement and action rather than the highly researched mechanical realism that characterised his later albums. Nevertheless, individual cars are often distinctive enough to become memorable elements of particular scenes.

The gangsters’ car is an excellent example. Its substantial enclosed body, contrasting dark wings and green paintwork give it immediate visual presence, while the number of figures inside turns the model into a complete narrative scene.

At 1/24 scale, these qualities are especially evident. Rather than simply representing an anonymous period automobile, the Moulinsart model recreates the precise situation from the album, including Tintin and the criminals masquerading as policemen.

The 1/24 Moulinsart Model

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

The model was supplied on a display plinth with a printed monochrome backdrop and protected by a clear presentation case. An illustrated bilingual booklet accompanied the issue, providing further information about the scene and the production of the model.

The larger format is especially effective for a four-door saloon carrying several figures. The passengers can be viewed clearly through the windows, while the high roofline, contrasting wings and period bodywork give the vehicle substantial display presence.

For collectors of Tintin vehicles or material relating specifically to Tintin en Amérique, reference 29926 represents one of the album’s characteristic gangster scenes in three-dimensional form.

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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.