Tintin 1/24 Model Car 29940 – La Custom de Sbrodj – Objectif Lune

Author: Hergé & Editions Moulinsart
Manufacturer: Editions Moulinsart / Tintinimaginatio
Format: 1/24 scale model car on display plinth with illustrated diorama and clear protective 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 Custom de Sbrodj, reference 29940, recreates the distinctive green American saloon seen in Hergé’s Objectif Lune (Destination Moon).

The model depicts the long, streamlined green car travelling through the dramatic mountainous landscape surrounding the secret Sbrodj Atomic Research Centre in Syldavia. The vehicle is occupied by figures from the sequence and is presented on its original display plinth beneath a clear protective case, against a striking monochrome mountain backdrop derived from Hergé’s artwork.

Produced by Editions Moulinsart as number 40 in the complete 71-model 1/24 Tintin vehicle collection, reference 29940 represents one of the large American automobiles used around the Sbrodj installation. Its broad body, sweeping post-war lines, generous passenger compartment, chrome detailing and matching green wheel treatment make it particularly effective at this larger modelling scale.

The car belongs to the extraordinary technological world of Objectif Lune, in which Tintin and Captain Haddock travel to Syldavia after being summoned by Professor Calculus. The enormous Sbrodj complex, its heavily controlled access roads, security arrangements and fleet of contemporary vehicles all help establish the atmosphere of a secret Cold War-era scientific establishment.

Hergé’s use of large American cars in the Sbrodj sequences is especially effective. Their modern styling reinforces the advanced technological character of the research centre and contrasts strongly with the mountainous Syldavian landscape through which they travel.

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

Reference: 29940
Collection number: 40
Scale: 1/24
Model: La Custom de Sbrodj
Album: Objectif Lune
Setting: Sbrodj Atomic Research Centre, Syldavia
Colour: Green / turquoise-green
Material: Resin, metal and plastic
Presentation: Display plinth with illustrated mountain diorama and clear protective case
Packaging: Original grey and white outer box, with minor shelf-wear
Documentation: Original explanatory booklet
Condition: Fine; ex-display
EAN: 2994000000000

La Custom de Sbrodj: A Brief Account

La Custom de Sbrodj belongs to the carefully controlled world surrounding the Sbrodj Atomic Research Centre, one of Hergé’s most ambitious fictional settings.

Tintin and Captain Haddock arrive in Syldavia expecting little more than an explanation from Professor Calculus. Instead, they discover that their friend has become a leading figure in a vast and highly secret scientific project devoted to the construction of a lunar rocket.

Before the rocket itself is fully revealed, Hergé gradually establishes the scale and secrecy of the operation through guarded roads, checkpoints, military personnel and official vehicles.

The large green Custom is part of this carefully constructed environment. It is not simply background transport but contributes to the sense that Sbrodj is a major state-controlled installation operating with considerable resources.

The Sbrodj Atomic Research Centre

Sbrodj is one of the most memorable locations in the Tintin series.

Situated in the mountains of Syldavia, the fictional centre combines atomic research, rocketry, military security and large-scale engineering. Hergé presents it as a modern scientific city isolated from ordinary civilian life.

Its roads, laboratories, control rooms and vehicles form an integrated visual environment. Even apparently secondary objects are carefully selected to reinforce the impression of technological sophistication.

The motor cars used by Sbrodj personnel are consequently significant. Large, contemporary and often American in appearance, they visually distinguish the centre from the traditional architecture and older vehicles encountered elsewhere in Syldavia.

The Custom represented by reference 29940 is a particularly strong example of this contrast.

Objectif Lune: A Brief Account

First published in album form in 1953, Objectif Lune is the first half of Hergé’s celebrated two-volume lunar adventure.

Professor Calculus summons Tintin and Captain Haddock to Syldavia, where he reveals that he has become centrally involved in the construction of a rocket intended to carry human beings to the Moon.

The story is remarkable for the degree of technical research underpinning it. Hergé and his collaborators studied contemporary rocketry, atomic science, aviation and engineering in order to make the fictional lunar project as convincing as possible.

The result predates the first crewed orbital flight by several years and the Apollo 11 Moon landing by sixteen years.

The vehicles around Sbrodj contribute to that realism. Rather than concentrating solely on the spectacular rocket, Hergé builds a complete technological infrastructure around it.

Hergé, Technology and Motor Cars

By the period of Objectif Lune, Hergé’s treatment of mechanical subjects had reached a high level of precision.

Cars, aircraft, scientific instruments and machinery were increasingly researched from contemporary sources before being integrated into the clean graphic language of ligne claire.

Motor cars could also communicate social and institutional information. A large, modern saloon immediately suggests official transport, financial resources and technological modernity.

The Sbrodj Custom performs precisely that function. Its broad post-war styling belongs visually to the same modern world as laboratories, control rooms and the Moon rocket itself.

Post-War American Styling

The model displays the characteristic design language of large post-war American saloons: a long bonnet, broad body, integrated wings, generous glazing and extensive chrome-effect detailing.

Cars of this type represented modernity and prosperity during the late 1940s and early 1950s, making the form particularly suitable for the scientifically advanced environment of Sbrodj.

Hergé understood the visual associations such vehicles carried. Their scale and polished appearance immediately distinguish them from modest European family cars or utilitarian military vehicles.

At 1/24 scale, these proportions give the model considerable presence. The long body and large passenger compartment make reference 29940 one of the more substantial saloons in the series.

The 1/24 Moulinsart Model

La Custom de Sbrodj was issued as number 40 in the structured 71-model Les Voitures de Tintin collection.

The model is presented on a dark display base with a monochrome mountain landscape behind it, recreating the Syldavian setting particularly effectively.

The large 1/24 format allows the body styling, windows, wheels, chrome detailing and occupants to be appreciated clearly. The result is less like a conventional model car and more like a small three-dimensional Tintin tableau.

It was originally supplied with its display plinth, clear protective case, explanatory booklet and grey and white outer cardboard packaging.

For collectors of Objectif Lune, Sbrodj-related material or the complete Tintin 1/24 vehicle series, reference 29940 is especially appealing because of its close association with one of Hergé’s most important technological settings.

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 individually handled, inspected and catalogued 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 reference, condition, packaging and accompanying documentation before being offered for sale.

We hold the complete 71-model Tintin 1/24 vehicle series, including unopened examples and carefully preserved ex-display models.

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 collectable objects for over thirty years. Hornseys was established in 1976 and continues to research and catalogue its stock individually from its gallery and bookshop in Ripon, North Yorkshire.