Even when you could tell it was a model, there was a certain charm to it

You can tell they were models, but the attention to detail is amazing!

Guys, you let me sit here in front of my pc like a 8 year old boy.. thanks for that!!

@gn0st1c

3 жыл бұрын

oh my god! my thoughts exactly! :)

I always found the models painfully obvious as a kid. The only time I thought it worked was with that amazing jump over the prison wall in Brother's Keeper, which really did look and land almost like a real car.

@Samuel-gc6js

3 жыл бұрын

The jump into the hotel room in a good knights work was probably the best

@wvhillbille9458

3 жыл бұрын

Same here

@karr203

3 жыл бұрын

Yes that jump over the prison wall was one of the best miniature jumps

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

@@Samuel-gc6js That hotel room jump was one of the "better" uses of the miniature model.

@Longlostpuss

3 жыл бұрын

The landing was a real car though wasn't it? I'm sure it was, that was an actual landing scene, but I assume the incline on the jump was minor. The initial wall jump was clearly not the real car, obviously,

Just timeless I loved watching it when I was a kid . And loved watching now at 49 years old. 👍

I would give up every single knight rider collection I ever own just to own a piece of history like those miniature K.I.T.T. models.

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

There were only a handful of them that survived and when Jack passed there were a couple of bodies in the shop but not enough parts to make a complete one. The last one he allowed out of his shop went to me and it was very expensive. And it was used in "Goliath Returns" for sure... and he couldn't say where else

Some scenes were obvious that they were toys but I would've never noticed that the Chevy jumping scene was one of them :o

@blaqueaces

3 жыл бұрын

I was definitely blown by the chevy seen and the Goliath episode.

@PNWJMc

3 жыл бұрын

The one that I still remember all these years later was the water one where KITT becomes a boat or something. Don't remember the reasons why just remember that it was very clearly a model. Still loved the show though.

@procta2343

3 жыл бұрын

I never knew the chevy jump was a Miniature, I know the Goliath crash with KITT was a mixture, from what i watched in the doc.

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

@@PNWJMc Return to Cadiz.

@kitt28

3 жыл бұрын

thats return to Cadiz, April was testing a new function for KITT, at the end April says, "im pulling your water wings" you lucky you didnt sink, you both lucky, Anyways Rebecca Holden told me that was her favorite episode.

I was in my teens building model cars including the Knight Rider 1/25 scale model. I couldn't believe the poor attention to detail that the ones on TV had compared to the one I put together. Loved how the car would bounce when it hit the ground, the hubcaps were kinda flat instead of convex, the paint job was a low gloss finish, and for some reason the background tended to look like a cloudy day. They should've considered an episode going up against Godzilla lol!

I always watched Knight Rider with my dad. We used to laugh at the miniatures but the show was good and we didn't care. I'm glad the mini's are being preserved. 👍👍

That first shot of KITT skiing on 2 wheels is just awesome! They don't make shows like this anymore

Knight Rider was one of the few shows that really did a fantastic job with all of the driving sequences. David Hasselhoff as Micheal Knight was always shown in a moving car as opposed to green screen effects. With that being said, the miniature work was executed very well. I don’t know of any show that went through the same painstaking lengths to give the illusion that KITT was doing all of those fantastic things. Knight Rider was just an all around great show.

I never liked the miniatures and they were painfully obvious, especially in Ring of Fire, but I never noticed the used miniatures in K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R., despite I caught the falling K.I.T.T. in that scene the first time watching it (not even 10 years old yet at that time) 😅 so K.I.T.T. vs. K.A.R.R. would get 5 stars from me 😄

@bandittweintraub

2 жыл бұрын

Not many people were. The cast of "Dukes" despised them

@kitsunegiblaze8022

2 жыл бұрын

I had no idea that the shot of KITT and KARR flying into each other was shot in miniature. But the acid scene in Junkyard Dog??? Blatantly obvious. You even saw the red Knight 2000 lettering that was common on the Shifter Toy and the Talking Kenner KITT toy....

@mbob4337

Жыл бұрын

@@kitsunegiblaze8022 Yeah. Any time water was involved. It was gonna be noticable.

My grandfather used to own a truck wash and I remember him taking me when I was young to see a tractor trailer that they just washed and it had had fullsize and Mini K.I.T.T. vehicles in the trailer. It was one of the coolest things I remember seeing at my grandfather's truck wash.

You can always tell the real stunts from the miniatures ones. You mentioned The Dukes and I remembered John Schneider saying they tried using models, but the fans started complaining and the audience share decreased. Truth is you can always tell. Even on big screen movies.

@cheezst8ke

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. they used minatures for the car stunts on Dukes of Hazzard and viewers caught on to it and viewership started to go down.

The episode of KITT being destroyed by the toxic sludge is so obviously a miniature shot!

@Retro6502

3 жыл бұрын

So is the one where KITT drives out over the water to catch up with a boat 😂

@andrismajors8171

2 жыл бұрын

Yes,the shot are miniature. Stunt jump with KITT in Custom K.I.T.T. chasing cowboy guy in long limousine are miniature to. Turbo boost on water with KITT in tunnel was miniature.

I know that a lot of people have great disdain for the miniatures but back during the original air most people couldn't tell watching on a small low quality CRT TV. Heck, some people still had tiny B&W TVs back then. The studio used miniatures sometimes due to the crazy feats that the "industrictible" KITT was called to do, but mostly it was a cost saving meaure. They want to make as much money as they possibly can and spend as little as possible doing it. I don't remember ever noticing the miniatures when I was a kid during the 1982-1986 air. But when KR came back on TV in 1994/1995 I could immediately spot almost all the miniatures but by then I had a bigger/better CRT TV and had shot both real car and toy/miniature stunts. There was one KR jump that I had to watch twice before determining it was a miniature - that jail break jump when it lands nose first after flying over the wall. This was a great video! I love seeing this stuff!

@SparrowNoblePoland

2 жыл бұрын

Oh no, they could. Those were one of the worst miniatures ever made. Amateurs do a better job than these guys did, but then again Hollywood is worldwide infamous for lazyness.

Very very cool stuff :) The statement about fooling ten year olds made me laugh :D I was 9 - 11 years old in the original run here in Finland, altough they didn't show every episode here for some reason in the 80's. The original "main" run ended in August 1986, but they aired 4 additional episodes in summer 1987, was 12 at the time. I recall noticing some model scenes, for example in Junk Yard Dog, when KITT goes under the mudpit and the scanner is quite obvious model. White Line Warriors model scene was very well done, I don't recall noticing it at the time.

They are very good at what they do because I never even knew they used miniatures.

@djbadass1492

3 жыл бұрын

I actually feel better at 56 years of age knowing now minitures were used cause i was 19 when the showed aired and didnt miss a one kitt and karr favorite sadest is when kit pickedup by fork lift an dumped in acid tank

"You would never even know it was shot in miniature"? You've got to be kidding me. There are no praises to be sung here. I was 7 to 10 years old watching this and even at that age I thought the models, fake background and the way the cars "bounced" off the ground looked horrible (because it does).

@bjoernaltmann

2 жыл бұрын

The classic Chevys look really good

@Neddy540

2 жыл бұрын

5 yr old me had no idea

Finally!! I always wanted to see those models outside of the show's stunts!! TY TY TY!!!

They really did some amazing work. I always like KITT jumping over the helicopter. Never gave it a thought it was a miniature because the stunt was so good.

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

I wouldnt be surprised if many of the helicopters are models also used in Airwolf.

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

It was obvious it was a miniature don't let your fanboyism in the way.

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

@@ark9515 only if you cared to look for it. Honestly I didn't until I started looking for details with a thought to make my own KITT.

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

@@Spokavriel I spotted it on my brother's old taped VHS copies. How could you not! You need a keen eye that is all.

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

@@Spokavriel His company did build the Airwolf model as well.

Two errors I kept catching watching it again as an adult, is how many of the models would fly apart on a ramp jump (assuming those were models), and most of the single scenes of the life sized Kitt having tow bars clearly protruding from the front.

@knytrydr73

3 жыл бұрын

It's funny. The model stunts never bothered me because even back then I understood that it had to be expensive to constantly wreck cars for stunts. But that damn tow bar always bothered me. LOL

After watching one of your previous videos, I subbed and started watching this one. I am only a few minutes in and I paused, opened KZread in another tab, searched Sessums & Slagle Productions, and without even watching a video of theirs I subbed to them too. I think we can say your videos are doing what you hoped they would. Helping people really appreciate the skills and work that has gone into making our fondest childhood memories. Thanks from a 55 year old British guy.

Having recently gone down a rabbit hole of revisiting the series the models are pretty apparent. But it’s charming but easy to spot, mainly because the paint on the KITT models wasn’t as glossy as the real one.

From our screens to ur back yard is sooo cool!

Funny thing is that KITT miniatures of today such as those from Hot Wheels, Diamond Select or even Jada looks better than the ones they made for the show back then which the show could've used if they existed back then lol...

It struck me as a child back then that they used model cars for stunts, I would have loved to have had one of those as a toy...

@MrZodac

3 жыл бұрын

No. Please show Goliath first as a miniature. Just a joke. 😀

Thank you for making this video. It's fun to see some of the miniatures up close!

I appreciate videos like this,and I also understand that certain Hollywood productions like this one had budgets,I recall hearing that an episode of Knight Rider cost 1million+ dollars to make/produce...NBC made millions off of this show,but a full season ran them 22-24million each year. Imagine,having a hit show generating millions(100-200+)but you bulk and complain that you have to spend 1million+ to make it...so lavish budget results in great visual effects,limited budget...you get quite decent effects for what's paid for. These people did very well with their miniatures,considering working with a limited budget.

@crgray1979

3 жыл бұрын

Remember NBC canceled knight rider because of costs

@franciscoriley3855

3 жыл бұрын

True,but Knight Rider was a bonafide hit,it could've went for another season,that show actually changed NBCs fortune,cause at the time shows against "Dallas"didn't last.This one did.

Man, i always wanted to see how these miniature cars of Kitt looked like espacial because in the series you did not get every detail of the miniature it self and thanks to you guys for the first time i got to study the model and compare ih to the real lifesize car... the look great but the left very much of the detail out! Great videos 👍🏻

As a young boy, I was aware that many of the stunts were miniatures, some done better than others. I was always more interested in the scale which I never knew.

Pontiac: quit saying Trans Am, everybody wants to buy one. Present Day: Pontiac is no more.

@procta2343

3 жыл бұрын

I think that was down to General Motors pulling the plug on Pontiac. What made me laugh was when they did the reboot, Pontiac was still around, so they could have used the newest model at the time. Rather than a ford mustang.

@_WHEELMAN_

3 жыл бұрын

@@procta2343 yes...it was. But it’s strange when you have any company say “please don’t name our product, too many people want it”. Obviously, you couldn’t buy a K.I.T.T. so that may have been why. They stopped making the Trans Am and Camaro in 2002, so they didn’t have an obvious choice in a Pontiac in ‘08. It’s hard to recreate the original, so they try to separate it somehow and the car is the usual choice, I’m sure the studio has a lot to do with that. I just know that any show with a Trans Am in it is worth watching.

@rickr442

3 жыл бұрын

I understand that Pontiac offered their Banshee concept car but it was a one-off with a prototype motor and very small. DH would've needed one for each foot. The Stealth was a decent stand-in. I was at Jays shop when they arrived, 22 and 26 miles, he had the ends cut off that same evening. The final product resembled the Banshee to the extent that GMs attorneys sent a letter regarding design infringement. I called in a favor, did a product placement deal on the custom wheels, the guy who made them was a startup, a former Boyds employee, and apparently too dumb to use the exposure of 10s of millions of views as promotion. What an ass...

@jamesnoble8205

3 жыл бұрын

@@_WHEELMAN_ Dealerships were complaining too many dummies were coming in and asking for a KITT style Firebird

I would love to see the warehouse where these models were stored. The skill to make them is pretty incredible! In the 80's, model maker Monogram made a 1/8 scale Iroc Z. It looks like it may have been the starting point for some of the Kitt models. At 2:59 you can see what looks like the outline of a Iroc or Z-28 emblem on the ground effect under the fender, and at 6:47 the Camaro's dash and steering wheel. Honestly, I enjoy looking at the models almost as much as the real car. Just amazing skill, and all made by hand. No 3D printing! Great video and look forward to seeing more!

@thebandit7408

3 жыл бұрын

They did use the 1/8 camaro and barely modified it and they used the wheels off the 80 turbo t/a 1/8

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

@@thebandit7408 actually no... the wheels were custom made to resemble the turbo cast wheels unique to the 82 Trans Am. And there was quite a bit of modifying of the body of that Camaro model to make it look like KITT

@thebandit7408

2 жыл бұрын

@@scottedmondson1510 um no and you can even find a interview with that guy or the guy that bought his enventory and they stated he used the turbo whls off the 80 turbo t/a 1/8 model and added a flat cap on them. So yes they did

@DS-fo4ed

Жыл бұрын

Spot on man, that’s exactly what I thought 35 years ago. The front fenders have been modified from Camaro to firebird and if you look carefully you can see the change in the angle. They could have done a better job but it probably wasn’t necessary with the average audience member

@thebandit7408

Жыл бұрын

@@DS-fo4ed the front fenders were not modified that's why the nose looked so bulky. They only modified the front bumper,hood and rear tail light section

After jumping the shark we had kitt jumping the shevies!!! XD I remember the episodes with those miniatures work,reminded allot those classic gerry anderson't productions in thunderbirds etc! The wheels & other parts of those miniatures looked that wasn't from an original car,with those bolts on each wheel!

The most heart sinking feeling ever as a 13 year old was when Michael pressed the turbo boost button, and a miniature was jumped. Turbo boosts were the one reason we all watched but were too often let down. The “fake” stunts only got more outrageous with time. The iconic episodes with “ true” turbo boosts are the ones we all remember

@imeditswhatidoakaedthomas6292

Жыл бұрын

There is one episode where KITT was driving himself and turbo boosted over a car, yet they showed Michael’s finger pushing the button. Lol.

This channel should make "The Hoff" happy to see. I watched this when the series was new (and over again many times later) and have an original Knight Rider lunch box on top of my fridge. Michael Knight magnets hold my daughters ever changing daily art work right below it.

Watching the original, analog, over-the-air broadcasts, miniatures were passable. But watching the DVD collection (as I have - dozens of times), the miniatures are easy to spot. Still, I never noticed the '56 and '57 Chevy cars were mini. Now I'll have to watch yet again. BTW the song was "Tumblin' down" (a cover version). But you knew that.👍👍

6:51 Kitt: Michael, there's a leaf the size of my front tire! Great video! Loved the show, live these behind the scenes videos too!

I find replicas of things fascinating. I have been seeing replicas of arcade games. In this day and age, the electronics can be made to work exactly like an arcade game, which could not be done back in the 80s with electronics smaller than a full-sized machine.

The real turbo boosts were so much more satisfying, but the miniature work was really cool. I always wondered what happened to these. Great video guys!!!

I remember watching an episode of the Dukes of Hazard as a kid and watching the General Lee jump over an entire barn and just feeling like, "Whhhhaaaat?" Saw it again in the '90s on TNN before all the DVD sets were out, and immediately thought, "Nothing about that looks right. The physics are wrong. It doesn't feel real." That was the moment I really learned how extensively models had been used in these old shows. Seeing them on Dukes and Knight Rider is painfully obvious most of the time, even as a kid, even if you can't put your finger on why it doesn't look quite right. That said, those models are cool as hell.

Outside the episodes proper, I'd only seen pics of these cars before and not video, so thank you! And as someone working on a 1/9th scale model, I'm suddenly a lot less concerned about how good it'll look :D

I never knew I was watching a miniature. I just knew that sometimes, the car and the way it moved was strange. I was a dumb, oblivious kid, and thank god for that. Great video, guys - can't wait to see more on the miniatures in the future!

You can tell the miniature is a stunt car because of the round steering wheel.

@Juggernaut30

3 жыл бұрын

Maybe it`s the backup for the stunt car......it hat no roll bar.😂

The models provide me with such humour I wouldn’t change them for the world. I mean let’s be honest here; if you watched KR for its technical accuracy man you’d be disappointed 😀 only the other night I was watching an episode, can’t remember which, and the reflection of the camera and lighting rig was clear as day in the black shiny paint. I think KR was always filmed with a bit of tongue-in-cheek and the idea that only kids are watching. With that, I don’t know why the magazine says 10 year olds are the hardest to fool. Errr not really. Love your work. JKM 🇬🇧

Very cool info. I always wondered about these scale model cars used in the show.

1:58 : Tamiya „Sand Blaster 915 „ Tires from the epic „Rough Rider“ …👍👍👍 Greetings from Germany 👋👋

I never understood why a miniature was used just for when Kitt was spinning his wheels in some mud - they used a real stunt car for the rest. I'll give a 1\8th thumbs up for the video.

I was a grownup already during Knight Rider, and this is this 1st time hearing this. As always guys, Thanks for sharing for a Big Fan of Knight Rider and Your KZread Page.☺️

I say this as a fan since 1982, when six-year-old me was horrified when the mean blonde-haired lady shot Michael Long in the face. The miniature effects shots *don't* look realistic, but neither do full-scale jumps with a hollow-underside KITT, or a black sheet hiding KITT's hollow underside, or landings at crazily steep angles, or obviously concealed ramps, or droopy turn signal covers, or asymmetrical front seats, or -- worst of all -- upon landing from a jump, Michael Knight's hands leaving the wheel, and his eyes looking behind him as he yells, "WOOOOO!" - instead of driving a still fast-moving car! My imagination bridged, and still bridges, the gap between what my eyes see on the TV show and what my mind perceives. :-)

@shoestringscifi

3 жыл бұрын

And the lack of realism in a given shot does not diminish the decades of enjoyment that the series has provided to so many people.

If you know old model kits it’s interesting to see how certain aspects of these screen models were clearly inspired by the kits or perhaps even used a few parts. As a ten year old I could always tell when they used miniatures, however great the model dust, water splashes and fire are always the same size. Great insight into the models, very interesting.

I just found your channel. Probably because it's about scale model, which is what my channel is about. This was a great and fascinating video. I'm going to have to.pass it along to my viewers. Still today, K.I.T.T. Is a loved subject in our hobby. Being not only a fan of the show and 3rd gen GM F cars, back in the mid 80s. I was also the driver of a black 83 Trans Am. I built the MPC model of the car back then and still have it today. I featured it on my channel. Looks like you have a great channel. I would love to one day see your 2 on screen survivors. Keep up the videos.

This video alone made me a fan of knight rider

I loved the miniatures ! I thought they were great & I didn't care, I just enjoyed it!

And I think that the guys,that did the miniatures did a great job!

Over 30 years ago and this black car still gets my interest.

Yeah I noticed this.... knightrider production crew using "screen miniatures" especially in the episode of "junk yard dog!!" It's a big car kitt when it first hits the acid pool.....then the last scene where u just see the red zoom zoom light and nothing else.....u can tell it's a miniature car!! .. I'm glad they made this.... because I thought I was the only one in the world who noticed. 😃😄😆

Haven't watched it since I was a child. I never noticed the miniatures then..

Junk Yard Dog was probably the worst and most painfully obvious miniature, sinking into the pit. But sinking a full size vehicle into water would ruin the vehicle and the electrical system. Of course the most ridiculous scene is pulling the full size vehicle out of the 'toxic waste' (water) and everything destroyed on the vehicle except for the tires. I bet they stripped the vehicle down to the frame so it would not be damaged by the water and then re-install everything afterwards to return it to a working vehicle.

Uncle Jack was so passionate with his work in film and TV. His first love was always the rail tho. Should do some in depth videos for his films that showed trains being used in scenes like speed and broken arrow.

@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial

3 жыл бұрын

That would certainly be fantastic! He was your uncle? Email us at knightriderhistorians@gmail.com if you would want to help us do a proper documentary on his entire career!

@markieldavis1042

3 жыл бұрын

I have a question. Is the K.I.T.T miniatures made from plastic or foam?

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

@@markieldavis1042 a polymer of some sort. I asked him and he wouldn't tell me. Just for context I own the last KITT flinger he let out of his shop before he passed

I think it's great how you guys have taken the time, and attention to detail to reveal all of these things about Knight Rider! I'm sure it's been said before, thank you from the bottom of this soon to be 46 yr old heart! I look forward every week to your videos!

What a cool backstory behind these miniatures! Growing up I always thought the scenes in K.I.T.T. vs K.A.R.R. and Goliath Returns going over the cliff was real too. Some stood out more than others. I'm just going to pretend they were all real🤣 Seriously though thanks for this! Love learning all about the behind the scenes stuff. You guys do great work!

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

I own the car that was on the parachute in "Goliath Returns"

A very interesting video.I don't want to sound negative in my remarks but this confirms something that I suspected .These Kitts may have been fashioned from or made using the 1/8 scale monogram z28 camaro model.The lack of flip up headlight lines,no air extractors on the fenders and worse of all the wrap around the entire body ground effects.They looked good on the z28 but only made the trans am look bulky.it even looks like the z28 emblem is on the ground effect right behind the front wheels.by contrast there is a model builder on you tube who took the1/8 scale monogram z28 and built an accurate Kitts out of it.he made pmd seats added air extractors ect.he even removed the wrap around ground effects and added the small "stone guards" on the quarter panel bottoms which are not "stone guards" but are correctly called the trans am rear ground effects.John Schinella of the. Pontiac design team went to great effort to not only make the trans am look different than it's Chevy cousin but those pieces help the trans am lower drag CD numbers.having said I am still looking forward to future videos on these miniatures.

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

They did have the air extractors on the front fenders

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

You also have to remember these were never meant to be scrutinized they were made to be seen at a distance usually in a time where television was far from high definition. It would have been a waste of time to do all that work when no one would notice it

It’s amazing how you can tell the difference from the real cars to the model cars

I never spotted the semi, but did spot many miniatures, the jump in the pilot, junk yard sinking, sky knight landing and so on. Love to know where the semi was used.

@karr203

3 жыл бұрын

Ten wheel trouble where Kitt is riding shotgun with the semi and has to turbo boost through the cement truck to clear a path for the Flag semi and other trucks. Very cool scene of the Flag semi busting through the cement truck. Also in Kitt vs Karr when Karr jumps through the back of the semi

Wow ! Back then I NEVER could tell it was a mini model, of course I was young but even as I got older I didn’t even know this...but now it makes sense because in some scenes the car didn’t actually look real lol

As a kid I never really took notice of the jump detail but looking back as an adult who has the entire Knight rider series on DVD and watching the DVD with just the stunts I notice a lot of fake scenes or stunt cars . ie Jumps where you see the body rippling as it lands or where the car actually gets dented . You'll also notice that some of the jumps where it would fully face plant gets cut short. I certainly noticed the under body in at least 1 shot where you could tell it was a model car with fixed axles.

Notice some of them have the sideskirt package which KITT never had. I assume those models were made using commercially available toy Trans Am or Camaro models available off the shelf and they just figured the skirts would not be noticed in the quick shots.

@popretro1

3 жыл бұрын

Good catch! I also noticed the interior of the one they showed in panoramic closeups had the stock Firebird dash and interior. (The round steering wheel was the obvious tip-off, which made me look at it closer.)

@brich2929

3 жыл бұрын

@@popretro1 you mean like the one at the end of this video?

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

@@popretro1 all these miniatures had the Camaro interior and most of them didn't have a steering wheel because it wasn't necessary. The interior in this car is most likely not original to the model as they wouldn't have bothered to paint it

@popretro1

2 жыл бұрын

@@scottedmondson1510 Thanks Scott - great info!

I remember seeing KITT drive up a gravel road and thinking:"Something's off here.... It's an RC MODEL!!!"

Interesting stuff I always thought they only used mini cars in the final season never knew it was from season 2 on

A lot of those look like the 1/8 scale Camaro monogram model kits that have a load of filler slapped over the headlights to make them look like a Firebird. There is now an incredibly detailed 1/8 scale kitt replica made by degostini. Looks amazing, these old tv cars look like tonka trucks in comparison

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

These were based on the monogram Camaro but they contain no filler. A model was modified and a buck was created and multiple models were molded out of a polymer base of some sort. For the time and for the purpose they were quite good and did their job

Good story. I was a big Knight Rider fan and even owned a 82 Trans Am from 85 to 89. The models were noticeably wrong. The black hubcaps are the wrong shape. No t tops. The hood bulge is wrong. And the tail fin is not wide enough. Not to mention that the paint should be glossy not dulled down.

I always thought as a kid, if there would be “toys”. Especially in the Junk Yard Dog episode.

Sessums got major work in the 80's. Dukes end of 6th season, and the final season made use of the miniatures. As chargers were probably getting more expensive, or harder to come by. Plus competition from Knight Rider.

I want those 2 Chevy models so badly 😛

They do good work but we all accepted the corny model stunts back then, they weren’t fooling many people

Who owns that throw model? AHH! Nice video!

@KnightRiderHistoriansOfficial

3 жыл бұрын

;)

1:19 photo of 1955 KITT on Knight Rider 2000.

@johnkramer7161

3 жыл бұрын

No, the Chevy used in KR 2000 was a '57.

@marksalo2544

3 жыл бұрын

@@johnkramer7161 yes.

Thank you for such a fascinating video. I was always curious about the miniatures used on this show.

Great show back then

Doh, just noticed the day. Happy St. Patrick's Day and may the gift o gab never leave you tongue tied ;) It has helped you in many videos so far and may it bless you for many more to come.

I'd love to know what the miniatures looked like on an old TV, because seeing them on a big modern flatscreen is pretty funny now.

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

it is possible to find out if you still have a VCR and old TV. Run composite out from a Blu-Ray or DVDplayer into the VCR video input then a wire from its video out to the TV antenna in, Not Coax but a single wire so the quality gets lost a little. It wont be the exact same experience but should give you a similar view.

@KOttoTV

3 жыл бұрын

Courtney, for the first season - no plastic models - very believable for science fiction. $2,000,000 for KITT dash Electronics version one, TV Guide fact. As the seasons went on, the special effects became redundant but still enjoyable. I understood the financial limitations. I didn't guess the cars were models though. I thought the cars were pseudo KITTs made from other cars. Season four is the least believable in terms of special effects, now it makes sense. Thankfully this was not public back then. Watching on analog channel 2, which is so problematic due to radio wave effects at 54 to 60 MHz was interesting. Flaws were less noticable. And NBC being first with stereo sound made the show even better.

While their target audience of 10 year olds "couldn't be fooled" I wasn't. I knew because you can't take 1/8th flames. You cant fake miniature water effects. And hard as they tried the models did not have suspensions that could take a two ton car landing from a jump. Didnt take long for me to suss out that the wheels were not perfectly centered in the wheel arches. Or that the arches themselves had more of a Camaro cut than a Pontiac cut. Miniatures don't react the same way 1:1 cars do in extreme situations. I wasnt fooled. Did it stop me from watching? Hell no. I did wonder about how big their layout was or where they got to play in the dirt with such cool toys. I was in it for the story how a talking car and the One Man was gonna save the day! Still...the actors over at Dukes said that viewership took a hit when they started using models. Great video. I hope to see more of these "really cool toys".....

My guess is they converted 1/8 scale Monogram 1982 Z/28 Chevy Camaro model kits to look like Trans Ams. That would explain the body kits and some of the other details like the seats and dashes.

@pdennis93

3 жыл бұрын

Correct. There is a scene on dukes where they jump a car carrier with a Z28 on it and it's obvious it was the same model kit style converted for Knight Rider. Monogram never did a 1/8 firebird.

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

They used the 1/8 Camaro as a starting point because there was no trans am In 1/8... they created a buck of the modified body and cast reproductions off of it. I have pictures of that buck in my collection

If i remember correctly with the Dukes, they ran out of 1969 Chargers. So they re-used old jump and chase scenes. Likely this firm was asked to create new stunts with miniatures in the last couple of seasons

Back in the 80's ,I loved this ,I now look back and say to myself, I was fucking stupid.

Great models. Great video as well. Thanks

They worked on Airwolf as well. They did a great scene that I knew had to be fake because of the $$$ involved yet it looked very real and I wondered for a long time how they did it!

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

You must be talking about the one where Airwolf goes high up in the stratosphere or something (probably in Moffet's Ghost).

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

Even exiting the Lair was one of their model shots, they photographed the chimney mountain top its suppose to come out of and trimmed the print then lined it up and flew their model of AirWolf up behind that without the risk of hitting the main rotor trying to take off out of the actual chimneyway.

@fletchb

3 жыл бұрын

@@ark9515 No - I am talking about the time when Hawke, Dom and Nurse Susan did a reverse turbo out of the back of a C-130 to escape from their East German captors. That C-130 looked real!!

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

@@fletchb Oh yeah now I remember, for sure Airwolf looked like a model, the it bumped while exiting that C-130 gave it away.

@ark9515

3 жыл бұрын

@@Spokavriel Exiting the lair shots were probably the best done miniature shots. Probably of low key lighting.

There’s a 15 episode marathon of knight rider on the charge tv network this Sunday

For me the first season is my favorite, due to the lack of use of models and the little use of stock images. Although I must say that I prefer a thousand times a good model than the horrible CGI of now, especially in the "bad" continuations of "Knight Rider".

Thank you for very interesting I am from South Africa

These are awesome finds!

Lol, if only they had the perfect 1/8 K.I.T.T. made by De Agostini and on sale in Italy during these months, it's so perfect that if it was used in some of these scenes no one could have guessed that it was a model.

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

The buildup is dangerously heavy for the work they were putting the plastic models to. But in moments like where KARR blew up the detail debris would have been amazing.

@scottedmondson1510

2 жыл бұрын

It would have been too costly and a waste of material. These were thrown together fast and meant to be destroyed

@ilgwent8061

Жыл бұрын

@@scottedmondson1510 Oh come on... What's the whole price of the De Agostini K.I.T.T. when finally you got all the components? Around 1k $? Ok, it wouldn't have been cheap as those crappy Monogram models but for sure not expensive as real exemplars, and the visual result would have been practically the same as if you were watching an actual Trans-Am. These escamotage with crappy Monogram's Camaro transformed in Trans Am just ruined, at least partially, the show. But we're talking about a nowadays model wich was not even possible to imagine in its perfection, back then.

IMPRESSIVE. Great attention to car details.What a superb talent. 🤘

i kinda want one of those mini versions. i would totally turn it into an rc.

As I'm currently re-watching the series on Blu-ray, some of the model shots were quite obvious, but I never noticed the Chevy models. 1 tiny bone to pick. "Evil K.I.T.T" really? Shouldn't it be K.A.R.R? Awesome video as usual.

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

Reading an article, they could have said KARR but it isnt what was printed.

@marksalo2544

3 жыл бұрын

It's Killer KITT with Berrio when Killer KITT says I ain't your pal to Michael on Season 4.

@Spokavriel

3 жыл бұрын

@@marksalo2544 The article was talking about the stunt where KARR blows up on impact with KITT

Wow finally a miniature discussion. Thank u for the discussion and footage.. Always wanted to know more about miniatures which I didn't mind. They had to use them for a lot of those stunts and may have prolonged the series

The throw car is that the one flipping over down the hill on the episode Speed Demon

At 4:57 you can see the KITT miniature falling back after crashing into KARR. This even made it into the actual scene.

Some scenes were obvious, but like the scene of White Line Warriors I couldn't tell. Same with KITT v KARR