Toads or princesses, interesting vintage scratchbuilts. Options

[dgersh]

Wow, fast service Philippe, thanks! I really like this guy's chassis - in fact, I think I got one of the less expensive models in the series, and will try to dig it out for pix...

He seemed to like the Eagle type front end on everything! Was the motor rewound?

Don

[32deuce]

Great topic Kingie!

This has always been a favorite of mine but, ownership of it eluded me for some reason. It is a 1/32 scale, modeled after the '64 Novi driven by Bobby Unser at Indy. It was sold on ebay about 6 months ago by a friend of mine after he had unfortunately altered it some from what it was originally. I took these pictures five years ago before he aquired it. The story was, it was built by someone in the MESAC club so I contacted Todd M. (I guess it was) and he said it was a possibility but, couldn't confirm it. He did say it resembled a particular MESAC member's work that he was familiar with but, it's all pretty much heresay. Anyway:





Everything is hand lettered. There are no decals.







I did get to drive this thing briefly and it was amazingly quick through the corners and handled very well. Motor is the Pittman 65. The body was an unknown fiberglass. Betta possibly? Wheels and tires are of unknown origin and the rubber was still like new and pliable. Guide is a Monogram. I'm guessing the bevel gears are Tradeship or Strombecker.

I gotta move this one up to the top of my list as a future project but, I may have to settle for a vac body.

Z

[dgersh]

Great car Deuce!

I'm trying to figure out how the chassis tubes are attached to the motor; kind of looks like they're soldered over the screws - can you tell anything? Those look like silly-coated sponge tires, at least on the photos.

I remember seeing this kind of setup in an English race, maybe on an Alfa Bimotore, and it always seemed rather fascinating...

thanks,
Don

[alfetta]

The bevel gears could be MRRC.
Alfetta

[howmet tx]

Without doubt a princess, Deuce! Lovely. I like the way the little drop arm (dropette?) is cranked around the front bevel. How obsessed we were back then that you had to have a drop arm, no matter what.
1/32 hand lettering! Whew!

[32deuce]

Don,
You are correct, the chassis tubes are soldered to the motor screws. Kind of primative but, it worked. It's really a simple design and I doubt there were any JIGS around the shop when this was done.
The tires were not silicone coated sponge, they were real rubber that seemed to be molded to the wheels, kind of like Classic did with a particular pair of tires/wheels they had (I can't remember the number or application but, they were about 7/8" dia. or "asp" size.)

Howmet,
Yeah, drop arms were IT! This one is basically a "bracket" as it is soldered solid. I agree, a Princess.

Thanks Guys,

Z

[bwaminispeed]

Actually, it looks more like the tubes "replace" the screws. It looks like they go right through the screw holes as one piece, and, the solder blobs become the Head and Nut of the "screws"(brass tube).

The tubing doesn't look large enough to go over the screw head. It would need to be two sizes larger at least to do that.

Anyway, it's a pretty cool car/chassis.

[gascarnut]

The story was, it was built by someone in the MESAC club so I contacted Todd M. (I guess it was) and he said it was a possibility but, couldn't confirm it. He did say it resembled a particular MESAC member's work that he was familiar with but, it's all pretty much heresay.

If indeed this car was built by a MESAC member for racing at MESAC, then the car number identifies the owner, if not the builder. In the last days of MESAC, #9 was held by Chuck Hooton, as far as I have been told.

The guy who can probably throw light on this is Dan Wilson (MESAC #8) who lives in Colorado Springs these days.

I will link him into this thread and let's see what he has to say.

[merkit the grof]

And to prove that I don't just collect ugly stuff, here are a few nicer ones than previously posted



1/32nd, chassis is a simple Atlas, but the car is nice, notice the matching helmet.






To keep Edo happy, a thingy Lola, as Howmet said, the obligatory drop arm.

And another one!!


That too has a drop arm. (Part of a lot of 7 cars, all with Dynamic chassis, all modified with drop arms)


To finish, this one should be a toad, but it is so small, it qualifies as a princess!


If anybody has an early Airfix Sprite kit made of the same blue plastic, I would be very interested. (Can swap for a later one made of grey plastic)


Joel

[philsmith]

I get loads of stuff like this and usually break them up for spares didn't know anyone would want to collect 'em!

I think there is a blue sprite kit in my bodies box Joel, welcome to swap it if you want.

[TSRF]

The story was, it was built by someone in the MESAC club

Then the wheels (all four) must have been changed along the way because it would have never passed tech with the ones presently on the car.

[bwaminispeed]

To finish, this one should be a toad, but it is so small, it qualifies as a princess!

Actually, it's niether toad nore princess, it's a Frog(eye), don't you know anything about cars Joel.

[merkit the grof]

Off course it is Al, why didn't I think of that.

Phil, what can I say, you are a lucky s*d. Where are the pictures?
Personally, I prefer to collect this sort of junk, rather than yet another colour variation of the Scalextric/Fly Metro/Maestro/Viper/Marcos/whatever.... Cheaper, more fun, and they run better on track.

Joel

PS: Phil, I'll take you up on the offer.

[philsmith]

Phil, what can I say, you are a lucky s*d. Where are the pictures?

Well there aren't any pictures 'cause it's all been broken up and sold! where d'ya think all my spares come from?

[merkit the grof]

Sadly Phil, you are right. To most people these things are worth more broken down in bits than as complete cars.
Still, more fool them!






Joel