Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

AMT Double Dragster or Monogram Slingster ?


AMT Double Dragster or Monogram Slingster ?  

12 members have voted

  1. 1. Which and Why ?

    • AMT Double Dragster
      10
    • Monogram Slingster
      2


Recommended Posts

Double Dragster, mainly for the Fiat half. That frame can be used for all sorts of early to mid '60s Altereds--Ts, Bantams, Deuces, whatever. I'm even thinking of using one for an early funny car a la Psycho or Colt .45 Mustangs.

If you're only talking about the rails, I THINK I MIGHT like the Slingster better, but can't say for sure because I haven't built one yet.

Both kits are "parts mines" and both lend themselves to all sorts of Modeler-Fu interpretations, variations, and modifications. Now we have both to choose from again. Is this a great planet, or what?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How's 'bout the Slingster Bantam body shell on the drop-center two-engine chassis from the old double-dragster?

Idea doesn't appeal to me, but if it does to someone else, hey, why not? There were all sorts of weird and wonderful contraptions being run in those days. If somebody didn't build that exact combo, they certainly COULD have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never built the Monogram dragster in it's day , just the AMT Double dragster kit . I however scored TWO monogram dragster kits during the Ollie's blow out in May . BOTH KITS appeal to me personally as they were part of the "Run what ya brung " era ....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking out loud here, sizing up the pluses and minuses.

First off although there are only two choices the question might involve 3 1/2 kits. Here's what I mean. The original Monogram Sizzler kit was 1/20th, is a genuine collectors item and thus can be pricey and is an oddball scale. The question is explicit in referencing the Revellogram's recent Slingster recreation and thus any consideration of the original Sizzler should be omitted. The other "1/2" kit is the "Tin Box" Drag Team Special Edition issue of Round2's revival of the classic AMT Double Dragster kit.

The Slingster is a true 1/25th scale kit with really thin frame tubing and a quite tiny bantam body option. It has many finely detailed parts like the Hilborn Fuel Injection for the Chevy small block and the I-beam front axle, but also some strangely blobilicious parts like the differential and the rear blower casing. Overall the kit is the typical Revell issue with great castings and lots of useful parts but a tendency to steer you into their own problematic interpretation of the type of car they are representing. It's the kind of kit that rewards a straight kit build if their vision appeals to you, but can be frustrating if you have something else in mind. But it has a high count of very nice parts. So I rate it as a very good parts kit and a good kit-build but a mediocre kitbashing kit.

The AMT Double Dragster kit has, for more than 50 years, been the ultimate example of a parts kit. Even in the basic cardboard box original issue you could easily build 2 kit-based models with more than 1/2 of a third kit-bashed rendition from your parts box. When the tin box Special Edition came out it included an entire second chrome tree featuring most of two more Chevy Small blocks, both injected and blown, and extra set of spoked front and solid rear Halibrand wheels, and the front suspension for a second rail. Add that to the extra set of dragster rails (side by side or inline) left over from your initial dragster build, and it became clear that as many 4 cars could emerge from the tin box. That's exactly what I was able to do when it came out a few years back. Incontrovertible evidence of this kit's status as a kit basher's delight.

The downside of the Double Dragster kit is that it is so old and suffers from a couple of (relatively minor) issues. First off, compared to the Slingster the parts are relatively thick and heavily cast. It shows its age in this regard. Another way it shows it's age is that it captures a very narrow slice of drag racing history. So, while most of the engine parts and some of the chassis bits are very fine parts for any period dragster build, the bodies and much of the chassis bits scream 1959-1960 and are otherwise not very useful. If this sort of historical detail doesn't mean much to you as a modeler, or if you plan to build in this narrow window, then this is not an issue.

As a confirmed kit basher the Tin Box Double Dragster issue in particular is the mother lode and I have mined this kit for parts for literally years. On the other hand the Slingster yielded one (and only one) darn fine early 60's rail job with only a minimum of kit bashing and fabrication and some period paint and decal work.

I landed up voting for the AMT kit but frankly the Slingster rewards you with such a nice array of period drag machinery that it was a tough choice.

Four builds from one Tin Box:

DSCF4785-web.jpg

 

Straight out of the Slingster box with some extras:

DSCF2991-web.jpg

Edited by Bernard Kron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The altered Tee body come in the tin ? :rolleyes:

The Altered T Body is the AMT Parts Pak that was re-issued in the Competition Parts Pak just before Round 2 bought AMT from ERTL. It was originally released to replace the FIAT coupe body in the Double Dragster kit, which is what I did. The motor is the Pontiac from the Competition Parts Pak and the wheels and tires are from Modelhaus. The chassis under the FIAT is scratch built with suspension from my parts box and blown Chrysler and wheels from the Double dragster kit. The side by side digger is almost all from the Double Dragster except for the front wheels, chain drives and injector scoops. The Competition Coupe was made using a resin re-pop of, ironically, the Monogram Sizzler body. I used the extra suspension bits from the Tin Box mounted to the leftover digger rails which were tied together using styrene rod. The rear end, wheels and tires are from my parts box. The motor is the Dodge Hemi rom the Don Garlits Wynns Charger/HemiSphere kit with the carbs and log manifold leftovers from the Double Dragster kit. I came very close to emptying the Tin Box although with enough scratch building I could have squeezed out a 5th car using the streamliner body! Since then I keep mining the leftovers, including the really nice Hilborn fuel injectors, all 5 (1 for the Hemi and 4 small block Chevy ones) of which I still hadn't used, and the super sweet Corvette valve covers. I recently used one of the leftover 471 blowers from the second chrome tree mounted on top of a Chevy small block for a current project, and still have some Moon discs and spoked mags left from the Tin Box... Like I said, awesome Parts Kit - a kit-basher's dream.

Edited by Bernard Kron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...