LSR avail?

[misterNNL]

Does anyone know if resin or printed kits in 1/25 scale of either the Ohio State electric "Buckeye Bullet"or the Poteet and Main "Speed Deamon""Bonneville cars?

Edited May 23, 2020 by misterNNL
additional details added

[misterNNL]

102 views and no responses must mean no huh?

[Muncie]

Not many LSR models that come to mind - just the M/T Challenger and Jimmy Flintstone's Summers Brothers Goldenrod.  Some of the LSR teams commission models - contacting the team may bring something to the surface.

[Claude Thibodeau]

45 minutes ago, misterNNL said:

102 views and no responses must mean no huh?

Hi Sir!

I've looked for the speed demon myself 2 years ago... to no avail! Whenever i attend a model show, I dig in the "garbage bins" for old fighter jets that might feature some parts that could be modified to create a scratchbuilt version. Hard to come by... 

Good luck!

CT

[magicmustang]

I started to gather parts to attempt a replica of this one. Got a Monogram 1/48 F-104 for the main parts but never could source the wheels. 

[iBorg]

It seems LSR replicas are made but not sold as kits. A few come to mind. The Blue Flame PPG car was released as a build up and it was rumored to be a future MPC kit, in the 1970's. There was an outstanding replica of the Breedlove Spirit of America available in very small quantities. If you're wanting other LSRs, look to smaller scales such as 1/43.

[alan barton]

Many many years ago I did a vacform of the Vesco -Nish Streamliner (spelling?) as a commission for a guy in Chicago ( I think, it was a long time ago).  This is the car that became the Turbinator II and had the wheel driven Worlds LSR at some stage.   He had me make 20 of them but I have never seen one finished, apart from one that a friend built here in Perth. My version is in primer, might have to move it up the list and get some paint on it but we are just hitting the start of our winter weather so it might be a while yet.

Cheers

Alan

Edited May 28, 2020 by alan barton

[LDO]

18 hours ago, alan barton said:

Many many years ago I did a vacform of the Vesco -Nish Streamliner (spelling?) as a commission for a guy in Chicago ( I think, it was a long time ago).  This is the car that became the Turbinator II and had the wheel driven Worlds LSR at some stage.   He had me make 20 of them but I have never seen one finished, apart from one that a friend built here in Perth. My version is in primer, might have to move it up the list and get some paint on it but we are just hitting the start of our winter weather so it might be a while yet.

Cheers

Alan

Sounds cool. ?

Greetings from Texas. 

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

There are a few more of the historic LSR cars out there...and though they're not all in 1/25 scale, the shapes and dimensions are there for someone wanting to scale 'em up...               

                                        

                                                             

And of course, there are the old Hawk streamliner kits that can form the basis of something else entirely...

And here...    https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Local-Business/LSR-Productions-Models-History-297411047264048/

Edited May 28, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[LDO]

On 5/26/2020 at 4:52 PM, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Sir!

I've looked for the speed demon myself 2 years ago... to no avail! Whenever i attend a model show, I dig in the "garbage bins" for old fighter jets that might feature some parts that could be modified to create a scratchbuilt version. Hard to come by... 

Good luck!

CT

That is a cool idea. I have a rocket LSR project made from the airframe of the Lindberg “Snark” missile. It is a “slammer”; it will have black paint for a windshield. The rear wheel covers are laminated sheet plastic carved to shape with files and sandpaper. 

I have a 1/72 B-52 model and noticed that the airframe has a rectangular cross section that is rounded on the corners. Ideal for LSR. Jet airliners have long, circular airframes. 

Submarine models could make a belly tank lakester. The Skipjack has a really nice shape. Mobieus makes one in 1/72 scale. That would be a huge model. I think it would accommodate one of those 1/6 scale diecast engines. You’d have to find wheels and tires for it, but imagine all the detail you could put in a model that big. 

[alan barton]

4 hours ago, LDO said:

Sounds cool. ?

Greetings from Texas. 

 

 

Wow, looks like you've got two there!  Did you get the tailfins that I laminated as well?

I spent a long time on  carving the wooden moulds for these ( I used jelutong, great to work with) and on my first prototype I missed those little scoops immediately behind the headrest.  I was using the provided photos and dimensions from a promotional calendar that the team had published - wish I had taken a copy of it before returning it to the guy!

I would love to do the Redhead special from World's Fastest Indian but it would be all guesstimated - have never seen any straight on photos or dimensions of that car..

LSR stuff is great fun -it's all about the shape, colour and stance! I visited Bonneville in 92 and 2010 and can say from experience that many fo the cars, even the high dollar ones, are not particularly pretty under the skin, so kerbside is just fine in my eyes.

Cheers

Alan

[LDO]

Alan-

 I do not have the tail fins. If you still have some, I would love to get one or two. (I’m missing the bottom half of the second car)

After taking that picture yesterday, I cut out the bottom half and began truing it up. It’s been a while since I’ve worked with a vacuform. I need to make some bulkheads to give the body some strength. It’s a pretty cool project. I have always been a fan of streamliners  and thrust powered cars. As a kid around seven years old, I checked out a book at the school library about land speed racing. I remember being fascinated with Craig Breedlove’s first Spirit of America and Gary Gabelich’s Blue Flame. I checked that book out many times. 

I also have these. The photos are off the internet. My Spirit of America is missing its fin. It was a friction motored toy from way back. I want to rebuild it. The Sonic One is a 1/43 kit. 

 

[alan barton]

Hi Lee, here's a photo of my project car on my Bonneville shelf in one of my display cabinets.  yep, I gotta git her done ( copyright, snake 45!) .  

I still have the wooden moulds but haven't used my vacformer for ten years or so.  I did buy some new rubber seals a while ago so maybe its time to fire it back up and pop out some new copies. I guess the tyranny of distance could be an issue but I often wondered why there wasn't much interest in vacform models  - they have significant advantages over resin, especially when it comes to race cars. 

 

On 5/27/2020 at 5:04 AM, misterNNL said:

102 views and no responses must mean no huh?

Getting back to the original poster's question - Tom, if you can get hold of good side on, head on and tail on shots of the Speed Demon, I reckon that would be a fairly easy model for me to master and vacform.  Oh yeah, length, width, wheelbase and height would make it easier as well. The biggest issue, not insurmountable, is the canopy.  When I last attempted clear vacforming, I was very disappointed wiht the results.  I now ahve a mate who produces very nice slot car bodies and he has said he will teach me the tricks so I might have some learning ahead of me.

I'm up for it - what do you think?

Cheers

Alan

[misterNNL]

I have been checking on-line for body dimensions for the speed deamon car. This morning I came across an advertisement for a hard back book being released soon detailing the complete history of the car. The book is not available yet but will surely  be a great source of details for anyone wanting to build a model of it.

[Claude Thibodeau]

On 5/30/2020 at 2:06 AM, alan barton said:

Hi Lee, here's a photo of my project car on my Bonneville shelf in one of my display cabinets.  yep, I gotta git her done ( copyright, snake 45!) .  

I still have the wooden moulds but haven't used my vacformer for ten years or so.  I did buy some new rubber seals a while ago so maybe its time to fire it back up and pop out some new copies. I guess the tyranny of distance could be an issue but I often wondered why there wasn't much interest in vacform models  - they have significant advantages over resin, especially when it comes to race cars. 

 

Getting back to the original poster's question - Tom, if you can get hold of good side on, head on and tail on shots of the Speed Demon, I reckon that would be a fairly easy model for me to master and vacform.  Oh yeah, length, width, wheelbase and height would make it easier as well. The biggest issue, not insurmountable, is the canopy.  When I last attempted clear vacforming, I was very disappointed wiht the results.  I now ahve a mate who produces very nice slot car bodies and he has said he will teach me the tricks so I might have some learning ahead of me.

I'm up for it - what do you think?

Cheers

Alan

Hi!

I built a couple of Bonneville cars myself every year, and the canopy is always a challenge.

A few suggestions: In the beauty aisle of big box stores, you will find a cheap lipstick brand called NYC. Their transparent caps are crystal clear, accept styrene glue, and are easy to "slice" lenghtwise" to get the part you want.(see Holy Flats Pilgrims Vette and Sodium Glider below). Also, the shallow section of clear throwaway spoons can be cut and flat sanded to give you a slight dome that may fit. I also use a lot of "blister pack" clear section that come with some small lightbulbs, or even sharpie pens. They come in infinite shapes, and are usually distorsion-free, since very thin. The canopy from the Drag-U-La 60's show car can also be adapted, albeit a smidge thick.

Hope it helps!

From a fellow member of the "Flat Earth Society" to another...

CT

 

[Big John]

Fernando at FPP has put out seveeral LSR cars in 1/24th.  Thrust 2 (not the SSC) and two Blubirds.  I have an old Wenmack that I am repurposing that is also a close 1/24th.  And Profile 24 has had the 1929 golden Arrow in 1/24 also.  Big Kits, Lots of resin.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Big John

[Big John]

Not long ago I saw a 1/8 fiberglass body of the Moon eyes car for sale on the-bay.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Big John
additonal info.

[Force]

On 5/27/2020 at 4:29 AM, magicmustang said:

I started to gather parts to attempt a replica of this one. Got a Monogram 1/48 F-104 for the main parts but never could source the wheels. 

Unfortunately this "car" is no more, the driver of this car Jessi Combs known from the TV shows Mythbusters and Overhaulin' died August 27th 2019 after a fatal crash caused by a front wheel failure at 550 mph, may she rest in peace.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Force

[magicmustang]

23 hours ago, Force said:

Unfortunately this "car" is no more, the driver of this car Jessi Combs known from the TV shows Mythbusters and Overhaulin' died August 27th 2019 after a fatal crash caused by a front wheel failure at 550 mph, may she rest in peace.

Still like to try. Need it for my collection of LSR cars. Looking for a source of all/metal LSC rear wheels.   

Edited January 22, 2021 by magicmustang

[misterNNL]

On 5/30/2020 at 2:06 AM, alan barton said:

Hi Lee, here's a photo of my project car on my Bonneville shelf in one of my display cabinets.  yep, I gotta git her done ( copyright, snake 45!) .  

I still have the wooden moulds but haven't used my vacformer for ten years or so.  I did buy some new rubber seals a while ago so maybe its time to fire it back up and pop out some new copies. I guess the tyranny of distance could be an issue but I often wondered why there wasn't much interest in vacform models  - they have significant advantages over resin, especially when it comes to race cars. 

 

Getting back to the original poster's question - Tom, if you can get hold of good side on, head on and tail on shots of the Speed Demon, I reckon that would be a fairly easy model for me to master and vacform.  Oh yeah, length, width, wheelbase and height would make it easier as well. The biggest issue, not insurmountable, is the canopy.  When I last attempted clear vacforming, I was very disappointed wiht the results.  I now ahve a mate who produces very nice slot car bodies and he has said he will teach me the tricks so I might have some learning ahead of me.

I'm up for it - what do you think?

Cheers

Alan

Alan, I have based entire scratch built projects on approximate dimensions before when no other data exists. Somewhere I have seen a full sides on photo of the speed demon with the whole crew standing behind it posing with the LSR record trophy. If we assume that someone in that line-up is about six feet tall we can measure that person's height then see how many times that measurement it takes to equal the length of the car we have an approximate car length. I personally would then trace the car's profile on legal size paper and have it enlarged to the correct length. From that new photo everything in suddenly in 1/25 scale. I have done this many times and though simple, it works.

 

 

 

Edited January 23, 2021 by misterNNL

[alan barton]

Very true, Tom.  I was very fortunate that the calendar I used for this one included technical details including length, width and wheelbase.  With those measurements and the photos, it was a straight forward job. 

At the moment, my real job, model column commitments and a 35 Phaeton in the shed that is screaming at me to finish it is using up most of my waking hours so I would need to get ahead of these commitments a bit before I tackled the Speed Demon. I saw possibly the first version of it on Bonneville in 1992 and photographed it at the time so I do have some personal interest in the project.  I guess I was hoping that someone out there might have some of these dimensions at hand to reduce the time required to get involved.

Still, you have me thinking.......

Cheers

Alan

[Force]

11 hours ago, magicmustang said:

Still like to try. Need it for my collection of LSR cars. Looking for a source of all/metal LSC rear wheels.   

I took a couple of pictures of the car at the 2014 SEMA show in Las Vegas, I thought it was cool to take a F-104 Starfighter, take off the wings and put wheels on it and try to set land speed records.