The truth emerges - Revell Parts Packs vs. Revell Drag Racing Double Kits

[tim boyd]

The following info and pictures are from Norm Veber, proprietor of Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland Co., and used here by permission from Norm.

As background, when Atlantis reportedly announced plans for a reissue of the uber-rare Replica Mooneyes Dragster, I noted that I had built the Bantam Bomber from one of the other kits in this 3 Double Kit lineup from Revell, and I had noted a number of revisions to the Parts Packs that were included in the Double Kits, vs. the original stand-alone Parts Packs. Norm recently did a deep-dive to document the specifics of this comparison.

Here's his report:

********

"I did a heads-up comparison of the Revell Parts Pack (PP) trees with the same one in the Scarlet Screamer/Bantam Bomber
kit. Here's the differences I found. Differences noted are in the Double Dragster (DD) kit.

C-1130 Dragster Frame
1 Part - "Motor Mount" (This is for the front of the engine and has a dropped, 'C' shape in the center to go around the oil pan.)

C-1127 Tubular Roadster Frame
2 Parts - "Roll Bar Supports" (These are shorter in the DD kit & both ends are angled, with a mounting pin
on one end.)

1 Part - "Roll Bar" (Mounting pins on bottom, new sprue points.)

2 Parts - "Tubular Motor Mounts" (Shorter)

1 Part - "Tubular Frame" (Has four holes for Roll Bar and Firewall Support mounting pins.)

1 Part - "Firewall Support" (Has mounting pins.)

C-1132 Roadster Chassis Speed Equipment
1 Part - "Drag Link" (w/ Solid Steering Arm, link is longer.)

2 Parts - "Shock Absorbers" (One pair is longer.)

1 Part - "Round Steering Wheel" (Smaller in diameter. To make room for longer Drag Link.)

1 Part - "Drive Shaft/Torque Tube" (The 2 in the PP are the same, long w/ one end tappered. In the DD kit, one of these is
shorter, w/ no tapper & a new mounting pin.)

The rest of the PP trees are the same in the DD kit as in the PP's.

C-1107 '63 Corvette Sting Ray V-8 Engine
C-1105 Cadillac V-8 Engine
C-1125 '32 Bantam Roadster Body
C-1141 Competition Wheels & Mags

The tires in my kit are a mixed bag. The front roadster tires and dragster motorcycle tires are Revell, but there are 2 different
pair of slicks, whereas the DD kit had 4 - M&H Dragster slicks from one of the tire PP's."

The following pictures illustrating the above points are also from Norm. Norm also took the time to graphically highlight the areas of difference between the Double Kit and Parts Packs parts trees:

*******

Finally, here's a picture of the Revell Bantam Blast, built from the applicable Revell parts packs, but with the applicable parts modified to match the revised parts trees in the Revell Bantam Blast Double kit:   And thanks again, Norm, for the great and detailed report ! 

 

 

 

[oldnslow]

This is great information , I have a lot of these loose trees and now I will be able to identify where these trees came from . 

 

Thanks , to Norm and Tim

[Mark]

It should be easy to ID individual parts trees, as the chassis and suspension parts in the double kits are unplated.  Also, the double kit bodies are molded in white as opposed to gray for the parts packs.

[Dennis Lacy]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing, Tim. And thanks to Norm for doing the comparison. 

That's not just a couple of revisions, there's quite a bit of changes going on there to ease assembly. The other two Double Kits have just as many changes, no doubt. 

[1930fordpickup]

Thanks Tim for posting, and Thank you Norm for all of the hard work. 

[Deuces ll]

??

[250 Testa Rossa]

I might get one of these to do the Pure Heaven altered. 

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, 250 Testa Rossa said:

I might get one of these to do the Pure Heaven altered. 

First, it's not available--LONG out of print. 

Then, the Pure Heaven was a much later car. A better starting point would be the reissued MPC Bantam Blast, which, though not common, would be much easier to find. 

[Mark]

The (nicely) built Bantam looks like it has the Pontiac engine, not the Cadillac that was in the double kit.

If the planned Mooneyes dragster sells well, I suspect we'll see more of the complete cars from the double kits.  Maybe not all of them though, depending on which parts packs Atlantis has available.  The Scarlet Screamer dragster might be a tough one, seeing as the '63 Corvette engine pack was long ago pieced into the '57 Chevy hardtop kit.

[tim boyd]

17 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

A better starting point would be the reissued MPC Bantam Blast, which, though not common, would be much easier to find. 

Maxx and all....to further reinforce Richard's point, not only is the Bantam Blast a more accessible and better starting point, it's a terrific kit in its own right.  Perhaps one of the most unsung drag racing model car kits ever. 

If you like old school (1960's to 1970's) drag racing, grab this kit if you ever see it.  Trust me on this....TIM 

[echo]

Nice post, lot of nostalgia in the kits. As you stated, lots of period correct drag racing parts to build off of. Norm is a great guy so is his company,  Norn, thanks for taking the time to present this. The castings are very nice and duplicate the actual parts quite well. Nice work from Revell's pattern department from the last century.

[Richard Bartrop]

The roadster chassis looks like it has lots of useful parts both for the street and the strip.  The option of a regular or quick change rear is a nice touch.

[250 Testa Rossa]

2 hours ago, tim boyd said:

Maxx and all....to further reinforce Richard's point, not only is the Bantam Blast a more accessible and better starting point, it's a terrific kit in its own right.  Perhaps one of the most unsung drag racing model car kits ever. 

If you like old school (1960's to 1970's) drag racing, grab this kit if you ever see it.  Trust me on this....TIM 

I'll keep an eye out. I also have the Hemi Hunter/L.A. Dart for a '67 Hemi Under Glass conversion 

[Bernard Kron]

Lots to chew on here. Thanks to both Tim and Norm for the info.

I've always felt that, a great as the parts pack concept is for confirmed kit-bashers like me, complete model kits, especially if they are as detailed as this era of Revell drag subject kits were, have always represented a better business proposition for the model company, and, ultimately, a better value proposition for modelers as well. Today, for example, Round 2 has brought back many of the old AMT Parts Packs and, at around $12-15 each they are about half the cost of a complete kit. They're advantage to me is that I can get exactly what I want without the bulk and waste of a complete kit. But it only takes a few significant and critical parts to justify the outlay for a whole kit. Of course it depends heavily on what you're looking for in terms of parts. To buy a complete model kit just for the wheels and tires has never been a good idea, today or even in the early '60's. But back then, as now, a deep, deep drag racing classic like the double kits discussed here, or the Tony Nancy Double Double Dragster kit, was a smart purchase, even if you bought it as a parts kit. I think the packaging, shipping and marketing costs, which wouldn't be that much different for a Parts Pack vs. a complete kit, might be part of the reason why. It's easier to build some significant dollar-margin (vs. percentage margin) into a more expensive item than a cheaper one.

I'm guessing that Atlantis will share my POV and will be far more inclined to craft complete model kits from their newly acquired molds than Parts Packs. But the possibility of once again seeing the long-lost Sting Ray V8 or perhaps even the Chrysler Hemi, in whatever form, is an exciting thing to contemplate.

[alan barton]

Inspired by some of Tim's previous posts and magazine articles, I am attempting to build both a Bantam and T from an assortment of leftover parts from my teen years plus some new Parts Pack pieces.  I have an absolutely flawless Parts Pack Turtle deck T and the grey plastic is so shiny I am placing it on a bright red frame to look like a freshly gelcoated body that hasn't been painted or signwritten yet. That's my back story but the reality is that I simply couldn't bare to paint such a beautifully manufactured survivor. Hearing about the Atlantis proposals is very heartening!

Cheers

Alan

[tim boyd]

Alan....sounds really cool.  Wondering if a thin coat of DullCote or Tamiya Flat Clear on that gray plastic might give a more lifelike appearance....but then again, maybe not!   Good luck with the projects; anxious to see how they turn out.  TIM 

[afx]

Fumin' Fiat/Thunder Charger instruction sheet:

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/instruction_sheetsh/instruction_sheets/revell-6/revell-fumin-fiat-c/

Edited November 10, 2020 by afx

[afx]

Scarlet Screamer/Bantam Bomber instruction sheet:

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/instruction_sheetsh/instruction_sheets/revell-6/revell-scarlet-scre/

Edited November 10, 2020 by afx

[spike morelli]

I believe I have a Revell Mooneyes dragster frame pack out on the shelf in my garage. It was given to me years ago from a friend, I've never done anything with it.

[Dennis Lacy]

While we're on the subject I thought you guys might enjoy seeing this?

A few years ago my friend @Rocking Rodney Rat as he's known here on the forum gifted me the red Dragmaster frame and body parts pack that the double kit "Thunder Charger" is based on. It's very similar to the Mooneyes and Attempt 1 frames with the difference being in the roll hoop design. We rarely see anyone actually build these old parts packs and because he was so nice to send me one I jumped right on it. I was able to finagle a complete car out of it using the rear axle and heavily cut down seat from the Tony Nancy double dragster kit and the front axle is from Revell's Kurtis Midgets from several years ago. The Model A 4-cylinder with ARDUN head conversion is something I bashed together on the fly. Wheels are AMT '33 Willys with their parts pack slicks and Modelhaus front tires. Paint is Testors 1-coat Icy Blue.

Construction and more finished pics here: https://public.fotki.com/deucepu/ardun-dragmaster-mkiv/

[Dave Darby]

12 hours ago, Dennis Lacy said:

While we're on the subject I thought you guys might enjoy seeing this?

A few years ago my friend @Rocking Rodney Rat as he's known here on the forum gifted me the red Dragmaster frame and body parts pack that the double kit "Thunder Charger" is based on. It's very similar to the Mooneyes and Attempt 1 frames with the difference being in the roll hoop design. We rarely see anyone actually build these old parts packs and because he was so nice to send me one I jumped right on it. I was able to finagle a complete car out of it using the rear axle and heavily cut down seat from the Tony Nancy double dragster kit and the front axle is from Revell's Kurtis Midgets from several years ago. The Model A 4-cylinder with ARDUN head conversion is something I bashed together on the fly. Wheels are AMT '33 Willys with their parts pack slicks and Modelhaus front tires. Paint is Testors 1-coat Icy Blue.

 

Construction and more finished pics here: https://public.fotki.com/deucepu/ardun-dragmaster-mkiv/

Looking good, Dennis. Ran one quickly through the Camera RAW filter in Photoshop...

Edited November 16, 2020 by Dave Darby

[bobthehobbyguy]

Dennis that is beautiful. Those vintage dragsters are cool. Definitely has the right look.

[Casey]

And if you're  missing one front wheel and tire, no problem:

 

Maybe skip the fender skirts and ultra tall roll bar idea, though. ?

[Dennis Lacy]

@Dave Darby

I was hesitant to share because the lighting in those pictures is terrible. That filter you ran it through makes an immense difference! 

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

If you're into Revell Parts Packs and want a trip down memory lane, or perhaps you missed them the first time around and you're wondering all the fuss is about,  you can view them here: https://public.fotki.com/jferren/revell-parts-packs/ it's the only things are collect (model auto related)..... -RRR