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


tim boyd

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On 11/8/2020 at 12:44 PM, 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 

Just since I haven't seen anyone else mention it, I wanted to point out that apart from the Bantam body, the chassis, engine and other mechanical parts in the Bantam Blast are identical to those in the Willie Borsch "Winged Express" altered. I suspect the Borsch model came first?

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53 minutes ago, RancheroSteve said:

Just since I haven't seen anyone else mention it, I wanted to point out that apart from the Bantam body, the chassis, engine and other mechanical parts in the Bantam Blast are identical to those in the Willie Borsch "Winged Express" altered. I suspect the Borsch model came first?

Yes. the Borsch model came first.  But there's somewhat more that is different between the two kits than it first appears.    

Top hat, injectors, valve covers, underbody panels (IIRC), grille shells, airfoils, front wheels, firewalls - and the Moon tank on the Borsch car.  (And as noted in the new book "Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits" the MPC (C3) "Corvette Gasser" kit also used the common, chassis, and engine block parts of the other two kits....).  Can't recall if I mentioned earlier, but the butterflies on the Bantam Blast kit operate, too.  Here are a couple of comparison shots....

DSC 0469

DSC 0484

In case anyone is interested, more photos of both are here....  TIM 

Edited by tim boyd
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I have a built up Vette Gasser I picked up at a swap meet or Ebay, can't remember.  It is in needs restoration, but I did not have the heart to break it apart.  First picture is sort of box art view.  Second is the Vette Gasser body lined up with a Revell Corvette convertible body (without the windshield frame).

DSCF4215.JPG.5f2496ea41a92bc5a5a2d67b688d9542.JPG

DSCF4216.JPG.408b9fc78b51b4621965734064f19555.JPG

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Looking at the instruction sheets, it appears that the chassis hardware (axles, radius rods) in the Fiat and Bantam double kits all come from the Roadster Chassis Speed Equipment parts pack, with the "heavier" radius rods and front axle going onto the altered chassis and the "lighter", more delicate looking parts going to the dragster chassis.  Is this true with the Mooneyes double kit also?

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What promo model body was this "Gasser" based on? 

The last C3 convertible promo was in '70.  The annuals were offered in convertibles through '76, but the hoods were molded separately.  Did they mix and match the molded in hardtop promo hood "insert" with the annual convertible body?  

Edited by the other Mike S.
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2 minutes ago, the other Mike S. said:

What promo model body was this "Gasser" based on? 

The last C3 convertible promo was in '70.  The annuals were offered in convertibles through '76, but the hoods were molded separately.  Did they mix and match the molded in hardtop promo hood "insert" with the annual convertible body?  

That must be what was done.  I no longer have one, but the kit I had had a convertible body with the hood molded shut, and no windshield frame.

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If Atlantis issues the Mooneyes dragster in the same form as the original, be prepared to change a thing or two to get a more accurate model.  The original double kit uses the front suspension parts from the roadster chassis accessory pack (same as the other double kits), also the engine pack includes a Hydra-Matic transmission which was not in the 1:1 dragster.

I wonder if they will attempt reissuing the other double kits.  Two of the three use the Chrysler engine which is assumed to now be in the Miss Deal Studebaker kit, and one uses a Chevy engine pack which now resides in the '57 hardtop kit.

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3 hours ago, Mark said:

If Atlantis issues the Mooneyes dragster in the same form as the original, be prepared to change a thing or two to get a more accurate model.  The original double kit uses the front suspension parts from the roadster chassis accessory pack (same as the other double kits), also the engine pack includes a Hydra-Matic transmission which was not in the 1:1 dragster.

 

This didn't sound right to me, so I went and checked my kit, and what do you know, Mark is exactly correct on this.  As a matter of fact, when has Mark ever been incorrect on something like this?  Not that I can recall....silly me (smile) to have doubted him!     

Best...TIM  

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I cheated on this one, as I never had any of those double kits complete...I looked at the Drastic Plastics instruction sheet scans.  The tooling alterations were probably done to allow the use of one or two fewer parts trees in these kits.  For a typical double kit, I count two engines, two chassis, one chassis accessory pack, one wheel pack, and one body (dragster body is included with the chassis pack).  Add four tires and four slicks, and that's it.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

According to the "Monsters In Motion" website, the Atlantis Mooneyes kit will contain the Chrysler engine in addition to the Chevrolet engine.

https://www.monstersinmotion.com/cart/item-list-ko-c-13_193/mooneyes-dragster-125-scale-revell-reissue-model-kit-by-atlantis-p-28714.html

Maybe verbiage taken from the original packaging?

MIM Mooneyes Info.png

Edited by GarryR
misspelling
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It was always assumed that the Chrysler engine in the Studebaker funny car is an ex-Parts Pack item...maybe it is in fact a copy, tooled from the same patterns?  It will be interesting to see the reconstructed Mooneyes dragster kit, from the looks of it many will be bought as a parts gold mine in addition to being a good dragster kit in its own right.

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3 hours ago, Mark said:

It was always assumed that the Chrysler engine in the Studebaker funny car is an ex-Parts Pack item...maybe it is in fact a copy, tooled from the same patterns?  It will be interesting to see the reconstructed Mooneyes dragster kit, from the looks of it many will be bought as a parts gold mine in addition to being a good dragster kit in its own right.

Inclusion of the Chrysler engine ensures that I'll buy at least one. I've been wanting to build one of these old Dragmaster-frame rails just to say I did, but don't have that much interest in the front-blown Mooneyes car.

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Moon went with the Potvin crankshaft drive blower setup because they manufactured it.  They didn't build the chassis, but probably sold them.  The car itself was probably a showcase for products they made and sold.

No reason you couldn't go with a more conventional blower setup (old-tool '57 Chevy has one, from the other small-block Chevy engine parts pack!), or a fuel-injection setup from the AMT Double Dragster kit.  Me, I've wanted to do something really weird with one, like a Viper V10 with weed-burner headers and a log intake manifold with ten carburetors...

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On 11/8/2020 at 12:44 PM, Mark said:

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.

Isn't that the same kit that was released in the late '90s as a chrome parts pak kit from Revell?

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On 11/10/2020 at 5:58 AM, tim boyd said:

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 

Actually fresh gel coated parts right out of the molds are literally as smooth as glass (pun intended) and are super glossy, but they WOULD have a few extra mold separation lines to deal with.?

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