From the Vault Lot # 2 is ready for a vote.

[Scott Colmer]

 

 

For those of you who followed along, almost 1 year ago I posted the first voting poll for an article feature in MCM called From the Vault. The idea was to give readers an idea of how some rare and vintage kits would build up. 

HERE IS HOW IT WORKS…

I post a choice of three kits here on the forum. The members of the forum can vote on which kit they would like to see built. From there I would build the kit pretty close to box art, with minimal scratch building and detailing. A build-up article would be featured in Model Cars magazine. This gives people a chance to see what that rare/vintage kit actually builds into and learn about any challenges that may pop up along the way. 

When picking the models to offer up, I primarily tried to pick models that have not been reissued for at least 20 years, are unusual, are considered "rare" or desirable, or might make an interesting subject. I also tried to stay away from models that have been recently featured in the WIP section of the forum. (I wanted to offer a Mean Maverick but Fantom has one in the Drag Racing WIP section right now.) The quality of the kits offered ranges from mint, to resin, to clone, to glue bomb. 

 

The first subject selected by the forum was a Renwal Pierce Arrow. Some excellent suggestions by forum member kicked in my snowball-its and what was supposed to be a clean build discussing the pros and cons of the kit turned into an all out effort. A single issue build turned into a series that will be wrapping up in issue 214. 

 

Now, it time to pick the next subject.

 

Please vote for one you would like to see a build-up in an article for Model Cars. Polling willl close on 5/10/22 - not 5/25. Magazine deadlines!

 

 

IMC Avenger/Fiber Fab kit car – Back to the 70's with some kit car fun. 

Monogram Super Digger 1/12 – Push the button and watch this one run the ¼ mile!

Monogram Uncertain T – Yep, that one!

[stitchdup]

I dont have a choice, i have to vote for the fibrebab avenger as I've been gathering gt40 kits to kitbash into one

[espo]

Any one of the three would be great to see built. My interest leans toward the Avenger. one of the reasons is having owned a 1:1 Bradley GT gullwing coupe kit car in the early '80's.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

Avenger. I had real one (rough but running) back in the '70s, have the kit you show above, and would really like to see how it looks done by a competent builder.  

[Oldcarfan27]

Make that four votes for the VW Avenger. I have one of those kits. Has 2 butchered bodies. I'd like to see what you do with yours - might make me want to dig mine out to make something out of it.

[Daddyfink]

Ah yes, the mighty Avenger! Our neighbor had one back when I was a kid, and he swore that thing would beat anything around, and when he finally got it running, he challenged the neighbor across the street who had a 66 GTO. Our street was a dead end street that was roughly a quarter mile, and the race was on! 

That thing got the jump on the Goat and never looked back! Yeah! We where all shocked! The avenger had a Corvair Monza Turbo engine and it would scoot! The GTO was totally bone stock and on skinny bias plys. 

But man, it made for an exciting race! LOL! I wonder if he still has that Avenger?

 

[magicmustang]

Another vote for the IMC Avenger. I wish you patience, IMC kits can be challenging as I'm sure you are aware.

As for the "Uncertain T", I hope you never build it. Just wave it in Steve Scott's face for the way he's treated all his investors. 

[Vintage AMT]

I'd like to see that rail built and then run...with the chute opening too.

[Oldcarfan27]

12 hours ago, magicmustang said:

Another vote for the IMC Avenger. I wish you patience, IMC kits can be challenging as I'm sure you are aware.

As for the "Uncertain T", I hope you never build it. Just wave it in Steve Scott's face for the way he's treated all his investors. 

I never got all the esteem paid to the "Uncertain T".

To me it always looks like the car was put out in the sun and it melted.

Driving it looks like a spinal injuring process. I wouldn't want to try to sit back in that cockpit, for fear of banging my head against the back window.  

[Lobo2me]

I had to do this...built the 1:1 in 1971, the 1:25 in 2017. I had no idea IMC or anyone else made Avenger kits in the 60s. It took me almost 50 years to find out. But why? Why would any model manufacturer produce such a quirky, low volume, wannabe sports car?

[Carmak]

On 9/4/2022 at 8:56 PM, Lobo2me said:

I had to do this...built the 1:1 in 1971, the 1:25 in 2017. I had no idea IMC or anyone else made Avenger kits in the 60s. It took me almost 50 years to find out. But why? Why would any model manufacturer produce such a quirky, low volume, wannabe sports car?

On the kit the rear fenders tuck in leaving the rear tires partially exposed. Do they tuck in that much on the 1:1 (hard to tell in the pictures)?

Which was harder to build, the 1:1 or the kit  .

[Scott Colmer]

Steve, You did a great job upgrading the Avenger kit to a real show piece. A treat to look at. The opening doors had to be a challenge.

 

Looking at you 1:1 pic, I am wondering if IMC molded the rear a bit too narrow thus adding an odd angle to the rear wheel wells. I struggled with lining up the rear wheels on my build. 

[Oldcarfan27]

On 9/4/2022 at 6:56 PM, Lobo2me said:

I had no idea IMC or anyone else made Avenger kits in the 60s. It took me almost 50 years to find out. But why? Why would any model manufacturer produce such a quirky, low volume, wannabe sports car?

My guess is, they already had the VW beetle kit, so they just added the Avenger parts to it and "Voila" a new variation. Probably didn't sell all that well to begin with, so is why they didn't continue the series. 

[Lobo2me]

On 5/6/2022 at 7:20 AM, Daddyfink said:

Ah yes, the mighty Avenger! Our neighbor had one back when I was a kid, and he swore that thing would beat anything around, and when he finally got it running, he challenged the neighbor across the street who had a 66 GTO. Our street was a dead end street that was roughly a quarter mile, and the race was on! 

That thing got the jump on the Goat and never looked back! Yeah! We where all shocked! The avenger had a Corvair Monza Turbo engine and it would scoot! The GTO was totally bone stock and on skinny bias plys. 

But man, it made for an exciting race! LOL! I wonder if he still has that Avenger?

 

That's hilarious! I do  believe a hopped up Corvair motor could get the 1,400 lbs kit car moving pretty quickly. The little 1,500 cc in mine was quick considering, but the most fun was the center of gravity below the wheel bearings. It handled like a go cart!

[Lobo2me]

On 9/9/2022 at 9:12 AM, Carmak said:

On the kit the rear fenders tuck in leaving the rear tires partially exposed. Do they tuck in that much on the 1:1 (hard to tell in the pictures)?

Which was harder to build, the 1:1 or the kit  .

Well, they both had their challenges but the 1:1 exercise was by far a much longer journey. Funds from this high school junior were a bit limited and scrounging for parts took a long time. Regarding the rear of the body, yes the rear fenders did swoop over the tires quite a bit. I think the IMC kits are pretty accurate. The pic below still wearing the orange gel shows how much the body narrowed over the rear wheels. Although, the wheels in the pic were borrowed from my 1965 VWBus just for a size test. I opted for wider wheels and tires on the Avenger. The body did wrap around quite a bit over the rear tires leaving a pretty large gap in front of the tires as well. Both were fun projects!

 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Lobo2me
typo

[Lobo2me]

On 9/9/2022 at 7:28 PM, Scott Colmer said:

Steve, You did a great job upgrading the Avenger kit to a real show piece. A treat to look at. The opening doors had to be a challenge.

 

Looking at you 1:1 pic, I am wondering if IMC molded the rear a bit too narrow thus adding an odd angle to the rear wheel wells. I struggled with lining up the rear wheels on my build. 

Thank you Scott. I tried my darnedest to recreate my exact 1:1. The doors were challenging mainly because once opened body rigidity flew right out the window. Plus the body was pretty warped to start with. Yes, the rear wheel openings are odd...big gap at the front, exposed tires at the rear.  When did you build your kit...?

[Scott Colmer]

Hey Steve,

I just finished mine. It is featured issue 215 and 216 of Model Cars Magazine. The body on mine was excellent - except for the tapered rear as we noted. The rest of the kit made for a more advance builder. (No parts ID on the tree. Yikes) That makes your upgraded version all the more impressive.

Your 1:1 is a stunner too!

 

Scott

[bobthehobbyguy]

Saw the finished versions in issue 216. Nice work.

[Scott Colmer]

Thanks Bob! 

[Daddyfink]

Can you post a pick here of the finished kit, so us, who are Magazine deficient, can take a look at it? 

[Scott Colmer]

Hey Jesse,

Thanks for the call out on the Vault-Avenger. I really appreciate the support.

There are a couple issues at play here in regards to posting pics.

The Vault articles are written to provide unique content for the magazine and entice forum member to give a subscription a try. So I would ask you to consider a subscription. The price is good and the quality and content are outstanding. I am a big fan of the magazine feel good about promoting MCM. Here is a link. Check it out. https://www.modelcarsmag.com

With that said, the editorial team has had this discussion before. The rule of thumb is that we wait until the issue with a featured car has been followed by the next issue before we start sharing photos in forums. So when issue 217 hits the mailboxes, I'll post pics of the Avengers.

Thanks for asking. Makes me feel good that there is interest!

Best regards,

Scott Colmer