Nascar and revell

[Brett Barrow]

Part of the reason why the AMT COT kit failed because it was a half arsed kit to start with, if it was full detail kit then I think the numbers would of been a little bit better, lets be honest, it was a dissembled diecast, not a model

True. But there are plently of half arsed models out there that sold a heckuva lot better.

[afx]

NASCAR lost me when the silhouette of the cars became standardized. When I can't tell a Ford, from a Chevy, from a Toyota (!) without the grill stickers then its basically became a spec series. How many times do you want to build the same kit?

[Scuderia]

Your comment about flooding is so true, Now I can get a Monogram lumina shipped to my door for $12 on a good day maybe less. There seems to be a never-ending bottomless pit of those 90's nascar kits lol.

[Skydime]

The COT and newer Sprint Cup cars really bother me in 1:1. I always thought that NASCAR was born on modified versions of street cars. So, someone explain this to me...look at the difference in the doors on the street Fusion and the front side windows of the NASCAR version. They are stretched to look like a two door. I mean, I may be ignorant and half asleep here. But am I wrong.

People used to buy cars and cheer for cars on the track because they, at least loosely, resembled their street cars. When they start driving cars that are actually exciting and based on street cars that seem to have the same number of doors on the street, I might start watching again. Oh wait, I forgot the Camry. No, they dont even say it is a Solara.

I'm sorry but, shortly after Earnhardt died, everything just started going downhill. For goodness sakes, Dale Sr could have died because of his detest for some of the technological advances as far as we know. (Hahns device may or may not have saved him) He may not have gone about it in the way others might have but, maybe he was onto something. And what about bumping and rubbing? That used to be when drivers didn't take anything on the track but, again, NASCAR tones that down now as well. I still applaud the drivers but, geez.

But as stated above, the good thing is, older kits when the racing was so much better are going cheaper. And someone out there will find interest in the COT and newer cars. Happy modeling to them because maybe it will present opportunities for people to better develop their scratchbuilding skills. I may not be a fan of the current racing (no offense to those who are) but, I still like watching builders practice and sharpen their skills.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Skydime

[Force]

Yes they are built like 2-door cars but the cars they are based are only available as 4-door sedans...and as far as I know the only car made in the US of the 3 brands in use now is the Toyota, the other two are built in Canada and Mexico if I remember correctly.

But the Generation 6 cars wich they use today do look a lot more like the street cars than the Generation 4 and 5 did, the only difference there was mostly the decals for the grille, head and tail lights otherwise the body for all brands was essentially the same.

I like NASCAR racing and follow the Sprint Cup, and sometimes the Nationwide and Truck series on TV every Sunday but I think it was more fun back in the old days when the cars was built and modified from real factory cars and not fabricated from scratch by the teams as they are today..."the dark side rules"

[Greg Myers]

Maybe Ford Thunder Birds would do it for you ? http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=82441

[Brett Barrow]

Yes they are built like 2-door cars but the cars they are based are only available as 4-door sedans...and as far as I know the only car made in the US of the 3 brands in use now is the Toyota, the other two are built in Canada and Mexico if I remember correctly.

But the Generation 6 cars wich they use today do look a lot more like the street cars than the Generation 4 and 5 did, the only difference there was mostly the decals for the grille, head and tail lights otherwise the body for all brands was essentially the same.

I like NASCAR racing and follow the Sprint Cup, and sometimes the Nationwide and Truck series on TV every Sunday but I think it was more fun back in the old days when the cars was built and modified from real factory cars and not fabricated from scratch by the teams as they are today..."the dark side rules"

Shoot, back in the 60's there were a few cars that used factory body parts and still didn't look that much like the real things.

Junior Johnson's "Yellow Banana" 66 Galaxie immediately comes to mind :

[Skydime]

Yes they are built like 2-door cars but the cars they are based are only available as 4-door sedans...and as far as I know the only car made in the US of the 3 brands in use now is the Toyota, the other two are built in Canada and Mexico if I remember correctly.

But the Generation 6 cars wich they use today do look a lot more like the street cars than the Generation 4 and 5 did, the only difference there was mostly the decals for the grille, head and tail lights otherwise the body for all brands was essentially the same.

I like NASCAR racing and follow the Sprint Cup, and sometimes the Nationwide and Truck series on TV every Sunday but I think it was more fun back in the old days when the cars was built and modified from real factory cars and not fabricated from scratch by the teams as they are today..."the dark side rules"

Well stated. You must have been more awake when you posted than I was. I'd just like to see them build them with the shorter front windows and watch em try to get in and out. LOL

Edited February 26, 2014 by Skydime

[Force]

I feel the same way about funny cars ... lot more interesting and a lot cooler when they they looked like the street cars they were based on, IMO. Even when teams started stretching the bodies for aero purposes in the '70s, the cars still looked like Vegas, Pintos, etc.

Yes I'm totally with you on that one...even tho' I'm a John Force fan since many many years I think todays Funny Cars looks like a strange door wedge on wheels with a small lump in the middle that they are trying to lead us to believe to look like a Ford Mustang, Dodge Charger or Toyota Camry...they are not that fun at all.

It was better as late as the early 90's as the FC bodys still slightly resembled the car they was supposed to look like even tho' they were stretched and narrowed.

Well stated. You must have been more awake when you posted than I was. I'd just like to see them build them with the shorter front windows and watch em try to get in and out. LOL

Yeah that would be interesting to see.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Force

[johnbuzzed]

There was a time when the engines used in Cup cars had to be production engines. I think at least 1,000 production cars had to be equipped with the engine if the manufacturer wanted to use it on the track (e.g.,the Boss 429), I believe the term is "homologated". Today, the manufacturers use engines developed specifically for racing. And, there was a time when a certain manufacturer cried because another manufacturer dominated the Cup series with their engine and/or aerodynamics, so NASCAR decided to change the rules in favor of the whiny manufacturer (hey, the NHRA did the same, in that same era), instead of telling the whiner to try harder to be better (isn't that what sports and competition are about?) Since then, that same whiny manufacturer has taken the NASCAR Manufacturer of the Year award at least 10 times (that I'm aware of) in the past 12 years alone, with an engine that has never seen the production line in some of those years. Go figure.

If it were up to me, the car would have to be a production car- not a two-door that has never been offered to the public with a production engine driving the wheels that are driven on the production vehicle. You know, the way Bill France intended (I would like to have seen the current Hemi on the track). Then, maybe the races might be more exciting and there would be a lot more R&D by the teams and the manufacturers. And Funny Cars would run engines with the same pedigree as their bodies- a Ford in a Ford, Chevy in a Chevy, etc. "That's just my $.02".

Edited February 28, 2014 by johnbuzzed

[johnbuzzed]

Shoot, back in the 60's there were a few cars that used factory body parts and still didn't look that much like the real things.

Junior Johnson's "Yellow Banana" 66 Galaxie immediately comes to mind :

How about Smokey Yunicks #13 '66 Chevelle that was actually about 7/8 full size. Sorry, I have no picture.

Edited February 28, 2014 by johnbuzzed

[Greg Myers]

Actually the measurements were right on. . 7/8th thing was an urban myth.

[Thatswhatshesaid]

NASCAR has turned into the IROC series. All the cars are the same. Just slap a couple headlight and grill stickers on them and then you have a 'FORD' or whatever. It has become so boring to watch. Its all fuel mileage and teammates helping teammates. No one bumps, rubs or drives the wheels off it anymore. I used to get annoyed by people who said NASCAR is just guys going in circles. Sadly that is what it has become.

[Force]

I just heard on the TV coverage over here from the Las Vegas Kobalt Tools 400 Race in progress right now, one vendor at the Daytona 500 race sold about 100 Dale Earnhardt Jr diecast models an hour under race day...and that's just models for one driver, so it's something to think about.

If there were no diecast models the sales would most likely have gone to plastic models...probably not that many but at least about the same as before the diecasts arrived on the market.

[martinfan5]

NASCAR has turned into the IROC series. All the cars are the same. Just slap a couple headlight and grill stickers on them and then you have a 'FORD' or whatever. It has become so boring to watch. Its all fuel mileage and teammates helping teammates. No one bumps, rubs or drives the wheels off it anymore. I used to get annoyed by people who said NASCAR is just guys going in circles. Sadly that is what it has become.

Not true, the "IROC Series" were all the same make of car, and all used the same engine, the bodys of Toyota, Chevy,Ford are different, Ford has a Ford engine, Chevy as a GM engine,Toyota has a Toyota engine , sure, the chassis are the same, while I agree, in a lot area's, its getting close to the IROC series, but its not as close as you are claiming

Edited March 9, 2014 by martinfan5

[mrindy77]

I managed a local hobby shop chain for 5 years, from about 1986-1991. NASCAR was on the rise. They were the slowest moving kits on the shelves...I would put them on the sidewalk sales continually and blow them out for $5 a kit. Most of the guys that bought them were using them for parts for other projects. Kits were outdated by the time they came to market. It was a more regional series then and the upper midwest really had no venue...Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa....not exactly NASCAR country. The Monogram sprint car kits out sold NASCAR 3 to 1. I could not give diecast away. We sold a fair number of NASCAR decals but I rarely saw many show up at model shows...I can only guess they were used on other projects....Cady decals were only $3-4 .

[johnbuzzed]

Actually the measurements were right on. . 7/8th thing was an urban myth.

Not in my urban areas- I don't remember my sources, but I remember reading that the car was smaller that "normal".

[Brett Barrow]

Not in my urban areas- I don't remember my sources, but I remember reading that the car was smaller that "normal".

It's been pretty thoroughly debunked. If it really was 7/8 it would have been the size of a Vega.

http://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/2013/08/21/the-truth-about-smokey-yunicks-78-scale-chevelle/

[1930fordpickup]

If you ain't cheating your ain't trying ! Those rules are just guide lines and suggestions , They just point out the things you can not do . Some of my favorite lines from former racers .

[Force]

That's why the rulebooks today is re-written ... "all things not mentioned and allowed by the rules are prohibited"... just to avoid Smokey Yunick like "loose" interpretations of the rules...they try anyway but most get cought sooner or later.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Force

[Chuck Most]

Don't forget the '50 Olds ... it also has a reasonably accurate NASCAR building option.

OR the just-reissued AMT '65 Ford Galaxie. The oft-reissued '66 Galaxie and Torino Cobras offer convincing NASCAR options as well.

I'm not sold on seeing any new (current) NASCAR stockers in kit form any time soon, but I do think we'll be seeing more and more of the earlier stuff coming out, as new kit options and reissues.

[Greg Myers]

Not in my urban areas- I don't remember my sources, but I remember reading that the car was smaller that "normal".

You ain't readin' the right book son.

[horsepower]

There was excerpts from an old interview with Smokey that was done by Benny Parsons on the Ray Evernham show"Americana" a couple of weeks ago, & Benny asked about the Chevelle, & Smokey said that the story about it being a"scale" size, was just that, a story, it was full size, but did have a"couple" of tricks, like the spoiler at the rear of the roof that NASCAR in all their knowledge decided was more of a hindrance than help. I have seen the complete interview years ago & there was more said about that car, it was at one race & NASCAR wasn't going to allow it to race because it didn't' fit the templates of that time, & Smokey went to a local dealer & brought a new'66 Chevelle to the track, & when the templates fit Smokey's car better than they did the new one NASCAR had no choice but to allow it to race.

[Thatswhatshesaid]

Not true, the "IROC Series" were all the same make of car, and all used the same engine, the bodys of Toyota, Chevy,Ford are different, Ford has a Ford engine, Chevy as a GM engine,Toyota has a Toyota engine , sure, the chassis are the same, while I agree, in a lot area's, its getting close to the IROC series, but its not as close as you are claiming

My IROC reference wasn't meant as an exact analogy. If all the cars were painted the same going around the track, could you pick out each manufacturer? All things aside, the bottom line is NASCAR is just plain boring. Just my 2 cents.

[Greg Myers]

close enough.