Cheetahs live, now if we could only get a kit.

[RancheroSteve]

Yep - I didn't say Cheetahs weren't raced. I've posted it here before, but here's my version of the #64 car:

[Greg Myers]

Lookin' good Steve. What ya build the from ?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Cheetahs got drag raced too. This one's even in Bill Thomas livery.

And remember, not all Cheetahs were Cheetahs. Most of the ones that did the straight-line thing were clones made by Fiberglass Trends...the company that did NOT get the contract to produce "factory" cars.

One of the two (I think) original aluminum-bodied cars. The rest were fiberglass.

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[RancheroSteve]

Lookin' good Steve. What ya build the from ?

It's the Mini Exotics kit. Curbside, but I added an engine from the AMT '63 Corvette and wheels and tires from the Owens Corning Corvette.

[Oldmodelmaker]

They sure were popular with the slot car world back in the day. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=cox+cheetah+slot+cars&espv=2&biw=989&bih=753&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjzI-fmYzNAhVIJCYKHcaNAVkQ_AUICCgD#imgrc=_

I had one as a kid and now I've gotten back in slots too and have the Carrera 1/32 model. And it's the fastest car in my stable.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Oldmodelmaker

[jeffdeoranut]

I don't know who owns licensing rights to cheetah, but that is y there have been no 1/25 full detail kits of the cobra coupe...I spent some time contacting mfgs several years ago and was told that they would love to make that kit but Shelby wanted too much $$ for licensing rights. I then contacted Shelby enterprises and they said they had not been approached by the mfgs and would allow kit to b made if the MONEY was right-not one word about the accuracy or fidelity of kit...it ALWAYS comes down to the money especially with Shelby enterprises.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I don't know who owns licensing rights to cheetah, but that is y there have been no 1/25 full detail kits of the cobra coupe...I spent some time contacting mfgs several years ago and was told that they would love to make that kit but Shelby wanted too much $$ for licensing rights. I then contacted Shelby enterprises and they said they had not been approached by the mfgs and would allow kit to b made if the MONEY was right-not one word about the accuracy or fidelity of kit...it ALWAYS comes down to the money especially with Shelby enterprises.

I'm confused. First you say you don't know who owns the rights to the Cheetah and then you say you contacted Shelby.

Are you saying Shelby owns the rights to the Cheetah now?

As of 2007, this company was doing full-scale repops, so you'd think THEY would own the rights.   http://www.billthomascheetah.com/

Edited June 28, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

[SfanGoch]

I don't know who owns licensing rights to cheetah, but that is y there have been no 1/25 full detail kits of the cobra coupe...I spent some time contacting mfgs several years ago and was told that they would love to make that kit but Shelby wanted too much $$ for licensing rights. I then contacted Shelby enterprises and they said they had not been approached by the mfgs and would allow kit to b made if the MONEY was right-not one word about the accuracy or fidelity of kit...it ALWAYS comes down to the money especially with Shelby enterprises.

I had to reread that post to make sure I understood it correctly.

Translation:

Jeff contacted Shelby regarding licensing rights to produce Cobra Daytona models, not Cheetahs. He meant that licensing rights (actually, the absence of) are the same reason why no full detail 1/25 scale injection molded Cobra Daytona kits have been produced. 

BTW, the trademark for the Bill Thomas Cheetah is owned by........William P. Thomas III. These are the trademark details:

https://trademarks.justia.com/860/63/bill-thomas-86063410.html

Edited June 29, 2016 by SfanGoch

[Daddyfink]

Well, there is a full detail kit of a Daytona, but, it is in 1/24 and it is a bit pricey now. So maybe a mass made one by Revell, AMT or Monogram would be a good idea. And a Cheetah too! 

[Greg Myers]

[jeffdeoranut]

sorry for confusion...Shelby has nothing to do with cheetah...was stating that model mfgs would proiduce 1/25 full detail kit if licensing fees that Shelby were not ridiculously high.. 

[socal76]

It all has to do with the one thing I never liked Shelby for, Corporate greed! A company could do a perfect replica for us modelers, but if they were not willing to cough up enough dollars Shelby's response was NO. Kind of like Snake, when approached to allow decals of his car to go with Monogram models, Nope!. Yet Mongoose did alllow them. Went from a Snake fan to a Mongoose fan for life after I approached Snake's licensing legal team and not even for myself, just to be able to buy them from a reputable decal manufactuer in '89. Got rid of every Snake merchandise piece I had after that and never bought one since. Got all the Mongoose decals for kits I could after that, and sold every Snake piece I had. Was a die-hard fan of Snake until then. Now just as soon see him go belly-up for all I care as far as licensencing items. Wanted to see a matched pair of haulers and funniy cars, but now will settle for only a Mongoose hauler since I have a few of the Funny Cars. As far as Snake and Shelby kits, have to be no more than current kit prices now, won't even pay 10 % more. Mongoose hauler, ?? Let me know how much and I will try to find out a way to buy it!!

Don't ya just love licence fees?

socal76

[cobraman]

Well, there is a full detail kit of a Daytona, but, it is in 1/24 and it is a bit pricey now. So maybe a mass made one by Revell, AMT or Monogram would be a good idea. And a Cheetah too! 

No engine.

[Howard Cohen]

Sometime in the mid-60s, one of the model magazines...Car Model... did an article about using...iirc... the Cox hard slot car body and parts from the MPC and AMT Corvettes to make a static kit. Even back in the heyday of road racing, when kits were being popped out like candy, none of the companies did a full static kit of the Cheetah. I don't think that even the Modelhaus resin curbside kit was a big seller. To expect a plastic company to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new full Cheetah kit is dreaming. 

[Daddyfink]

No engine.

Half Engine? LOL! 

[TooOld]

Sometime in the mid-60s, one of the model magazines...Car Model... did an article about using...iirc... the Cox hard slot car body and parts from the MPC and AMT Corvettes to make a static kit. Even back in the heyday of road racing, when kits were being popped out like candy, none of the companies did a full static kit of the Cheetah. I don't think that even the Modelhaus resin curbside kit was a big seller. To expect a plastic company to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new full Cheetah kit is dreaming. 

The December 1966 Rod & Custom had that article . It may have been in one of the model mags too but I've never seen it .  If anyone is interested I can scan the article and post a link . 

[Greg Myers]

The December 1966 Rod & Custom had that article . It may have been in one of the model mags too but I've never seen it .  If anyone is interested I can scan the article and post a link . 

Yes , thank you

 

[Greg Myers]

Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder. I'm beholdin' 

 

[TooOld]

Here's a link to the Rod & Custom article .  It's pretty well done and could easily be updated by using newer donor kits . . . say an Accurate Miniatures Gran Sport Corvette . 

http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/RobertSpedding/library/Cheetah - Rod and Custom Article

[Greg Myers]

I was just wondering if this is the difference between the aircraft / armor / ship modelers and the car guys?

You don't see much that ISN'T kitted in the Aircraft / armor / ship areas, just about any variation of any popular subject and any esoteric subject is covered as well.

One would be hard pressed to find an aircraft or armor subject that hasn't been kitted.

[SfanGoch]

Most of the time, the issue of licensing rights for military equipment (especially WW II- era vehicles) isn't required. There are exceptions like the Oshkosh M1070 HET and HEMMT series of vehicles. Oshkosh had **** fit when I contacted them about drawings for the M1070A1 hood so I could make a master for casting.

[Art Anderson]

I was just wondering if this is the difference between the aircraft / armor / ship modelers and the car guys?

You don't see much that ISN'T kitted in the Aircraft / armor / ship areas, just about any variation of any popular subject and any esoteric subject is covered as well.

One would be hard pressed to find an aircraft or armor subject that hasn't been kitted.

Believe me, there are more licensing issues with military equipment than you might have ever guessed!   For example, of all the major aircraft companies producing military aircraft here in the US during WW-II, only Curtiss has completely disappeared.  Every other military aircraft producer from the US during WW-II is still in business, in some form or another, and most of their now-parent companies do protect their WW-II products.  Be reminded, that with aircraft, with only one ot two exceptions, combat aircraft are designed and developed privately, with modifications required for production based on flight tests.  Even most US Navy ships are covered under such intellectual rights, even though much of their design was carried out by the Bureau of Ships. Screwy?  Yes in a way, but that is what it is.

 

[SfanGoch]

I'll agree with you as far as U.S. equipment is concerned. I doubt that kit manufacturers seek licensing rights for Axis equipment from companies still in business today.

[Greg Myers]

Believe me, there are more licensing issues with military equipment than you might have ever guessed!   For example, of all the major aircraft companies producing military aircraft here in the US during WW-II, only Curtiss has completely disappeared.  Every other military aircraft producer from the US during WW-II is still in business, in some form or another, and most of their now-parent companies do protect their WW-II products.  Be reminded, that with aircraft, with only one ot two exceptions, combat aircraft are designed and developed privately, with modifications required for production based on flight tests.  Even most US Navy ships are covered under such intellectual rights, even though much of their design was carried out by the Bureau of Ships. Screwy?  Yes in a way, but that is what it is.

 

and yet, there is an overabundance of just about anything one can think of in these areas.