Banjo Matthews Mr. X

[modelfink]

hey guys, my dad has ordered decals for the Mr. X car Banjo Matthews drove at McCormick field in Asheville in the mid 50s. I have a few pics but I am looking for more details. I've got a Revell 40 Ford (the car was a 39 but it should work) any tips on the best supplier of wide 5 wheels ( I have a 37 truck donor ) and tips on successfully applying decals would be greatly appreciated. 

My dad remembers watching Banjo win at the first race he ever went to at McCormick field as a young kid.

[horsepower]

Either of the Revell '37 1/25th scale kits have good wide five wheels, the pickup and the panel delivery, there's even a set of wide five artillery wheels, also AMT had wide fives in the '36 Ford coupe kits they made, but not quite as well detailed.

[modelfink]

Either of the Revell '37 1/25th scale kits have good wide five wheels, the pickup and the panel delivery, there's even a set of wide five artillery wheels, also AMT had wide fives in the '36 Ford coupe kits they made, but not quite as well detailed.

Thanks Delton. The Revell 37 truck wheels are good, but part of the hubcap is molded in and there is no bolt detail. So they don't really work without the chrome caps. The AMT 36 are better detailed but not perfect. However, I found the right wheels at Ron Coon Resins http://roncoon.com/ 

The casting is super clean and very well detailed. I will be using Ron's wheels with the 37 truck tires

[horsepower]

Thanks Delton. The Revell 37 truck wheels are good, but part of the hubcap is molded in and there is no bolt detail. So they don't really work without the chrome caps. The AMT 36 are better detailed but not perfect. However, I found the right wheels at Ron Coon Resins http://roncoon.com/ 

The casting is super clean and very well detailed. I will be using Ron's wheels with the 37 truck tires

Glad you found what you were looking for, I have been looking for some of the Etzel's Speed Classics '60s era super modified, or Sprint (even the Champ cars wheels will work) rear and front tires and wheels, I had a set of the Champ Car tires and wheels and they were perfect, but as is the case with us old folks I put them in a safe place so I wouldn't lose them. It really worked because now even I can't find them. They are intended for a replica of a full size Edmunds Super Modified that I worked on in the late '60s.

[Mike Guthrie]

Delton,  Where can I purchase the Mr. X decals?  I saw them available from a model dealer near Charlotte a few years ago but have lost the contact.  My mother was the eldest daughter of Clarence Jones, Toy Jones younger brother.  Toy built the Mr. X, Mr. Y, and Mr. Z cars in the late 50's and his shop was in my home town of West Asheville, N.C.  His shop building is still standing on Brevard Rd.  My next-door neighbor at the time was Jack Pike, who, along with Toy, had worked on aircraft engines during the war.  Toy brought Mr. X over to Jack's garage often for fine tuning.  (Also occasionally to install a nitrous oxide system inside the roll bars)... But I always loved those cars and am trying to build two models, for Mr. X (Banjo's) and Mr. Y (Dickie Plemmons').  So any help in finding the decals would be very much appreciated... Mike Guthrie

[MarkJ]

That Banjo car looks more like a 37 ford then a 39 or 40 Ford. I used a 37 kit  for a Rex white 37 ford but i cant remember if it was AMT or Revell. you might want to see if you could find a 37 ford kit for this build. I bought a bunch of wide 5 wheels from a resin guy but I cant remember the name or if hes still in business. I wonder if P.P.P. makes any?

[modelfink]

51 minutes ago, MarkJ said:

That Banjo car looks more like a 37 ford then a 39 or 40 Ford. I used a 37 kit  for a Rex white 37 ford but i cant remember if it was AMT or Revell. you might want to see if you could find a 37 ford kit for this build. I bought a bunch of wide 5 wheels from a resin guy but I cant remember the name or if hes still in business. I wonder if P.P.P. makes any?

The car Banjo drove was a 39. I used a 37 hood.

[MarkJ]

3 minutes ago, modelfink said:

The car Banjo drove was a 39. I used a 37 hood.

Just looking at the profile picture of that car,  the roof line and fenders look more like a 37 then a 39. But if you say its a 39 then its a 39. I dont want to hijack your thread with a picture of one of my models so i will p.m. it to you. It turns out the kit I used was a Revell 37 ford street rod kit.  

[MarkJ]

34 minutes ago, modelfink said:

The car Banjo drove was a 39. I used a 37 hood.

Travis, check your messages at the top of the page.

[presnell]

Mr. Jones told me years ago the X was built out of a 39 Standard. PPP {David Hawkins} has very good wide 5 wheels.