1970s Revell Top Fuel Dragster History

[Junkman]

My pleasure and many thanks for your kind offer.

I'd be interested in a scaled down version of the ultra rare 1/16th scale Dennis Priddle fueler Revell UK once did.
But that's a long shot I understand.

[Force]

9 minutes ago, Junkman said:

I'd be interested in a scaled down version of the ultra rare 1/16th scale Dennis Priddle fueler Revell UK once did.
But that's a long shot I understand.

Me too, Revell did several front engine dragsters but only in 1:16th scale...I love the slingshots but I don't do large scale models as I don't have room for them.

Edited September 2, 2018 by Force

[Daddyfink]

21 minutes ago, Junkman said:

My pleasure and many thanks for your kind offer.

I'd be interested in a scaled down version of the ultra rare 1/16th scale Dennis Priddle fueler Revell UK once did.
But that's a long shot I understand.

 

12 minutes ago, Force said:

Me too, Revell did several front engine dragsters but only in 1:16th scale...I love the slingshots but I don't do large scale models as I don't have room for them.

Maybe Chuck Boerner might be able to scale downt the decals and we can use them on the MPC dragsters

[Junkman]

That's exactly what I have in mind, use the decals on an MPC rail.
I had no idea someone makes replica decals, it would be easy to scale them down.

[Force]

20 minutes ago, Daddyfink said:

Maybe Chuck Boerner might be able to scale downt the decals and we can use them on the MPC dragsters

Well I think the Revell slingshots were better than the old MPC ones, so it would have been nice to have them downscaled to 1:25th scale.

[jeffdeoranut]

unfortunately I don't have any 1/16 kits.  its not to hard to adjust size if you have Microsoft office as long as you have a 1/25 kit to get some measurements from.  ive made a few decals by finding side, top, front and back images of vehicle on the internet, then putting them into office then adjusting the image size until its 1/25 then, by using images I find on the net to create original decals.  if you search for CAN DO WRECKER in truck workbench section I posted decals I made for that truck.  ill take a shot at attempting this for the 1/16 stuff if yall don't have office but can post a scan and can provide some measurements from a 1/25 kit.

[Daddyfink]

10 hours ago, Force said:

Well I think the Revell slingshots were better than the old MPC ones, so it would have been nice to have them downscaled to 1:25th scale.

Absolutely, but, there are none to be had in 1/25th and the second best is the 1320 Die Cast, but those are getting hard to find for donors. Next would be the AMT and MPC kits. 

 

[Junkman]

On 2.9.2018 at 7:02 AM, Force said:

Well I think the Revell slingshots were better than the old MPC ones, so it would have been nice to have them downscaled to 1:25th scale.

Which ones are you referring to?

[Force]

On 2018-09-02 at 6:18 PM, Daddyfink said:

Absolutely, but, there are none to be had in 1/25th and the second best is the 1320 Die Cast, but those are getting hard to find for donors. Next would be the AMT and MPC kits. 

 

Yes they are quite nice, I have found one bought at a swap meet in L.A.

On 2018-09-04 at 1:38 AM, Junkman said:

Which ones are you referring to?

All of them, the Revell slingshot dragsters looks more accurate than the MPC slingshots wich are more on the crude side detailwise.
But of course it's easier to do details on a 1:16th model than a 1:25th.
Revell did rear engine dragsters and funny cars in both 1:16 and 1:25 but the slingshots were only done in 1:16th scale.

[Daddyfink]

On 9/4/2018 at 8:24 PM, Force said:

Yes they are quite nice, I have found one bought at a swap meet in L.A.

All of them, the Revell slingshot dragsters looks more accurate than the MPC slingshots wich are more on the crude side detailwise.
But of course it's easier to do details on a 1:16th model than a 1:25th.
Revell did rear engine dragsters and funny cars in both 1:16 and 1:25 but the slingshots were only done in 1:16th scale.

I think that by the time Revell got to scaling down the dragsters, front engine dragsters where fading fast and rear engine was all the rage. I can see where Revell might have thought it would be a bad move to keep making an obsolete car. 

But one of those in 1/25th would have been miles ahead of the MPC and AMT dragsters. 

[Junkman]

Fact is that when you want to do FE in 1/25, then MPC/AMT are the only games in town.
I actually don't find them that bad considering all TF kits need a lot of tweaking to look right.
Dragsters by their very nature aren't an easy genre to model, hence I'll only ever have a very selected few.

Edited September 6, 2018 by Junkman

[Force]

Yes I know that, but it would have been nice if Revell had done the FED's in 1:25th scale.

[Junkman]

We can always dream. How about Revell freshly tooling up 1/25 FEDs with 2018 technology...

Until that happens, I'll have to make do with what I got.

[Allen Wrench]

On 8/27/2018 at 12:59 AM, Daddyfink said:

I was surprised when Revell did the Attebury Jungle Jim car and not this one. This one was an actual Gene Snow team car, where the Attenbury car was just running the Jungle name

I think the fact that Gene Snow was a child molester might well have influenced Revell's decision.

[Daddyfink]

3 hours ago, Allen Wrench said:

I think the fact that Gene Snow was a child molester might well have influenced Revell's decision.

You have a point. 

[jeffaary]

I know I'm late to the party, but Tom West did an awesome 3-part history of drag racing models article spread over SAE magazines 68 - 70 (August/October/December 1990).  Issue #68 covered kits from 1959-71, issue # 69 covered kits from 1972-1991, and issue #70 went more in-depth about the Aurora 1/16 kits.  

[tim boyd]

57 minutes ago, jeffaary said:

I know I'm late to the party, but Tom West did an awesome 3-part history of drag racing models article spread over SAE magazines 68 - 70 (August/October/December 1990).  Issue #68 covered kits from 1959-71, issue # 69 covered kits from 1972-1991, and issue #70 went more in-depth about the Aurora 1/16 kits.  

Jeff is exactly right on this  

Years later, Tom West sent me the entire original text of his history, which included a number of items that didn't make it to print in SAE if I am remembering correctly.   Tom's comprehensive history was one of the key sources I used in preparing my "Collecting Drag Racing Model Car Kits" that was first published in late 2020....  TB 

[Daddyfink]

10 hours ago, tim boyd said:

Jeff is exactly right on this  

Years later, Tom West sent me the entire original text of his history, which included a number of items that didn't make it to print in SAE if I am remembering correctly.   Tom's comprehensive history was one of the key sources I used in preparing my "Collecting Drag Racing Model Car Kits" that was first published in late 2020....  TB 

I wish I had rolled tape every time I talked models with Tom West. The knowledge, the stories and the history of the hobby where told to me in some very colorful ways! 

I am indeed lucky to call him a friend. And thanks to Tom, I think I have every Revell Drag kit from the 70's! He filled quite a few holes in my collection and knowledge. 

RIP Tom West

Edited May 6, 2022 by Daddyfink

[Mr mopar]

Chuck now makes them in 1/25 & 1/16