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Posted

I've just being watching the latest episode of The Barn Find Hunter on YouTube and I've fallen in love with a car I've ever seen or heard of before, a De Tomaso Mangusta. 

Does anyone know if there is a resin kit of this beautiful automobile? 

Posted

The 1/24 scale was a limited production resin from SMP24. Their runs are typically 50 kits and priced starting around 24000 jpy.  They usually sell out very quickly but I have seen them on eBay.

There was also a motorized kit by Nakamura in around 1/28th.  Detail was not very good but I seem to recall the wheels and tires werent bad. 

Posted
2 hours ago, john sharisky said:

 

Man, I've been looking for the SMP24 Mangusta everywhere.

John

 

Brush up on your Japanese. ;)

Posted (edited)

That blue racing Goose really does it for me. Along with Panteras, I have considerable real-world experience with the Mangusta, and it's always been a car I've lusted after (ever since I saw a brandy-new one in the showroom of the now-defunct Baker Motor Company in Buckhead, many moons ago). For anyone wanting to build a well-detailed model, seek out the old series in Sports Car Graphic wherein Paul Van Valkenburgh goes through one, eliminating most of the things that made older Italian cars notoriously unreliable, and turns it into a daily driver.

The 1/24 SMP24 kit, at least the gray one in the front 3/4 shot, really misses the mark on capturing the correct lines of these beautiful cars. As the only game in town in 1/24, it's someplace to start, but it's about as poor a representation of the real car as the awful (Arii?) C111 kits in the same scale.

For over $200, I'd kinda expect the model to have been scaled from the real thing, rather than being a Palmer-esque warped misshapen mess that's obviously more "artistic interpretation" than scale model.

PS. I seem to recall that Pico Elgin was developing a 3D printable body shell in 1/24, though I may be mistaken.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted

Well, I did manage to rescue a few kits, one of them was the SMP24 Mangusta.  My day dream was to build the race car pictured in blue.

Now if only SMP24 would re release the 1/24 69' Ferrari 512 Specialé Berlinetta, I'd be one happy camper!

As hhhhhhhappy as a hhhhhhhippo!

Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

That blue racing Goose really does it for me. Along with Panteras, I have considerable real-world experience with the Mangusta, and it's always been a car I've lusted after (ever since I saw a brandy-new one in the showroom of the now-defunct Baker Motor Company in Buckhead, many moons ago).

I worked at Baker after school and in the summer in the seventies. I remember a gold Ferrari SWB sitting derelict in the lot for years. I wonder what ever became of that car. Guy Anderson had a few Mangustas come through his Exotic Car Store shop along with many, many Panteras. I remember when he restored (?) a red Mangusta only to sell it and have it totaled soon after. If only we new how valuable those cars would be...

Edited by OutaFocus
Posted

That car has gorgeous lines - they sure don't make them like that anymore.  it is pleasing to the eye and the hind quarters look muscular, like it is ready to go fast!

When I was a kid I had a tethered-remote control one it was probably around 1/12 scale toy. It was orange.  Actually it might have been my cousin's (but I just dreamed it was mine).

Posted

Isn't amazing how a car can bring out so many excellent stories & unite so many people of different cultures. I have enjoyed reading all of your memories all from one itty bitty car. 

Posted

As Ace mentioned, I've been working of a Mangusta for quite a long time; however I'm hampered by a lack of good plans. The only one available are from a Polish magazine and it is incorrect. It is apparently are the source of the Turbosquid/Humster/Cgtrader digital models  which might be alright for a third rate video game or toy, but not a 1/24th model. The SMP model seems to have the same source. I am work off of photos but i'm always fighting perspective distortion with them. I need factory drawings - does anyone have any books on the Mangusta, as Bella Mangusta, by Ruzzin or others ? Also, Road & Track, April 1969 had an article on the Mangusta - did it include a side drawing with that article. If so, I need it. Enclosed a pic of my progress so far.

Mangusta image in computer 1 25 19.png

  • Like 1
Posted
1 hour ago, Pico said:

... Bella Mangusta, by Ruzzin or others ? Also, Road & Track, April 1969 had an article on the Mangusta - did it include a side drawing with that article...

I have both of them, but they're already packed. 90% sure the R&T article has the profile drawing. It will take me a little time to dig them out, and it probably won't happen by the Feb. ACME meeting, but it will by the one in March.

Posted

What? Attending an ACME meeting? Are you feeling alright? I'm fairly certain the R&T has the profile drawing. Can anyone scan and send that drawing? 

Posted
On 1/19/2019 at 10:05 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

[...] but it's about as poor a representation of the real car as the awful (Arii?) C111 kits in the same scale.  [...]

I'm simply clarifying who made the toy C-111 "model", which is horrid for accuracy.  My plan is to make the body correct, not doing the Wankel engine, but instead it will be a resto-rod.  Someday.

IMG_6357_Fotor.jpg

Posted (edited)
20 minutes ago, Pico said:

This is a copy of the Polish plans that I consider to be inaccurate. 

You are correct, sir. Definitely inaccurate...by a large margin. I always wonder why there is so much dog-vomit stuff like this floating around. No access to the real car? No factory drawings? Just can't measure? Then please, don't put garbage like this on the web.

 

1 hour ago, Pico said:

What? Attending an ACME meeting? Are you feeling alright? I'm fairly certain the R&T has the profile drawing. Can anyone scan and send that drawing? 

If nobody else has it, I'll get it to you at the Feb. meeting.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy

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