M2 Penske Sunoco 1969 Camaro

[Gramps46]

Has anyone seen the M2 Machines 1969 Sunoco Camaro diecast in 1/24 yet?  If you have can you give us a review please.  Looks like some decal work is in order.

Thanks, Gary

Edited July 3, 2019 by Gramps46

[Dave Van]

Looks like a paint job on a street stock 69.....twin white stripes??

[Snake45]

Haven't seen that one, but I have two other M2 Camaros and they're pretty nice. I'd buy one of these if the price were right. 

Are decals available? I know Fred Cady used to have them but good luck finding a set. 

White stripes would be easy enough to remove. 

[Gramps46]

Amazon says "Brand new box. Has roll cage. Real rubber tires. Has steerable wheels. Opening hood, doors and trunk. Made of diecast with some plastic parts. Detailed interior, exterior, engine compartment. Dimensions approximately L-7.75, W-3, H-2 inches.

Tires and wheels are big and littles and look like they are for drag racing.   I just do not understand what the folks in charge at M2 where thinking.  I will have to pass on this one. 

[Snake45]

Took a look at a couple pics of this last night and WOW, it's like a game of "Find 25 differences between the model and the real car." 

If this shows up at Walmart for $20, I'll buy one, but I'm not ordering one at Full Metal Retail. Even then, it would take a good deal of work to turn it into a somewhat decent "street legal tribute" car. 

Looks like they didn't want to pay the licensing fee to Sunoco. Look what's written on the quarters. 

[Gramps46]

The graphics/stripes don't bother me as much as the wheels and tires that do.  They could be easily replaced but why release such a model with so many discrepancies?   Does M2 think they will sell more to youngsters with the drag gear who don't know what it could truly represent 50 years ago.  Oh maybe that is the problem.

This is what I would like to have had as shown in my Kodak Moment at Mid Ohio.

[Snake45]

Walmart had em today at $19.97 so I got one. It isn't remotely close to the real race car, it's more like a street promotional or tribute-ish car. Aside from the wrong graphics, the most disappointing thing to me is that the front tires are way too narrow--more like Pro Street fronts than Trans Am fronts. The rears are a nice size. I like the Torq-Thrust wheels, and can work with them. Engine looks like a small block with headers and two fours on a cross-ram, which is pretty cool/ 

I'm gonna give it some first degree Snake-Fu and put it on my shelf. After a while I might remove all the tampo graphics, and it'll still be a nice LeMans Blue '69 Z/28 with Torq-Thrusts, which is cool with me. 

So: Well worth $20 to me, but I wouldn't have paid full retail plus shipping for it. I already have two other M2 '69 Camaros. 

Pictures as soon as I can sneak it into the house, past The Lovely Mrs. Snake. 

Edited August 3, 2019 by Snake45

[Gramps46]

Oh no, now I am going to have to slip over to Walmart and see what they have on the shelves.

Update:  I checked my inventory and I already have a M2 '69 Camaro Z28 in stock trim.  Do I really need another?

Edited August 3, 2019 by Gramps46

[Snake45]

23 minutes ago, Gramps46 said:

Oh no, now I am going to have to slip over to Walmart and see what they have on the shelves.

This was almost the ONLY thing on the shelf in the diecast section, and only two of them. Figgered I'd better grab one while I could, and not take my usual week to "think about it." 

[Snake45]

Okay, got it into the house and freed it from its M2 Plastic Tomb (if you've ever bought one, you know what I mean), and.....

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!

The finish is FLAT! MATTE! SATIN! LUSTERLESS! NO SHINE WHATSOEVER! 

It seems to be deliberate, not a painting fluke. It looks like they were GOING for this! 

Have taken pics but have not processed them yet. Will try to have them up tomorrow. 

[Gramps46]

I had seen the Camaro listed online as having a satin finish but that did not make sense so I ignored it.  Guess that was truth  in advertising and I should have paid more attention.  Looking forward to seeing the pictures though I think I just saved $20.

[Snake45]

Here are some pics of the thing in all its matte un-glory. I tried to take a couple showing the racing seats and roll bar; the rest of the interior seems to be stock. 

 

[Gramps46]

Thanks for posting the Camaro pictures Snake.  Does it have the diecast chassis and feels really heavy like the stock M2 1969?  

[randyc]

Weren't the Sunoco cars the non metallic blue?  Sunoco Blue?   I do Sunoco convenience store conversions at work, so familiar with the color.   Every photo I've ever seen of a Sunoco race car looks like a solid color.  I have looked at this one a few times and keep not buying it.   Can't wait to see it modded up to more correct specs.  

Here is a link to the actual car: http://www.historictransam.com/Drivers/PatHoganCamaro6.html.  You already said the graphics were wrong but they are pretty far off.   Wheels were yellow minilites in most every photo I've seen, but I know wheels can change, even within a race.   Looks like licensing issues with Sunoco - no Sunoco reference on this one.  Detail the wheels and maybe a set of wider rims for the front and would look pretty good.    This would seem to be developed for people like us and of a certain age, but still appeals to their regular crowd?

I have 2 Mint 69 Camaro convertibles and a Napa/First gear.  And I've built several Revell versions, so unless it pops up somewhere for a really good deal, I'm probably passing myself.  But it does look like a nice Camaro replica to work with.  

[Gramps46]

Yes, the Penske cars were solid commercial Sunoco blue.  The interiors were painted a light gray.  Mark Donohue said it was easier to find oil leaks with gray.  Even my old Kodak Instamatic agrees from back in the day.

 

[Snake45]

Hot Rod ran a feature article on one of the restored Penske Camaros back in the '90s, with lots of great color. The gray interior paint had a slight sky-blue cast to it, and reminded me a LOT of FS 16473 gray, the standard color of many USAF aircraft in the '60s and '70s. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to learn that Penske had actually used government-spec 16473 paint for this. The color is available from Testor Model Master, among others.