A use for the Racers Wedge

[Oldcarfan27]

This might have been the prototype for the MPC kit. Uhaul used them to move small box trailers to other facilities.

Retired trucks have been used for other purposes. 

[Mark]

I think someone at MPC got the idea from an article in an issue of (IIRC) Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine from 1969 or 1970.  A guy named Artie Wheeler, who later attended early NNL East events before his passing, was building scale ramp haulers from pickup truck kits.  His were curbside builds; he'd stretch the chassis with swizzle sticks or other pieces of plastic, then fabricate the ramp bodies from cardstock taken from cigarette cartons.  At the time, he worked at a restaurant, and probably got cartons from reloading the cigarette vending machines that were usually seen in restaurants back then.

The 1:1 haulers go back further than that, I have seen photos of trucks like that from the early/mid Sixties.

[Tom Geiger]

1 hour ago, Mark said:

I think someone at MPC got the idea from an article in an issue of (IIRC) Super Stock & Drag Illustrated magazine from 1969 or 1970.  A guy named Artie Wheeler, who later attended early NNL East events before his passing, was building scale ramp haulers from pickup truck kits.  His were curbside builds; he'd stretch the chassis with swizzle sticks or other pieces of plastic, then fabricate the ramp bodies from cardstock taken from cigarette cartons.  At the time, he worked at a restaurant, and probably got cartons from reloading the cigarette vending machines that were usually seen in restaurants back then.

Artie was a member of the Tri-State Scale Model Car Club. He was good friends with John Slivoski. We wouldn't see him much at club meetings since he was also a boy scout leader.  Later in his life he brought his troop to NNL East.  What a well behaved group!  A shining tribute to the man.   Artie worked for NYC Dept of Sanitation his whole career, he may have gotten some building materials there!

Edited June 23, 2021 by Tom Geiger

[Mark]

I knew I had it.  Haven't got the magazine, but do have the article...

[Paul Payne]

That is a great piece of modeling history! Thank you so much for sharing this!

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Very cool article! Thanks for sharing that great piece of history!

 

[Daddyfink]

I think MPC got the idea from what the Drag Racers of the time where using. 

[PintoKING]

Anybody knows which issue of SUPER STOCK magazines that article came from?  I am curious about it, as I also collect automotive magazines, and I don't have that issue.

[Mark]

The pages I have don't have the issue date on them (on either side) as do some other magazines.

[Oldcarfan27]

On 6/23/2021 at 9:38 PM, Daddyfink said:

I think MPC got the idea from what the Drag Racers of the time where using. 

Sure looks alot like a former Uhaul truck to me. Even has leftover orange livery on it.

Regardless, I was just saying it would make an interesting variation of the car hauler.

With the announcement of the trailer to be included with the 63 Nova wagon, it gives me a good excuse to get a few of them!

[Daddyfink]

8 hours ago, Oldcarfan27 said:

Sure looks alot like a former Uhaul truck to me. Even has leftover orange livery on it.

Regardless, I was just saying it would make an interesting variation of the car hauler.

With the announcement of the trailer to be included with the 63 Nova wagon, it gives me a good excuse to get a few of them!

Could be, Racers are pretty resourceful types. Would be cool if AMT made the Trailer into a Parts Pack type kit. 

[RancheroSteve]

More Racer's Wedge inspiration - this one's a little different.

Edited July 23, 2021 by RancheroSteve

[stavanzer]

This looks cool.

Combine the bed with an Emhar Bedford Type O, short Wheelbase chassis or the AMT Ford F250 Firestone truck, or the Revell (ex Monogram) 1979-80 Ford F150 kit.

Plenty of ways to build unique tow vehicles.

[slusher]

On 6/23/2021 at 11:19 AM, Oldcarfan27 said:

This might have been the prototype for the MPC kit. Uhaul used them to move small box trailers to other facilities.

Retired trucks have been used for other purposes. 

Real neat idea with the trailers…

[AC Norton]

ALL I CAN ADD TO THIS VERY NEAT THREAD IS THAT I HAD THE 71 WEDGE BY MPC IN THE FALL OF 71, GRACED BY AN MPC 71 CAMARO PRO STOCKER, AND REGARDLESS OF ITS TANDEM SET UP, I JUST LOVED IT....AND STILL LOVE IT NOW, AS I HAVE BOUGHT 2 OF THE  NEW ISSUES AND MAY GET MORE....ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING MPC KITS EVER, AND AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS FROM HAVING MY ORIGINAL, IT STILL GIVES ME THAT BUZZ .....THATS MY 2 CENTS....the ACE....?

[stavanzer]

Now, THAT is an endorsement, Ace!

Good On You.

[Plowboy]

On 7/28/2021 at 10:38 AM, AC Norton said:

ALL I CAN ADD TO THIS VERY NEAT THREAD IS THAT I HAD THE 71 WEDGE BY MPC IN THE FALL OF 71, GRACED BY AN MPC 71 CAMARO PRO STOCKER, AND REGARDLESS OF ITS TANDEM SET UP, I JUST LOVED IT....AND STILL LOVE IT NOW, AS I HAVE BOUGHT 2 OF THE  NEW ISSUES AND MAY GET MORE....ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING MPC KITS EVER, AND AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS FROM HAVING MY ORIGINAL, IT STILL GIVES ME THAT BUZZ .....THATS MY 2 CENTS....the ACE....?

Ace, does the new issue have the MPC cab and grille or is it the AMT cab and grille? 

[Bills72sj]

Thanks for the thread.

I need to get back to my wedge build...

 

[AC Norton]

22 minutes ago, Plowboy said:

Ace, does the new issue have the MPC cab and grille or is it the AMT cab and grille? 

HI ROGER,  LOOKS LIKE THE AMT AND NOT THE MPC....THE TRIM DETAIL IS VERY SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ON THE CAB, AS I RECALL, AND, THE NEW KIT HAS THE BOWTIE BADGE AS A SEPARATE PIECE TO INSTALL, WHERE THE ORIGINAL HAD THE BADGE AS PART OF THE GRILLE SECTION...BTW, I ALSO SEE FROM SOME RECENT BUILDS OF THE NEW KIT, THE GRILLE/ BUMPER AREA SEEMS TO FIT LESS PERFECT THAN THE MPC....THE NEW CHASSIS IS IDENTICAL, BUT SPORTS DUAL EXHAUST WHERE THE ORIGINAL WAS SINGLE PIPE ONLY....ROGER, IF YOU CHECK YOUTUBE, THERE IS AN EXTENSIVE BUILDUP OF THE NEW KIT POSTED, AND IT WILL DISPLAY ALL YOU ARE WISHING TO KNOW....HOPE THIS HELPS.....REGARDLESS OF THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THIS KIT, I STILL LOVE IT...LOL.....BEST, ACE....?

[Mark]

27 minutes ago, Plowboy said:

Ace, does the new issue have the MPC cab and grille or is it the AMT cab and grille? 

The truck is the same one that has been issued in the last 20 years or so.  AMT cab (converted from GMC trim to Chevrolet), MPC interior, then newly tooled grille/bumper, engine, and rear half of chassis.  Ertl created the "new" kit by combining parts of the "old" AMT and MPC tools.

[keyser]

On 8/4/2021 at 8:27 PM, Mark said:

The truck is the same one that has been issued in the last 20 years or so.  AMT cab (converted from GMC trim to Chevrolet), MPC interior, then newly tooled grille/bumper, engine, and rear half of chassis.  Ertl created the "new" kit by combining parts of the "old" AMT and MPC tools.

Yes. The dual exhausts appeared in AMT chassis. I’ve got most original issues. 
Mark knows better than I. I forget if 69 open road camper had single or dual. Single I think. Original Wedge I can’t get to mine, in the vault. ??‍♂️

[Mark]

All of the variations (camper, original wedge hauler) were MPC so they were all based on the MPC pickup.

The rework/consolidation of the two pickup tools was probably done to piece together the best remaining parts of both.  The MPC cab tooling was probably worn out.  I built an original Racer's Wedge a few years ago, the 1971 annual kit cab was pretty sloppy in places even then.