A new thread for Grant King Sprint car models - feel free to join in!

[alan barton]

Seeing that AMT is about to re-release the old Groove Boss supermodified, a spin -off of the old Grant King sprint car kit, and seeing as how I have just finished a bunch of them over the last couple of years. I thought I would start a new thread. I figured this might be a new kit for a lot of members here and the box art rarely does much to sell this model.  As people in other Grant King posts have commented, it is a challenging build.  The multi-piece chassis works well eventually but can try your patience.  The alignment of body panels, for me at least, seems to have been different on every one! So here are the seven I have built since the early nineties, in no particular order.

Plus they put those humongous slicks in the kit that were fitted to no sprint car EVER and the nose ahs a bad case of "wide mouth frog" so there is much room to improve these models.

Feel free to add your builds to this thread so that people have some inspiration for the new kit.  When I did a Google search, it seems like a lot of the Grant King threads on this year are over ten years old so it would be good to give them a new home.

Cheers

Alan

[alan barton]

First up, the closest I have ever built a Grant King to box stock. I scratchbuilt the aluminium wing and the front and side nerf bars and took wheels and tyres from the parts box.  The paint schem is inspired by that of a local racer here in PErth, Bob Currie. The driver is modified from a Monogram sprintcar figure.

[alan barton]

Next, in a similar vein I built this to emulate the first sprintcars that raced at Claremont speedway.  Australia had cut down supermods for their V8 open wheel fields, and true American sprintcars did not appear til the late seventies when Johnny Anderson brought one out from the USA.  This was purchased by Garry Rush who went on to dominate the Australian scene with it and become the most successful Australian sprintcar driver  ever - an Aussie Steve Kinser if you like. The first wings saw a lot of experimentation in size and shape and I particularly liked the multi element style.  I have good intentions of scratchbuilding some side pods for this model, much like those that appeared in the Pole Cat or Drifter version of this kit.

Edited September 5, 2022 by alan barton

[alan barton]

I went a bit tougher with this guy!  Removed the rollcage, modified the nose, added scratchbuilt nerf bar and roll bar from aluminium TIG welding wire plus rear tyres from thepartsbox.com. The wheels are beautiful resin examples from Fred's Resin Workshop. The injector stacks are crimp connectors with small aluminium caps perched on top. The steering wheel comes from any issue of the Monogram Blue Beetle/Boss A bone/ 29 roadster pickup kit - it is made for the job!

Fred once sent me a very generous care package that included a bunch of the major parts of the Grant King kit and this one was built from some of those leftovers.

Edited September 5, 2022 by alan barton

[alan barton]

I wanted this cutey to look a bit older so I used much narrower rolling stock.  I modified the GK nose to take the beautiful chrome grille from the Revell V8 60 midget.  This is a beautiful part that transforms these cars.  For accuracy I should make a front nerf bar but I can't bring myself to hide that beautiful grille! The injector stacks are aluminium electrical crimp connectors. Front wheels are AMT parts pack while the rears are from the Revell Mickey Thompson Attempt 1.

This car was built from more of the parts sent to me by Fred and I used radius rods from my parts box and extended the headers with K&S aluminium tubing.

[alan barton]

I think this was the first GK I ever bought but not the first to be completed by a long shot!  I saw a beautiful model build by a Swedish modeller in, I think, the very first SAE Contest annual, the one with the green tinted pages.  Immediately I wanted to build it!  It uses a flathead from the AMT 50 Ford kit, wire wheels from the AMT 34 Tudor and scratchbuilt aluminium nerf bars, roll bar and exhaust headers.  The nose has the front i/4 inch or so of the V8-60 node blended in to it to allow for a lower fitment of the V8-60 grille.

Edited September 5, 2022 by alan barton

[alan barton]

This just might be my current favourite of the bunch.  I lowered the V8-60 part of the nose even more this time and filed the lower edges of the hood to make a tapered, sleeker hood line.  I think the front wheels are old slot car items while the rears are from early issues of the AMT double dragster kits.  The engine is from the ancient Monogram Kurtis Indy car - it is very crude and basic but it fitted easily and gives the right look.  The car is too beautiful to ruin those lines by opening the hood anyway!  The exhaust is fabricated from K&S aluminium tubing and solder. This to me is what a sprintcar should look like.

[alan barton]

I still have two more semi complete kits to complete maybe later this year, but this is the last one for now.  I never had any intention of building the Groove Boss but I did see on the old Fred's Resin Short track forum that it was actually a real car.  The only inaccuracy is that the lowered corners of the radiator scoops should have been curved, not squared off.  Anyhow, I had about six sets of these panels and decided I should build one just to see how it came out.  I went for an Oswego offset supermodified look, thus the tall square wing. I added extra bar work around the fuel tank that comes in the kit and used Monogram sprintcar wing mounts.  All graphics are masked and painted.

And blind Freddy can see that I have no front suspension to speak of - just a Monogram front axle.  The GK item really wasn't going to cut it!  I just couldn't come with a well engineered solution to radius rods and torsion bars on this model so chickened out and just stuck the axle on!  I might have an epiphany one day and do something about it, or not.  The tyres are Tamiya F1, I think.

It came out better than I expected and you rarely see it built so it found a home in my collection. There is a big block Chevy wedged in there (AMT 37 Chevy I think) but after gluing the body panels together to facilitate painting, and fitting the wing, I came to the conclusion that it was never going to be seen anyway! You simply can't remove that top deck!

So this is the version that AMT is re-issuing.  It remains to be seen if any of the sprint car body panels are inside the box.

I hope you have enjoyed my fleet and look forward to seeing the AMT Grant King builds of other modellers added to this post.

Cheers

Alan

[ChrisR]

COOL!!

[bbowser]

Great collection!  I have an ancient build in a box somewhere I need to dig out and repair.

[TonyK]

A great collection of various versions of this model. I like these models but always have a problem coming up with different builds but you obviously have a knack for it and the talent to complete them in a realistic way. Thanks for sharing and hopefully we'll see many more.

[iBorg]

This is one of those kits that most modelers pass up because of its reputation. You've proven with patience and skill you can create a good result.

[m3fan]

I like this topic as Grant is from the city I live in and a lot of his family is still here.

I have this as one of my holy grail kits but cant bring myself to build!

[Phildaupho]

Fantastic models Alan. Sunday was the last race forever at the Victoria BC Canada speedway which was the successor to the speedway where Grant King engineered many victories early in his career

Edited September 7, 2022 by Phildaupho

[sflam123]

Beautiful models!!  I've been going to sprint car races since 1964, and you've captured several eras of sprint car racing very well.  I have the Grant King #20 built.  Will post pictures eventually.  The King sprint cars with a full cage were easily identified by the "pinched" top of the rear cage hoop.  Grant Kings's shop in Indianapolis  still exists and is owned by a former sprint car racer, Bill Throckmorton.  Part of the shop is a "museum" of sorts, dedicated to Grant King and the many cars he created.  They generally have an open house during the month of May near the time of the Indy 500.

[Dan Hay]

Man I need to build one of those! 

[Karl LaFong]

On 9/5/2022 at 12:41 AM, alan barton said:

I still have two more semi complete kits to complete maybe later this year, but this is the last one for now.  I never had any intention of building the Groove Boss but I did see on the old Fred's Resin Short track forum that it was actually a real car.  The only inaccuracy is that the lowered corners of the radiator scoops should have been curved, not squared off.  Anyhow, I had about six sets of these panels and decided I should build one just to see how it came out.  I went for an Oswego offset supermodified look, thus the tall square wing. I added extra bar work around the fuel tank that comes in the kit and used Monogram sprintcar wing mounts.  All graphics are masked and painted.

And blind Freddy can see that I have no front suspension to speak of - just a Monogram front axle.  The GK item really wasn't going to cut it!  I just couldn't come with a well engineered solution to radius rods and torsion bars on this model so chickened out and just stuck the axle on!  I might have an epiphany one day and do something about it, or not.  The tyres are Tamiya F1, I think.

It came out better than I expected and you rarely see it built so it found a home in my collection. There is a big block Chevy wedged in there (AMT 37 Chevy I think) but after gluing the body panels together to facilitate painting, and fitting the wing, I came to the conclusion that it was never going to be seen anyway! You simply can't remove that top deck!

So this is the version that AMT is re-issuing.  It remains to be seen if any of the sprint car body panels are inside the box.

I hope you have enjoyed my fleet and look forward to seeing the AMT Grant King builds of other modellers added to this post.

Cheers

Alan

 

 

Great job on this! There's a NSFW review of this kit on YouTube that basically says that this kit is rubbish, but yours is a strong exception to this video.  Did you assemble the deck and side body parts before painting?  I don't see a seam (and that's a good thing!)

[alan barton]

On 11/8/2022 at 8:49 AM, Karl LaFong said:

Great job on this! There's a NSFW review of this kit on YouTube that basically says that this kit is rubbish, but yours is a strong exception to this video.  Did you assemble the deck and side body parts before painting?  I don't see a seam (and that's a good thing!)

Keith, I took a look at that video and got this from it.

I have been building models for over fifty years and have built this kit seven times.  My guess is the video guy has not been building that long and has only built this one.  This would influence his opinion of the kit.

The AMT Grant King chassis is a complex creature. The chassis jig provided in the kit only goes part way towards getting the chassis assembled accurately.  It will test the most basic modelling skills.  If you don't clean up all mould parting lines and ejector pin marks before assembly, if you don't check the instructions closely and make sure all crossmembers are in the correct place AND the right way around, if you don't use a slow setting glue like Testor's in the orange tube so that you can massage it as it sets up, then you are going to struggle.  If the chassis isn't perfectly assembled, you will then struggle to make the body parts fit, on the sprint car or the wedge.  When you get everything right, it goes together quite nicely.

But this doesn't mean it cant be assembled and that the kit is rubbish, just that you may need to take more time and care than we have grown used to with modern era kits.  I did not have to shorten, lengthen, modify or fabricate any parts for this frame - I just had to give the existing parts my utmost attention.

I completely assembled the entire frame and rollcage and painted it in one piece prior to fitting the body.  I glued the side panels to the bellypan and allowed them to dry.  I then assembled the nose and let that dry.  Finally I glued the nose to the bellypan assembly and put it aside to dry.

I discovered that the deck would not fit over the rollcage as a result of assembling the entire frame already so used a small round file to open up a slot just at the rear corners of the cockpit opening to allow an easier fit.  Having also glued those Monogram wing supports to the rollcage did me no favours but I got it assembled without breaking it so all good!

I then put extra superglue over any seams and sanded everything smooth prior to primer and paint.  With all body sections painted, I eased the deck unit over the rollcage and down, making sure to keep the sides gently spread so as not to scratch the paint on the side panels. Once in place I glued the deck around the engine area to the side panels as this can never be removed once I glued the wing on - not a kit fault, just my choice of modifications.

Now I squeezed the big block Chevy from an AMT Tobias modified kit into this model and , no, I couldn't fit the valve covers as a result. As I just mentioned, I cant remove the hood so it is of little consequence.   I haven't built a Groove Boss with the kit's  small block so I don't know if those rocker covers would be a problem as mentioned by the video guy - the sprint car hood certainly fits with no issues at all.

Really my only disappointment with the announcing of the Groove Boss re-issue is that they didn't include the sprintcar body panels provided in previous issues.  I think they have greatly decreased their market as a result - after all, the Groove Boss style car is rare to the point that few people have heard of it where as the sprintcar is a classic shape with strong appeal to race car fans and reams of reference material in books and on the Internet.  Not one of Round 2's sharpest decisions.

Keith, if you like the Groove Boss style, buy it and expect to spend a few evenings of careful assembly and alignment.  You will end up with a nice model!

Cheers

Alan

[TonyK]

Alan, you've done an excellent job on the kit and explaining your build experience. I've built this kit a few times starting back when I was a kid and it's not a great kit but as you pointed out, it can be done with some patience.

Also agree with your comment on the lack of sprint car parts included. Seems they would've attracted more attention to the kit with multiple build options as it was in the past. 

[Karl LaFong]

14 hours ago, alan barton said:

Keith, I took a look at that video and got this from it.

I have been building models for over fifty years and have built this kit seven times.  My guess is the video guy has not been building that long and has only built this one.  This would influence his opinion of the kit.

The AMT Grant King chassis is a complex creature. The chassis jig provided in the kit only goes part way towards getting the chassis assembled accurately.  It will test the most basic modelling skills.  If you don't clean up all mould parting lines and ejector pin marks before assembly, if you don't check the instructions closely and make sure all crossmembers are in the correct place AND the right way around, if you don't use a slow setting glue like Testor's in the orange tube so that you can massage it as it sets up, then you are going to struggle.  If the chassis isn't perfectly assembled, you will then struggle to make the body parts fit, on the sprint car or the wedge.  When you get everything right, it goes together quite nicely.

But this doesn't mean it cant be assembled and that the kit is rubbish, just that you may need to take more time and care than we have grown used to with modern era kits.  I did not have to shorten, lengthen, modify or fabricate any parts for this frame - I just had to give the existing parts my utmost attention.

I completely assembled the entire frame and rollcage and painted it in one piece prior to fitting the body.  I glued the side panels to the bellypan and allowed them to dry.  I then assembled the nose and let that dry.  Finally I glued the nose to the bellypan assembly and put it aside to dry.

I discovered that the deck would not fit over the rollcage as a result of assembling the entire frame already so used a small round file to open up a slot just at the rear corners of the cockpit opening to allow an easier fit.  Having also glued those Monogram wing supports to the rollcage did me no favours but I got it assembled without breaking it so all good!

I then put extra superglue over any seams and sanded everything smooth prior to primer and paint.  With all body sections painted, I eased the deck unit over the rollcage and down, making sure to keep the sides gently spread so as not to scratch the paint on the side panels. Once in place I glued the deck around the engine area to the side panels as this can never be removed once I glued the wing on - not a kit fault, just my choice of modifications.

Now I squeezed the big block Chevy from an AMT Tobias modified kit into this model and , no, I couldn't fit the valve covers as a result. As I just mentioned, I cant remove the hood so it is of little consequence.   I haven't built a Groove Boss with the kit's  small block so I don't know if those rocker covers would be a problem as mentioned by the video guy - the sprint car hood certainly fits with no issues at all.

Really my only disappointment with the announcing of the Groove Boss re-issue is that they didn't include the sprintcar body panels provided in previous issues.  I think they have greatly decreased their market as a result - after all, the Groove Boss style car is rare to the point that few people have heard of it where as the sprintcar is a classic shape with strong appeal to race car fans and reams of reference material in books and on the Internet.  Not one of Round 2's sharpest decisions.

Keith, if you like the Groove Boss style, buy it and expect to spend a few evenings of careful assembly and alignment.  You will end up with a nice model!

Cheers

Alan

Alan,

Many thanks for a well written assembly process.  I'm now looking forward to building this kit!  I'm going to stick with the small block, but I plan on replacing the slicks with some dirt track tires. I've been building cars since the 60's, and the vehicle in the video looked like one of my creations, circa 1965.  I've made some progress since then...

Keith

[alan barton]

Be sure to post it up here when you are done, Keith. So far there have been no responses to my invite to display other Grant King models in this post.

Cheers

Alan

[Phildaupho]

Yesterday I was fortunate to go for a drive in the custom 49 Ford built 71 years ago which I am building a model of. Look what was on the back window !!

Edited November 18, 2022 by Phildaupho

[Zippi]

Nice looking collection of Sprint Cars.  Very nice.  

[alan barton]

On 11/19/2022 at 12:54 AM, Phildaupho said:

Yesterday I was fortunate to go for a drive in the custom 49 Ford built 71 years ago which I am building a model of. Look what was on the back window !!

Nice spot, Phil!  That would look good on the back wall of my display cabinet.

Cheers

Alan

[Phildaupho]

11 hours ago, alan barton said:

Nice spot, Phil!  That would look good on the back wall of my display cabinet.

Cheers

Alan

I came across this looking for history on the car I had a ride in. This is the car back in the day at Grant King's shop here in Victoria. Can't make out the exact year on the license plate but likely the late 1950's

Edited November 21, 2022 by Phildaupho