MPC Howmet TX Turbine Road Racer 1:25 scale

[martsky]

A bit of trivia, the Howmet cars were based on a variation of the old McKee CanAm chassis.

I have built several of the kits over the years but never used the turbine engine so if anyone needs one or more I would be happy to donate them.

M

[bondo bill]

Those are some cool builds

[carsntrucks4you]

Cool build. I currently working on the Profile24 Howmet TX in 1/24 scale

[ea0863]

12 hours ago, carsntrucks4you said:

Cool build. I currently working on the Profile24 Howmet TX in 1/24 scale

I will totally be looking forward to seeing your build! If you haven't already seen it, check out https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235114331-howmet-tx-le-mans-24h-1968/ and https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235113203-howmet-tx-le-mans-24h-1968/ 

[martsky]

Coincidentally, see attached

Howmet TX Jet Powered Racecar at Monza | Watch

[tim boyd]

On 8/14/2025 at 8:48 PM, ea0863 said:

Below is my generally stock build of the MPC Howmet TX Turbine Road Racer released in 1968. My kit was complete in an open box, although a few pieces had succumbed to the years having become brittle, warped and broken. These were replaced with ones scavenged from the MPC Can Am reissue. 

First up was the Continental TS325-1 gas turbine engine which I had built twice before for my MPC Can-Am version of this car, as well as a customized version envisioning what a "Mark III" might have looked like. In this instance, I left the engine in chrome and misted Tamiya TS-94 Metallic Gray over it for a very satisfying Panel Line Accent effect. The exhausts were painted Krylon Metallic Rust. The rest of the frame, interior, and suspension went together identically to my two prior builds utilizing virtually all the same parts. The rear sway bar was done in brass as the original was beyond saving. The only other modification was a pair of fuel inlets extending right and left above the tank.

Next was the body, which was nicely molded except for a short shot in the tail and roll pan. The pan was addressed with a piece of plastic cut from a prescription bottle of the appropriate diameter, along with putty. 

In terms of its shape, the body in this kit looked much like the version of the Howmet that raced in the 1968 Daytona 24 hours and Sebring 12 hours - - - thus became my inspiration for the build.

The original decals were long yellowed and dried out, thus an aftermarket set was pressed into service. They went on beautifully, although required much extra labor as components were separate and had to be placed one layer on top of another. (For instance, just the little American flags required a white background decal, then a red stripes decal, followed by a blue stars decal).

The paintwork on the body required a base coat of Tamiya TS-26 Pure White, masked area on the nose in TS-51 Racing Blue, another masked area in the engine compartment for AS-12 Bare Metal Silver, headlight buckets and dash in TS-14 Black, and TS-94 Metallic Gray over the chrome greenhouse to knock down the sheen. (TS-94 has become my favorite to give realism to just about any paintjob as it lays down evenly, is fairly translucent, and the effect can be controlled by how heavily it is applied). The build was quite satisfying as parts went together nicely, and I believe the final product came out presentable:

The American Racing rims that came with the kit were replaced with the more accurate Halibrands found in period photos, these having come from a Revell Shelby Cobra Streetburner kit. Likewise, the sideview mirrors from the MPC kit were the wrong size, shape, and location. Thus, they too were replaced with period correct bullet mirrors from the same Revell Cobra kit and relocated to the front fenders. Next, the one-piece chrome plastic piece for the rear was replaced with aluminum mesh (I only noticed after the kit was done that I should have rotated the diamond pattern on this mesh 90 degrees). And finally, a small conceit was the addition of tow hooks under the nose of the car from a Fujimi Ford GT kit.

 

Since I also have the Mark II Can Am version of this car done in period trim, it seemed only fitting to do a beauty shot of the two cars together (Interestingly, I have never seen a photo of the two 1:1 cars together). 

And finally, inclusion of my interpretation of how the "Mark III" would have looked - - - borrowing elements from both of its predecessors...

 

EMRE,,,,Other than the cover image back in the 1968/69 Car Model Mag era, don't recall having ever seen one of the actually built up.  It is great to see one built with your skill and perseverance.  And I just love the Comparo photos, too.