Matt T. Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I looked back and saw the pics next to the Wild Willie Altered & Ramchargers rail. It looks like 1/25 to me. I just ordered two from GMS... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Kourouklis Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Yeah, the frame rails are finer than what we usually see, and the slicks are pretty small too - but there' s nothing shouting "under scale" at me just yet. Heck, I'm wondering if that Chrysler mill might make for a less laughable engine in AMT's new-tool Ala-Kart... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl LaFong Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 I’ve been anticipating this kit for the past several months; I bought mine last week and am not disappointed. The Chrysler engine doesn’t appear to be undersized – the valve covers from the DeSoto engine (AMT ’53 Ford Truck), Revell’s Miss Deal, AMT Double Dragster, and AMT ’53 Studebaker all fit the engine. If you are looking for an alternative induction system, the 8 carb manifold from the DeSoto and Double Dragster may fit with some filing. However, the 6 carb manifold from the Revell Cadillac engine parts pack drops right in. The slicks are the correct width for a late 50’s/early 60’s dragster; if you want wider ones the wheel/tire combo from the AMT Double Dragster or Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster will work, as all three kit wheels mount on 1/16” wire axles. The frame rails are a scale 1.25”, comparable to the Tony Nancy chassis; in contrast the AMT Double Dragster run around 2.5” and looks WAY oversized. While some aspects of the kit appear to be simplified for nostalgia’s sake, with some parts swapping you can come up with an accurate period dragster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Thanx for the breakdown, Keith. In general smaller is better in my experience when it comes to scale realism, in particular regarding chassis tubing. It's perhaps more fragile to handle, but once you load the frame up with other bits thinner tubing looks more in proportion. Judging from the pictures of completed models the Slingster frame will look sharp, crisp and in scale when done to contemporary modeling standards. The engine news is good to hear too, since the valve cover compatibility you list includes some of the better 392s out there. Looks like there should be a wave of very nice early 60's period diggers coming our way real soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt T. Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Received my kits yesterday and got to see what's inside the box. I am very impressed with the parts and kit design. Instruction booklet is hefty, offering separate build-ups for each of the six versions. Great job Revell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Here...http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-revell-slingste/new-revell-slingste-1/ is a detailed look at the contents and merchandising approach of Revell's new Slingster dragster....also included is selected comparisons with the original Sizzler kits from 1961 and 1967. Thanks for looking...TIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Wasn't planning to invest in one, but now, well, I'm thinking at least one or two need to be here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Here...http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/new-revell-slingste/new-revell-slingste-1/ is a detailed look at the contents and merchandising approach of Revell's new Slingster dragster....also included is selected comparisons with the original Sizzler kits from 1961 and 1967. Thanks for the excellent and comprehensive review, Tim. This must be one of the most hotly anticipated releases in recent years. Frankly, I am surprised. If the Sizzler was first released in 1961 it would have been a model of a state-of-the-art dragster from the 1959-1960 period, and even in 1961 the model was already becoming rapidly out-dated. By 1962 it was all but over, the radical California style chassis design with the 3-point roll hoop closely fit around the driver's head, the minimalist torsion bar front suspension and the new-style streamlined bodywork, the handiwork of pioneers like Kent Fuller and Tom Hanna, was taking root and these cars looked like ancient throwbacks. For older modelers, the subject matter will be familiar, perhaps contemporary with their earliest days in the hobby. But for even slightly younger modelers the Sizzler/Slingster has to be from a somewhat obscure and primitive age in the evolution of drag sport. Concerns about the narrow slicks in the Slingster kit point to this. The photos in your review are the clearest and best published thus far and, along with the several excellent initial quick builds already posted, confirm what I had hoped and suspected. The molding and engraving in this kit is very crisp and fine, fully up to contemporary standards. I think we will find that it responds exceptionally well to paint detailing and will require far less upgrading of parts than many have feared. As an example, your pictures show just how nicely turned out the I-beam front axle is, and explains the two mysterious tabs in the center, which turn out to be friction shocks. They have only to be picked out in the proper colors to come to life. I would also point out how nicely thin the chassis tubing is, contributing to a realism which will prove quite useful and is already evident in some of these earliest build ups. I predict the modern technical qualities of this kit will lead to a whole new generation of superbly detailed representations of the earliest cars from the dawn of the Front Engine Dragster Era. The decision by Revell to do it in 1/25th is critical in this regard. But I also predict it will lead to an even greater number of wonderfully creative, bizarre and original variants by those with less interest in the historic aspects of this kit. I confess to being as excited about that prospect as the fact that we have been given a powerful tool for modeling accurate replicas of early icons of drag racing. So maybe I shouldn't be surprised at how well received the Slingster may turn out to be. It may well land up having a little something special about it for many different flavors of model car builders... P.S. For those concerned about the lack of a fuel pump, an excellent source for early HIlborn pumps is Altered States Models ( http://www.alteredstatesmodels.com/ ). I always keep a small bag of them in my stash for my drag subjects. Edited January 11, 2014 by Bernard Kron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russosborne Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thanks, Tim! Great write up. Russ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Barrow Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thanks, Tim. I've been meaning to take some pics of mine, I started scanning the instructions but gave up after 10 pages - it's 36 pages long! - and haven't felt like setting up my light box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 this is just so totally kool its unbelievable. I rarely buy multiples of kits, at least not right off, but I need at least three of these. too killer. thanks for that detailed view Tim, it totally sold me. heres something ive not seen touched on so far, that pilot figure. looks really good in the pics Tim supplied. I recall the original as being way too big (but it fit the out of scale Sizzler), two piece figure that looked bad when done due to the seams (unsurmountable when I was 12 years old). but the one in the pics looks very realistic and nice period garb, and especially if it is in scale, might be a great piece to use in a lot of situations. jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) heres something ive not seen touched on so far, that pilot figure. looks really good in the pics Tim supplied. I recall the original as being way too big (but it fit the out of scale Sizzler), two piece figure that looked bad when done due to the seams (unsurmountable when I was 12 years old). but the one in the pics looks very realistic and nice period garb, and especially if it is in scale, might be a great piece to use in a lot of situations. jb Yeah, I noticed that, too. Figures aren't my thing so I passed over it, but it's way better than most and another beneficiary of modern tooling. Bill, I'm looking forward to what you do with it since I know you'll take full advantage of what they've given us. Do you have anything particular in mind already? Edited January 12, 2014 by Bernard Kron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) and this kinda says it all, doesn't it? PS: Tim's photo... Edited January 12, 2014 by jbwelda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 >Do you have anything particular in mind already? I do have a mooneyes dragster that might need a driver! jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 >Do you have anything particular in mind already? I do have a mooneyes dragster that might need a driver! jb That's nice but I can't imagine needing 3 kits right off the bat for the drivers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) and the motors. and the running gear. and that coupe body. and, you know, spares! oh yeah and one to park on the shelf next to the original jb Edited January 12, 2014 by jbwelda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt T. Posted January 23, 2014 Share Posted January 23, 2014 I assembled my Slingster frame last night (box front, not pinched). When I build my second with the pinched rails I might see if the bellypan pieces can be used as a jig. Maybe leave the mounting posts on the rails and hopefully the pans will keep everything true. Without them last night, it was a little dicey getting everything squared up. I think I got it about 97% square. Also, I'm thinking of mounting the second spring perch atop the first, then removing the bottom-most tab, effectively dropping the front end in the weeds about four scale inches. Fun kit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl LaFong Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 Yup - using the belly pans when gluing the frame will result in a squared frame - MUCH easier than the AMT Double Dragster or Revell Tony Nancy double dragsters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samdiego Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 I guess I wasn't paying attention because it was a pantsloading moment when I caught sight of the vintage end panel art on the shelf at the LHS. I can't believe they saw fit to retool this gem in proper scale. I would have been just as happy with the orig but this is awsome. I'll be buying more, also. Mine was $19.95 at Discount Hobby in San Diego. Great price, comparatively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Monogram Slingster Dragster. Just got mine today. I was inspired to get the kit by reading this forum and the fun I've been having building AMT's Double Dragster kit. Overall I like what I found when I opened the box. Very nicely done. Great instructions. I even like the wire wheels. They look OK to me. What I do have mixed feelings about is the frame. It maybe it's fairly accurate for looks in scale. But, it's kind of a fiddly to assemble. Here I find the 50 year old AMT kit much easier to work with. I decided I needed to do some sub assembly before painting. What a pain to get those cross members to line up. Does anybody out there have any tips on how to make this frame easier to assemble? One other minor complaint. I wish they'd given a couple of extra parts to complete the second unused engine. Things like having more than one magneto. Not a big deal, but it would have been nice to have couple extra parts like that to display the extra engine. The rest of the kit looks great. I can see few, if any other problems in assembling this kit. I love the Bantam body. It will make a nice and different style of dragster from the two cars I'm building from the AMT kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karl LaFong Posted March 22, 2014 Share Posted March 22, 2014 Robert, If you use the belly pans for lining up the frame halves, you shouldn't have any problems. I've found that if you paint all the frame parts while they are on the trees, then touching up where they attached, you'll still have a neat assembly. Generally, the touched up areas are in places where they can't be seen after assembly. You can scratch build a magneto from aluminum tubing and plastic rod - it'll actually look better than the kit magneto! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnslow Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 Here I am as usual late to the party. I opened up a couple of the slingsters for our club build and found the chrome has a lot of flash and looks like sand under it, the valve covers for the small block has little specks in the fins, the hemi valve covers aren't completely chromed and the tires and canopy are missing from the second kit. Guess I'll be contacting Revell for some replacement parts. Did anyone else have a problem with bad chrome? Robert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AC Norton Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 hello Robert, after reading your post a few minutes ago, i went to my stack and pulled one of the 2 sealed slingsters. I opened but one, and its perfect....all parts present, and nice chrome with little flash and good chrome coverage. maybe a different story when I pop the other open after I build the first,,, who knows.....the ace......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 My Slingster is perfect. Good chrome. No flash. Very happy with the kit. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I'm late to this party, and the kit hasn't yet showed up in my area. I'm planning to get at least one, sooner or later. Does anyone remember in the old Car Model magazine, in 1966 or '67, someone used a much-modified Sizzler frame to build a '66 Skylark-bodied funny car? I always thought that was pretty cool and might try doing something similar with the new one. Also, somewhere in the same timeframe, somebody modified the Bantam body back to "stock" (well, kinda-sorta, or at least closer to stock than what came out of the box) and used it for a street rod. That would be fun to do, too, except I see the huge difference in size (of that body) between the old and new kits. I wonder if it would work. Anyone even contemplating such a "conversion"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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