ITC 1911 MERCER RACEABOUT 1/8 scale

[f1ford48]

the car has been done for a couple years.I pinstriped it by hand-[except hood] for the NNL West here in February. except for a muffler ,some gauge work,steering column and spark controls,floor and running board mats. and detail rivets it is ''right out of the box'' these old ''Mavericks'' can be made to look pretty good. and theres much more that could have been done here also-but it was time to get started on another project!

Edited February 18, 2014 by f1ford48

[Cato]

Harry who???

Beautiful work Frank. What original kit was this from?

You 2 brass guys are burying us sports racers guys...

Ooops-I see it in the title-ITC...

Edited February 18, 2014 by Cato

[Harry P.]

Ditto what Cato asked... what's the kit you used? How can I get one?

[sjordan2]

This looks like much larger scale than the ITC kit (like 1:1), which I believe was also issued as the "Bearcats" TV series car. I think the TV car was a George Barris replica, though the kit may not be based on it. Did it come with a machine gun?

Edited February 18, 2014 by sjordan2

[Cato]

I vaguely remember seeing similar in a Tommy Ivo TV show-how nuts am I???

[f1ford48]

the reason I mentioned Maverick in the post is because the actual model box says.. just like on the tv show''maverick''. I have never seen the show-was James Garner in it? possible a few years before my time!

it is an ITC model kit. circa 1962- IDEAL TOY COMPANY reissued a few times-this car is a first series with the plated parts-[red car on the box] later ones with the white car on box did not have plated parts. it has working headlights and cam-o-matic-action.-where a card is installed in the motor unit and the car runs and steers in various patterns.the motor unit is under the hood like the real car.

the model was originally patterned from the Mercer owned by Austin Clark-owner of the Famous Long Island Automotive Museum.

since there is some interest I will post the box top so you can see it.

thanks for looking guys-it does look real doesnt it?

oh oh oh .....also check out the other post a while back here in big boyz.

Edited February 18, 2014 by f1ford48

[Harry P.]

I'd love to get my hands on an unbuilt one.

[f1ford48]

even if it was built -its so big it could easily be restored.theres not much to the model. detailing and painting made it look a lot better than it actually is. the wheels and tires are moulded together for instance. and the dash is one piece-gauges and all. one thing nice about it is that it seems proportionally correct. that is what makes it look so real in the photos... the '11 and '12 Mercers were quite different from the later ones-especially noticable in the fenders-[not crowned]- it also looks like maybe the wheelbase was shorter on the earlier cars.

the cool thing about this car is with some creative scratch building it could be a masterpiece!

Harry I will keep my eyes out for one for you. my fellow brass era buddy here in NorCal built one also and he did his in dark red with white tires-will try to get a pic of that one too as it was exceptional.

by the way the car is a little over 17 inches long and tires are 4'' diameter

[sjordan2]

Available cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-Connoisseur-Classics-1914-STUTZ-BEARCAT-Model-Car-Kit-1-25-Scale-/161226507058?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2589d94332

[Harry P.]

Available cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-Connoisseur-Classics-1914-STUTZ-BEARCAT-Model-Car-Kit-1-25-Scale-/161226507058?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2589d94332

I want the 1/8 scale version.

[f1ford48]

sorry Skip-this is a MERCER RACEABOUT we are talking about here. there used to be a lot of rivalry-kinda like the difference between an MG and a mustang- back in the day. the Mercer was lower.handled better, a little more classy than the Stutz- the Stutz had a bit more power but was taller and did not handle as well.

Mercer driver-looking at a Stutz : ''you've got to be nuts to drive a StutZ!!!''

Stutz drivers retort: '' there never was a worser car than a Mercer''

how do I know this stuff? anyway heres the model box.

[Harry P.]

I never knew that kit existed. I would love to have one.

I can see why Skip was confused... the Stutz Bearcat and the Mercer Raceabout look very similar at first glance. They must have been quite the rivalry between them back in the day.

[Harry P.]

Frank... seeing as how I have found a fellow brass-era fan... have you built the Pocher 1907 Fiat race car?

[f1ford48]

no-I have not . but I want to- since im stuck on Vanderbilt Cup Racers thats how I would make mine look. Vincenso Lancia was the FIAT driver in the Vanderbilt Races. so yes I would build his car. I guess the Mercer is about the same size?

the only criticisim I have on the Pocher is the Tires-too skinny.

Edited February 19, 2014 by f1ford48

[sjordan2]

sorry Skip-this is a MERCER RACEABOUT we are talking about here. there used to be a lot of rivalry-kinda like the difference between an MG and a mustang- back in the day. the Mercer was lower.handled better, a little more classy than the Stutz- the Stutz had a bit more power but was taller and did not handle as well.

Mercer driver-looking at a Stutz : ''you've got to be nuts to drive a StutZ!!!''

Stutz drivers retort: '' there never was a worser car than a Mercer''

how do I know this stuff? anyway heres the model box.

D'oh!

[Pocherphile]

Well, bought a Union version today and bidded on the ebay listed one (ITC) as well.........your build looks stunning, the pin stripping makes the finish pop w/o over doing the eye candy.....as said before, details get lost in the details. Do just enough to make people look twice and you got it done right. Thanks for sharing this.

Rick

[Pocherphile]

PS: I am building a Pocher FIAT and yes, I do agree, the tires are too skinny, but you gotta go with what you got with the kit. Pretty sure I will replace w/solid white versions from Model Motorcars.com

I guess one could carve/mold a front and rear tire to correct width, way too much work f/me.....

Rick

[Pocherphile]

Available cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MPC-Connoisseur-Classics-1914-STUTZ-BEARCAT-Model-Car-Kit-1-25-Scale-/161226507058?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2589d94332

Not now, after I made the 1st bid, now has 8 and climbing............8(

Sorry I thought you were talking about the ITC kit on eBay, the one you are refering too is a MPC 1/24th scale!

Edited February 20, 2014 by Pocherphile

[Pocherphile]

I want the 1/8 scale version.

You are talking about the ITC Kit.

One is on ebay right now and has 6 days to go and a bid war has already started for this bad boy, also found the Dusey as well.......#1 is start bid @ $200.00 and #2 is Buy Now f/$204.00 .......guess it would be best to go ahead and go for the Buy Now one!

Is there ever a end to this madness of gotta have this kit too!!!!!!!!!!!8(.

Rick

Edited February 20, 2014 by Pocherphile

[f1ford48]

Thanks Again Rick-I make it a point to have semi gloss finishes and slight weathering, stone chips and general wear to add to the realism.

maybe a giant O ring could be substituted for the FIAT tires-im surprised with the aftermarket upgrades out there that none are available -yet.

[GeeBee]

Just superb !! I have a soft spot for these cars, I'd love to get one in 1\25th scale to keep my Stutz company

[Harry P.]

Thanks Again Rick-I make it a point to have semi gloss finishes and slight weathering, stone chips and general wear to add to the realism.

maybe a giant O ring could be substituted for the FIAT tires-im surprised with the aftermarket upgrades out there that none are available -yet.

Model Motorcars has Fiat aftermarket tires.

[sjordan2]

Hey, Frank –– I didn't see you link your article on the Peter Helck Mercer. Just outstanding...

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2009/06/18/mini-mercer-maximus/

[f1ford48]

Thanks Skip- was going to post some additional pics of that too..however I am unable to upload images-I dont know what the problem is-I was going along fine and now the site says too big- it wont accept images till they are sized down to nothing and then the quality is lost-can anyone help me here? -is it my computer or the site? FS

Edited February 20, 2014 by f1ford48

[Harry P.]

Thanks Skip- was going to post some additional pics of that too..however I am unable to upload images-I dont know what the problem is-I was going along fine and now the site says too big- it wont accept images till they are sized down to nothing and then the quality is lost-can anyone help me here? -is it my computer or the site? I am very frusterated! FS

If you upload images directly from your computer, there is a storage limit here that kicks in pretty quickly. If not, this site would become a huge photo-hosting site... and that's not what this place is meant to be.

You need to open an account with a photo hosting site like Photobucket, load up all your images there, then only post the link to the images here. That way we see the images here, but the actual images are taking up space on the photo hosting site's servers, not here.