54 replies to this topic

[TSR]

While looking in old files, found pics of this scarce Dynamic Super Bandit, issued in late 1966 and featuring a Mura-built Dynamic "Green Hornet II" motor.
These cars are really hard to find but when issued, were just about the fastest thing you could buy, and were handling quite well to boot. Most died of various ailments, from their motors melting their endbells in an acrid cloud of delrin smoke, to their bodies being destroyed and eventually replaced by some other thermo-formed open-wheel or sports car model.
Even rarer that the model itself, seldom seen, is the original box with its insert and foam pad. I had this survivor about 15 years ago, but it is now part of a private collection. I know of very few others in the same condition, this one being in absolutely pristine shape.







The body has four slots die cut on its sides so as to fit on the brass body mount. The slightest impact and the body either flies off the car of breaks its material around the tabs. Not good but they were sooooo COOOL!!



The chassis is different from the original Bandit in that it features the "Dynaflex" suspension and smaller tires on the American Mags wheels.



The motor in this example is the original issue, that has the Mabuchi stock magnets, with the Mura rewound armature not machined but high-temp varnished before being balanced.



The front tires are Dynamic "knife-edge" (marked DM) and the rears are now 1" X 1/2" gray sponge, that had tremendous traction when used with the Dynamic "Moo-Too" traction compound.



The red wire was a single 28AWG wind and provided rocket-like speed in the straights, but the brakes were not present in sufficient quantity and one had to be a bit cautious upon landing.



This view shows the armature stack that is varnished, then drill-balanced. Later versions had the stack machied, then the typical Mura balancing with a sheet-metal drill.
The second version had the famous "broken magnets" also used in the Champion 507 original blue can motors.
Later, an ultimate version was produced with a Mabuchi FT16BB with ball bearing and oval-hole can.
These Super Bandits were expensive and mythical even in the day. Today, the thingie collectors kill for one. Figuratively speaking of course.
Regards,

[havlicek]

Hi Philippe,

Truthfully, a lot of vintage RTRs leave me cold. This one is something else altogether. I don't remember the car from back then, but I think I would glady have given several weeks of my paper route money for that thing(ie)! It's just a flat-out cool car that looks like it's going fast just sitting there and the condition looks almost like it just came out of the showcase. Super-slick!

-john

[Horsepower]

That was the motor I sold a few months ago on Ebay. I never ran it. Kinda wish I had kept it now. I didn't know it was in the Super Bandit. A very beautiful example, I must say!

[Zippity]

These Super Bandits were expensive and mythical even in the day. Today, the thingie collectors kill for one. Figuratively speaking of course.

You gotta be kidding?

A guy turned up at our raceway last night who hadn't raced his slot cars since the late 60's when he was based in Malaya with the NZ Army.

I took some photographs of about 5 of his cars with the intention of posting them on this Blog. As I had borrowed another racer's camera, it will be a day or two before I can post the photographs.

To think that I was handling and oogling one of those chassis - or something almost identical

[HarV Wallbanger III]

I believe I have a chassis and the wheels/tires for one of these somewhere.... anybody have the body to use?

[TSR]

Barn,
The black body and in a lesser extent, the Green Hornet II motor are the hard parts to find. Almost impossible as far as the body, and of course, it makes the car... the chassis parts are relatively easy, the American Mags and the Wilson crown gear a bit tougher. The Dynamic knock-offs are not that easy anymore either.
The regular Bandits with standard purple or silver stock FT16D motors are much easier and they have a root-beer colored body with the same stickers.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

Mea Culpa.

Back in the day, a friend was whining that he spent all this money and the car wasn't as good as he wanted. Asked me if I "knew some tricks".

So, I shot glue into the suspension, tightened down the suspention until it was solid. Put in new gears to replace the ones stripped by the suspensiion. And filled the hinge in front with epoxy so that it didn't slop out and wiggle. The guy went from the F main to the C main and was HAPPY. So, I had a sudden business with other kids to fix their cars. I must have done 20 or 25 of them!

Thus removing them from the pristine collector market of the future.

Fate

[TSR]

Rocky, you bad boy!

[stevefzr]

This one sold for a fair price the other day. No real surprises.

http://cgi.ebay.com/...em=360151948584

I noticed there was no "dynamic" sticker on the bottom of the motor, and it seems to have a pin to secure the endbell. Does that indicate it's the second generation motor with the arcos? The one in my Super Bandit is the same. Sadly, the body tabs are broken out on mine.

Regards,

Steve C

[Edo]

Hi gents,

here is a solution adopted by our friend Bruno Novarese on a damaged body:





Regards
E

[Bill from NH]

I saw one of these advertised on ebay last night but I don't think it came with the box.

[Dave Larsen]

Hi Philippe

I thought I would help you out a bit on this topic, and post some pictures of my "Super Bandit". I would also consider this one also to be in pristine condition. the body is crack free and in beautiful condidtion. I would say this is the second version of the famed beast , do to the ground/polished stacks. The E/B is held on with pin taps, along with the change of colors in the lead wires. The "quick change" Dynamic guide is also a dead give away. The car has not seen any use at all, maybe a little if any. Enjoy the pictures






























........If I only had the plastic box do YOU have one?

As always, Philippe

Regards,

Dave

[TSR]

........If I only had the plastic box do YOU have one?

Uh, yes, but unfortunately no spare...
Your example is very nice, second motor type with machined armature stack and second guide type, just missing one decal on top.

The basic plastic box is the same as used by Dynamic and Russkit for some of their models. The true problem is to get the cardboard insert, as I know of very few examples still intact. Even rarer is the little instruction sheet that came with the car. Mine had it when i purchased one in France in 1967, but of the examples at the LASCM (they have three boxed examples, with one early motor, the second with the machined armature stack and the third with the 1968 nickel plated motor) none has it.

There are more pictures on the LASCM website HERE, showing both the Bandit and Super Bandit.

The second generation of the Bandit has a similar box to that of the Super Bandit:



The Super Bandit box has black foam instead of beige, and of course a different insert.



Of course the basic box is the same as some other dynamic kits or RTR:





Not counting the Lotus 49, McLaren MK6 etc.

[TSR]

Also the Harvey kit came later in a simplified box with a simple sticker locking the box shut instead of the elaborate insert.
So did the Lotus and McLaren MK6, before they all came assembled in a new generic cardboard display box with beautiful graphics on its cover.

Altogether, the Bandit came in FOUR different colors and several editions, and one of them is very intriguing. I believe the following sequence over two years:

1/ Root-beer color in triangular cardboard window box. Black tires, purple motor. White "early" Dynamic "bolt-on" guide.
2/ Metallic red backed by silver color, box type unknown, black tires, purple motor, early guide.
3/ Black, Super-bandit version with "Green Hornet II" motor, non-machined stack, early guide.
4/ Root-beer color in triangular cardboard window box. Gray sponge tires, purple motor. New "quick-change" guide.
5/ Dark non-metallic red, clear-plastic box, silver motor, quick-change guide.
6/ Black, Super-bandit version with "Green Hornet II" motor, machined stack, quick-change guide.
7/ Black, Super-bandit version with rewound Mabuchi FT16D "oval-hole" motor, quick-change guide.

I am very intrigued by # 2 and would love to find more about it. We have a nice example, but no box. How was it sold, in the first clear-plastic box or the older cardboard triangular box? Since it has the early tires and early guide, the earlier box would make sense. Or was simply the metallic red body sold separately as a replacement body? So far I have seen several examples of the car and all had the earliest chassis, making me believe that it must have been a RTR car.

Dave, would you know any better?
Of course this may seem like a bit of an anal inquiry for some, but aren't we all doing something utterly crazy in playing with little toy cars during our decayed-positrons time on Earth?

[MantaRay]

Dokk......On the museum pics I see a brass spacer going inside the rear hub and assume either there is a jam nut or exactly threaded axle............On Daves pics I can see...a spacer, a jam nut, then a spacer...........
Were both methods used?

Thanks again for the great pics

[Jairus]

Of course this may seem like a bit of an anal inquiry for some, but aren't we all doing something utterly crazy in playing with little toy cars during our decayed-positrons time on Earth?

What else are you going to do.... watch American Idol?
Great thread and some neat inspiration for future Dynamic based thingies!

[TSR]

On Daves pics I can see...a spacer, a jam nut, then a spacer...

Actually it is a bit more complicated. In effect, you have a short brass spacer projecting from the deep inside of the wheel, then the small 3/16" brass nut, then another spacer to the Dynaflex aluminum bearing. The nut locks the brass spacer against the wheel, also locked by the specific 3-prong knock-off, while the inner spacer close to the chassis is free.
On the front, no need for this so the nut is directly locking the wheel while the long spacer is free. This is true of all Bandits, Super Bandits and several other Dynamic cars.

[MantaRay]

Got it...........Thanks again

[One27ray]

[MantaRay]

BTW One27ray made a very nice repop of the Bandit body

[Prof. Fate]

Hi

In the day, these cars would show up somewhere in the "F" main.... And the tracks and racers always insisted the owners remove the knockoffs sticking out.

Reminded everyone too much of "Ben Hur"....grin.

Fate

[Tim Wilkins]

A rare Bandit has hit the market.  Original Box, insert, foam pad and all

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

[Tim Wilkins]

A rare Bandit has hit the market.  Original Box, insert, foam pad and all

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Wow!  Sold for $1,009.  

[don.siegel]

Holy moly, that's 10 times what a good used one would bring... Guess we don't see many of these in the box! 

 

Don 

[Tim Wilkins]

Anyone remember what the original gearing was for the Dynamic Super Bandit?  Thanks.