17 replies to this topic

[Lone Wolf]

Not a whole lot to say here. The slot cars are some of the nicest ever made. The model kits were simplistic but still well detailed. No chrome in the kits unfortunately for the resto crowd. Model kits can sell for $100 or more when found. These models still have the original "hard" cello wrap which was on Monogram kits of the period.

[Lone Wolf]

Phil, these cars are like little jewels when built up. A while back I sold a bunch of parts and pieces from these cars to Dennis Samson. He has taken all the pieces and restored them beautifully. I PM'd him and I hope he posts pics here.

[Rusty Pinion]

I had the Ferrari on the left when I was younger... (waaaaay younger !). It was bullet fast at the time and drove rather well.

[gascarnut]

The only non-original parts are the repro Atlas wheels inserts (more accurate than the original Monograms) and the Ortmann rear tires.

[S.O. Watt]

A little aside on the use of chrome (and shiny bits) in F1 back then... all the teams made their suspension bits and other parts look really nice by plating. Then Honda showed up and they used black anodizing.

Nice car, Dennis!

[Gary Bluestone]

This box is from 1966. Car is all original.

[gascarnut]

Chrome plating of suspension parts was eventually banned when it was found that the plating process embrittled the metal, causing cracking and failures.

Nice Lotus, Gary! Mine is halfway there, just need the screen, the mirrors, and the transmission cover.

[slotbaker]

The little Lotus was one of my first slot cars, and I won many races with it at our track.
(Track started out as Scalextric, then progressively converted to routed)

Great car, great memories.

[Gary Bluestone]

If I remember correctly, I got the windshield and mirrors from the model kit, but I think the mirrors were green and had to be painted silver. I got my first Lotus a long time ago and traded it away . I missed it so I searched and found a wreck(this one) , which I stripped and restored. It doesn't get raced much because no one around here has equivalent cars to compete, but it does run great , with original tires after a bit of sanding.

[Mark H]

This is why I got into vintage slot cars, because they actually look real. Even when I was little racing Flexies I wished they were scale.

i love the box art BTW.

[don.siegel]

Yes, these are two of the nicest slot cars ever made, in every sense of the word... had the Lotus when I was a kid, but didn't really have an appropriate track for it (only a huge eight-lane formica track at local hobby shop), so I really began to appreciate these when I started doing vintage. They're very smooth runners and fun to drive.

Good competition against the two little Atlas F1 cars too, if anybody's looking for a - relatively expensive! - new class! Not sure what else could run with them, maybe some of the slightly more modern Airfix/MRRC cars with the slimline chassis...

Just picked up one of the little Strombecker Indy cars, so not sure how they run.

Don

[ajd350]

When these came out I was 9 years old. My father was racing with the MMARC club and we had a three lane routed track in the basement. Several members were asked to attend an invitational race at Monogram in Morton Grove. Each was sent a car to build and race. I do not recall where he finished with his Lotus, but I think the car is still around somewhere. Around that time the Chicago Tribune offered a Ferrari to any kid who could sign up three new subscriptions to the paper. That's how I got mine.

The Ferrari is gone, but I found a nicely built example of each of these jewels eventually.

[don.siegel]

AJD, I can't see your full name: who was your dad?

There was a writeup on the Monogram International in one of the period mags, Model Car & Track I think, by Pierre Perrin probably, or Pete Hagenbuch, and I can look it up for you ...

Don

[ajd350]

Don, my dad's name is Howard DeYoung. LMK which issue the report is in, as I am still missing some MC&T issues that may have other reports from races he attended.

Thanks, Al

[Mark Johnson]

Does anyone repop the detail parts for these cars, I've been looking for a ferrari windsreen forever .

[TSR]

Mark,
I MAY have one, PM me.