86 replies to this topic

[Steve Okeefe]

Pactra Bodies

 

 

Sometime around the beginning of 1966, the Pactra Chemical Company, a major manufacturer of model paints, acquired Stormer Bodies and began producing their own line of high quality vacuum-formed clear plastic scale bodies.  Pactra produced scale bodies of many different types of cars, including fantasy show cars such as the Astronaut and the Jupiter. It is important to note these two Pactra bodies were not Thingies, as there actually were prototypes.

 

Here are a few photos and scans of their extensive product line:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Glenn Waldmann]

Does anyone have a lead on one of these for sale?

 

This is the 1961-62 Ferrari made by Pactra in what seems to be 1966-67. My all-time favorite F1 car.

 

Thanks.

 

[TSR]

Glenn,

 

The Tipo 166 bodies are hard to find.

 

Pactra got in the vacuum-formed slot car body business after acquiring Stormer. The company was briefly called "Pactra-Stormer Corporation" but the Stormer name was quickly dropped.

 

Some of the Pactra bodies, such as the Maserati 5000 (T151 actually...) and the Scarab-Buick rear-engine are former Stormer bodies.

[Joe Mig]

They had a nice Cheetha .

[Russkid]

Is the Vulture on the list?

[TSR]

I can see 3 missing:

 

-1966 Eagle-Climax F1

-Vulture (basically an eagle with bubble top)

-Dune buggy

 

And let's not forget that 3 of the last 4 Pactra RTR cars had Lancer bodies:

 

-BRP-Ford

-Lotus 40

-Ford MK4

 

All 3 as well as the dune buggy, painted in metallic red.

[Duffy]

I've been collecting some things to send off to Howmet for backpouring, and there's a "gently pre-owned" Harrison (sadly with enormous axle cutouts in back, but prolly repairable) in there. I know I sent off a MIB of the less-rare 90-deg. Fezzi sharknose a while back, dunno if he's got around to doing it up though.

 

Duf

[TSR]

There are two Pactra Harrison bodies, also marketed by Testor, the 1964 and 1966 versions that are vastly different. The 1966 has the big spoiler at the back. Which did you send? 

[Duffy]

Ah. THIS one...

 

 

Duf

[TSR]

That's a Lola T90, not either of the Harrison. Got to learn your Indy cars, Duffster... Also your Lola body came from a Champion kit, not a Pactra kit or RTR. The Pactra Lola was ALWAYS painted white like the real 1966 Indy winning American red Ball Special. Champion bought lots of bodies from Revell, Russkit, Pactra and Unique, and painted them themselves, then stuck them in nice kits that had decent chassis and motors. This one is one of those.

Not that the shape changes of course...

Here is the Pactra model:

 

 

 

 

[Duffy]

That's a Lola T90, not either of the Harrison. Got to learn your Indy cars, Duffster...

 

 

Uh. It's also prolly a good idea I never quit my day gig to pursue my Jazz career.

[Gator Bob]

[TSR]

Duff,

what Bob is showing you here is the Testor version of that Lola Indy car. Uses the same body.

[Duffy]

Thanx for this.

 

I'm going at this with half a brain. I'm not real well-versed on what's out there now (let alone what it is!) and I'm perennially homework-deplete. The way it's worked so far is, I trust Dilworth to know what's in his quiver & it's my job to just toss 'em in there.

 

Duf

[TSR]

It's alright Dufster, we all have our identification problems. I have still to figure a Sturmovik from an Airacobra ("they all look the same to me")! 

[Steve Okeefe]

Philippe,

 

Point taken, but...

 

The Bell Airacobra is a mid-engine airplane with a tricycle landing gear (in fact the first fighter to have tricycle landing gear), where the Ilyushin II-2 Sturmovik... insn't.

 

They did both have three blade propellers though, and both were used by the Soviet air force during WWII.

 

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning did also have tricycle landing gear, but strangely, the Bell P-39 Airacobra flew first.  All three aircraft were introduced in 1941.

 

Easy, huh?

[Steve Deiters]

A question without an answer...maybe.  Whatever happened to the molds?

[TSR]

Easy, huh?

Steve, you well know I was joking. When I was 9, I could already recite every version of a BF109, down to the various versions of the desert air filters for the DB engine! 

I can no longer do that, but I sure can tell an Ilyushin from a Bell... 

 

As far as the molds, they likely were junked.

[Steve Okeefe]

Philippe,

 

Yes of course I know, and you know I was teasing.  I get to do that every once in a while...  it says so in my contract.

 

Those of us who can tell a Bell from an Ilyushin, or a Hurricane from a Spitfire, or a Packard from a Merlin, or a Horton from a Northrop are few and dwindling in number.  It's a $*^# shame.

[TSR]

Yes Steve, you said that right... as an aircraft lover, I sympathize. Today a good proportion of the people of which arse was saved by these wonderful machines think that they are evil.

[MrWeiler]

I still harbor the Ilyushin that I can identify many of the WW2 aircraft.

[MrWeiler]

There are two Pactra Harrison bodies, also marketed by Testor, the 1964 and 1966 versions that are vastly different. The 1966 has the big spoiler at the back. Which did you send? 

Dokk, can you post pics of both? I know the one with the big spoiler but not the other one.

[TSR]

Sure thing. While these below are the Testor RTR versions, the Pactra clear plastic bodies are the same and came from the same molds. This is the earlier car, the 1965/1965 car driven by Chuck Hulse and Skip Hudson:

 

 

This is the Ford 4-cam car driven by several drivers at Indy in 1966 (there were two built):

 

 

And a friendly grouping:

 

 

The painted bodies were marketed by both Pactra and Testor, at the same time. They also exist in green and red colors.

 

This is the really rare 2nd version in its box (we only know of this example at this time!!!)

 

 

 

[Half Fast]

Hmm..... the Ford four cam body with the big spoiler might make a real good retro racing body.

 

Cheers

[TSR]

Bill,

It is too narrow for those pregnant chassis, it looks too much like a real car.