145 replies to this topic

[don.siegel]

Congrats for finding the Assassin Max! That's a beautiful example. I'm kind of looking for one too, just to complete the trio, but it's so ugly... nice color however. 

 

Don 

[Maximo]

After I got this Assassin, another one appeared on eBay. But that too is long gone.

 

I worked a lot on that chassis you sent me, but then this came up and I had to jump on it.

 

If a body were to become available I would continue fixing this chassis up for you.

[Maximo]

Another vintage 60's "bat-car" RTR marketed by Gar-Vic using the Firebird body.

 

The Gar-Vic "Bat".

 

A reproduction body and paint by Sizzlerdom and trimmed and mounted by Jairus Watson.

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[Jean-Michel Piot]

Hello folks!

 

I'm just beginning a small collection of thingies. It took me time to find some interest in it, but now I admit that some bio-designs "à la" Luigi Colani were great! It was very innovative at that time. I know that some car designers were involved.

 

I also found funny to create a false curiosity cabinet with some chassis as well, as the whole can evoke an entomologist collection.

 

Here are some pictures with genuine Bat Car and Firebird.

 

Keep on posting about RTR thingies!

 

 

 

 

[Martin]

Great looking display Jean.

Gar-Vic cars always seem to take a back seat to the more popular brands. The box art was great and the cars look good too.

Apart from the red McLaren Mk2 all their cars were Thingies I believe. No other company focused on this concept car theme?

Maybe this is there time to shine?

Here are some color choices offered for the Sonic needle.

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[MattD]

Great display.    Thingies seem to be an acquired taste.    You want scale, real race cars, etc.  Next thing you know you have most of those cars and Astro V or a Stinger gets your attention, that leads to a Gamma Ray and before long your whole collection takes on a new look.    Seems like besides the Classic Manta Ray Garvic thingies seem most plentiful and easy to find.

[don.siegel]

It was definitely an acquired taste for me... I did have a Cuc at the time, but mostly I was against Thingies and very much for pretty realistic real race cars. 

 

When I had started racing again, and collecting in the early 90s, I was contacted by a Thingie fanatic in the United States, who wanted to write a book, so I wound up photocopying hundreds of pages for him out of my magazine collection... and that led to a greater appreciation of the whole Thingie scene. Then came Edo, and it moved to a whole new - dare I say Artistic - level! 

 

Some really had a lot of thinking behind them, and others were pretty slapdash. 

 

I also did a couple of Thingie races with the Turin club - very exciting, but also a bit limited, since there's a Concours d'Elegance event with it, that counts for 2/3 of total results, so in a way, it went to whoever had found the rarest Thingie - and they didn't appreciate my Swedish "Flat Iron", which is really an exceptional model (but it's not a commercially made Thingie); Races also have to be in a couple classes, because there are real performance differences between the early 36D powered models, the in-between Cuc and Gamma RAy era models and then the later Italian models (Mini A, B, C, and especially the Unicar Superaerodinamica!), which struck me as being not much slower than a good Flexi! 

 

By the way, Jean-Michel, welcome to the Dark Side! 

 

Don 

[don.siegel]

Here's one I was lucky to get on ebay a number of years ago, before anybody really knew what the Cyclone Avenger was! Lots of NOS parts floating around, so we can all build one, but here's the original box, and what I assume is one of the original paint schemes. 

 

Don 

 

 

[[/URL]

 

[don.siegel]

Here's one that doesn't seem to get a lot of respect... 

 

 

As you can see, I like the Spitfire! I probably have another half-dozen in various states of repair... It came in both Ready to Run and kit versions, for about a $2 difference. I think the RTR was more common, but I've found 2 kit boxes to date, and only one kit... Yellow is by far the most common color; there were supposedly 8 different colors, since it was often used as a rental car, but don't think that's ever been proven. Here are the two boxes, with an almost mint kit, and the see-through window on the RTR. 

 

 

 

 

 

Don 

[don.siegel]

A couple more of my RTRs, starting with a rather tired Vendetta box... the blue car inside is almost new, but unfortunately it has a large size chip out of one of the front fenders. I have the clear body, but not sure I could ever duplicate this color. 

 

 

 

A lucky find on ebay, a Pactra Jupiter in pretty good condition, except for the curl and split at the back... I always found this car kind of ugly and was going to trade it, but I've grown accustomed to its face... 

 

 

 

 

Another one that's not exactly a picture of beauty, but I found the AMT pair after finishing college, so wanted to get another one, and this turned up, painted windows and all! 

 

 

 

 

All for now, 

Don 

 

 

[Rotorranch]

The windows are actually masked with removable liquid mask. If you can get the edge to lift, you can peel it off and have clear windows.

 

Rotor

[don.siegel]

Just looked, but I don't think so - really seems to be painted on! Why do you think it's liquid mask? 

 

Don 

[Rotorranch]

It was in the AMT instructions.

 

Rotor

[don.siegel]

Ah, don't have the instructions... but still pretty sure that the windows are sprayed directly... comparing it with that junk body in the box, the guy also seems to have touched up the gold paint from the inside, and I wonder if he didn't paint the window; if there was a liquid mask, it's melted into the whole mess over the years! 

 

However, you did give me an idea: I sharpened a wooden stake, so I can either kill a vampire, or start scraping off the paint - and that does seem to be kind of working... to be continued! 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Don, try Novus #2  plastic polish first. I have applied with a Q-tip, and use your Vampire killing tooth picks to get close to edge.

With some paints Novus will melt them and or polish the unwanted paint off. Make sure the wood is not scratching the body. I use the old Q-tip shaft cut at an angle to get small detail areas. That's the Q-tips with cardboard(?)shafts.

I always try this first as it is non damaging to the plastic body.

e.g. below, before and after. This body had gold and sliver painted on the outside.

Be prepared to put aside an hour or so, results do not happen fast

 

P.S. you can use a small amount of paint thinner if the polish needs re-wetting.

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[mike1972chev]

 

Here's one I was lucky to get on ebay a number of years ago, before anybody really knew what the Cyclone Avenger was! Lots of NOS parts floating around, so we can all build one, but here's the original box, and what I assume is one of the original paint schemes. 

 

Don 

 

 

[[/URL]

 

 

Yea, Don, I LOVE my "modernized" Cyclone . It is in my top 2% of ready to run cars. 

 

They just  OOZE  the look of unusual and strange .     

 

 

[Martin]

Good looking car Mike. What chrome paint did you use for the stripe?  A nice upgrade from the original.

Nicely done

[mike1972chev]

Martin,That is a Noose paint job I had him do to look like the factory stripe. 

 

I cannot find the chrome paint used in my email to him. (Might send him a message......    )

[Maximo]

Introducing the "Kellison"!

 

Kellison made body kits for early Corvette chassis in the early 60's.

 

I love the short hood and rear deck, like a Manta Ray or Cyclone Avenger.

 

Body is from Sizzlerdom on ebay and he also painted it, while Jarius Watson trimmed it and mounted the body. 

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[Rotorranch]

Very nice!
 
I guess I got lucky, mine has all 4 original wheel inserts!
 
Rotor
 
IMG_20190530_154432.jpg
 
IMG_20190530_154459.jpg

 
 
Now it appears that I need a wheel insert. I found an Assassin buried in a box, and it's missing one insert.
 
Rotor

[Isaac S.]

This the right one? 

 

[Isaac S.]

It kinda looks like the two wheels are mismatching also. 

[Rotorranch]

It looks like it, Isaac. 

 

My wheels do match BTW.

 

Rotor

[Isaac S.]

If you are interested, I can ship it out to you next week. 

[chrisguyw]

I must admit that I have never really been a "Thingie" guy......the only one that really caught my attention was the "CUC", as most of my friends had one at the time, and they could be made to run quite well.

 

This is one I have had for several years, and painted. I don't recommend painting, as I think the breeze created by running the car would be enough to pull the paint off 

 

It has all the original chassis/motor  bits, with the motor  done by Mr. Havlicek.

 

Cheers

Chris Walker