11 replies to this topic

[A.P.]

 

Ok I have a question for those who have a Classic, BZ, or K&B Batmobile slot car.

 

I know these cars have been discussed in past topic threads and in one topic it was stated that the Classic Bat never came with the red bat shaped wheel spinners. The axles  were stated to be too short and only if the axles were changed out to longer ones could they fit, however I have a vintage Sears advertisement showing a photo of the Classic Bat with red bat spinners so they must have come with them in some sort of packaging?

 

My question is that on one of my cars, the RED bat knock-off spinner is made of metal? All the other ones are plastic. The metal one looks factory made as it is crisp and clean and contains inner threads. It is painted red however showing some edge wear of paint. Please see the photos.  Here it is (left) against a regular plastic knock-off (right). My question, did these come in metal back in the 60's and if so, on which of the cars, or could this be a repro, but if so why in metal? I know the vintage BZ blister pack contained 5 plastic knock-off bats for 79 cents back in the day. 

Any help would be appreciated. 

 

--john

[Martin]

I for one have never seen a metal bat. I am starting to think it was an after market product. Your car lost it plastic bat so the owner bought this metal one to replace it. Pure conjecture on my part. 

But nice find.

[Rotorranch]

I have seen a lot of bat knock-offs, but I've ever seen metal ones! 

 

That's way cool!

 

Rotor

[MattD]

Anything I've seen in metal was of recent (30 years or so) manufacture.      Maybe the guy filed and sanded, filed and sanded and made the metal one.   We got guys on here that can do that.

[slotbaker]

Anything I've seen in metal was of recent (30 years or so) manufacture.      Maybe the guy filed and sanded, filed and sanded and made the metal one.   We got guys on here that can do that.

Hmmm maybe, but I'm certain that one shown in John's post was cast in a die of some sort, seeing as it shows a 'parting line' through the middle of the wall thickness of the bat's body.

 

Possibly lost wax, and yes, very cool.

 

[Martin]

I have some experience in metal casting. I would choose a white metal mold and spin casting.

White metal is cast at low temps into a vulcanized rubber mold.

Been there done that. Its a good way to make fast cheap parts.

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[A.P.]

Ok as a follow up to my previous post about the metal Batmobile knock-off bat hub, I have discovered a 3rd variation to the Batmobile knock-off. The one added to the right is the exact same size as the others with the exception that it has a nipple, protuberance, on the front face!  The other added shot is a in package 5 pack of the BZ Knock-offs showing the first plastic one in previous photo. So the question still remains, which came with the BZ Batmobile and/or the Classic Batmobile or were just so many needed they varied them over the production run of the cars? 

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[Guillermo Suar]

That would take very little effort to model and can be very easily printed with a SLA (resin) 3D printer. you will likely get better quality. 

[Don Wedding]

Here is a fourth different bat knockoff made of metal with a clear red ceramic insent . Bought them about 25 years ago .

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[TSR]

The only real and authentic "Bat Hubs" were made by a mold shop in Torrance for the BZ Batmobile, and BZ sold them separately (5 under a blister). The same mold shop that also made guide flags seen on cars from various brands, sold the little bats to K&B/Aurora in Downey for their own Batmobile.
As correctly said, the Classic Batmobile was never offered with the little bats, but many retailers and even distributors converted them with longer axles.

ALL the others seen above are replicas (metal and resin plastic) made since about 1990s when the marketable value of surviving cars became a financial interest for the reproduction cottage industry.
The cast and threaded metal examples (that had to be painted of course) were produced in "white metal" in a centrifugal mold in Santa Ana, California, by the same person originally responsible for the Lancer body molds, then a myriad of extremely nice white-metal kits of Indy and Formula 1 cars.

[A.P.]

Thanks again for the information!!

 

Here is a vintage Sears ad showing the Classic slot with the red wheel hubs. So the fact is that any Classic Batmobile with the red wheel bats were modified after coming from the factory and NONE were original to the car. 

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[TSR]

John,
correct. When I interviewed Ilmars Kersels (who ran the business for Bergman) in 1997, I specifically asked about it and Kersels was adamant that no Classic Batmobile ever had the little "bat hubs" as supplied by the factory. Even the box illustration clearly shows the model sans "bats".