30 replies to this topic

[strummer]

One of the things I realized a while back is I like having multiple projects going on at the same time; I can switch over to one while the paint dries on another, etc. I'm sure you all feel the same.

 

Now that my Strombecker "Porsche" project is completed, and am waiting on final parts for the Cox Chaparral, I thought I'd try to find a new project car...and here is my 40 dollar purchase. (eBay listing photo):

 

 

Looking at the photos, the chassis looks to be in like new condition, so the main focus of this will no doubt be on the body.

 

Am really looking forward to this next project; as an added bonus, I like the fact that this was made by a manufacturer I have not had any experience with (and is of a prototype I know nothing about) so there will be lots to learn here.

 

Thanks to all of you, I kinda know where to go for information, etc: rest assured I won't be posting a step-by step about this rebuild/restore, so I won't be too much of a bother on this one...maybe.  

 

Mark in Oregon

 

 

[Pablo]

One of the things I realized a while back is I like having multiple projects going on at the same time; I can switch over to one while the paint dries on another, etc. I'm sure you all feel the same.

 

Mark in Oregon

 

Bingo. My method of organization on multiple projects in progress is plastic containers, labeled with tape and Sharpie

 

 

 

[Martin]

I use containers like Paul. I also buy clear containers (about shoe size) for about a dollar ( at Target).

You can see items in them and they also stack nicely.

I would show you a pic of my projects on hold, for parts, inspiration, or time. But that's my guilty secret.

Here is a few of finished cars, notice the orange Revel Lotus that you are about to build.

 

Its a good idea to have a display (case or self) so you feel a sense of accomplishment which fuels the next car. 

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[strummer]

1. I use containers like Paul. I also buy clear containers (about shoe size) for about a dollar ( at Target).

You can see items in them and they also stack nicely.

 

2. I would show you a pic of my projects on hold, for parts, inspiration, or time. But that's my guilty secret.

 

3. Here is a few of finished cars, notice the orange Revel Lotus that you are about to build.

 

4. Its a good idea to have a display (case or self) so you feel a sense of accomplishment which fuels the next car. 

 

Thanks Martin, for the input and photos.

 

1. Here's what I've been using...but these run closer the 5 bucks each! Makes me (almost) wish there was a Target close by:

 

 

(Truth be told, I really just wanted to show the re-painted Chaparral...   )

 

2. Oh, c'mon!  

 

3. Wow...nice line-up. I think I recognize some of those cars; most I do not...Did you enjoy building the Revell "23"? Any hints/tips I should know about in advance? My early research shows that there were quite a few (130 +/-) of the "23" model built, so it looks like I have lots of choices as far as a final paint scheme...

 

Working on that one... 

 

Mark in Oregon

[Rotorranch]

They are nice little cars. I have a few myself.

 

One of my favorites.

 

Rotor

 

PS. Somewhere I have a few pics of the real car.

 

 

 

[Martin]

Its hard to beat Lotus colors but like you say a lot of customer cars, lots of choices. 

 

A quick google search here,

https://www.google.c...A04QsAR6BAgKEAE

[strummer]

Yeah, I was looking at that site yesterday...just in case I ended up getting that model. 

 

Gonna be difficult to choose a paint scheme...and fun.

 

Mark in Oregon

[strummer]

Back in 2010, Jean-Michel Piot posted a thread about the rare white Revell Lotus 23.

 

In that thread he posted a bunch of photos of his beautiful (as usual) work, and I noticed his example had a metal crown(?) gear. The model that I just purchased has that same steel gear.

 

The VSRN site shows a sheet from 1964, and mentions "2 steel drive gears".

 

There is a new eBay listing of this model, but this one shows what looks to be a white nylon axle gear; would that be a later release?

 

As usual, the history of the model itself is often as interesting as the actual car it was based on... 

 

Mark in Oregon

[strummer]

This model arrived today and I've given it a quick "once over".

 

 

 

Some first impressions:

 

First off, this thing is tiny! Compared with the Chaparral:

 

 

 

Next to the "pseudo Porsche":

 

 

 

The motor runs well; the wires are very stiff, so I will no doubt replace those.

 

The "Good Year Sports Car Special" tires are beautiful...nice and soft, too.

 

It looks like the body was stripped of paint at some point, as it is slightly "rough". Some prep will be needed before any primer/paint is applied. 

 

Anyway, am happy with this purchase and wanted to share my good fortune. 

 

Mark in Oregon

[Rotorranch]

I suggest not using the stamped steel gears. They tend to eat the pinion gear.

 

Rotor

[strummer]

Thanks Jeff

 

In a prior post (#8) I mentioned an eBay listing with a "white nylon axle gear"; I'll bet that's why! 

 

You mentioned you have "a few" of these: what gears did you use on them? Do you have a suggestion as to a good replacement? 

 

Looking forward to playing around with this...

 

Mark in Oregon

[slotbaker]

I always liked the look of that little Revell Lotus, but never had one.

 

Gonna be difficult to choose a paint scheme...and fun.

If you have a favorite race car driver, and he drove one of these Lotii maybe do a tribute car to that driver??

Just a suggestion.

 

As far as replacement gears go, its pretty hard to go past Cox crown gears for 'vintage' cars.

Usually easy to get, cheaper than parma, right for the era, and not pink.

Check out PCH, or Professor Motor.

 

"Cobra" gears are ok too, but don't seem to work as good as the Cox ones.

[Rotorranch]

👍👍👍 on the Cox gears. Period correct, and decent gears.

 

Rotor

[don.siegel]

The Weldun plastic gears are better (stronger and straighter), but much harder to find. They also made some aluminum crown gears which are nice. Even at the time, one of the first mods to most kit cars was to replace the crummy crown gear with a Cox! 

 

Over here in Yerp, we try to find the Taylormade 64-pitch gears from England - but they're scarce and getting scarcer! 

 

Lots of Revell Lotus 23s around... the white one seems to be an English issue, and that's where I found mine. They also did later versions with plastic chassis, both inline and sidewinder! The sidewinder had rather narrow tires to fit the whole thing in. 

 

They're rather high and narrow to be really good racers, but I've seen a few with brass pans added that ran fairly well. 

 

Don 

[strummer]

Thanks guys

 

I guess the single biggest take away from my short experience with 1/24 is just how much these models were made/meant to be modified; and they usually were. That would explain why, even after all these years, there's still a bazillion parts out there.

 

As such, I realize a lot of my questions so far are due to these mods; since I don't know any better, I ask. For example:

 

The patina on the steel and brass parts of this car would lead one to believe that it was all assembled at (more or less) the same time; so one could conclude that all the parts were just as Revell intended, straight from the factory. However...

 

In anticipation of this cars arrival, I purchased a set of Revell Lotus wheel covers; still on the sprue. All 4 covers are the same size, yet fit only the rear wheels (11/16") on this particular car; the front wheels (even though they look to be of similar/same vintage...and make) are 9/16". The tires, which all show the same tread and markings "Good Year Sports Car Special" were sized for these wheels, and fit perfectly. The instruction sheet says nothing about "front" vs "rear" wheels, so I guess what I have was indeed modified at some point. Oh well...

 

Anyway, I've been tinkering with this a little and have it running nicely; though I think it could use a little weight as it's a bit "squirrelly". Not too crazy about the thin aluminum frame parts; between them and the way the thing is assembled, it seems this could be prone to warpage. In fact, I had to fuss with this one a little as the front end was a bit off.

 

More fun and games... 

 

Mark in Oregon

 

 

 

 

[slotbaker]

WARNING: Thread drift...

 

When those things came out, most of us pre-pubescent kids were keen to get anything (especially down here in Australia) to play with.

So getting kits that needed to be built, and massaged to work better than the other kid's cars, was where we picked up many of life's skills.

 

That's what made the hobby so interesting and attractive to us.

 

To fully understand it, we would probably need to look at what was on the market at the time, along with the relative costs.

Most of didn't have much money, so the lower cost cars were the norm.

[strummer]

Steve

 

That's a perfectly fine post, since my last comment also included thoughts about the hobby in general, as well the the topic's car; they're all connected. With that in mind: 

 

The idea of the "drop arm" was new to me, and I have learned to like it very much. This car does not have that feature; what's up with that(?) and was there an add-on item made for a situation such as this?

 

Mark in Oregon

[slotbaker]

Re the drop arm, most of the first slot car makers had pin guides, or blades that were fixed to the chassis and were adequate for the speeds of the cars, but as cars got quicker, the speed exposed deficiencies in the track surface, and the drop arm was added to cater for the bumpy tracks.

 

A lot of kids thought that drop arms were a special feature to make the cars do wheel stands. And, a lot of us put stronger springs in to ensure the car could wheel stand the full length of the straight.  Don't worry about the bendy bit at the end...

 

We were having fun, the serious fun stuff came later.

[Martin]

Hey Mark, I sent you a pic in post #3.

In the top left hand corner is a bone stock Revell Lotus 23. I hope you can see that the front wheels are smaller. Needing a smaller wheel insert. Looking at your pics, I am sure you have a stock kit car. Missing wheel inserts but stock.

A lot of times you find these cars and they have never seen the track. Check for guide wear.

My thinking is this was in the paint shop when their local track closed up on them.

Hope that helps.

[MattD]

Martin, I dare you to show the stack of projects you have!!!!

 

 

Double dog dare

[strummer]

Thanks Martin, I see that now.

 

Glad you mentioned "guide wear": this one was so "new" the holes for the self-tapping screws had not been tapped yet. However, the shoe itself is much narrower than the ones on my Cox and Strombecker ( it's actually about the size of a 1/32 guide shoe...and narrower than even some of those!) so there is a lot of side to side play when in the slot. I guess as long as I can find a replacement that has a 1/8" shaft, I can swap this out...(?)

 

Matt

 

I'm with you!     

 

Seriously, I think it might prove to be somewhat inspirational; always like to see what others are up to...

 

Mark in Oregon

[MattD]

Revell used the Lotus and a Porsche RS 60 as cars they offered in their "1/24" slot car set.   That set was actually 1/32 track with added borders and the slots were actually too close for most accurate 1/24 scale cars.   The above cars being fairly small were at least functional on the 1/24 track.   

 

 Monogram did the same thing with their Riverside set and actually offered a scale Chap 2 and Mclaren. They were really tight on the 1/32 track,  but this is my favorite set from the 60's. 

 

 

  The Marx 1/24 was the best of all for 1/24 scale,though.   I used this track for many years at home.

 

I'm probably in trouble for thread drift now!    Not the first time,

[strummer]

Matt

 

First off, there's no such thing as "thread drift" on topics I have started: I have an agreement with the management on that.  

 

Plus, we are ( now) talking about the relationship between car guides and the track it rides in, so no "drift" here. I think anything and everything is helpful.  

 

Wow; you mention both Revell and Monogram...yet : "...The Marx 1/24 was the best of all for 1/24 scale, though." I'm stunned.  

 

Are you referring specifically to the track? I would have never guessed that a "toy" maker like Marx would have made an item that might be the considered the "best" of anything. Is this because not many "true" 1/24 scale tracks were offered?

 

I ask because over at the "old" HRW site, you had mentioned how you really like Aurora track. This is what I've been using, and although it's only on 3 1/2" centers, it does work for 1/24...

 

Mark in Oregon

 

 

[MattD]

The Marx track was called Professional 1/24 and was sold by Sears.   It had a track that was 9-11 inches wide.    The slot was 4 inches apart, not 3 1/2 like the other 1/32 tracks.     You have nice wide track, a deep enough slot for Cox and other commercial track guides.   Curved tracks that had an additional 2 inch outside apron built on to them.     They also had banked tracks that were just right.  Not crazy banks like Carrera, just moderate banking that worked great.  I picked up a bunch of this track over the years and had a big setup at home that you could actually race 1/24 cars on.

 

The Aurora "A Jet" set was mentioned by me as being one of the best 1/32 scale tracks.   It's slots are 3 1/2 inches apart, like Revell and Monogram.    Good for smaller 1/32 cars but too tight for 1/24 scale.   The Aurora track was a nice fitting track with a deep slot and good electrical connections.     It is strong and up to the high standards of the Aurora company in that  era. 

 

My favorite set and track is the Monogram Riverside,    It's still not really suitable for /24 cars, even with aprons all around.    It is a good fitting track with a deep slot .    Compared to all the others the nice grayish color just looks better than the rest of the plastic tracks.     This magazine cover says it all about Monogram.

 

[strummer]

1. The Marx track was called Professional 1/24 and was sold by Sears.   It had a track that was 9-11 inches wide.    The slot was 4 inches apart, not 3 1/2 like the other 1/32 tracks.     You have nice wide track, a deep enough slot for Cox and other commercial track guides.   Curved tracks that had an additional 2 inch outside apron built on to them.     They also had banked tracks that were just right.  Not crazy banks like Carrera, just moderate banking that worked great.  I picked up a bunch of this track over the years and had a big setup at home that you could actually race 1/24 cars on.

1424.jpg

 

2.  The Aurora "A Jet" set was mentioned by me as being one of the best 1/32 scale tracks.   It's slots are 3 1/2 inches apart, like Revell and Monogram.    Good for smaller 1/32 cars but too tight for 1/24 scale.   The Aurora track was a nice fitting track with a deep slot and good electrical connections.     It is strong and up to the high standards of the Aurora company in that  era. 

 

3.  My favorite set and track is the Monogram Riverside,    It's still not really suitable for /24 cars, even with aprons all around.    It is a good fitting track with a deep slot .    Compared to all the others the nice grayish color just looks better than the rest of the plastic tracks.     This magazine cover says it all about Monogram.

 

6024.jpg

 

Great post, thanks!

 

1: Holy cow, "9-11 inches wide"!?! That must be some BIG track! Interesting(?) that Marx partnered with Sears on that...

 

2: It's too bad that Aurora, for whatever reason, didn't expand their line of track. I see what other companies such as Revell offered for track options, and it would be nice to be able to get "half" or "quarter" turns, or "half" straights. Guess they were too focused on their HO line.

 

I'm enjoying my Aurora track very much: much more than the Scalextric stuff I bought for my son. Since my track is being used simply as a "test bed", with the addition of the "shoulder" pieces this track functions well enough for 1/24.

 

3. Obviously great minds think alike... 

 

Mark in Oregon