68 replies to this topic

[strummer]

Thanks guys. 

 

A few observations/questions... 

 

Judging from the "assembly instructions" (such as they are), did this come as a "semi-kit"?; that is, the only assembly required was to glue the driver's head together, and attach it, the windscreen and upper body half to the lower...?  Unlike most instructions I've seen (in any scale) this is not dated, so what year(s) was this offered?

 

The guide flag/shoe (what's the correct term?) is really small for such a large car; looks more like 1/32 scale.

 

The rear tires are in pretty bad shape; they are kinda "flaking" apart. Plus, they really seem too wide for the body, as they stick out beyond the fender wells.

 

Too bad the body with the stripe is the one lacking the windshield; wish it was the other way around!

 

Initially I had to adjust the axle gear, as it was too tight up against the pinion; it now runs pretty well, but due to the "clamshell" design is a bit noisy...

 

If any of you have a photo of yours, I'm sure we'd all like to see them...I know I would.

 

Have a good/safe day. 

 

Mark in Oregon

[don.siegel]

They were available as both a semi-builtup and a kit Mark. 

 

I only have the assembly instructions for the Lancia-Ferrari, not the Scarab. Chassis would be pretty much the same, except the L-F came with a hypoid gear. 

 

Guides (shoe or flag ok) aren't really 1/32 or 1/24, just big or small, and a small one is fine for 1/24, as long as it's strong enough. Plus the short one is better to fit under short noses, like on the Lancia... 

 

Like AMT on some of its slot cars, MPC was also a maker of excellent kits, but they sometimes took shortcuts on their slot cars, like here the clamshell design and the screws through the body! I don't remember the tires sticking out all that much, but will look - also, the silicone tires were narrower than the spongies! I can post a photo if it will help, but have an urgent job now - despite May 1 being a sacred labor day in most European countries. 

 

And yes, clamshell designs are noisy! 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Mark, here is a nice clean example.

https://www.ebay.com...O8AAOSw4i5eXHAq

[strummer]

Hello Martin

Yes, I saw that example.

I think mine is pretty similar condition-wise; for close to that $ amount I got the second body too, so I think I did okay.

Sure is a different animal from my other cars...

Mark in Oregon

[strummer]

Martin

 

https://www.ebay.com...mEAAOSwjMterIQU

 

Dunno if this one is stock or not...but it's nice looking. 

 

Mark in Oregon

[Martin]

I looked at this one too, It has been painted metallic.

I think I have one that is molded with a metallic blue from factory.

I bought a bunch of these over the years because I felt this body could be made into many cars of this period.

Found these pics as examples of what we could turn them into. Never mind the driver is on the opposite side.

Pic at the bottom for comparison. Good looking cars, don't you think?

Talk about "great minds think alike"

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[MattD]

I've got an MPC body and the Meister Brau decals.    I plan to fill the hole in the hood, cut out the bottom of the clambshell body and build a different/better chassis.    

 

Strom also did the Scarab and it had one of those battery powered motors in it, (Bonner maybe).   

 

Jim Hall drove a Scarab before the Chaparrals and you could do  that version or maybe the Chap 1.    I think there are a lot of possibilities.   

[don.siegel]

Love the Aston Martin DBR1 above - the most beautiful of these cars for me... There are some vac bodies available, and Strombecker also did it in the same series as the Scarab, but they're hard to find... 

 

Don 

[MSwiss]

I think all 3 are great looking cars, but I agree with Don that the Aston Martin is a little more special.

The fairly recent Driftin' Fifties Proxy Race;

http://slotblog.net/...oxy-race/page-3

[Rotorranch]

This is a Strombecker Scarab Mk 1. Somebody converted it a long time ago.

 

Rotor

 

 

 

 

 

[don.siegel]

My Strombecker Scarab, an ebay find that's been painted and detailed by a friend here, but which I've never finished, and it's rather amazingly out of date chassis! 

 

 

 

I've got a couple more MPC docs, such as this original ad for the Dyn-O-Charger (Model Car & Track, May 65), and my Lancia-Ferrari kit in a stacked box. Also have a bone stock Scarab, but haven't found the photos yet... or the car! 

 

 

 

 

A Dyn-O-Charger 400 chassis, under a recreation of a Ramcharger - the announced first MPC model that never came out as far as we can tell. 

 

 

Don 

[Martin]

Mike, love the "drifting 50s''

Something about the quality of a hard body version of the same concept.

 

Matt, I do  have a nice Chap 1 made by Resilient resins. Did not include this one because the fenders are so high and just too different to me.

I will take a pic of my Chap 1 if any body is interested?

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[MattD]

Don it's interesting to see you have one of those rare MPC Dodges!

 

Scuderia was the only front engine Chap I knew of.   If I remember it was blow molded, maybe in two pieces.     I had one and it might be the one Doug used to make his mold.

 

I never got too excited about it, but that body might be one  more than a couple guys would want.

[strummer]

Wow, you guys have been busy; lots of great posts! 

 

Before I left this morning, I took apart both bodies and removing the windshield was really easy, so that is now on the shell with the stripe, just as MPC intended.

 

At some point in the future, when I'm feeling confident, I will try to give the other shell a nice paint job...although I wish I had the painting skills of some of you.

 

This is such a classic body shape that I think almost any paint scheme would look nice.

 

Please carry on...

 

Mark in Oregon

[don.siegel]

Mark, 

 

Here's my MPC Scarab. If I remember right, this was put together over 20 years ago from NOS parts, so it's totally stock, as sold. There were a couple versions of this from MPC, with and without the motor cooling cutout in the bottom half of the chassis. Not sure what else they changed, if anything. The gear isn't stock, it was replaced by a Riggen, which has cracked of course. I think those are the original sponge tires, but I turned them down so they're a bit smaller and narrower. The original spongies did extend a bit outside the wheel wells I believe. 

 

If you need more photos, just give a shout! 

 

Don 

 

 

[strummer]

Thanks Don

 

Yours looks identical to mine...or is that the other way around?  

 

...except that my axle gear is on the other side of the pinion; I wonder why? And your tires are to a much better scale:

 

 

Something I find really odd is that the stripe seems to be nothing more than a 1/18" strip of glossy tape, not paint. Between that and the visible mounting screws, one would almost think that this is a very early slot car...you know, before they figured out how to do things "properly".

 

More photos?...of course! 

 

Hoping everyone has a pleasant day...

 

Mark in Oregon

 

 

[don.siegel]

It was fairly early, in the first half of 65, with the second wave of commercial 1/24 cars, after the initial Revell, Monogram models, and came at the same time as a bunch of others. It wasn't the time that it came out, because the earlier Monogram models, especially, were very realistic, as were most of the others: MPC just took a different tack, like I said above. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[strummer]

Wow, thanks.

 

But, but...in the 5th photo ( the one with the girl wearing that beautiful helmet    ), there is a Revell Lotus 23. I have that model, and it shows all the production qualities of a (once again) "proper" slot car, with no visible screws, etc. Was MPC just lazy, or in a hurry? 

 

Mark in Oregon

[Allan Feldman]

I do mine the girl being included in the "Presents" but look at all those kits in the background!