1960 Top Eliminator Dragster - My Slingster No. 1
May 4, 2014 21:02:58 GMT -4
Post by BERNARD "HOT ROD" KRON on May 4, 2014 21:02:58 GMT -4
1960 Style Top Eliminator Dragster – My Slingster No. 1
(Additional Pictures Below)
This is my entry in a Revell Slingster Challenge over on the Vintage Drag Models, Inc. forum. The Slingster is a kit that rewards anyone who builds it. Just sticking with the kit parts results in a consistently attractive build up that does a commendable job of capturing the flavor of early era Dragsters from the ’58-’61 period. But the kit does have a few flaws and areas where it can definitely be improved. So, rather than limiting myself exclusively to the wide variety of choices in the stock kit I decided to address the areas where I felt I could improve on what Monogram had to offer.
The catalyst for this approach was the front wheels, hand made by a friend and given to me at this year’s NNL West. The real laced wires instantly upped the realism quotient several levels so I set out to complement them with other changes, which turned out to be quite extensive. They’re outlined in the list below. The goal was to create a model which would represent a state-of-the-art Top Eliminator dragster at the time of the 1960 NHRA Nationals. Most of the changes were made to address issues such as period authenticity or detail realism. An example is the exhaust system. For the Hemi, the kit offers two options, a rather odd set of bell mouthed headers and a set of classic upswept “zoomies” of the kind that were first made popular in the mid 60’s. The bell-mouthed set is, well, odd, and the zoomies are far too modern for the period represented by the kit. So I scratch built my own period-correct “weedburner” headers to correct this flaw. The kit is also missing quite a few basic details, so many of the changes were simply additional parts.
Finally, the two-tone paint and decal scheme was chosen to represent the kind of heartland-based drag machine that showed up at the Nationals each year and showed the Left Coast boys that they weren’t necessarily the quickest or fastest in the nation, despite the fact that they dominated the speed equipment business.
Thanx for lookin’,
B.
Monogram Slingster Dragster with the following additions and changes:
Motor: Kit “Hemi” with Chrysler Firepower valve covers by Early Years Resin, covered in Bare Metal Foil. 3-pulley blower drive and mounting plate from AMT Two Much kit. Hilborn fuel injector pump courtesy of Altered States Models. Injector scoop from Revell Pontiac 421 Parts Pac. “Weedburner” style exhaust headers fabricated from 2 mm. aluminum tubing. Magneto ignition by Morgan Automotive Detail. Oil filter from Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit. Scratch built aluminum fuel tank.
Interior: Throttle and clutch pedals from Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit. Lap belt from AMT ’49 Ford kit. Scratch built parachute pull cord and handle.
Wheels and tires: Scratch built front wire wheels. #57 O-rings front tires by Ace Hardware. Resin Halibrand “kidney bean” 5-slot magnesium rear wheels purchased on eBay, finished in Testors Acryl Jet Exhaust to resemble Dow 7 anti-corrosion coating. Pie-crust rear slicks from AMT Double Dragster kit.
Paint: Bodywork finished in Duplicolor White Primer and Duplicolor Maroon Metallic with homemade decals. Frame painted with Duplicolor Light Grey Primer Sealer. Body and frame paint work sealed with Duplicolor Gloss Clear. Motor block finished in Tamiya Silver to represent Chrysler OEM block color. All engine details finished in various shades of Testors Metalizer paints.
