1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby slothead » Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:29 am

I drove from Maine to Connecticut a few years ago to watch a race with these slot cars. There are great looking cars in this series and the guys are committed to preserving and celebrating this era of northeast asphalt racing. The #76 is a beautiful example of top notch slot car modeling.

As a spectator my only regret was, as often happens at a commercial track, the cars were so fast you couldn't see more that blurs going around the track and there wasn't a lot of close racing. And yes, at the speeds these cars raced I can imagine a great looking car like the #76 being damaged by getting bumped into the wall at the end of a straightaway or being nailed by another car following a deslot.

Realism versus speed is a consistent issue in the hobby.

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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby Vintage 1/24 » Mon Mar 27, 2017 10:35 pm

slothead: That is the crux which lies between the horns of the dilemma.

It is great fun to race competitively, and it is a big part of the hobby that has been largely lost with the demise of commercial slot car tracks. It is great fun to scratch build realistic cars, cars which replicate real race cars and drivers. I actually enjoy both aspects of the hobby. In the 60s, before the wing cars, and blurry thingies, guys tried to build real *and* fast. Show *and* go!

Knowing I was going to race it, I figured posting a thread with pics and some build info made sense, to preserve 'forever' a record of the finished car. Thanks to HRW there is this oval track slot car message board, where folks can post and find things related to short track racing.

South Shore Speedway on Long Island doesn't have big straights and it has soft wall cushions. Check out the Speed Sport News TV link - there is a quick description of the track in the video. There is still risk of serious damage, and it will surely get scuffed, but that is part of the game if it isn't a dedicated shelf queen.

Really the cars survive reasonably well, and while not quite a blur at speed, they move pretty quick. The Blewett Gremlin was just into the 1.7XXs around the 8' by 16' oval - quick for a hardbody build.

So yeah it comes up all the time while I build. How nice to make it and the trade off between scale versus speed?

- The crux which lies between the horns of the dilemma.
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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby HomeRacingWorld » Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:23 pm

The actual build...the modeling is the motivator in my eyes.

The motor/speeds/tires, etc, that you and your group race with works for you. I may not feel that way so I can easily change it if I decide to make one myself.

I welcome you to share more modeling in this regard. Perhaps more "in progress " photos and share some of your techniques?
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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby filsautobody » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:52 pm

I agree with Harry as to this build being inspiring. I have let the modeling tools rest for a bit too long. I have had one of Smilin Rays Gremlins collecting dust for some time until now. I just hope Vintage 24 isn't upset if I try to duplicate His Gremlin in 1/32.
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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby Cincyslots » Wed Mar 29, 2017 12:24 pm

That is AWESOME!!
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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby Vintage 1/24 » Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:17 pm

HomeRacingWorld: Yes, absolutely, I am building to the specific track and matching the classes we are running. Definitely could apply this kind of build to suit any number of different tracks/power/classes.

Fundamentally the brass chassis is low, the tires are fat, and the tire track and overall width is wide, so these same ingredients should work in any number of recipes for a fast well handling slot car.

I will try to put up some more in-progress shots in the next build - I have been building personal cars at a very very slow pace. Naturally if there are any questions, I will elaborate as best I can.



filsautobody: Yes, the Blewett Gremlin is a great subject if you can get a decent Gremlin body in scale! I can help you with the decals - and that goes for anyone building New York, North East, Long Island Modifieds - I can reduce my 1/25 decals easily enough to work on smaller 1/32 builds. Let me know . . .

I approach these things by *staring* at pics of the original car - this one had the A-pillars kicked forward slightly for instance. I set the wheels/tires and the body, and I look at it from different perspectives and see if I can get the 'feel' of the original car. It is amazing how a millimeter here and there, forward and back, up and down, can change the whole attitude of a car.

A brass cutdown - stretched Womp chassis or Sprint Plus would provide an easy start and solid underpinning like I did with the Parma FCR.

Post up in-progress shots . . .
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Re: 1/24 Vintage Modified Gremlin: John Blewett Jr. #76

Postby filsautobody » Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:46 pm

Vintage 24: Thanks for the offer but did not want to copy exactly, I will do a different paint scheme but the use of the Gremlin will still be the focus.


Thanks,Phil
p.s. scratch built chassis being built, will post fotos.
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