Scalextric Thunderbird

[dge467]

I thought the Monte was cool, but this one I really like! It is such a cool looking car and back in the 80's I built a bunch of the Monogram stock car kits of the T-Bird. I now will get a few of each.

[Broman62]

A must have to go with Monte’s...thanks DK :banana-dance: :banana-dance: :auto-layrubber: :auto-layrubber:

[slothead]

Statements on other posts here at HRW have already made it clear Scalextric has no plans to offer these cars as true replicas of NASCAR's from the 80's. Everyone seems to love cheaper cars, which we have now compared to a few years ago when most of the Scalextric cars I bought cost $49.99 - $54.99. An aspect of that is less $ for manufactures to spend on licencing fees and related costs.

From my perspective the Monte Carlo's in the set released in the fall are fantasy interpretations of iconic cars driven by Dale Earnhardt. Close enough to tug on race fans' heart strings, but not so close there could be a lawsuit.



With either the fantasy liveries or the white kits racers can create their own replicas as they choose. Reviews on HRW show how to strip painted bodies and there are plenty of car model videos on painting and detailing. The needed decals probably already exist or will be widely available soon. I'd love to see some of our slot entrepreneurs offer kits that include tuning parts, decals, and even paint to match some popular liveries for the Montes and Thunderbird.

Beyond that, is anyone among us inspired enough to do this as a cottage industry? I'd buy a white kit for $40, send it to them, and for another $50-$60 get back a beautiful replica of the #9 Melling car Bill Elliot drove. Sort of do what Carroll Shelby did to turn a factory Mustang into a GT350 or GT500.

I really wanted/needed a Shadow DN4 for my Can-Am series and none were available in 1/32 scale, so when CG Slotcars released a 3D version I paid $147 to get it with 2 pairs of PG tires from SCC. What would you be willing to pay for a Monte Carlo or Thunderbird redone as your favorite NASCAR livery from this era?

[williamg]

[DaveKennedy]

[slothead]

Got it Dave, but the point remains the replica liveries race fans have in mind for the Monte Carlo or the Thunderbird aren't going to be made. BUT, we can make them ourselves, or if someone with real modeling skill saw this as a business opportunity maybe they'll become available as an aftermarket upgrade.

My other thought was what would people be willing to pay for the replicas they want if they didn't want to or didn't feel skilled enough to do make them themselves?

Question: will the Thunderbird use the same chassis as the Monte Carlo? Will the chassis be interchangeable?

Thanks.

[bdsharp]

[/quote]
I'd like to clearly state why we're not doing true replicas... NASCAR has no interest in allowing it to happen. They want to only promote the new cars. Full. Stop.[/quote]

I’m not a collector so I don’t have a dog in this fight, but I don’t think NASCAR is promoting the new cars. They’re promoting the new drivers. The new cars are so much alike that nobody cares about them anymore. A lot of people, myself included, lost all interest about the time the headlights became stickers.

[nhdungeonracer]

[DaveKennedy]

[RBPhillips]

They're pretty different in lower contours! I remember admiring the Monte Carlo as one very aerodynamic brick at the time, while the Thunderbird had those curves at the valences.

[slothead]

The only 'new design' cars from Scalextric I've bought are the Javelins, which of course all use the same inline chassis, so I didn't know what others were like. The Trans Am Mustang and Camaro chassis were similar enough so when I was building RMS resin TA cars I could use either one. Otherwise I've never had a need to swap chassis. About 90% of my RTR cars have never had the bodies removed - I put PG's on them, oil 'em up, and I'm ready to go.

I have no skin in this game because my oval is strictly for dirt cars: modifieds I build myself from scratch and street stocks built from model bodies on an assortment of chassis - harvested and homemade. I like the Monte and T-bird but don't see any in my future. I just happen to spend about 10 hours on HRW for every hour I actually race my cars, and can't resist sharing my discounted 2-cents worth on this and that, and the other thing too.

[Jim Norton]

Surely, there are some cars that can be done without Nascar's approval. I'd gladly buy a Ronnie Thomas, Tighe Scott or Slick Johnson Monte Carlo! Theres got to be some lesser known drivers we could honor with some real paint Thunderbird schemes? if Nascar is the cause of these fantasy schemes then thats just another reason to hate Nascar.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama

[WB2]

On the licensing issues, it gets a bit crazy.
Around the year 2000, Italian bicycle component maker Campagnolo brought out a line called Daytona. The line lasted two years because the word ‘Daytona’ was trademarked by “someone” affiliated with the Daytona 500.

[williamg]

[DaveKennedy]