Help! Mystery Dave Deal artwork, used for what??

[treswright]

Hey guys, it's been a loooooong time since I logged on here, sorry to have been away so long! As most of you probably know, Dave Deal passed away a while back. I've been in regular contact with his son Travis and have been assisting him as he sorts through some of Dave's collection. He ran across a piece of original artwork that has me stumped, so that's what brings me back today

Clearly the artwork is of the Revell slot car models from the 60's, but it is not the box art. A buddy of mine collects original box art and I contacted him to ask if this image may have been a side panel, or perhaps an image from the instructions. He said it was not, and he also mentioned that the box art was done by Jack Leynnwood, so it's really mysterious that Dave was apparently commissioned to to a piece so similar to Leynnwood's art. This image looks VERY familiar to me, I'm thinking maybe it was used as a magazine ad? If so that would explain why Dave was commissioned to do it, it could have come several years after the box art. But, the only Rat Fink slot car ad I could locate showed pictures of the models, not this image. If anyone recognizes it please let me know. Many thanks!!



PS- the board is 18x24 and is an original painting on illustration board. The patina seems to indicate it is 60's or 70's era.

[A.J.]

Wow Tres, very cool piece for sure. The likeness to Mr. Gasser is crazy similar! I don't really know when Big Deal started his work with Revell but I wouldn't have thought it was that early. However, if just commissioned to do it, maybe Big Daddy was looking for somebody to do the artwork when they were getting ready to release the slot car kits? We all know that Big Daddy had lots of other artists doing work for him so it wouldn't suprise me for the time frame that he would have had Dave do something like this. What a cool piece though!

[treswright]

Hey A.J., from what Dave told me about how the model art worked it was probably Revell that commissioned the box art rather than Roth. Revell would commission the art and then they would do all the added text & graphics themselves. They also did all the copy on the side panels. Dave wouldn't have done a piece like this just for grins, so I'm sure it was commissioned. Probably by Revell, but for what is unknown. Dave was involved with Revell well before the Deal's Wheels series, but I'm not sure how far back that went. I think the slot car models were early 60's? You may be right that that's before his time with them. Very mysterious! It is neat piece though!

[scurvy]

I was sure I saw a set of 1/24 scale formula 1 slot cars with monster drivers.

[robriley]

Hey Tres...good to have you posting here again!
I haven't seen this exact art work, but man it;s very cool.
the only version of this that I have ever seen is on the rat fink in the Lotus Ford slot car box art. and the Mothers worry in the BRM slot car box.
I have never seen both car together on the same drawing like the one you have there.
notice that on the original slot car box art, rat find is dumping tacks on the track, just like in your picture.

[JerryG]

Here's an ad

[scurvy]

Art for a store display, maybe?

[Wardster]

I think you guys already nailed (geddit?) it down, but on another tack (owww! baaad puns!) or subject: does anyone have dates or other info on the artwork that Big Deal used to do for magazines - specifically, the images that inspired Revell to talk to Dave in the first place?

I'm thinking primarily about the "Road & Track" images, for one ... but I have to wonder if he did cartoon artwork for any other magazines (or whatever) of that same basic time period?

For what it's worth, page 93 of the 3rd edition of the book, "Remembering Revell Model Kits" is where I'm getting that info (about "Road & Track") from ... but any other info is welcome, as I imagine some of his fans don't know that stuff exists ... or, like me, knows it apparently did; but haven't yet seen any of it. (I'd love to see some of it, hence asking about issues / dates.)

[Hepcat]

So has anyone figured out whether Dave Deal's piece was used for a store display or some other purpose? Here's the ad with which Revell launched the two slot car kits in 1965 in magazines such as Car Model and Boy's Life:



Here are pictures of the two kits from my own collection:

[showrods]

Apr 1, 2023 22:33:41 GMT -6 Hepcat said:

So has anyone figured out whether Dave Deal's piece was used for a store display or some other purpose? Here's the ad with which Revell launched the two slot car kits in 1965 in magazines such as Car Model and Boy's Life:



Here are pictures of the two kits from my own collection:









Cat Fink?

Did these two slot cars come with figures?  If not, I imagine that there was more than one disappointed purchaser...

It's quite possible that this piece was indeed commissioned by Revell for a store poster; store display etc and never used for whatever reason.  It wouldn't be the first time in history that that's happened.



 

[Hepcat]

Apr 2, 2023 9:30:29 GMT -4 showrods said:

Did these two slot cars come with figures?

Yes they did.

[showrods]

Apr 2, 2023 9:34:47 GMT -6 Hepcat said:

Apr 2, 2023 9:30:29 GMT -4 showrods said:

Did these two slot cars come with figures?

Yes they did.

If you have them - please post.  Thanks.

[Hepcat]

No can do. The box bottoms of both my kits are still sealed. While I don't demand that the kits I buy must all be sealed, if they are sealed I leave them that way.

Here though I've lifted pictures off the net of these two kits assembled and very nicely painted by skilled modelers:

[showrods]

Apr 2, 2023 19:24:27 GMT -6 Hepcat said:

No can do. The box bottoms of both my kits are still sealed. While I don't demand that the kits I buy must all be sealed, if they are sealed I leave them that way.

Here though I've lifted pictures off the net of these two kits assembled and very nicely painted by skilled modelers:






 
I'm a bit confused.  In the photos of the open boxes that show the parts secured in their respective slots, where are the figures located?


Are they solid plastic or are they in parts?

[Hepcat]

The parts for the Rat Fink and Mr. Gasser figures are below the cards to which the slot car assembly parts are attached. I believe that there is one main body part to which the arms, eyeballs and Mr. Gasser's hairpiece are to be glued.

In a full size kit such as Rat Fink there are front-and-back body halves.