Driving the Fireball 500 and the Red Baron

[dantalian]

[rocketeer]

It's funny, how on the one boxtop they show, the exhaust comes out on the right, and then on another boxtop, the exhaust comes out on the left. . I'll have to go pull mine off the shelf and see whether they modified the kit (I rather doubt it).

[rocketeer]

I think the boxtop they show in the video with the exhaust coming out on the left is a (photoshop?) fake. I did a quick look-see at eBay, and all the Barons for sale had right-side exhaust. I did find this poster, which is apparently based on a photo of the real car:



...and which has several differences (height of the helmet, radiator shape, wheels) from the one in the video. Perhaps the car in the video is a clone?

[rocketeer]

It looks like the one in the poster isn't quite right either. Here's the original show car, complete with lovely model; note the different drag link setup (and wheels):

[Rodger]

Heaps cool.
Wouldn’t say no to one in my shed.

[41chevy]

THe real car has a Pontiac O.H.C. six engine , Monogram could not use it in the kit because AMT had the exclusive licensing to it, so Mongrams is a modified generic engine.

[rodsnracin]

Poster car body covers the frame and drag link, nor do I see a spike on the helmet. Looks like a smooth firewall, too. I also could make some room in the garage for one!

Brian

[dantalian]

Another version

[dantalian]

Looks like there are multiple versions
www.drivingline.com/articles/red-baron-model-to-real-deal/

[kabdriver]

Imagine a convoy of a bunch of real ones rolling down the street! Even one would be cool, but imagine a whole squadron!

[rocketeer]

Jul 6, 2019 8:10:45 GMT -6 41chevy said:

THe real car has a Pontiac O.H.C. six engine , Monogram could not use it in the kit because AMT had the exclusive licensing to it, so Mongrams is a modified generic engine.

That's not what I heard. The model kit preceded the real car, and Tom Daniel put a WWI Mercedes aircraft engine in it. (Actually, I've heard that the engine is not 1/24th scale; if it were, it'd be way too big.*) The show car was built later, after the model kit became very popular. Because of the scale thing, and because Mercedes WWI aircraft engines are a bit scarce, the builder of the full-size used the Pontiac OHC engine.

This presents us with the probably unique situation where, instead of a model being inaccurate, the real car is inaccurate.

Edit: Which is what dantalian's link says.

* Tom Daniel did this mixing of scales on some of his other designs. The Beer Wagon's cab is about 1/32 scale, and the jerry cans, guns, and other accessories on Rommel's Rod are also about 1/32 (possibly 1/35, which is the commonest military model scale).