# NEW from PARAGRAFIX: Piranha Spy Car (Man from UNCLE)



## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

I've just completed designing my latest item - a photoetch and decal set for the soon to be re-released Piranha Super Spy Car from AMT (better known as the car from "The Man from UNCLE").

The standard car and the "spy extras" are completely new and even include wood grain decals. 

I've designed a (IMHO) pretty neat set of hinges to replace the fragile kit ones - these look and work the same as the originals.

I expect to be shipping on or about February 9 and this will have an MSRP of $28.95.

More information and preordering HERE.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Propellors? Cool. :thumbsup:


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

OMG Paul! Seriously, you are a genius. I was just thinking the other day "Hey, I'm so glad to see the U.N.C.L.E. car coming back, I wonder if there might be aftermarket parts to improve it".

And lo, you're on it. Amazing. 

Now, I kinda assume you're 'in' on what's going on with the kit, as you clearly have to have a test shot in order to test fit and function. Can you say if the 'raw' kit still has the original 'spy' parts? I never had the kit, never even SAW it back in the '60s, so I don't know what all it had (unlike the James Bond A-M DB5 from Airfix, which I recall had all kinds of stuff). I would gather R2 didn't spend the money to make the modded 'bubble top' gull wing doors because Vaughn was complaining about the lack of head room. 

Yeah, I'm gonna need this. Probably end up being my first PE experience.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

Who's Winfield?


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## bigdaddydaveh (Jul 20, 2007)

Paul,
the Piranha/AMT placard is a super nice touch! Excellent kit accessory pack. Gene Winfield is the guy who build/modified the original prop car for the show.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Thanks everyone! Yes, Winfield is the car's builder.

The kit comes with the smoke ejectors, machine guns, propellers (bad), lasers, and arsenal. I couldn't find any references for more items than that. The arsenal is pretty bad, but outside of what I could fix with PE.

None of the spy extras are working - i.e. you have to build the kit either displaying those items or not.

Unfortunately, they don't include the later version of the windows, just the stock, flat ones.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Paulbo said:


> Thanks everyone! Yes, Winfield is the car's builder.
> 
> The kit comes with the smoke ejectors, machine guns, propellers (bad), lasers, and arsenal. I couldn't find any references for more items than that. The arsenal is pretty bad, but outside of what I could fix with PE.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Paul! 

The arsenal was like a box/drawer of U.N.C.L.E. Specials and stuff, right? Since we're clearly going to need some resin U.N.C.L.E. agents, sounds like a job for... the guy who can't do it because he's working hard at getting better.  (which I need to say is what he needs to do, get better.)

Well, time will pass and the future is unwritten. 

You know, I was going to suggest that the PE set needed a stock 1960's NY license plate but on researching, the car seems to have only had that UNCLE plate. Huh. I guess by that time they weren't really all that secret.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Yes, I've only been able to track down references showing the U.N.C.L.E. license plate. Of course you really wouldn't need a generic plate as the car, itself, stands out like a sore thumb ;-)

I've just posted the instructions online. You can find there HERE.


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## aussiemuscle308 (Dec 2, 2014)

Paulbo said:


> the car, itself, stands out like a sore thumb ;-)


like going under cover with a bright red car with a distinctive white stripe?:freak:


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

aussiemuscle308 said:


> like going under cover with a bright red car with a distinctive white stripe?:freak:


Don't you go dissin' the Tomato!


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

The U.N.C.L.E. car had a small, shallow compartment behind the driver, the cover panel would raise up to become a bulletproof shield. The compartment was suppose to hold an U.N.C.L.E. Special, but in reality only held the Ideal toy version for looks when the panel was raised.

The U.N.C.L.E. Car, was originally suppose to be a Dodge Charger, but neither Dodge, or NBC liked the idea. NBC didn't like the potential loss of advertising revenue. Dodge didn't like the idea, that their new car model could be sprouting weapons, it could hurt sales to families. MGM considered other cars, but the same arguments came up. Then AMT offered to modify a Piranha car for the rights to market a model kit of the car.

The U.N.C.L.E. Piranha, was hated from the beginning. The driver and passengers sat low, down below the frame, making it hard to get enter and exit the car. Robert Vaughn said that it was impossible to look graceful doing so, consider how poor Stephine Powers must have felt dressed in those skirts. The seats were molded into the body, so all control pedals had to be adjusted to fit the driver. As was pointed out the car had little headroom. The car had a Corvair engine, and it leaked oil. A lot. Robert Vaughn said that you could find the car at the studio, by following the trail of oil it left behind it.

I am looking forward to this kit, years ago I joined the ERTLf Blue Printer in hopes that they would reproduce the kit. but they never did.

Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR_kpxNf8vw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kOeZG2Jlmc

David.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Man, looking at that clip from Girl From U.N.C.L.E. , That car drove like a complete pig! LOOK at that poor thing wallow around the corners!

What an odd design choice, to mold the seats into the floor pan. Not a car designed for sharing, that's for sure! 

So, gonna be any 'great debates' on what exactly to paint the thing? Looks like a stock '60s metallic light blue to me but... 

also, any thought of talking R2 into an Early '60s Dodge branded as the 'undercover' U.N.C.L.E. car? any?


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

http://www.c-we.com/piranha/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Winfield

Winfeld also made the Reactor[bewitched and ST], the Galileo Shuttlecraft, the Last Starfighter, the Blade Runner cars, And BTTF 2 cars. [word is the blade runner spinner is in BTTF2.]


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## Zombie_61 (Apr 21, 2004)

Steve H said:


> Man, looking at that clip from Girl From U.N.C.L.E. , That car drove like a complete pig! LOOK at that poor thing wallow around the corners!


That's not the _car_, it's the _driver_. The United Network Command for Law and Enforcement needs it's own Stig.


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

Steve H said:


> So, gonna be any 'great debates' on what exactly to paint the thing? Looks like a stock '60s metallic light blue to me but...


The car had two finishers. The original all blue, and a later one that was blue on top and silver below the trim line. 

The car was a compromise. No one could agree on what make of car to use, when AMT offered the Piranha. 

The funny thing is, that the car was used more in the U.N.C.L.E. novels than it ever was in the show. In the novels, because of it's striking looks, it was used for humor. It was very noticeable, so not much good for undercover work. It only has two seats, so it was a problem when the had to transport a thrd person. Although it did get them out of some troubles.

David.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Here's the thing that's so funny to me. If the show had been set in L.A. I think they could have gotten away with it, as there was a strong 'hot rod' culture, with exotic automobiles all over the place. But the home base was nominally NYC and that car wouldn't last a winter on the East Coast. 

It's a shame. I think we're all smart enough to grok the needs of merchandising and marketing, but by the third season the budget was shrunk and AMT wasn't going to 'pop' for an all new, original car. Something like the Green Hornet's Black Beauty I would envision, something that could be 'generic sedan' -ish with some tricky features like bulletproof, and machine guns and stuff. 

But it was the '60s. Show cars were 'in'. Spy cars were 'in'. AMT was riding high and fat and wanted some sweet licensing to crush it's competition.


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## karr1981 (Feb 5, 2011)

Hi All, this is another excellent kit from Paul,

UK / EU guys can order it now from http://store.scifihardware.com/new-piranha-super-spy-car.../ to receive from first stock delivery, Only £21.95

Thanks,


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

This set is now shipping. Here's a shot of the WORKING door hinges - I put them together in about 10 minutes without needing any tools.


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## Hunch (Apr 6, 2003)

I just saw this set on epay and had to zip over here to get the skinny. Nice work all around Paul, superb!:thumbsup:
Jim


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

It looks well engineered, and the picture explains things much better than the instructions (sorry!), and it intimidates the living heck out of me. 

But I can see if I get that 'Spy Car' kit I'm gonna need the P.E. set. No doubt about it.


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## Paulbo (Sep 16, 2004)

Somebody has the etch up on eBay already? They can't even have it in their hands yet.


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