# Ugliest HO Slotcars



## Dslot

What are your nominations for the worst-looking HO slot-vehicles ever produced commercially? I guess we could have two classes - major manufacturers, and small manufacturers (resins, etc).

I'll start the ball rolling with this mid-Sixties Thunderbird made by Marx.









The hideousness of that Persian-cat mooshed-face front bumper, combined with the seriously bad design decision to carry the bodywork from the top of the tall block-motor all the way to the bottom of the frame, lends it a gracelessness that will be hard to equal. 

I thought the chrome on mine had warped, but all the photos I've seen show the same droopy, goggle-eyed headlights. Marx was so focused on price, they apparently didn't care. Then there is the decoration - the printed white stripes are often smeared by the adhesive on the tape that held the cars in their boxes. The lack of windshield glass just adds the finishing touch.

From the '30s to the '60s, Marx's low-end O-gauge trains were known for their awkward ultracheap bodies over simple and extremely rugged mechanisms. Likewise, I've read that Marx's HO slotcars had surprisingly good mechanisms, perhaps the best of the early inlines. Since mine was missing its motor, I can't say. Anyone have any experience with them?

-- D


----------



## Montoya1

Once mounted to a TJ chassis, for me it has to be the Dash Motorsports Cheetah Roadster. If this was a copy of something then the original shares the prize


----------



## noddaz

*some of my...*

Some of my Tjets are ugly in the way they run... :drunk:
But I digress... That is not the topic here is it?

Scott


----------



## AfxToo

The worst are the thingy cars like the Turbo TurnOn and TooMuch. The Cheetah and vib-era Corvettes are pretty heinous in how they fit on the chassis, but the bodies themselves are not bad.

And then there are the homegrown self-inflicted "what was I thinking?" disasters...


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Really? A front engine VW?

First thing that pops into my mind is the LL Superbird.










Followed closely by the LL Camaro...










Oh no, chrome wheels aren't gonna save these.


----------



## bobwoodly

*Not much commentary*

Here are some of my least favorites.

A blue version of the red Marx t-bird, truly hideous. 









Toosie Toy Corvairs









Can't remember the brand of this one









I can't stand these!









Tom


----------



## bobwoodly

AfxToo said:


> The worst are the thingy cars like the Turbo TurnOn and TooMuch. The Cheetah and vib-era Corvettes are pretty heinous in how they fit on the chassis, but the bodies themselves are not bad.
> 
> And then there are the homegrown self-inflicted "what was I thinking?" disasters...


Bob - that is a whole nuther category. We all have some customs like that. I had a Tornado that I lost the glass to so I dipped it in that plastic stuff that creates a film over the car including filming over the window openings to make new glass. I think I choose red. It would leave a translucent covering in the color of your choice. I don't know if they make that stuff anymore as it may have been a 60's-70's thing. Looked like it was covered in wet red cough syrup. I was only partly successful in stripping it off years later.


----------



## Dslot

> _Montoya sez:_ Once mounted to a TJ chassis, for me it has to be the Dash Motorsports Cheetah Roadster. If this was a copy of something then the original shares the prize


Oh, it was definitely a copy of something. :wave: The Cheetah coupe's strange "thingee" shape was an attempt to get 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, by shoving the Chevy V8 back into the driver's compartment. There was only one roadster version; it was an attempt to save the driver from heatstroke caused by having a Chevy V8 shoved into the driver's compartment. Here's a pretty and informative video on the Cheetah.






Because the Cheetah was quite small, its body scale is large when made big enough to fit over a Tjet chassis. This makes the standard Tjet wheels/tires look like rollerskate wheels under it. Also, the Cheetah has such a thin, flat body that it sits unnaturally high on the Tjet chassis. The same reason there are no good-looking Tjet D Jags. Bigger wheels help the Tjet Cheetahs (Aurora and Dash) look  a bit better. 

-- D


----------



## Dslot

> _Rich sez:_
> First thing that pops into my mind is the LL Superbird.


Ooog! My local Hobby Lobby decided to clear out its diecasts, and some clerk threw the remaining few slot cars into the sale, so I bought them all, including one of those. I haven't even been motivated to remove it from its blister pack. I know a running car is a running car, but sometimes I wish I just had my 88 cents back. 

-- D


----------



## shocker36

There is a company rebuilding these in Il.


----------



## hojoe

I think that the Cobra GT is the ugliest car Aurora made. Also most Atlas bodies are bland and ugly.
hojoe


----------



## A/FX Nut

The Aurora Thunderjet Indianapolis Racer, and Grand Prix Racer.

The American Line Corvette.

TYCO's Racing Warrior Cars, Porsche Carrera, and Jeep.

Randy.


----------



## ParkRNDL

bobwoodly said:


> Can't remember the brand of this one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tom


pretty sure that's Atlas... There's a Marx one about that year that's about that bad

--rick


----------



## 1976Cordoba

NTxSlotCars said:


> . . .


 
This has my vote also - Looks like a birthday balloon you could buy at the party store. :freak:


----------



## ParkRNDL

Dslot said:


> From the '30s to the '60s, Marx's low-end O-gauge trains were known for their awkward ultracheap bodies over simple and extremely rugged mechanisms. Likewise, I've read that Marx's HO slotcars had surprisingly good mechanisms, perhaps the best of the early inlines. Since mine was missing its motor, I can't say. Anyone have any experience with them?
> 
> -- D


Not to nominate these as ugly, but I picked them up a year or so ago:




























They actually DO run very much like Tjets. They're very smooth, and can keep up with a good average Tjet, though my faster Tjets will beat them easily. They slide more, probably because they have a chunk of lead in the back. I haven't comparison tested them or anything, but I figure the taller motor/higher COG would keep them from being competitive with Tjets, although this is offset somewhat by the wider wheel track. The tires are Tjet width, but they're set apart about as far as Tuff Ones. My only beef with them is that they run in the opposite direction from other brands, and there's no convenient way to switch them around like switching magnets on a Tjet. There's a nub or something on the chassis that keeps you from flipping the motor over, and I'm not brave enough to take the motor apart to swap magnets around. I'd love to find some more, as they do run smoother and better than my Atlas and Lionel cars.

--rick


----------



## SwamperGene

Don't think I ever saw one I liked, even a little bit.


----------



## Pomfish

SwamperGene said:


> Don't think I ever saw one I liked, even a little bit.


Not even the German issue Citreons?
Thanks,
Keith


----------



## SwamperGene

Don't recall ever seeing one Keith, so I'd hafta say no.


----------



## Pomfish

I have the red one, but it is in a display case that must be unscrewed to get to the cars, so I am not going to do that now.

Here is a webpage with the Citroen and also a German series Sonax Mercedes that is decent. Can't copy the pics, so you'll have to go to the webpage and see them.
http://slotcar.zanzaman.com/carsummary.html#lifelike
Web site from our good friend Zanza.

Thanks,
Keith


----------



## sethndaddy

All life likes nascars with the windows molded in..........eh, cak cakkk, puke bubble..puke bubbles.....get me a tissue:tongue::tongue:


----------



## NTxSlotCars

This one?


----------



## SwamperGene

ehhh...they're ok, at least compared to most LL bodies.

They just don't do a whole lot for me, personally that is.

Of course like people it's what's on the inside that counts, and with that in mind I'll still have to say for the purpose of this thread..."Any LifeLike". 

here's a larger pic, btw: http://homepage2.nifty.com/lsrc001/Images/gallery/citroen_zx_red_001.jpg


----------



## slotcarman12078

That hood needs a couple faucets and a soap dispenser!!! :lol:


----------



## NTxSlotCars

When you start with an ugly car, it just makes sense that any form of the replica will be ugly.
SO, I doubt anyone can top Dslots original post with the persian cat Tbird.

Here's a side my side comparison of one of Tyco's fubars. 
You could almost mistake it for a Marchon.

On the left, the Tyco Chevy Blazer, on the right, the much more correct AFX Chevy.


























The proportions are just so far outta whack, what were they thinking?


----------



## cuda_man

My vote goes to the 2001-2 Life-Like Pontiac Grand Prix. I remember being excited when LL announced it and the Dodge Intrepid after the great job they did with the Taurus and Monte Carlo before. 

Both were disappointments, but at least the Dodge could be made to look good by lowering. The Grand Prix, however, didn't even resemble the actual car. Not even lowering could save it.


----------



## grungerockjeepe

My vote goes to ANY of the tycos that got the hogged out front fenders to accomodate the command control steering chassis. Some like the '40 Ford, firebird/camaros, and '57 Chevys were available both ways, but some unfortunate bodies like that Blazer, and the fox body Mustang ALL had those front fenders. Blech!


----------



## wheelszk

SwamperGene said:


> ehhh...they're ok, at least compared to most LL bodies.
> 
> They just don't do a whole lot for me, personally that is.
> 
> Of course like people it's what's on the inside that counts, and with that in mind I'll still have to say for the purpose of this thread..."Any LifeLike".
> 
> here's a larger pic, btw: http://homepage2.nifty.com/lsrc001/Images/gallery/citroen_zx_red_001.jpg



:tongue::tongue::tongue:


----------



## bobwoodly

grungerockjeepe said:


> My vote goes to ANY of the tycos that got the hogged out front fenders to accomodate the command control steering chassis. Some like the '40 Ford, firebird/camaros, and '57 Chevys were available both ways, but some unfortunate bodies like that Blazer, and the fox body Mustang ALL had those front fenders. Blech!


Same for the Aurora Magna-steering Pinto's and Cuda's!


----------



## SwamperGene

slotcarman12078 said:


> That hood needs a couple faucets and a soap dispenser!!! :lol:


 
:lol:


----------



## Grandcheapskate

grungerockjeepe said:


> My vote goes to ANY of the tycos that got the hogged out front fenders to accomodate the command control steering chassis. Some like the '40 Ford, firebird/camaros, and '57 Chevys were available both ways, but some unfortunate bodies like that Blazer, and the fox body Mustang ALL had those front fenders. Blech!


I agree those wide wheel wells really make the body look bad UNLESS you use one of those HP-X chassis that came in the Charger/Superbird set a few years back. I have used those chassis under Hummers and the old Mustang Funny cars and it makes the body look a whole lot better as it fills the entire wheel well.

But you might want to limit your choice to what car modeled after a real car is the ugliest. After all, if you include cars like the Tyco Warriors, Battle Slam cars or my #1 choice, the Marchon Bad City truck, then every other car is competing for 10th place at best.

Joe


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Gotta pic of that 'Bad' truck?


----------



## Dslot

NTxSlotCars said:


> Gotta pic of that 'Bad' truck?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230467324687
I had to have a peek, too.
-- D


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Wow, that is a BAD truck... but, I got an idea...



Grandcheapskate said:


> if you include cars like the Tyco Warriors, Battle Slam cars or my #1 choice, the Marchon Bad City truck, then every other car is competing for 10th place at best.


Now, I can't stand chrome cars. Leave that stuff for the diecast boys.
But, if you strip that stuff off and paint it halfway decent, it's not a bad car...


















After all, SOMEBODY's got to fight with the _Road Warrior_.









I was thinking this concept may fit in real well with that 'Bad' truck.

Rich
www.myspace.com/northtexasslotcars :thumbsup:


----------



## bobwoodly

That ranks right up there with the 1:1 Pontiac Aztec, no it's worse!


----------



## hefer

NTxSlotCars said:


> Followed closely by the LL Camaro...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Oh no, chrome wheels aren't gonna save these.


If we're talkin about a car that was supposed to look like a real car, then the Lifelike Camaro gets my vote. A close second is the Lifelike Dodge Intrepid. YIKES! Who lost their job over this one?

Yeah. I like those flat black Road Warriors much better.


----------



## Grandcheapskate

Dslot said:


> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230467324687
> I had to have a peek, too.
> -- D


 Oh yeah, that's the one. It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but that is also a big unwieldy body, maybe the largest that Marchon made outside of the monster trucks.
And remember the Mattel twinpack with the Roach Coach and X-Termo? So much ugliness from one company. That's why it's unfair to allow these abominations to compete for the title.

Joe


----------



## foxkilo

When it comes to the ugliest car(s) modelled after real car(s) than nothing beats the Marx cars. Just made a quick pic of four partly derelict ones. They so ugly that they are cartoon versions of their templates.
BTW if haven't recognized the cars red Vette, blue T-Bird, yellowish 300 Merc and last but not least a green E-Type. Mind you they would look less bad without their ridiculous roofs except the Jag. That one is a real funny car in its proverbial sense.

Mario


----------



## EBasil

Well, there are certainly some ugly cars in here!

For me, the answer was apparent when I first saw the thread title. The ungainly, misshapen, botched disaster known an the LifeLike Superbird is the worst modeling of a pretty car that others have done fine with, and I think the ugliest mess I've seen in HO.


----------



## slotcarman12078

Lots of ugliness in this thread!!!! I agree with the lifelike Superbird, BUT, right up there with it is that TYCO 57 T bird. Both of those cars look like 1/43 cars on a 1/64 wheelbase. 
http://cgi.ebay.com/TYCO-HO-Scale-H...cmd=ViewItem&pt=Slot_Cars&hash=item3cad392be8
I never figured out the Marx designing concept. They made the side panels so high, possibly in an attempt to hide the chassis, but as high as they were, the chassis still shows. And what the heck is with the tiny roofs????? All I can assume is the Marx design dept. was experimenting with mind altering drugs when these crossed the drawing boards.. :lol:


----------



## Bill Hall

NTxSlotCars said:


> Wow, that is a BAD truck... but, I got an idea...
> 
> 
> 
> Now, I can't stand chrome cars. Leave that stuff for the diecast boys.
> But, if you strip that stuff off and paint it halfway decent, it's not a bad car...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After all, SOMEBODY's got to fight with the _Road Warrior_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was thinking this concept may fit in real well with that 'Bad' truck.
> 
> Rich
> www.myspace.com/northtexasslotcars :thumbsup:


I'm not sure that the post apocolyptic vehicles apply here Rich...LOLOLOLOL!
They meet their design criteria, IMHO. For right or wrong I assumed that we were creating a list of cars that were meant to resemble their original couterpart... and then somehow had gone horribly wrong. :freak:

By comparison I find the "Apocolytos" to be beauty queens compared to some of this threads contestants.


----------



## tjd241

*Sorry Blue Oval Boys.....*

Ford J Car. :drunk:


----------



## foxkilo

come on, ain't that a bit unfair. At least it resambles the car in question. The proportion is more or less correct. Detailing leaves a bit to be desired. 
Yeah the tyco are really out of scale and don't forget the '40 Ford.
But you don't have to look that far back. AW's beetle looks somewhat diffrent from the real stuff. 
Although Ive been raised on Faller IMHO the best looking ones, with few notable exceptions like Vette and Jag, are still Auroras Vibs and T's. 

BTW love for Fallers aside the Fiat and the Ford 17m look pretty much out of shape. And the Caddy is kinda funny as being so small for a car that is in realizy really a bid one.


----------



## Dslot

tjd241 said:


> *Sorry, Blue Oval Boys....*
> Ford J Car. :drunk:


It's not the blue oval boys who need the apology, but the yellow oval boys at West Hempstead. The real J-car was something of a looker. 
-- D


----------



## Dslot

Looking back over the thread, the Marxasaurus open-wheelers stand out.


ParkRNDL said:


>


Jumpin' cowchips, what are they, the Akron Racing Team? The Scuderia Bologna? They look like Aurora's Indy/GP racers on steroids and Double-Cheese Whoppers. Where are they going to race, the Hindenburgring?

... and, umm, why do I _want_ them?



> They actually DO run very much like Tjets. They're very smooth, and can keep up with a good average Tjet, though my faster Tjets will beat them easily. They slide more, probably because they have a chunk of lead in the back. I haven't comparison tested them or anything, but I figure the taller motor/higher COG would keep them from being competitive with Tjets, although this is offset somewhat by the wider wheel track.


Thanks for answering my Marx performance question, Rick. I'm glad to hear the spirit of old Louis was still alive at Marx in the slotcar era - make it dirt-cheap, but well-engineered. I'll have to see if I can get a correct motor for my Marx Blunderbird, so I can see it run.

-- D


----------



## Jim Norton

With modern day technology Life Like has repeatedly "dropped the ball" getting car bodies right. I cut Marx some slack considering the technology of the time. But Life Like?.....Some of the ugliest slot cars ever.

One other is Auto World's "Can Am Racer" (a.ka. Mclaren) with the jacked up 4 wheel drive look. Aurora's McLaren was right 35 years earlier! 

Jim Norton
Huntsville, AL


----------



## grungerockjeepe

Nice work on those warriors, Rich! Personally, the warrior is one of my all time favorite tyco bods. But then, I love all things post apocolyptic. I agree on the chrome cars though. I dont have your universal hatred for them, but on something that is clearly a crash and slam car, its just idiotic. The first 4 warriors with the black spray and jagged paint schemes had the right idea:









But I made them even better:


----------



## NTxSlotCars

Like the mods Jeepgrunger! :thumbsup:
Im looking at that blue one and the yellow one though.
I didnt know that they made them with rear spoilers and different exhaust?

NNIIIIIIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEE !!


----------



## roadrner

NTxSlotCars said:


> Wow, that is a BAD truck... but, I got an idea...
> 
> 
> 
> Now, I can't stand chrome cars. Leave that stuff for the diecast boys.
> But, if you strip that stuff off and paint it halfway decent, it's not a bad car...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> After all, SOMEBODY's got to fight with the _Road Warrior_.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was thinking this concept may fit in real well with that 'Bad' truck.
> 
> Rich
> www.myspace.com/northtexasslotcars :thumbsup:


Perfect paint scheme for those! :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr


----------



## cwbam

*Afx Pinto*

Look at those colors.


----------



## cwbam

*drag pinto*

lets try that upload again
sorry


----------



## sethndaddy

cwbam said:


> lets try that upload again
> sorry


AAAAAAAAA, nooooo, thats one of my favorite cars and color scheme. SERIOUSLY.


----------



## Dslot

*How'd we miss this one?*

_Everybody understands 
That ya gotta hate the van
That goes by the name of the Sand Van._

The original Auroras were just cheerfully silly, with those absurd custom cabins, gothic windows and the Elmer Fudd drivers. But the recent JL/AW copies made it much worse with the dark glitter colors, dark windshields, cruder bodies, giant black logo, enormous chrome helmet, and white headlights. Now they qualify for _ugly_.


----------



## LeeRoy98

*L&M Lola ugly??*



bobwoodly said:


> Here are some of my least favorites.
> 
> I can't stand these!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Tom


I guess I missed the point of the thread... how can a very good reproduction of an actual race car be considered an ugly slot car? If you wish to argue the actual car was ugly, I guess that is a matter of opinion. But I think Aurora did a nice job reproducing these bodies. If you don't like them... send them to me! 

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com


----------



## old blue

It is obvious by the condition of the various cars in the picture that these were well run and evidently enjoyed by someone. If anything, these look like they were over-produced and then the chasis were scavenged to use under other cars. 

What do I know, I still like my original CanAm Shadow and would not trade it for the world.

Old Blue


----------



## LeeRoy98

old blue said:


> What do I know, I still like my original CanAm Shadow and would not trade it for the world.
> 
> Old Blue


I agree, I have two black and two of the G-Plus white/orange. Love them all!

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com


----------



## bobhch

LeeRoy98 said:


> I guess I missed the point of the thread... how can a very good reproduction of an actual race car be considered an ugly slot car? If you wish to argue the actual car was ugly, I guess that is a matter of opinion. But I think Aurora did a nice job reproducing these bodies. If you don't like them... send them to me!
> 
> Gary
> AKA LeeRoy98
> www.marioncountyraceway.com


I just took some pictures and will be right back...Hey I love these and understand everyone has their own opinion. It is all good. I am not crazy about the black, red & white color scheme after looking at it all these years but, I have paint!! Phsssssssssssssssssssssssssssht baby! 

:hat: A painting party in Nebraska will soon be here :hat:

Just got Bruce to make a mold for these wings for the Lola. Ordered up 20 of them and that should do it for me. 

Gary if he sends them to to you will you share? lol

Bob...brb...zilla


----------



## bobhch

These are all mine...mine...mine!! Phsssssssssssssssssht will change them to fun little scooting around the track slot cars THAT ARE NOT UGLY!



















Hilltop did up a realy Cool Jasper Powered SHADOW in yellow and this spaked me to re-think alot of the original AFX body styles. Ones I never realy paid much attention to. Phssssssssssssssssssshting (painting) some of these race car bodies can realy change the way they appear BIG TIME! 

After Hilltop Racing and I did up a couple of Jasper Powered Lola bodies I sent mine on the road. The traveling Lola and then Jim made one and to it to Monoco too.....hope to see Lola around again someplace soon??

O.K. That is it for the Lola & now to adress the post #52 AW Sand Van Mith...NOT UGLY...well it is the way AW painted it up and do admit that the big chromed head was a big mistake. I like to paint the "C" cab most of the times or just remove it and take the BONUS rear engine and cut it away, file a round groove in the back and mount it to the rear screw post. 























































Bob...wait I am not done with the Sand Van yet...zilla


----------



## bobhch

*Sand Vans were ugly...they can be fixed though*

I would like to thank AW for painting these Sand Vans in only Orange & Purple. Flooding the market and making them very Cheap, Cheap, Cheap to purchase from Buds. $1.99 Baby! That Ugly Big Chome Head also helped. 

Have plenty of heads to use & paint. Never getting to own a real Dune Buggy myself ( dang it!! ) there is a part of me that is just trying replace that lost feeling of a 1/1 fun machine like driving a buggy on the sand dunes in California....oh man. I do have a Doodle Bug Mini Bike now but, that doesn't quite measure up to a Metal Flaked Fiberglass VW fun machine now does it....No it doesn't. HO for me....ho, ho, ho....










I plan on casting up a more curvy t-jet (and maybee Tyco?) style Dune Buggy some day. It is just hard to find the time when I can just yank one out of my HORDING bag of bodies. 

When the casting of the buggy times comes a 4 seater version will be made up too. The more ho creatures the better!!  I hoard the Clix figures also. At least my Hoarding is all in ho scale.




























This roll bar was made from thermostat wire and Super Glued together. Then tiney holes were drilled to set it in place. I was just messing around with this idea. Don't care for this paint job but, it has given me ideas for other Sand Vans.

Hello my name is Bob & I am a Sand Van Ah-holic.










Doubt that I will ever run out of bodies. This is the larger Ziplock baggy (not a sandwich teeny tiny one) & have several others that are painted up waiting their turn. Some of my buggy creations have gone to new homes & will always be in my heart. :wave:

It would have been AWESUM if AW would have made the front window left out & sent pieces of clear red, clear, clear blue, clear green etc, etc...to slide in and made this thing a kit in white. Nooooooooooooo they had to 2007 the thing. I miss the way 1970s & earlier companies made things back when...why, why, why???? Nobody cares about us costomizers anymore...Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! There are several independent casters out there that care still...you know who you are.

Bob...have enough AW Sand Van bodies for now...zilla


----------



## WesJY

Frickin Awesome!!! If you build them - they will come !! LOL! 

Wes


----------



## slotnewbie69

bobhch said:


> I would like to thank AW for painting these Sand Vans in only Orange & Purple. Flooding the market and making them very Cheap, Cheap, Cheap to purchase from Buds. $1.99 Baby! That Ugly Big Chome Head also helped.
> 
> Have plenty of heads to use & paint. Never getting to own a real Dune Buggy myself ( dang it!! ) there is a part of me that is just trying replace that lost feeling of a 1/1 fun machine like driving a buggy on the sand dunes in California....oh man. I do have a Doodle Bug Mini Bike now but, that doesn't quite measure up to a Metal Flaked Fiberglass VW fun machine now does it....No it doesn't. HO for me....ho, ho, ho....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I plan on casting up a more curvy t-jet (and maybee Tyco?) style Dune Buggy some day. It is just hard to find the time when I can just yank one out of my HORDING bag of bodies.
> 
> When the casting of the buggy times comes a 4 seater version will be made up too. The more ho creatures the better!!  I hoard the Clix figures also. At least my Hoarding is all in ho scale.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This roll bar was made from thermostat wire and Super Glued together. Then tiney holes were drilled to set it in place. I was just messing around with this idea. Don't care for this paint job but, it has given me ideas for other Sand Vans.
> 
> Hello my name is Bob & I am a Sand Van Ah-holic.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Doubt that I will ever run out of bodies. This is the larger Ziplock baggy (not a sandwich teeny tiny one) & have several others that are painted up waiting their turn. Some of my buggy creations have gone to new homes & will always be in my heart. :wave:
> 
> It would have been AWESUM if AW would have made the front window left out & sent pieces of clear red, clear, clear blue, clear green etc, etc...to slide in and made this thing a kit in white. Nooooooooooooo they had to 2007 the thing. I miss the way 1970s & earlier companies made things back when...why, why, why???? Nobody cares about us costomizers anymore...Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! There are several independent casters out there that care still...you know who you are.
> 
> Bob...have enough AW Sand Van bodies for now...zilla


cool stuff bob!i think it's more fun to just be silly sometimes.keeps ya young at heart.i think yer sand vans are great!love your use of funky drivers,and that most (if not all)of your builds seem to tell a story.like a snapshot from your imagination.man i dig all you crazy creative HT builders!from custom tracks to custom cars,you guys do it all!many thanks to all of ya for many hours of enjoyment and inspiration.just wish my budget fit the bill!


----------



## slotcarman12078

I agree with everything Bob said. The sand van as AW produced is really goofy looking. But it has a lot of potential. This wouldn't have been possible without them!!




























One of my early customs, and one of the few where all the pieces fell into place perfectly. Ringo the raccoon is now making the rounds in Milwaukee.


----------



## bobhch

*Is a kazillion alot?*

slotcarman,

I loved that Deckertring Mascot Mobile the first time seeing it and it is still a fun ride man! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

BZ



Dslot said:


> _Everybody understands
> That ya gotta hate the van
> That goes by the name of the Sand Van._
> 
> The original Auroras were just cheerfully silly, with those absurd custom cabins, gothic windows and the Elmer Fudd drivers. But the recent JL/AW copies made it much worse with the dark glitter colors, dark windshields, cruder bodies, giant black logo, enormous chrome helmet, and white headlights. Now they qualify for _ugly_.


Dslot,

I agree with you that the colors AW chose were out of wack....why purple and orange. Orange does work for HTERS builds but, man they made like a kazilion of them...DOH??

Anyways a storm was rolling in to Nebraska tonight and I knew that our daughters Soft Ball game was going to be canceled. Soooooo I did a quick Poster putty and masking tape job and sprayed some House of Colors Pavo Purple (almost an exact match of AWs purple they used on all those sandvans ) over an orange Sand Van. Phssssssssssssssssst and this is what I came up with. LOL




























I left the big ugly chrome helmet on (for now?) Who knows what might happen to this next. Will just walk away from it right now...

Just seeing that purple Sand Van in your post Dslot & the words ugly and Sand Van in the same sentence just made me think of this. Hey I agree that the Purple and Orange Sand Vans were not my favorite colors.

Ooooh and the headlights are painted behind the headlights too...what the heck is that? That is how I discovered that Pavo Purple was the same color as AW used. I carefully hand painted on my Godzilla Purple Sand Van the backside purple like it should be.

Bob...1 kazillion purple & 1 kazillion orange please...zilla


----------



## foxkilo

Okay, here is now my comming out:

I love the sand van!!!!!!

I know Ive been marked for life with this confession. Kids will point there little fingers at me and cry. People will avoid me and will die horribly lonely but still.

Well the helmet is really a bit out of place but the rest. The colours are nicely sixtyish, remember if you have been a around aready, they used to have such colours. This goes especially for late sixties jap bikes, which I adore. Uups, another step into the leper corner. And Than is there is sand van logo. You remember those sci-fi series like time tunnel, invaders etc. They all had such a logo. Hmm thinking of sci-fi serials the helmet is actually fitting.

Where AW really went wrong is that they did not fit space guns, turbojets, winglets and the like. Remember those redbaron beetle from MAtchbox?

Therefore come what may or june I love it. The only real setback is that it is a bit top heavy.

Kind regards 

Foxkilo from outerspace

May the 2-stroke force with you


----------



## Dslot

*... it's all coming back now ...*



> _Foxkilo sez:_
> Okay, here is now my comming out:
> I love the sand van!!!!!!
> 
> I know Ive been marked for life with this confession. Kids will point there little fingers at me and cry. People will avoid me and will die horribly lonely but still.


 Not quite LOL, but SVB (Smiling Very Broadly)



> Well the helmet is really a bit out of place


That's such a weird design choice. Who's going to be _racing_ a comic-Gothic custom dunebuggy van? And if you're out on the beach, having fun in the sun, seducing bikini-girls, and playing George-Barris-on-vacation, are you going to wear a full-coverage brain-bucket? It must have been _just_ because it was easier to sculpt than a long-haired hippie-head with a reefer.



> The colours are nicely sixtyish, remember if you have been a around aready, they used to have such colours. This goes especially for late sixties jap bikes, which I adore. Uups, another step into the leper corner.


_Aiiieeeeee!!!_ *Yamaha RD-350*! Both those colors in one model! Cheez! I didn't recognize it, and I've got one of the purple ones sitting in the garage! 



> And Than is there is sand van logo. You remember those sci-fi series like time tunnel, invaders etc. They all had such a logo. Hmm thinking of sci-fi serials the helmet is actually fitting.


 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea!



> May the 2-stroke force with you


Oh, yeah.
*Braaaaaaap! 
Braaaaaaaaaaaaap! 
Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap! *
[Two blocks down the road with no memory of the intervening territory]
*Briiiiiiing-ding-ding-ding-ding! 
Briiiing-ding-ding-ding. 
Bring-ding-ding. 
Burrrrrrrple burrrrrrrple burrrrrrrple. *
[Stop sign].
:woohoo:[Long trail of blue smoke beginning to clear in the breeze.]

Thanks, Fox.

- D 
[Suzuki S-32 pre-mix 150, Bridgestone 350 (Ahhhhhhh), ex-wife's Yamaha RD-350 lightbender -- _and_ he remembers the Mickey Mouse Club theme song]








Is that me in the picture? It's been so long, I don't remember ...


----------



## foxkilo

Yeah Dslot you're my man.

With regards to the colours I was thinking more in the line of Mach IV Kwaks and Suzuki early triples. I mean even their names were psychodelic like candy lavender, candy jackal blue or maui blue. 

I don 't have a slotcar vault but I have a nice garage with two GT750 triples, one fro me one for the wife, a T350, at least two dismantled GT750 awaiting resurection. Than there are my wifes oddballs like a 550 Zephyr and a GS1000.
And as the biggest oddball a Velocette LE 200. The last three are more or less to be discounted too many valves and lazy revolutions. Those pistons going up and down without doing any work.

Mario


----------



## slotnewbie69

cool bikes,speaking of oddballs,wish i had kept my '59 vespa 90 three speed scooter.6V on a magneto,so the faster you went the brighter the headlight was!never shoulda sold it,it would be worth ahelluva lot more today!


----------



## bobhch

foxkilo said:


> Okay, here is now my comming out:
> 
> I love the sand van!!!!!!
> 
> I know Ive been marked for life with this confession. Kids will point there little fingers at me and cry. People will avoid me and will die horribly lonely but still.
> 
> Well the helmet is really a bit out of place but the rest. The colours are nicely sixtyish, remember if you have been a around aready, they used to have such colours. This goes especially for late sixties jap bikes, which I adore. Uups, another step into the leper corner. And Than is there is sand van logo. You remember those sci-fi series like time tunnel, invaders etc. They all had such a logo. Hmm thinking of sci-fi serials the helmet is actually fitting.
> 
> Where AW really went wrong is that they did not fit space guns, turbojets, winglets and the like. Remember those redbaron beetle from MAtchbox?
> 
> Therefore come what may or june I love it. The only real setback is that it is a bit top heavy.
> 
> Kind regards
> 
> Foxkilo from outerspace
> 
> May the 2-stroke force with you


foxkilo & Dslot,

bikes, bikes, bikes...yeah! You guys have some cool ones. My Dad always had a Honda motorcycle back in the 60s 70s...One had a pearl white paint job on the tank with Metalic & candy flames in all different colors. When the flames crossed the colors changed.

I remember the Red Baron Beetles by Matchbox foxkilo. This Bug was built with that specific car in mind during the build. Just changed it around a little. Pullback body by JL.











































Yeah AW should have put on space guns, turbojets, winglets and the like Mario but, it seems like nobody remebers how to make stuff with the idea of fun anymore. Almost our entire planet has lost their imagination and ability to make fun.....we are all doomed I tell yah.

Bob...Love the sand van too...zilla


----------



## foxkilo

Hey Bob thats a real cool car. You've really capured the spirit of the matchbox one. But do you also remember its Mini counterpart.

Oh boys so many nice bikes and sloties but not enough time, space and money to enjoy it to the full.

Tomorrow we have a bank holiday over here and took the Friday off as well and Iam going on bike trip with my old and trusted Water buffalo aka Kettle for the British. Let's which part is starting to malfunction first. Normally its a nut or bolt shaken loose. But after thirty years you get used to it and you know where to look.

Therefore I'll be back on Monday have nice weekend.

Mario

Remember the time when sex was safe and motorcycles not.


----------



## NTxSlotCars

My, My, this thread is getting ugly!


----------



## Dslot

Well, I hafta admit; I don't totally hate the sand-vans. 

I just like Aurora's dune buggy a lot, and the custom van cabin makes it awkward and silly (not that the stripedy coupe top was gonna win any beauty prizes either). But the hot pink and lime green colors with the white van-cabins and big wheels and tires gave the originals a bright, cheerful Dave Deal cartoony look









(remember his great buggies with the Hi-Bloatation tires?)










When JL/AW came out with theirs without the dunie tires, with moody tinted glass, colors, etc. it just lost that happy look. The cute was gone and the awkwardness turned ugly to me.

That said - I bought one of each (when they got cheap), and just got four bodies for $2 from Buds. With some Dune Buggy chassis. I'll redo two of the bodies in pink/lime-green-and-white with clear windshields, like the originals, for my Red Dunes set 








(which is missing the cars). But I think I'll do them metallic. The other two will lose their van-cabins and just become extra dune buggies to experiment with modding and painting. (Gee, now I wish I'd bought 8).

-- D


----------



## bobwoodly

Lacking Bob's skill to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, I've decided to part with my ultra ultra rare L&M "collection" pictured earlier. See the swap area!

Tom


----------



## bobhch

*I want to trade!!*



bobwoodly said:


> Lacking Bob's skill to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, I've decided to part with my ultra ultra rare L&M "collection" pictured earlier. See the swap area!
> 
> Tom


PM sent............WOW!

Bob...hope you still have them...zilla


----------



## grungerockjeepe

Rich--Yes, there are 2 separate designs on the Tyco roadwarriors. The exhaust-over-the-roof design which is the most common is one, whereas the 4 pipes/teeny V-8 mounted-on-the-rear-wing (ummm....WTF?????) design is the other. I believe that one only shows up on the blue/orange and brown/yellow warriors from the first release. 

Bob--WOW!!! Nice paint scheme with that greyish-blue Hooters T-260!!!! That color combo really looks slick and the T/A wheels look nice! Personally, I love the AFX T-260. They did a lot nicer job on that bodystyle than Tyco did, IMHO. But the way the trailing edge of the front fenders kick inwards, its probably the advantage of the body mounts of the AFX chassis vs the Tyco...


----------



## videojimmy

Ah yes, the Red Baron Bug.... one of my all time favs! I never get tired of seeing it!


----------



## bobhch

videojimmy said:


> Ah yes, the Red Baron Bug.... one of my all time favs! I never get tired of seeing it!


Hey VJ thanks man. I remember that build off car you built too. That was Primo man! FUN TIMES!! BZ


----------



## Bill Hall

Uh yeah ...Jim...

...you should remember...

beating us like a drum that time around!


----------



## Dslot

Two years later ... A new contender enters the ring ...

I pity tha fool that tries to out-ugly this Tyco:










Come to think of it, the paint schemes on practically all the 911-family Porsche slot bodies from whatever company are pretty nasty, but this one takes the cake (shudder).

-- D


----------



## tjd241

Dslot said:


> Two years later ... I pity tha fool that tries to out-ugly this Tyco- D


Don't make me do it D... don't make me trot out the aqua Lifelike Superbird again.


----------



## NTxSlotCars

I found one...










... and it's a Nascar...


----------



## Dslot

tjd241 said:


> Don't make me do it D... don't make me trot out the aqua Lifelike Superbird again.


Chuckle. Y'know, I was just going through my non-Aurora slots, and I don't recall seeing my example of that one. Maybe it just uglied itself away to nothing in the cabinet.

I've never put it on the track, because every time somebody runs one, Richard Petty cries a tear and doesn't know why.

-- D


----------



## Dslot

NTxSlotCars said:


> I found one...


:drunk: Criminentilies! that's nasty. Is that a production paint scheme, or just somebody's perverse custom artistry?

- D
(Holy Flashback, Batman! I can't get it out of my head.)


----------



## Bill Hall

*C'mon Man!*



Dslot said:


> Two years later ... A new contender enters the ring ...
> 
> I pity tha fool that tries to out-ugly this Tyco:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Come to think of it, the paint schemes on practically all the 911-family Porsche slot bodies from whatever company are pretty nasty, but this one takes the cake (shudder).
> 
> -- D


My love of the 911 is no secret AND most especially the RS/RSR models. WHY on earth Tyco EVER chose to turd stamp their model with that stoopid arse lamped ralley hood as their final production version is beyond me.

I throw up a little in the back of my mouth every time I see one. 

Doba was working on dehorning one a year or two ago. Que the pic...John?


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Bill Hall said:


> My love of the 911 is no secret AND most especially the RS/RSR models. WHY on earth Tyco EVER chose to turd stamp their model with that stoopid arse lamped ralley hood as their final production version is beyond me.
> 
> I throw up a little in the back of my mouth every time I see one.
> 
> Doba was working on dehorning one a year or two ago. Que the pic...John?


 
Wasn't quite a year ago just feels like it :tongue:










Goop will set you free :thumbsup:


----------



## jobobvideo

doba, did you cast any of those? that's what i'm looking for!!!


----------



## ParkRNDL

Wow, that's sharp. Changes the whole look of the car. Nicely done. :thumbsup:

--rick


----------



## WesJY

doba - WOW! thats one sharp looking porsche! let me know if you have any for sale!

Wes


----------



## alpink

me three


----------



## 1976Cordoba

Thanks guys - I'll definitely try to cast this up. Need to re-work the headlight insert next.


----------



## tjd241

Dslot said:


>


Ugly yet functional.... ain't you never heard of a Bavarian Deer Whistle??:hat:


----------



## tjd241

NTxSlotCars said:


> I found one...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ... and it's a Nascar...


uuhh... Rich? Nascar??.... No, that there is a door stop. :drunk:


----------



## tjd241

*Keep'em coming fellas... I'm ready ! !*

*Okay.... Pull ! !*


----------



## Slott V

My vote for the ugliest...


----------

