NASCAR Asphalt Modified Racer - Woody Pitkat by CDW - SalvinosJR - 1:25 Scale

[CDW]

SalvinosJR is one of a few(?) companies who manufacture model kits in the USA these days, located in California. To this point their focus has been on NASCAR kits where they offer them for sale at major NASCAR events throughout the country as well as online. Recently, the kits have been finding their way into local hobby shops as well, including my local haunts. I've never been a big fan of NASCAR kits, but seeing the Asphalt Modifieds piqued my interest, so I bought one at a local shop. When I checked out the contents of the kit, I was very pleased at the quality of the model. When you pick up the box, you know it's substantial from the weight of it. Lots of plastic parts. 

 

Here is an interesting and informative video that explains the NASCAR Asphalt Modified series, it's history and the current cars racing in that division. 

 

 

 

[Egilman]

What Exactly is this? It's what they do with all the worn out parts when they rebuild a grand national stock car is what that is.... {chuckle}

 

It's a throwback to the old days of USAC Modified dirt track class... A lot was lost when USAC essentially folded, All the Sportsman classes were hit the hardest.... This is Nascar's attempt to keep the bare bones of backyard homegrown sportsman racing alive....

 

I'm in....

[CDW]

17 minutes ago, Egilman said:

What Exactly is this? It's what they do with all the worn out parts when they rebuild a grand national stock car is what that is.... {chuckle}

 

It's a throwback to the old days of USAC Modified dirt track class... A lot was lost when USAC essentially folded, All the Sportsman classes were hit the hardest.... This is Nascar's attempt to keep the bare bones of backyard homegrown sportsman racing alive....

 

I'm in....

Watch the video I posted.

[Egilman]

1 hour ago, CDW said:

Watch the video I posted.

I did, most of what I stated was tongue in cheek....

 

My apologies if I offended...

 

Nascar and USAC are two completely different sanctioning bodies... Everyone knows that...

 

Spanaway Speedway where I ran sportsman cars for a few years in the late 80's used to be a 1/4 mile USAC dirt track, then became a 1/2 mile dirt track, then back to a 1/4 mile but paved, until they sold out to a housing developer....

 

Kinda familiar with the history brother...

Edited April 22 by Egilman

[Canute]

Wall Stadium in NJ was a hot spot. Now it's a housing development with McMansions. 😝

 

Trenton, Flemington and Langhorn Racetracks from NJ and PA are memorialized by the big NASCAR track in Mt Pocono, PA. The old tracks became shopping centers and condominiums. 😖

[Egilman]

Derrick Cope used to run at Spanaway and Evergreen till he graduated to the big time.... Cope Bros Machine is where I would get my heads shaved & blocks bored....

[CDW]

At this moment, SalvinosJR are taking pre orders on a new line of modern Indy car kits they are producing. I am looking forward to these as it’s been a long while since Indy racers have been in styrene plastic.

 

By the way, their line of NASCAR speedway racers are fabulous.

[mtaylor]

The look of that beast brings back memories....  one variation was the so-called "outlaw" class, if I remember right.  Good times on Friday and/or Saturday nights at the oval tracks.

[CDW]

1 hour ago, Canute said:

Wall Stadium in NJ was a hot spot. Now it's a housing development with McMansions. 😝

 

Trenton, Flemington and Langhorn Racetracks from NJ and PA are memorialized by the big NASCAR track in Mt Pocono, PA. The old tracks became shopping centers and condominiums. 😖

Similar situations in the South. Many tracks that were once filled to capacity on weekends and Friday nights are gone. There are a few that remain but only a handful compared to earlier years. Average guys were the ones who campaigned those race cars of old. The sport has become far too expensive to keep a car on the track anymore. I had a friend we called "DLD", an acronym for dead last Danny. The fellow had a literal junk-yard on his rural property where he salvaged car parts to build his racers. I always gave him props for having the fortitude and determination to get in there and race because he rarely ever won, placed or show. Always at or near dead last. Last I heard not more than a few months ago, he's still racing.

 

My dad was a huge racing fan. He loved auto racing, motorcycle racing, horse racing, buggy racing, trotters, you name it. If it raced, he went to see it. I was blessed to have him take me with him all the time except when he travelled out of town to races like Indy. My fondest racing memories were of the fairgrounds clay track where they raced sprint cars and motorcycles. Man, I saw some thrilling, hair-standing action with some of the best drivers on the planet for those type races. Back in that day, Offys were king in the sprint cars and midgets while Harleys ruled the motorcycle events. 

[Canute]

There was a dirt track in New Egypt, NJ, where I used to live. Friday and Saturday nights. And bring your goggles, because the clay was spread around, especially thru the corners. That was some pretty exciting racing. Wrecks could be spectacular. I'm sure you old gearheads remember jalopy races. 😄

[mtaylor]

9 hours ago, Canute said:

There was a dirt track in New Egypt, NJ, where I used to live. Friday and Saturday nights. And bring your goggles, because the clay was spread around, especially thru the corners. That was some pretty exciting racing. Wrecks could be spectacular. I'm sure you old gearheads remember jalopy races. 😄

 

And the ever popular demolition derbies.   I remember one, only because the driver was a friend of my dad, who entered his 6 month old Lincoln in one after complaining about it for the previous 6 months to the dealer about it being a lemon. It was heavily targeted as everyone went after that car.

[CDW]

1 hour ago, mtaylor said:

 

And the ever popular demolition derbies.   I remember one, only because the driver was a friend of my dad, who entered his 6 month old Lincoln in one after complaining about it for the previous 6 months to the dealer about it being a lemon. It was heavily targeted as everyone went after that car.

What about the ever popular “figure eight” races. Wow, what a thrill those were! Sometimes those demolition derbies got real nasty and personal, too.

[mtaylor]

38 minutes ago, CDW said:

What about the ever popular “figure eight” races. Wow, what a thrill those were! Sometimes those demolition derbies got real nasty and personal, too.

I forgot about them.  They usually got pretty wild also.  At the local track, it seems nasty and personal was normal for drivers, crews, and many time the fans.   

[CDW]

11 hours ago, Canute said:

There was a dirt track in New Egypt, NJ, where I used to live. Friday and Saturday nights. And bring your goggles, because the clay was spread around, especially thru the corners. That was some pretty exciting racing. Wrecks could be spectacular. I'm sure you old gearheads remember jalopy races. 😄

The seats in the lower rows are not your friend at clay tracks. Besides that, I've seen cars go flying over the barriers and into the stands on more than one occasion.

[CDW]

Here is a look at the basic engine and chassis assemblies.

The Nascar Modifieds are template built, just like their big brothers. When you've seen one, you've seen them all with the major exception being the paint and graphics.

I painted the engine in its basic colors with the detail paint work yet to be added. I assembled the chassis while leaving the top horizontal tubing, seat, and engine uncemented for the time being. As the chassis is all black for the most part, I'll remove the engine and top horizontal tubing parts then paint the entire chassis as one assembly.

[CDW]

Salvinos JR have used a different method to create their chrome parts trees. Nothing that normally works to remove chrome plating will touch this chrome plating. Not oven cleaner, not brake fluid, not bleach, not Super Clean...I only removed chrome from the valve covers by vigorously sanding it off. And it wasn't easy to sand it off, either. Consequently, they provide chrome parts in both the plated and non-plated parts trees. You get 2x the parts when it comes to the chromed items. Whatever chrome plating process they use must be similar to the process used for automotive parts. It's the first time I have seen anything like it in a plastic model kit. The chromed parts do look excellent by the way. Very scratch and damage resistant, unlike typical chrome model parts. As for the plastic itself throughout the entire kit, it seems a grade tougher, maybe stronger than typical styrene plastic. It glues up the same with the same cements made for styrene, but it has a different "feel" to it. 

[Canute]

That car has some wrap around head rest/support. Really restricts head movement. The drivers have to be really good scanning their mirrors. But considering the style of racing...

[CDW]

15 minutes ago, Canute said:

That car has some wrap around head rest/support. Really restricts head movement. The drivers have to be really good scanning their mirrors. But considering the style of racing...

I’m pretty sure NASCAR requires those head restraints ever since Dale Earnhardt was killed in that accident a couple of decades ago. I also had a friend who was killed in his sprint car when another cars wheel came through his roll cage, striking his head. Freak accidents but they happen in auto racing.

[Canute]

For certain. That was a horrible day, but the Intimidator did his own thing. The HANS (Head And Neck System)device became mandatory after that wreck.

 

Anyway, this build will be enlightening. I'll have to see what draws my attention from SalvinosJR.

[CDW]

3 hours ago, Canute said:

For certain. That was a horrible day, but the Intimidator did his own thing. The HANS (Head And Neck System)device became mandatory after that wreck.

 

Anyway, this build will be enlightening. I'll have to see what draws my attention from SalvinosJR.

I watched a video of a modeler building a Salvinos stock car. He flashed shop photos on his video where closeup detail of actual NASCAR racers were being worked on. I've looked on the net but haven't located any such photos yet for my own personal reference. Those sure would come in handy for seeing details that I might want to build from scratch. With this first car, I'm primarily interested in seeing how the model goes together and what areas need special attention. I've already found a few things of interest and also am learning the correct stages for painting and assembly. Trial and error works wonders. I never seem to get it right on the first kit and it's always been that way for me no matter the subject material.

[Egilman]

3 hours ago, Canute said:

I'll have to see what draws my attention from SalvinosJR.

Last year's Indy winner got me....  {chuckle}

 

Lots of newer companies giving the old standby's a run for the money....

[David W]

Looks like a memory lane build to me. We have 3 tracks locally though they are dirt - Albany-Saratoga about 6-8 miles from me where the Bodine brothers reigned not too many years back, Fonda where Stewart Friesen runs if not NASCAR truck racing (30 miles) and Lebanon Valley (45 miles). I would make one or two of those tracks every weekend but real life (wife and kids!) somehow arrived.

 

I'm interested and am posting this to make sure I can watch the build as it might just land on my eventually list

[Canute]

EG, yeah an Indy car might be a draw,

 

First builds of a new line can be sporting, Craig. 😄I'm thrashing with some MikroMir Russian sub kits. Limited run kits, no locator pins, skimpy instructions. How many parts can a sub have in 1:350 scale? An exercise is filling gaps with styrene plugs, followed by Mr Surfacer. 🙄

[CDW]

Basic color scheme for the model is black and red. The decals will add a lot of extra color and detail to otherwise drab black body panels. I need a nice set of racing harnesses, will look through my accessory stash as I think I have some harness buckles in photo etch. 

 

 

[CDW]

I should have mentioned, Salvinos JR doesn't skimp on the decals, they are high quality Cartograph, not the old mediocre Monogram sort. if the decal sheet was an aftermarket item, it would likely sell for a price of $20 or maybe more.

Edited Tuesday at 06:12 PM by CDW

[Old Collingwood]

Lookin good  craig.

 

OC.

[Canute]

That sheet is loaded, Craig. The lists a bunch of decal sheets for $13 US per set.

[CDW]

Prepped, primed, painted, wet-sanded, then laid final color coats on the body panels. They are ready for decals tomorrow. Will assemble the panels on the chassis after decals have been applied and cured.

Meanwhile, installed the rear suspension and differential. Front suspension and disk brakes on all four points are next.