Monogram Firebolt kit
The images below have been produced from digital phographs kindly contributed by Mike Mulligan, of kits in his private collection.
Mike writes:
"Finally got around to getting a few pics of the Monogram "Firebolt" kit.
Actually more than a few... Probably more than you want! Ah well, use
what you like and file the rest, I reckon!
"There are shots of the kit contents in the box as well as spread out.
You will notice that the parts count is quite low. In fact I recall that
when I opened this kit as a boy my heart sank thinking that it was
incomplete! The few bits required to install the Jetex unit are not
included in this re-issued version of the kit, but were provided in the
original. They consisted of four asbestos washers that went between the
Jetex mount and the plastic body, and the aluminized "stiff paper" that
was to surround the Jetex unit. Both are shown in the plans.
"You may notice that the body of the car is heavily ducted and louvered
in an attempt to keep the plastic from melting from the heat of the
Jetex motor. There are intakes in the nose, sides, and under the belly.
Even the top of the tail fin is left open. The body parts do feature
quite a bit of surface detail. I attempted to capture a bit of this in a
couple of close-up pics.
"The kit is remarkably simple. The body is two pieces that are glued
together after installing the motor clip and insulation. The wheels,
assembled in halves and hub covers added, were then snap-fit on axles
that are molded into the body. Add the driver figure, steering wheel and
canopy and you're off!
"All in all, a great bit of nostalgia. When I saw that it had been
re-issued I snapped up two without thinking! Maybe one day I'll actually
build one of them and install a Jet-X unit or perhaps Rapiers (Just had
a list member here in the States drop me a line telling me how to get
Rapiers over here)!"
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