Post by Jcon on Aug 29, 2024 19:59:39 GMT -5
Next on the bench will be a blast from the past thanks to Atlantis Models for bringing it back! 1/20 scale Midget Racer. The kit comes from the Original tooling. This was the first all-plastic kit created by Monogram in 1954! Not lots of parts so let's see what I can do with it!
Some history on the engine: The Offenhauser engine, often referred to an "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer at the time Harry Miller. Miller was another famous racing name from the 20’s and 30’s. The Miller engine quickly developed into a twin overhead cam, four cylinder 16 valve racing engine that would be used in midgets and sprinters into the 1960’s. When Miller went bankrupt in 1933, Offenhauser and another Miller employee bought the shop and the rights to the engine, which they developed further as the Offenhauser engine. From 1934, through the 1970s, the ‘Offy’ dominated American open wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 50027 times. After WWII, Offenhauser was sold to Meyers-Drake who continued to produce the engine. Eventually Offy cars lost their racing domination to the modern small block Ford-Cosworth V8’s.
Where the races started: Frank Kurtis founded the Kurtis Kraft Company in the late 1930’s. They designed and built race cars and in a twenty year period they built over 1,100 midget racers. 500 were built ready to race and another 600 were sold as kits. The midget racers came with different engines, most notably the Offenhauser and the Edelbrock V860. The Kurtis midget racers won several events all over the country for decades. Some are even still running today in vintage race events.
Some history on the engine: The Offenhauser engine, often referred to an "Offy", was developed by Fred Offenhauser and his employer at the time Harry Miller. Miller was another famous racing name from the 20’s and 30’s. The Miller engine quickly developed into a twin overhead cam, four cylinder 16 valve racing engine that would be used in midgets and sprinters into the 1960’s. When Miller went bankrupt in 1933, Offenhauser and another Miller employee bought the shop and the rights to the engine, which they developed further as the Offenhauser engine. From 1934, through the 1970s, the ‘Offy’ dominated American open wheel racing, winning the Indianapolis 50027 times. After WWII, Offenhauser was sold to Meyers-Drake who continued to produce the engine. Eventually Offy cars lost their racing domination to the modern small block Ford-Cosworth V8’s.
Where the races started: Frank Kurtis founded the Kurtis Kraft Company in the late 1930’s. They designed and built race cars and in a twenty year period they built over 1,100 midget racers. 500 were built ready to race and another 600 were sold as kits. The midget racers came with different engines, most notably the Offenhauser and the Edelbrock V860. The Kurtis midget racers won several events all over the country for decades. Some are even still running today in vintage race events.
