Date: 1998
Maker: Polar Lights, a trademark of Playing Mantis, South Bend, IN
Kit #: 6001C
Skill Level: 1
Retail Price: $9
Scale: Yeah right...body is 4.5" long, 3.25" tall
Box: 9" x 3.5" x 6.25"

Kit Specs:
The term Snap Draggins tm was used on an old Monogram Snaptite line of car kits designed by the legendary Tom Daniel. They were simple kits featuring overblown engines and cars perched on oversized wheels, a very popular motif during the early seventies ... can you say Deal's Wheels?....I thought you could. They had the appearance of jumping up off the line while at the same time hunkering down in "go-fast" mode. They included peel and stick graphics, including Hot Wheels logos, and a trading card. Polar Lights has resurrected the old moniker (as they do so well) for their own line of kits. This time however, the concept and design of the kits are the intellectual products of resin maven's "The Good Stuff, Inc". And these little kits are certainly good stuff. The were first produced by TGS Inc. as resin kits known as "Drag Toons". They are very similar, in design, to their '70s Monogram namesakes right down to the shadow display base. The mag wheels used in the Polar Lights Snap Draggins tm are just like those found on the Daniel's Screamin' Vette. One major difference is, these new Polar Lights offerings honor a different breed of car. As their former incarnation "Drag Toons" suggest, these are a six-pack of screaming denizens of the quarter-mile asphalt; clever little caricatures of the stalwart "Gassers" from early '60s drag racing. Apt subject matter when you think about it. The real cars are nearly caricatures themselves.

The first thing you notice about the kit box is the excellent box art. Artist Jay C. Lewis has a nice ability to capture the "gesture" (look and feel) of each vehicle. The box art embellishes a bit on what actually resides within; meaning it is more inspirational than representational. Thank goodness! This is a very simple kit right out of the box and making the box art a separate, enjoyable object in its own right was a lost part of car modeling during the last 10 years. This one recalls the days when quality painted artwork was created specifically for the kit box.

There are six kits in the Snap Draggin series representing four different marks.
  • Badboy ('55 Chevy Post - 6001E)
  • Boss Austin ('50 Austin - 6001B)
  • Manglia ('51 Anglia - 6001C)
  • Willy Fast ('41 Willys Coupe - 6001F)
  • Willy Haulin' ('33 Willys Pickup - 6001D)
  • Willy Wild ('33 Willys Coupe - 6001A)
As you can see each kits carries the same 6001 kit number but with a different letter designation to distinguish the different cars. Each kit is available in a variety of colors. Be careful here, Just because the box art shows a yellow Manglia be sure to check the side of the box to verify the kit's color.

Like most kits of this kind the translation into styrene is not without its pitfalls. The Snap Draggin's tm low points stem from the same area that's also the kits appeal; its simplicity. Many parts are shared between kits. I'm sure this keeps the kits cost down. The chrome and tire tree which make up a large part of the kit are the same for every car. Too bad too, I would have liked to have the wheels that appear on the box art. The chrome wheels are two dimensional affairs with only the slightest relief between the five awkward spokes. The tires are too rounded-off and would benefit from a little crisp detailing. Despite the artwork on the box these kits contain no graphic decals. This is especially unfortunate since the BadBoy '55 has the neat Tom Daniel Bad Man graphic treatment. Lastly many of the glittering chrome parts shown on the box art are actually molded in black. Are any of these a big deal? Not really. This is a relatively short list of complaints and all of them are pretty minor. Many are dealt with in the detailing phase anyway.

If you are saying..."Aaaaah, silly rabbit, TRIX.......I mean Snap Draggins tm are for kids", then you are missing out on one of modeling's little and relatively inexpensive pleasures. Yeah they're only 26 pieces. Yeah, they're caricatures. But yeah, they are COOL! These kits more than any other recently can give you the opportunity to finish something that looks good with just a minimum of effort. AMT seems to think it's a good idea too. Their recent Slammers tm series are birds of a feather. Little hot rods that are quick and easy builds. You can twist the parts off the tree and pop your Snap Draggins tm together to get a great little drag rod for your shelf. The kits are cheaper and more lively than many current action figures. As an opportunity to bring your youngin's into modeling with you, well, that's worth the cost alone. Building this kit right out of the box will take about 20 minutes with your preteen.


DETAILING: I don't suggest the twist and pull method of part removal. If you take a little extra time there are a couple of things you can do to improve these kits.

Paint the body and the scoop to match as they appear on some of the boxes. Use Testors Buffable Metalizer on the black parts that connect to the bottom of the chassis and polish them to a shiny silver finish. There is also Bare Metal Foil for the ladder bars.

The kit's exhaust headers are solid rods. No openings. Using the originals as guides, cut aluminum tubing, available at most hardware stores, to replace them. Polish them or paint 'em flat white or just rub 'em with steel wool for a brushed look. The exhaust points straight down in the Willy Haulin' kit so I bent mine to the outside so that the openings would be visible.

While I didn't replace it, the blower popping out of the hood is a bit too small for my taste. It's not "baaaad" enough straight out of the box. Paint the inset areas black, red, dark gray or body-color to liven it up. Some basic plumbing would go a long way here. A snip of black photographer's tape can be used to represent the blower belt or simply paint the center section flat black.

The oblong front tires/wheels appear too vertical when installed, compared to the box art. Since these snap on to very hardy lugs on the chassis, I decided to attach them and then cut them off again with a Zona Saw to reposition them in a more horizontal position. This looks more like the box art. Now the Willys really looks like it's Haulin'.

In the future I plan on sculpting an ominous figure for the driver. In order for it to be seen I have to replace the kit's dark (too dark) tinted window molding with colored transparent film. This can obtained from printing companies that do old style (non-digital) 4-color process printing. You can get blue, magenta or yellow scrap film that will look just like the tinted gasser windows from the 60s. Another option is exposed negative material from the end of a roll of color film. These are usually included when you have photo prints made. It is a dark orange color and works great for tinted windows. Scrawl AA/GS on the side windows in white paint for the definitive Gasser look. Paint the inside of the body flat black to prevent seeing the various mounting points that were obscured by the dark kit glass molding.

The plain grill area on the Willys needs some spicing up so I used the grill decal from an AMT '33 Willys Coupe. You could also drill holes in the grill, countersink them and back it with a swatch cut from a pair of black nylons and glued to the backside of the body. The decal is easier. There is an area where the chassis locks into the body in the lower half of the grill. If you work with this area before painting you can minimize the depression in this area so the decal sits flat. Finish up the hood by foiling the the Willys logo above the grill

The fenders are a bit bare so adding taillights to the rear and working up the headlights adds a lot to the look. Using a combination of red sprue and a short length of aluminum tubing I created the taillights. These were inset into each rear fender then covered with Future Floor Polish to anchor them and give them a gloss sheen. The headlights rings in the front fenders also received some detailing using Bare Metal Foil. Clear plastic headlight lenses from the parts box sat nicely in the depressions. These too were brushed with a generous application of Future.

The box art shows the tonneau popping off it's snaps and flapping in the breeze. The one-piece kit body simply has closed box for the bed. After opening up the bed area with a dremel tool and Zona Saw I fabricated a tonneau from .020 sheet styrene. To gave it a wavy look a Milwaukee Heat Gun was waved over it at close range. Once it had the proper amount of curves it received a coat of Krylon Ultra-Flat Black. The heads of ordinary straight pins were used to replicate the snaps.

To finish things up, the tires, base and chute were also painted with Krylon Ultra-Flat Black. Light dry-brushing of the chute brought out the details. Use silver to touch up the molded in hardware. Bare Metal Foil was used for the door handles and locked-down with Future.

There is more I'd like to do to my Willy Haulin', including sculpting the scurrying lizard shown on the box art for a complete diorama. It will have to wait until later...the "Manglia" is waiting in the wings. Hey, where's the Fiat? Ah, maybe next time..... Do I like these overblown miniatures? You bet! If you are looking for a cheap date or just want a little something fun for you and the kids, the Polar Lights Snap Draggins tm fit the bill. These kits are a coup for offbeat car modeling and just the remedy for the "I-just-can't-seem-to-finish-anything" modeling blues.

Miscellaneous Notes:

The boxes that Polar Lights kits come in are scary in their sturdiness. The box weighs more than the kit inside. Why?

On the BadBoy '55 Chevy you can connect the body to chassis with the rear tires facing the opposite direction than indicated. This will give the ol' boy an even hairier wheelie. Yeah, the wrinkles on the slicks are going the wrong way but nobody will notice.
Special thanks to Jim Youngs for the use of his digital camera

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