Handbuilts for today 6/5/22 - A twofer from the estate of Wayne Moyer

Like many of you I have been watching the slow dispersion of the collection of Wayne Moyer on ebay. We've been astounded at some of the prices paid for old Minimarques and the like, a few of which possessing what some would call patina of age (yellowed headlight resin and/or cracked whitewall inserts). But for race car fans there are still a few gems to be had. I was able to snag a couple for less than today's Spark models.

MM51 is Marsh Models kit of the Chaparral 2D from the 1967 Daytona 24-hour enduro. The real No. 14 (Bruce Jennings/Bob Johnson) was a DNF due to gearbox failure. The strange box on the rear is a "luggage compartment" - FIA regulations at the time required grand touring cars to have a certain size luggage space, though period photos show a black cover over the back. I'm guessing this was removed during the race to enhance air flow. 

The box is marked "kit" so it's a safe assumption Wayne built this - many of his builds appeared in model magazines over the years. It seems light, and I know Marsh switched to resin at some point - perhaps it's a resin body on a white metal chassis. The pics tell the story of Wayne's work, and the entire body has a flawless clear coat to seal in the decals.

MM58 is the 1974 Shadow DN4-Chevrolet Can-Am racer. Sponsored by Universal Oil Products, Jackie Oliver's No. 101 trounced the competition in the last year of the "classic" Can-Am series. In 2020, during a vintage racing event the front end caught air and flipped, destroying the car. The driver was not hurt and the owner vowed to rebuild the wreck.

The same comments regarding build quality apply to this model, boxed as a kit. I missed out on a Spark Shadow years ago, so this was a welcome find.