Here is another rarity of the kind Electric Dreams is looking for, in fact the only one known to exist at this time. This 1/24 scale Pactra “Meyers Manx” RTR dune buggy was found a few years back. It figures in no known Pactra litterature, and is in near-mint condition with waterslide decals over the factory painted body. The chassis is unique in that it uses a real drop arm instead of the ISO setup in the already very rare “regular” Pactra “jail house” frame kit as shown below, and the drop arm is a brass stamping instead of the same part made of anodized aluminum as in the chassis kit.

So far, none other has ever been seen anywhere (please ANYONE, tell us if you have one or even seen another), except that Bruce Meyers told me that they sent him one when it was (very briefly apparently) produced in 1968. Bruce also said that he has no clue of what happened to it after he received it. This was apparently the last slot car ever produced by Pactra, and this example is possibly the sole survivor. Clear plastic body kits were issued by Pactra and later copied by Dallas Booth who also reproduced the decals as self-adhesive items, but the factory-assembled RTR car had eluded us so far. Unfortunately we have no clue on the type of packaging in which it was sold.

The mint body is factory painted in metallic red with a flat black top. The driver cockpit is molded in white with detailed driver and VW engine at the back.

A little bleeding from the painting rubber mask…

The chassis is amazing as it looks to be a clone of a 1967 pro-racing chassis just before John Wessels invented the “flip-flop” body mounts. The motor is also unusual for a Pactra car as it is a… Mabuchi FT16BB. The motor bracket is unique to fit this motor and will not fit the standard Pactra “Hemi” motor. The gear and pickup are also Pactra items. Wheel and tires are unique to this car.

Anyone familiar with the motor bracket on regular Pactra and Competition cars will easily recognize the same architecture and axle bearings.

This already rare frame kit is similar to that of the dune buggy, but has an anodized alloy drop arm that is attached to the back of the motor, the motor bracket forming an ISO-style system. How many of those has anyone here ever seen?

The waterslide decals are in near-perfect shape and really nice.

These are the kind of rare survivors we are looking for… Remember, Electric Dreams pays huge money for good ones.

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