Model: Revell 1/8 scale Triumph Drag Bike
Kit No.: H-1232-400
Introduced: 1964
Present Value: $100-$200+ (original, unassembled, no tire damage and good chrome)
Unlike companies like AMT, MPC, and JoHan, who were primarily producers of automotive-themed model kits, Revell offered a catalog of all types of scale kits, including aircraft, boats, submarines, armor, figures, and more.
One of Revell’s more successful categories during the 1960s was its 1/8 scale motorcycle kits. By the end of the decade, Revell’s listed 1/8 scale replicas of factory-stock and custom-themed bikes from the likes of Harley-Davidson, Yamaha, Honda, and Triumph. Into the early 1970s, these were joined by additional kits from Kawasaki and BMW, as well as several one-off “trike” motorcycles.
Having experienced success with four 1/25 scale motorcycle kits, which were part of its extensive “Parts Packs” product range, Revell decided to develop the range of 1/8 scale kits. For its first offerings, Revell chose a series of Triumph bikes. From today’s perspective, the move might be surprising, but at the time (and as stated in the Drag Bike instruction manual): “Among the many motorcycles manufactured in the world today, Triumph is among the best known.” In the mid-60s, Triumph’s Bonneville T-120 was thought to be the fastest bike you could buy off the showroom floor. So, yeah, Triumph bikes were a big deal.
Revell started in 1964 with a stock 1952-vintage Triumph Tiger 100 kit (No. 1231), along with a Triumph “Custom Show Bike” (No. H1230). Its third Triumph kit was the “Drag Bike,” also introduced in 1964. All three of the kits shared common parts, but the Drag Bike possessed the most appeal for model builders — possibly due to both its drag racing theme and the aggressive, hunkered-down appearance of the built model. As a testament to its popularity, the Drag Bike kit typically commands a price about twice that of the other two Triumph kits in the collector market.
Assembly began with a 22-piece two-cylinder engine that featured individually tooled spark plugs and inspection caps for the rocker covers. Individual levers and linkages for the brake pedal, clutch, kick start, and even a kick stand, were enabled by scaling the kit three times as large as the typical model car kit of the era. Revell also supplied wiring directions and materials for the spark plug wires, fuel and oil lines, and clutch, brake, and magneto cables.
Like with the very best automotive kits, builders who completed assembly of Revell’s Triumph Drag Bike not only had an eye-catching model to display, but they had gained in-depth knowledge of how real motorcycles were designed and built.
You’ll find that this kit in original, completely unassembled form with no damage to parts from the rubber tires and reasonably good plating (in the context of typical 1960s Revell chrome quality), is extraordinarily rare and priced accordingly. Even poorly assembled kits that are missing parts can command $50 or more.
A word of advice: If you’re in the market for one of these vintage kits, carefully check the online listings and kit contents. If partially assembled, damaged, or missing parts, adjust what you’re willing to spend. If you have a Triumph Drag Bike or acquire one, Revell rereleased the Triumph Tiger 100 in 1982 as the Grease 2 Triumph “Cycle Lord” (No. 7914), and it might prove an affordable source for some of those damaged or missing parts.