HPI Brings Us the Bandit

I am no country music fan, but there is one song that I know and love. This song is "Eastbound & Down" by Jerry Reed. That is the theme song from "Smokey and the Bandit" a movie that shaped my life. I still don't have a mustache but I have had more than my share of police chases (7-1 that one time I didn't know they were chasing me). I can tell you the police need to be within a certain distance to turn on their lights and call in a chase, never let them get that close. I have also had a few Firebirds. I still haven't got my hands on a Trans Am yet. HPI has now made it easier.

The Firebird symbol is supposed to be a phoenix but most call it the "Screaming Chicken". This chicken my not be the most scale body HPI has made but considering the curves on the real car it can be forgiven. I am positive most will be painted black. Tyco had a slot car package that had an awesome drawing of a red one.

I'm not sure what wheels would be best for this car since the stock wheels were so unique. Those old school HPI aerodish wheels would look like "turbo" wheels but that the Turbo Trans Am from "Smokey and the Bandit 2" had a different nose. In all honesty wheels are a minor concern with this body. I think the biggest concern will be keeping them on store shelves. Check it out and buy one.

#107201 1978 PONTIAC FIREBIRD BODY (200MM)

One of the original muscle cars, the Pontiac Firebird had a long and storied history, with its popularity peaking in the late 70's after the release of a certain Hollywood movie featuring the original of this car, the hugely successful black 'Bandit' version with gold detail, flared air dams and that famous 'shaker' hood!

Originally released as a 1967 model and sharing the Chevrolet Camaro chassis, the Pontiac Firebird used various engines from different General Motors divisions to keep its reputation as one of the original 'pony cars'. In the 1978 model year, you could choose a base V6 or one of 5 different V8 engines making up to 200 horsepower. To help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pontiac, the Special Edition was offered to the public in 1976, using black paint with gold accents, add-on lower body panels and more. The popularity of the gold-on-black Special Edition was immeasurably boosted by its starring role in the smash hit movie 'Smokey and the Bandit', and the car would forever be known unofficially as the 'Bandit' edition!

Our replica of this iconic Hollywood motoring legend takes all the familiar shapes and lines and shrinks them down to 1/10th scale to fit on your RC touring car chassis! A huge vinyl pre-cut decal sheet comes with all of the good stuff: official Pontiac & Special Edition logos and even the gold firebird and pin-striping that made the 'Bandit' edition one of the most highly coveted cars of the 70's!

Like all HPI bodies, the '78 Firebird comes with a clear protective overspray film, window masks and a large pre-cut decal sheet. The body also has drill locations marked for HPI touring car chassis, making it easy to line up the body mount and antenna holes.

Premium vinyl decals include window frames, headlights, grill, tail lights, official logos and more - for a perfect finish with a lot of details

High quality, crystal clear polycarbonate with excellent dimensional stability and impact resistance, for extra strength and longer life

Clear, easy-peel overspray paint film makes painting quick and easy

Pre-marked body post holes for easy mounting on HPI cars

Officially licensed body

Get ‘Eastbound and down’ with this replica of the famous 1976 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am!

If you want to see the Bandit in action watch this!

Westbound and Down is the song from the first part of the movie while they were going to their destination. Eastbound and Down is the song from their return home.