The Model Car Showroom

So, before the avalanche of angry letters comes spewing in, there are a few explanations I have to give.

♦ These are NOT great cars, not the greatest model kits, or even the greatest Movie/TV shows of all time. For the most part, most of the cars are, in fact, mediocre in real life and are nothing but fantasy and rumor. They would probably be smoked by the Mercedes sedan next door. The Movie/TV shows are typically on the mediocre side, and though some are favorites, they can be downright AWFUL.

♦ I chose these because of A. personal preference and B. available/usable model kits to satisfy what I could and couldn’t do from a creative standpoint. I REALLY don’t like some of the movies that have so-called amazing cars in them – like Christine – not a fan. I would also LOVE to have a Bluesmobile Dodge Monaco, but there are no ’74 Monaco model kits to be had, and if there were, would be a headache to make it as junk as it was!

♦ Lastly, there are a few that I have made that are the real deal, and I simply do not want to replicate the build. I’ve made a ‘68 Charger in my own taste (Bullitt), a ’65 Lincoln Continental (Matrix), a ‘78 Dodge Monaco (besides Dukes, every cop show/drama from the mid-’70s to ’90s), a ’74 Firebird (Rockford), etc., etc.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Like any list, there are many that I’d like to note that I just didn’t want to fool with for one reason or another.

1. Bullitt – 68 Mustang GT or 68 Hemi Charger

I have to say that these two of my favorite cars were involved in THE greatest film chase of all time. No, not an opinion… just fact. The sound, the cars, the people, the city… it is just magnificent. So, why not build ’em? Well, like other cars in the “greatest ever” list, these both have problems with a good and accurate build. See, the Charger was a vinyl top car, and there is currently no model kit depicting this. I know, I know, get some masking tape or texturing material. No. Too much effort and not enough results. As I mentioned above, I have also built a ’68 Charger already.

The Mustang reasoning is much simpler – the car was a majorly “used” police car in the film. Dents, dings, scratches… the car was just busted. I don’t have the time or energy to fool with that type of build, and a pristine one would defeat the purpose of McQueen’s ride.

2. Cannonball Run – MULTIPLE

There are literally 50 vehicles I could take from Cannonball Run, but there are a few issues with doing them. First and foremost, I already built a Countach, and that would be redundant. The Ferrari 308 that Dean and Sammy used would be great, but there are few good 308 kits. The Ambulance (pic) and Terry Bradshaw’s Chevy stock car are both on the ho-hum side. Most of the other vehicles are somewhat normal and of little use for building. Yes, the Mustang Turbo and Mercedes 300SL were neat looking but not significant players in the movie.

3. Back to the Future et al – DMC Delorean

Again, another tough one to turn away from, but this one got real easy when I thought it through. The car itself is a MAJOR disappointment to every true car enthusiast. A so-called sports car with gullwing doors promised the world, and what the consumer ended up with was a car no faster than a really good bicycle. With 130 horsepower and a hefty curb weight, the DMC was lethargic but still utterly cool looking. You hate to have one with the other.

It is so grotesque that with all the garbage the movie throws on top of it, the car wouldn’t have gotten to 88 mph in 3 different parking lots, let alone the distance shown in the movie. Doc never mentions any upgrades, and with the 1/4 mile happening at 78 mph normally, there’s no possible way the movie car actually achieved the needed speed. That – mixed with no engine and a boatload of fake-tech gear made this one a pass.

4. Smokey and the Bandit – ’77 Trans Am

As much as I want to love this car and what it represented in the movies, I am just annoyed at the brutal BS that goes along with the performance of this vehicle. This car seemed to rocket around the screen with ole’ Burt in the cockpit, but in actuality, the car was a slug. The amazing Firebird’s screaming chicken on the hood was probably screaming for more speed as 60 mph came in a tepid eight and half seconds! Yeah, much faster than the horrible LTD and Grand Prix cop cars of the time, but still not nearly as fast as the movie portrays.

Now, that is bad enough, but there are no add-ons to Reynold’s Trans Am, and the tiny gold lines ALL OVER The car are a cross-eyed mess. I love the idea behind its place in the movie, but I just didn’t wanna fool with this bad of a fraud.

5. Hardcastle & McCormick

When I was really young this WAS my favorite car. It was a favorite car that wasn’t even an actual production car. It was even dubbed on television with a completely different sound than the 914 Porsche engine would have and, furthermore, fully different than the small block V8 that came with this kit. Doesn’t matter. I loved the look, sound, and obvious performance that came with this car. Yeah, I know, it was show-written and probably wasn’t fast, but the TV made it seem unbeatable.

Regarding the kit (and there are 2 versions), the car pictured is NOT the car in the kit. The one in the kit is TERRIBLE in every way and will NOT make the above car. The Coyote X was wider, had a better rake, and had bigger tires. This one also suffers from MPC plastic issues. The body is two-part; doesn’t fit well; has no rear chassis, and has a super-undetailed interior. If I could make the pictured car, it would be CENTERPIECE on my shelves, but unfortunately…. it just cannot happen with these MPC kits. You know of one that does … I will pay GOOD money for it… but for now… it is just a dream.

So, I know these are amazing to some in their own right and, to others, are more important than anything I’ve built. I am sorry, but I am not making ALL of the great celebrity cars and had to draw a line somewhere. I also realize there are more cars out there as well – Mad Max Fury Road (ANY), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Tango & Cash SUV, Bond cars, and so on and so on. Some they don’t make, and some I just didn’t like the movie enough. That is the way of it.

Reasoning aside, here are the kits I DID build and full reviews on them.

1. Dukes of Hazzard – 1969 Dodge Charger, MPC 1/25

I trust that if you are here to read any and all of this article, you are not only versed in the 1969 Charger but General Lee as well. If not, or if you require a refresher course, here you go. The TV show followed the antics of Bo and Luke Duke and their family in Hazzard County. Needless to say that the show is about all the trouble the two brothers can get into whilst running from the police or chasing bad guys.

Now, unbeknownst to a good many viewers, the “General” is not an ordinary Dodge Charger. In fact, there were dozens of Chargers used for the show, and many of them were wrecked. Because of this, one of the biggest misconceptions was that the Charger was a 440 or 426 hemi-powered vehicle. They were not. Most were powered by Dodge’s unbreakable 318, V8, to keep costs down. They were also reinforced, roll-barred, and further enhanced underneath for both off-road driving AND ridiculous jumps.

The MPC kit is absolute garbage. The pieces fit poorly and are low-quality/detail, and the finish is not where you want to be with hours fanatically working on it. However, it does display amazingly, and fans of the show can undoubtedly tweak what is necessary. I added a side mirror off of a late-60’s Mopar kit, and I think the finished product looks great.

You’ll first notice that the hemi that comes with the car has been replaced by something more realistic. The 340 (small block Mopar to represent a 318) was taken from another kit and looks just fine inside the bay. However, there are a lot of MPC-fails as well. That means lousy firewall detail, a mini brake boost, and a non-existent washer pump. It all looks reasonable when done, but it is NOT a grand bay – certainly not a Revell.

The underside is slightly better in that it all works well, and the exhaust matches up to the engine without any issues. There could be a bit more to it, and it would probably make sense if there were bolstering (as in the show), but otherwise, it is fine.

So, this isn’t a fantastic kit – not by a long shot – but it does work for any display needs you’ll have. It is also still a reasonable cost at around $30. For me, I changed the motor and added the side mirror, changed the tires, added exhaust tips, and changed the rear-view mirror. All said they are things in most builder’s parts lot, but honestly, it is a lot to add for authenticity. These kits aren’t necessarily a BIG investment either, as a ginormous number of them are in circulation. Some of the larger 1/16 kits and older sealed ones can be worth some money, but even these are affordable overall. Now if we could just get Revell to make a proper one!

Average – 7.0

2. Robocop – 1989 Ford Taurus SHO, AMT 1/25

No, the Taurus isn’t an amazing car by any means, but the SHO was Ford’s cannonball into the 4-door sport-sedan realm and was one of the best value-for-performance deals you could get. With 220 horsepower, the car made quick work of most road-going cars and would make a Mustang owner think twice at a stoplight. With, at the time, futuristic styling and a four-door layout, it became a no-brainer for the techno-filled movie. In the real world, the Taurus would be able to rip off 15-second quarter times and would easily get to 120 without breathing hard. I’d buy that for a dollar! It is an 80’s favorite of mine, but one that has no following and no hope for immortality.

Aside from a hood that never seems to want to cooperate, this is an excellent model for the 9-1-1, Robocop, or stock variations. I painted the car flat black to match the movie’s look. Aside from added exhaust tips, the remainder of the car is all from the kit. In my case, I bought the police car kit to save on pricing as the Robocop ones have gone price-crazy. I used all the police goodies from the cop kit and printed my OCP logos.

The underside is full of detail work and has the SHO’s dual exhaust. The tires and rims are nice and fit properly. The car also fits together solidly, and there is ZERO flop to the finished product.

The engine bay is respectable and shows off the SHO’s top-heavy V6. It should probably be de-chromed and painted more a flat silver for realism, but I left this one. The gaping hole in front does actually have a radiator fan, but it is out of sight.

The interior contains all things necessary for all 3 law enforcement vehicles. There is a barrier for the back seat, guns, CB, antennas, and more. Looks great either way you slice it. I threw an AR in the back that probably wouldn’t be standard for normal society, but heck, it’s the future.

If you can make your own decals, this kit can be had for about $25. If you need the Robocop version, they are getting more expensive by the day – anywhere from $50-70, depending. The Robo versions are good investments as there aren’t many, and the movie is a definite classic – even if not all that impressive.

On the other hand, the kit is a stellar one – with good fitting pieces, easy instructions, tons of police/9-1-1 parts, very little flash, and NOTHING to add to make it all work. Just build it.

Excellent – 9.0

3. The Road Warrior – 1973 Ford X/B Interceptor, Aoshima 1/24

Could it be the greatest movie car ever? “This thing breathes nitro… phase four heads… twin overhead cams… 600 horsepower through the wheels.. with the blower…”. And the sound… the sound of thunder and lightning simultaneously. This car is the epitome of wasteland police enforcement. Yup, might just be…

Now the car I REALLY want is the MAD MAX’s mint interceptor from the first movie. They don’t make a kit of that car to build, and most of the resin stuff out there is more than I’d like to get into for a less-than-perfect concoction. The Aoshima kit above is sufficient, however, and depicts the car epically from the second movie – right down to the explosive device on the bottom of the car. Granted, the Falcon from the movie had a fake supercharger mounted on the top of the engine and was no more than a simple V8 muscle car, but the idea behind it and the revenge it helped Max achieve made for a hell of a movie icon.

Now I’ll have to say a couple things about this kit. This is NOT a typical 100-piece kit. There is no engine – save for the supercharger attached to the body underneath the hood. There is no undercarriage work, and the exhaust is even kinda BS as it is mish-mashed together for the side exhaust look. No shocks, struts, springs… nothing. The car is also missing the front lower bumper, as it was deleted from the car in the second movie. Rather a lot for a kit costing over $100.

The blower looks very nice and resembles that of the movie exceptionally well. The car also has over a dozen or so pieces for the interior, adding to the detail work you can do. The side seat, police globe, tachometer, spare tire, gun, and even the dog food can (with decal) are all present to use or omit. If you look at the movie closely, some other things and oddities COULD be here, but there is still enough for any Max fan to be happy.

At the end of the day, the car looked as good as I had hoped. I really should have tried to “dirty” the car and do some damage, as in the movie, but I’m more for the clean look and was happy with the final product. This car was featured in three movies and destroyed 3 different times, but it lives on as the greatest movie car in my book. Unfortunately… it is NOT the greatest kit.

Mediocre – 6.0

4. John Wick – 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429, Revell 1/25

Again, like most movie/TV cars, this Mustang was not what it was told to be. This is a HECK of a cool-looking Stang, but it is as much a Boss 429 as I am a linebacker for the Bears. Still, this is a massively fun car to watch and one that is in two of Wick’s movies as well. The color… sound… fury… love… and utter destruction of this car solidifies it as an instant legend.

If ya wanna know about the build, check out my review *HERE*. Suffice it to say it is a hell of a model kit. It is a perfect starting point for the Wick Mustang, and honestly, the kit is elementary to make into the movie’s close cousin.

As I’ve mentioned before, this is not a Boss 429. I guess the writers would rather take a reasonably clean $40,000 Mustang and thrash it rather than ruin a $200k 429, and I can easily see that. This car has the typical 302ci engine with a Cobra air cleaner to spruce it up.

The underside is usual Revell goodness and includes well-fitting exhaust, shocks, and a lot of detail. Rims and tires are from the kit, and I added almost nothing.

Yeah, even copied his license plate. There are subtle things about this car that are different than Wick’s car, but not enough to worry too much about. The car itself was a farce, but thankfully we were more interested in Wick’s killing sprees than that of his under-important Mustang. Any way you slice it, however, this is a REALLY good model.

Excellent – 9.0

5. Grease – 1948 Ford Convertible, Revell 1/25

This car, unlike a LOT of TV/movie cars, is very realistic. The Greased Lightning Ford performs and looks like the car would all those years back. Even the epic climax race would have been THAT slow. Figures for back then have the car with right around 100hp and the ¼mile happening in almost 20 seconds. Brutal, to be sure, and more so when your opponent wants to shred your tires the whole way through the race.

Not the point… not even close. This was the dream ride of a group of high school buddies, and when they finally got it together, it looked like a thousand miles per hour.

The car was painted with Tamiya Racing White and looks perfect. Decals were added per the movie’s look (still shots did the trick), and nothing was added to the kit. The model kit is reasonable as well. The body floats a bit too much, and the rear bumper is difficult to get glued on, but it isn’t too bad.

Interior is EXCELLENT. There is much to detail and a lot to look at when done. The seat decals are really cool looking and finish off the look.

As far as the underside, the flimsy exhaust is a pain in the neck. The axles are kinda irritating as well, and there is more to pull your hair out here than anywhere else in the build. It will all work out, and thankfully the rest is easy sailing.

I really like this car, though, and it displays brilliantly. These models are very reasonably priced and almost foolproof to put together. There’s some finagling to get everything right, but there is little to ruin the finished product. I’d say to make sure if you get an open kit, definitely make sure the decals are in excellent condition because having even one be unusable would tarnish the beauty of this movie legend.

Excellent – 9.0

6. Herbie – 1966 Volkswagon Beetle, Tamiya 1/24

Ok, ok, Herbie wasn’t specifically a ’66. Big, fat, hairy deal. The VW Beetle changed about as much in 30 years as a #2 pencil. One is as good as another, and the Tamiya kit is FANTASTIC. There are a couple of Herbie kits, but they are very rare and can be expensive. Yes, that means I had to make decals, but when you have lemons…

Like the Grease Ford, the Beetle was painted Tamiya Racing White. I added the chrome trim and, like I said above, added decals I made myself. This was not a Herbie kit, so it didn’t come with decals, but I think I managed to get it pretty close. Thankfully, Herbie wasn’t a fully animated car like Lightning McQueen, so there were ZERO details to add to make it look any more “alive”.

The engine bay is uninteresting and doesn’t have many parts. It isn’t a spectacularly big or powerful engine, but it could be more elaborate. On top of that, the rear hatch is very unhelpful in staying in place, so I had to glue it on.

The underside is just as boring as the engine bay. There is a bit of suspension and engine detailing you could do, but overall, it just isn’t worth it. The good side of it is the engine and bottom are easy/simple to put together.

I really liked the easy build of this vee-dub, and it is a good thing because I hate the car in EVERY other way. Sure, it was a cute thing to watch as a child, and it is a harmless flick for young and old alike, but the car is just a waste of metal (or, in this case, plastic). Be that as it may, the Beetles are quite prevalent because the years are very interchangeable, so therefore not horribly expensive. The Herbie kits are another thing altogether, and you should either do what I did by making/buying decals or not bother with the build at all!

Good – 8.0

7. Weird Science – Porsche 928, Revell 1/24

The Porsche 928 is a car that has been in hundreds of TV shows and movies (was even run over by Big Foot in Cannonball Run II), but none so funny and alluring as Weird Science. After Wyatt and Gary created Lisa, she blinked the wonderful rear-drive menace into existence for the 2 geeks to show up the studs at the mall, and it was an awesome happening for dorks everywhere. The car itself is brilliant looking and, even though more in reach than a Countach, is still an exotic to be reckoned with. The model I built is the first edition or so – so 237hp, V8, but enough to run the 928 to over 140mph in 1980. Those are true exotic numbers back then and would still be a hoot now.

Painted Tamiya gloss black, there is little off from the “S” in the movie except for the rear wing and rims. There’s no Porsche model with the correct ones, and the wing isn’t included with the kit. No big deal, as the car has a nice presence itself. This car also doesn’t have the side markers, and they are shown on the box top. No, not a decal, just not on the car. Some 928s didn’t come with them, but the box shows em. Oh well.

The V8 is a reasonable build, but the “face-hugger” (Aliens) on top looks kind of silly. I cannot say it is poorly made either, as the first 928s looked just like the picture.

The interior is standard early 928 fare and has the manual transmission. There is enough detail to fiddle with, but it is also bare compared to new Porsches. Not the point… grab the keys and give her a spin.

The kit is REALLY easy as well. The toughest part? The lights. The front and rear lights are clear, so all the individual squares and black lines need to be painted. It is a lot of squinting, but there can be worse issues with a build. The other thing to be leery of is fitting the big pieces together. I like painting the whole car at once – usually put together, but if you put the front and back bumpers on, the bottom will NOT fit inside as it is longer than the hole. My advice is to leave the front bumper off until the car is together and then carefully glue it on.

These kits are becoming more rare, but they are also the “less popular” Porsche, so they may not really spike in value. Now is the time to get one, and because it’s easy, will give ya an early builder to work on.

Very Good – 8.5

8. Cobra – 1950 Mercury

Ok. I admit it. The movie Cobra was a colossal piece of crap. It is a movie with the worst acting of Stallone’s career, really average acting by Brigitte Nielsen, and really intense acting by Brian Thompson. It also filmed one of my favorite car chases in all of movie history. Yes, the Merc that sounded like it had a supercharger AND nitrous but could barely overtake a Dodge Aspen. Yes, the car’s speedo went over 120 at one point but looked like it was doing 50. Yes, the car jumped out of a 2-story building and wasn’t completely broken. On and on…

It was just beautiful!

This model required 2 kits and a re-do. I had done this model a year or so ago (left), and the color was just all wrong. I also realized that I could purchase the snap police kit and get the hubs that crazily look like the movie car’s. In the end, the car looks 87% like the movie. Yeah, there are some differences that the available model kits have from the actual car, but they are small, considering. I think the car looks the part, and that’s what counts. I used the police lights from the snap kit and the hood scoop from a Polara and made the plate myself.

The interior was really nice, and I chose to leave it more or less stock save for the hurst shifter. The side mirrors are from mid-70s Plymouths available in over a dozen kits. They match the movie’s look well, but not standard Merc by any means.

The engine is a fun story, though. So the 1949 Merc that I used for the AWSOM50 came with the 50s engine, and though it would’ve been stock to the car, the Cobra probably had a bigger V8. I put a dual-quad max wedge hemi under the hood from a Polara (same as the hood scoop) and added the Cobra’s nitrous system. Yeah, they didn’t show the setup in the movie, but this works as well as any. As far as the whine from the motor, some say supercharger. I say, whiney fan belt. The nitrous, though as silly as the speedo, was at least shown with the switch.

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Thankfully, both kits are reasonably priced, though the snap kit is getting expensive due to rarity. I get that it isn’t a good movie. Maybe not even a half-ass one. The chase, for me, is a lot of fun, and the car is as full of testosterone as Sly’s character was supposed to be. It’s cool as heck to me, anyways.

Very Good – 8.5

9. Knight Rider – Pontiac Firebird

If you recognize the pic to the right, then you are probably humming the song in your head. Knight Rider was a medium-run TV show about a hunky hero (Hasselhoff) and a talking Firebird named KITT. Yup that’s why we cared about the 80’s Firebird. Let’s get real; without the fantasy, this is a 160hp sports car that wouldn’t run to 100mph in less than 25 seconds. The horrible cross-fire 305ci, V8 would be one of the worst engines installed in the bird since its birth in ’67.

So, what do they do? They make it talk. They give it a turbo boost that propels the car well over 200mph (by digital gauge only). They give it a charismatic driver. They give it a Cylon light bar in the front between where the grille would be (such as it is for a Firebird). They make the interior like that of a fighter jet’s more technical cousin.

Yeah…, pure fantasy. In real life, the Firebird is no different than the one at the dealership, which means ho-hum. That is the beauty of fantasy, though.

Like the Porsche 928, KITT has been painted Tamiya gloss black, and besides the light bar in the front, is indistinguishable from a normal Firebird. Black on black, with black center hubs, the car looks as formidable as the TV show would lead you to believe. That said, the MPC kit is not very good. There is a TON of flash, the hood fit is lousy, the detail on most pieces is lackluster, and the glass is usually marked up from being in the box for decades. Worst thing was the decals. They were GARBAGE. Most split and the front light bar just disintegrated. I used a red decal with black on the top and bottom from a NASCAR kit. It actually looks better anyways, as the original was meant to look like it was moving, but really just looked blurry.

The interior is the blue-ribbon prize of the kit. The end product is one of the sweetest kit interiors I’ve ever made, and it is all because of well-designed decals. I think I actually would like to display it vs. the Firebird, LOL.

The underside is actually decent. Little underwhelming part count, but everything fits well and looks good. The engine bay is laughable. The 305ci is only MEH-looking, but I care so little about the performance that I just don’t care to display it. It was OK, but that is all.

I remember liking the show, but our house didn’t watch too many episodes because as good as the car was (fantasy-wise), the story usually was horrible, and the acting was even worse. You would sometimes get a villain that was a reasonable actor, but for the most part, the show was junk. The kit is a bit better, but MPC quality and build sketchiness make for only a kit to build when… well… when you need KITT!

Good – 8.0

Well, there they are. Nine of my favorite movie/TV car heroes. The model car industry being an outgoing hobby means that there will be fewer kits made for the new movies and, unfortunately, that many fewer heroes for people to love and dream about. For me, I will just watch these shows and smile. That, or look at these creations and reminisce.