The Model Car Showroom
Reviews, pictures, hints, and links 1/24, 1/25 car kits
X-RAY: 1966 Chevy Chevelle SS, AMT 1/25
This X-Ray is for a brand new kit from AMT – 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.
I bought this kit to see what the tooling was like, but it just so happens this is a re-issue of the LINDBERG 1966 Chevelle and nothing more. It is a good kit with TONS of pieces, excellent chrome, and a larger decal sheet.
1 set of stock tires and rims, 396 V8 (with multiple decals), reasonable decal sheet.
Good: SUPER low flash; new kit = new decals and glass; good pricing – especially at Hobby Lobby w/40% off.
Bad: Front bumper is a tough fit; not much for speed parts beyond stock; not much else… its a good kit. See my review ***HERE***.
$20+
********** I purchased this kit to see if the tooling was the same as the Lindberg kit. It is 100% complete and on sale at my eBay page **********
1970 Ford Torino Cobragt??
This is a review of the Revell 1970 Torino Cobra AND Torino GT by Revell
The Torino has always been a favorite design of mine – even to the point of noticing its influence on the Mad Max Interceptor / Ford Falcon X/B. It is a big, fast car and I like the look from front to back. I have made one or two before, but never got the look quite right… til now.
Besides a racing version, these are the only choices for this bada$$ and they are getting fewer by the day. They are all made by Monogram/Revell so the quality is good and parts are fairly similar. The big differences are the shaker hood and straight grille/rear tallights that the 2 differing models have. Straight and straight for the GT, shaker, and 4 headlights for the Cobra. If you want them different… you do what I did! Read on…
CAR BACKGROUND :: I will say this wholeheartedly… I like the 68/9 Torino Cobra better. That said, that would be like me saying I like a PB&Fluff more than a PB&J. Both are good and filling… just like one better by just a tad. Well, tads aside, the 1970 Torino is a look you either like or don’t. It is wide, grimacing from one angle, and straight-laced from another. All-in-all I think it a tidy, yet sporty look for a car this big. I have had more classic Fords and I’ve also had a Torino. I like the comfort and look over the bonnet and the FordMoCo engines. This one has the baddest of em all – the 429 CJ. The 370hp (375 with ram air) V8 would be enough to propel this beast to high 13s in the quarter mile. More than that, the car would cruise with the best of em. The Torino had the most “groovy” out of all the Ford Muscle as well, with stripes, colored hoods, shaker scoops, and more. It would also be the last true Torino super-muscle as the next rendition was homely, slow, and besides a stint on a cop show, useless.
White is a different color than what you’d expect from a 70 Torino… there were a lot of vibrant colors. I did this in homage to the 1970 I had. No it wasn’t a $60k Cobra, but then again it was a nice car for me at the time. The 302 had a lot of grunt and the car was a lot of fun.
So, back to the double kits mentioned above. I really like the hidden lights up front, but not only am I a bigger fan of the standard Fairlane lights, but am a hater of the straight metal overlay of the full-length taillight. I decided I loved the look of the tri-color stripe, so I went with it. This is my favorite iteration for this car and safe to say will be the last time I build it.
Nope… not the fun 302 I had. Not even a 351 – a popular engine for Torino buffs. Nope, this one has all the beef you could get – the 429CJ ram air. With 375 horses, this was the baddest Torino ever created (besides that of the King Cobra one-of, but that is another story). The revell engine bay is as good as always and is bettered with wired engine. Painting the car white made painting the engine bay black a little more work than I wanted, so it is white. I know… wrong, but I like it the way it is. The rest of the bay is well stocked and needed nothing. I will say I would rather have the flat hood vs shaker, but this is what I did… and I like it nonetheless.
The interior is standard fare for a Revell kit and that means good detail, lots to work on, and plenty to ogle at. The interior was done in semi-gloss black and only needed a directional stalk to complete the look.
The bottom of this kit is better than not-taking-a-pic would suggest as well. There is a lot of detail; a well-fit exhaust setup – with really good chrome tips; tight fitting to the bottom of the car, and easy-to-work-with axles. Couldn’t ask for better… but maybe a pic. 😜
I wished I could have gotten this look from only one kit – especially how pricey they’ve gotten. I just saw a re-release of a model the other day and thought – “WTH… why did they do this one and can’t bother to put out another Torino kit??”. This is a very good kit with few issues. The hood can be a lousy fit; the inset markers are a pain; and not having ALL the possibilities in one kit are trouble spots, but easily bypassed after getting the car to look just right!
These Torino kits are also a tremendous investment as the prices just keep going up. Watch for a reissue to knock the value down, but otherwise, these could be $200 in the next few years. I built one … but I also kept one. I’m no dummy!
9.25 – Excellent
FAN SUBMISSION! :: Greg Hopkins
So, I met Greg whilst doing business on eBay and after some chatting, I decided to do a submission for his work.
Now, he has purchased a Camaro SS from me but the car I am displaying here is an Interstate Batteries NASCAR kit. I am now, and will always not be a fan of both NASCAR and their model kits. I find them poor (usually AMT) quality and I dislike the race cars themselves. That said, this is a heck of a nice build. The model to the left is the AMT kit and is a very prevelant model. It is CHEAP ($9- $11) and also not a very good investment as there were too many sold.
The pic above was taken of the real McCoy and is the #18 Monte Carlo owned driven by Bobby Labonte. The green and black look is great and makes the car “pop”.
The car above is the model made by Greg and it is a super-accurate facsimile. He obtained the super-glow green paint, and after multiple attempts, got it just right, That, some excellent interior detail (that I’d have skipped totally), and great decal work later, and you get one heck of a looker. Super cool of him to share and I’m glad to have met another fellow modeler.
Cheers!
1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
This is a review of the AMT ’63 Corvette Stingray #6520
I’m a hypocrite. YUP. Major one at that. In my article Five Kits to Avoid in my “tips” section, I stressed, no, begged the public to stay away from this kit. Why? Well, if you were kind enough to read the original article, you’d have already known that the kit fits badly, has a lot of flash, can have bad chrome, and much more. I swore I’d never build one again. Well…
There is no shortage of 1963 Corvettes to build, and they come in many different forms. You can go straight SNAP-tite, or go detail crazy with the Prestige kit. MOST of the AMTs have the same amount of good – or – bad and there will be subtle differences here and there. One will have slicks, and another will be molded in a lousy olive-brown. Seeing one of the above kits’ “innards” would be a good idea if you are looking for something specific.
CAR BACKGROUND :: Quite possibly the most coveted Corvette design ever made, the ’63 split-window Corvette was made for one year and was such a cool look that today they carry a price tag and following like none other. It was a gorgeous car by ANY standard, and even though it carried a larger-than-life pricetag (hundreds more than a comparably-fast Camaro SS), was purchased over and over again. Offered with many differing 327 V-8 options, the svelte sports car was quick, nimble, and hard to beat. Unfortunately, it would be many years later before the massive big blocks would grace its tidy fenders, but that wasn’t the point of the ’63. The point was having a car that was the best on the block – and you’d be hard-pressed to argue it wasn’t that year. Man’s car, indeed.
I’ve built many of these – especially when I was much younger. My first was a convertible, and it was Testors Silver. It was a REALLY nice brush job because of the easy-on metallic silver paint. It was my best for MANY years and one I’ll never forget. This one is done in a Gloss Tan, and I added clear coat to spruce it up a bit. I added white walls and a side mirror because they are typically not included. I honestly didn’t think I could make one of these abysmal AMT Corvettes look this good. I’m not bragging – mind you – just making a point about how bad these kits can be.
Kinda dainty, isn’t it?
No, not a rip-roaring 427 like some of the later-year C3s. The 327 was a nice engine for the smaller Corvette, and it made a great noise too. This one is done as stock as humanly possible. Air cleaner – I admit – should probably be black, but with the black bay, I wanted it to “pop” a bit more. I also didn’t wire one since the distributor cover makes it a useless undertaking. The remainder of the look is typical AMT low-grade. It would at least be nice to have a few decals to spruce it up, but alas, no.
The underside is a dog. Nothing to attach; the exhaust is molded (meaning nothing fancy and no way to side-exhaust it); the axles are metal bars and look awful, and the wheels are allowed to roam outside the wheel wells because of how badly the axle bars fit. Making the whole thing worse, the tips aren’t attached to the mufflers. It is like the muffler stops, and then there is a tip sticking through the body of the car… for looks. Hate all of it. Just don’t look underneath, I spose.
I have fallen I LUST with this interior. The metallic orange looks like a bright version of the “saddle”, and I think it brings it to life. AMT has managed to not muck up this interior as there is a lot of detail and things to work on. Gauges, handles, knobs, and so on. Lots to do and look at.
Never thought I’d say this, but I am glad to be a hypocrite in this instance. YES, the kit still does have the worst chrome (sometimes faded and attached to the trees in big/bad places), the body floats on the chassis; the engine is small; the underside is one piece (so un-customizable and boring), and the hood is a garbage fit. However, I can say it looks good on display and looks the part of one of the most iconic shapes to grace a car. I can also say that as good as this one turned out, I will likely never do this car again! Kinda sad, but then again, I am thrilled with it, so why bother?
It is still amongst the cheapest models you can purchase too, so if you care for a go – NOW is the time. NOT for the investment-minded, however!
6.0 Mediocre
X-RAY: ☼RARE☼ 1966 AMC Marlin 1/25, Jo-Han
This X-Ray is for a super rare Jo-Han Marlin. This kit includes:
1 set of reversible whitewall/black tires and one set of rims; V8 engine.
Good: Low flash; RARE AMC kit.
Bad: Tough paint scheme; low parts count; TINY chrome tree; not particularly popular; EXPENSIVE.
$85+
X-RAY: 1976 AMC Gremlin X 1/25, AMT
This X-Ray is for a reissued ’76 Gremlin. This kit includes:
1 set of tires w/slicks and two sets of rims; V8 engine; bigger decal sheet.
Good: Tons of parts; newer and more exclusive decals sheet; second glass set tinted.
Bad: REALLY cheap plastic; not many speed parts; STILL an AMC Gremlin.
$25
X-RAY: 1968 Chrysler 300 Hardtop Customizing Kit 1/25, Jo-Han
This X-Ray is for a SUPER RARE 68 Chrysler 300 by Jo-Han. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and THREE sets of rims; V8 engine; lots of chrome
Good: Beautiful full size Mopar; detailed engine bay and interior; lotsa chrome.
Bad: Molded in a yellow NOBODY wanted; not an amazing amount of pieces; CRAZY expensive.
$120+
X-RAY: 1927 (Ford) Street Rod 1/25, Revell
This X-Ray is for a 1927 “Touring” (Ford)Street Rod by Revell. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and rims; V8 engine w/some add-ons; lots of chrome; decal sheet.
Good: Awesome little roadster with decent number of parts; inexpensive.
Bad: Molded in horrible orange; only roadster – no 2,3 in one.
Price: $25+
NEW XRAY WEEKS AHEAD!!!
Hello all. I will be listing an XRAY every day for the next two weeks (7/16 –> 7/30). I have an amazing amount of inside pics and will be showing them daily for the next bunch of days.
ALSO…..
Reminder to contact me if you have any collections you wish to sell. 30 or 3000, I BUY EM! I will give $100 to anyone leading to a sale and $200 to delivery/shipping. This has been a GREAT hobby during my illness and I appreciate the sales more than most know. THANKS!!
The Model Car Showroom 