This is a review of the Revell 1971 Plymouth GTX Kit#7608

This car has a story inside a story, and it is a doozy. My son Aaron, who was born at just 2.3 pounds in 2002, was in an incubator for 46 days. It was a traumatic experience for my wife and me, and it is one we hope doctors will find a solution to for others. While there, I gave him a small Johnny Lightning car of a 1971 Plymouth GTX. It wasn’t anything special (as far as the car was concerned), I just wanted to give my new son something as soon as I could… just in case of the unspeakable. Suffice to say, he did very well in the wonderful WVU NICU and came home about the same time as his due date. He has had no real problems since, is married, and has made me very proud.

For a great while, I’ve wanted to do a homage to the car in the bottle… so to speak… and this is it.

The Revell kits above are all about the same and come with the same decal set. I think the only difference is that the Revell Muscle has a few extras, and the kit to the left is molded in yellow. All of these will make a sweet build, though, and they should all be around the same price.

The yellow GTX is a BRAND NEW issue and looks to be a mostly non-stock version. I haven’t seen the inside of this one, but will try to do an X-Ray soon. The Fast & Furious Plymouth of Dom’s was out when this article was done, but it was missed. It is a hit-and -miss stock version, as the hood, wheels, and more are not what you would have gotten in 1971.

The two above are kind of evil stepchildren. The GTX is made by MPC, so not as good quality as the Revell kits, AND it is as rare as a rainbow-farting unicorn. The Satellite is a REALLY nice substitute for the GTX and has the sporty molded hood with the slots for engine numbers. It is, however, molded in a horrifyingly cheap, black plastic, and it is usually extremely expensive, but a nice kit/car nonetheless.

CAR BACKGROUND :: The 1971 GTX was an all-new body from the very “rectangle” one from 1970, and there is a lot of discussion as to whether it is even remotely attractive. I happen to like the 1971-1974 Satellites and think that they are underrated muscle cars. The 1971 was the last high-power 440 GTX you could get – with the 6-pack thumping to the tune of 385hp. And like the others in the Mopar stable, the color selections were as vivid as a Pride parade (not that colors mattered on the dragstrip). Punch the accelerator, and this beast would rocket to 104 mph in under 14 seconds. Between the heavy growl of the 440 (which I know and love) and the intimidating ram air scoop rising up to inhale gobs of air, you’d be in heaven rocketing down the ¼mile every time!

So.. obviously I had to go with the Hemi Orange that the toy car was. This paint job was more involved than typical, however. I started with a base coat of Testors Flaming Orange, and then topped it off with the Hemi Orange after the first coat dried. It made for a super glossy finish. I decided not to use the huge Plymouth decals for the rear quarters (as in the toy) because these GTXs didn’t come with them. I also like to save those decals for any Mopars that could use some sprucing up.. and this one doesn’t need it.

One of the typical Revell interiors, there is a good bit of detail, lots of seat grooves, an excellently appointed dash, and it’s missing nothing – as I believe this steering column has a directional stalk.

This engine bay looks like most of the Revell Mopars, and that is a very positive thing. At one point I was debating on potentially swapping in a Hemi, but I decided to throw that into the Superbird instead and keep this one a 440-6. I can’t say I’m regretting that decision, either. Only thing I added here is a wiper motor to help the barren firewall, otherwise, it is nice as is.

I had fun with the bottom of this one, and it helps that it is super easy to work with. Everything fits well, and there is little to have to add/fix. The only thing I did was add some GTX-style red-lined chrome tips at the back. These were prevalent on them, and I love the look – especially with a red/orange car. These were the extra ends from a Lambo Murciélago, and they work very well. I think that there are newer Mopar kits that actually HAVE these ends, but I’m not sure which ones.

I used the stock sport rims and gave it a turbo muffler look, but otherwise left the rest as is.

With the newest reissue, the kits have stayed fairly even-keeled in terms of pricing. That said, they are still likely to rise in value, as the new reissue isn’t the stock beauty from yesteryear, and I’m not sure they will have another reissue in future. Add to that the good build quality of this kit, and it should become more scarce as people will most assuredly build them. I hope to have an X-Ray of the newest kit soon; keep an eye out. Oh, and get building this fantastic car, too.

9.25 Excellent