This is a review of the Revell 1969 GTO Judge kit #85-2072

My cursed kit…. The one I’ve wanted to build but never had. I’ve had this kit numerous times in the past and have had ZERO fortune in completing it. Not even very close. It is a kit that is possibly one of Revell’s worst made. It is one that hasn’t been remade in a few years and I hope it never is remade again. But.. after much coinage and perseverance, it has been done… but at a cost!

The four above, plus the Muscle version I used, have been around for years, and now there is a reissue with a spangly blue cover. The older models have varying decal sheets and can either be molded in cream-white or orange. I’ve seen modelers clear-coat the orange ones and not even bother painting. It is a lazy but effective way of doing it, but if you need a color other than orange, make sure to look before leaping – or just buy the reissue.

** REVISED:: Well, I have mentioned in my “About” that I am NOT the “all-knowing” guru when it comes to model cars. I’ve studied both cars and models for over 30 years, but I still get good info from modelers all the time. This time it is from Eric Kopa. He pointed out that the Monogram kits above do NOT come with the Ram Air air cleaner pictured here on the right. I NEVER even thought of it when I made the one you’ll see in this review because I didn’t need it. It IS the correct way to go with a Ram Air GOAT, but the dual-snorkel one in the other kits will be period-correct and look good as well. That said, if you want it to look exact – like mine does – you’d need the Revell Muscle version that I bought and not the others. Thanks again ERIC!

CAR BACKGROUND :: Be it the hidden headlights, the squatted stance from the fastback, or the stripes/wings you could add, the Judge is THE goat of the goats. I’ve always been a GTO fan. There are few years where I shrug my shoulders, but more often than not, I’d mortgage the house for one. The Judge, however, is the one that just commands viewers’ attention. Not that the engine or burnouts wouldn’t make ya look either. With a 400ci ram-air V8, this goat turned low 14-second numbers through the quarter… and it looked awesome doing it.

Something else of note – these Judges were mostly orange. The “Matador Red” was the most sold color, but I don’t think it looks like a Pontiac color to me. Every time I see it, I think “cool-looking Mopar… oh, right… GTO.” I cannot stress how much I like these in the white, blue, or green setups.

Personal preference, but I think the red-orange is the wrong color.

Ok, so where do I start? Well, the car is painted Testors Blue Ice. Quite a bit too metallic, but very close to the ’69 color just the same. So, back to the “curse”. I have had everything that could possibly happen while building this car. I’ve had broken pillars, bad paint (the spray was defective), runny paint, rear bumper issues, bad chrome, bad glass… it has been a struggle getting this one done.

Beyond my bad luck, the kits have been flawed (the build quality is one of Revell’s worst), and I am whining a bit too much for this article! Anyways… the rims are stock, and I used the kit’s flat, un-detailed tires. I should have replaced them, but I stuck with the stock ones. It does come with a good side mirror and outwardly needs nothing else. BIG note – watch attaching the rear bumper/taillight piece. It attaches in a small area and can ruin the paint on the sides if you use too much. You will need to scrape off the chrome off the back side as well, or you may have problems getting it to stick – especially where it is angled downwards.

I went with the semi-gloss black interior and I can say I am content with it. These kits typically have good detail and aren’t missing very much – if anything. Some of the older kits have tire marks and should be looked at before buying – if possible..

Ok, ok… get past that the fan shroud s/b painted. I missed it. The remainder of the engine bay is one of Revell’s “meh” ones. There isn’t a lot of detail on the wheel wells, the 400ci V8 is far too small, the fan shroud looks like it’s out of an F-350, and the firewall is somewhat barren. With wires and a decal or two, it came out good, but this is NOT a favorite of mine.

Maybe leaving the shroud colored wasn’t a bad thing??

The bottom of this car is fairly good. There is good detail; the exhaust is hearty looking; the tabs for the wheels are big and stout; and there is ample room for slicks. I didn’t have any issues here with the overall build, but I will mention that the curved back bumper likes to encroach on the bottom of the car – further making it tough to get it to adhere well. I also used better looking tips as the stock ones were just “ok”.

I can’t say how much it cost me to make this car because it is embarrassing. At $40+ a kit back then, you can add up many failures and get a good idea. Not that there weren’t many reasons that the build failed outside of my doing, it still became a tiresome slog instead of a fun build. Buy a new one – now at a more reasonable price – and have a GOOD time with this awesome car.

6.5 – Mediocre (old) / 8.25 – good (new)