The Model Car Showroom
Reviews, pictures, hints, and links 1/24, 1/25 car kits
1970 Dodge Coronet Super Bee Pro Street (Custom)
This is a review of the ’70 Super Bee Pro Street by AMT – Kit #6140
I have only built this one twice (the first time was the stock model) and I can say without too much pause, that I will most likely never build it again. The kit, overall, is one of the worst I’ve ever had to work with. There is a lot of flash; the hood fits as poorly as any kit EVER; the overall fit/finish is 5th rate; and it has gotten so pricey, that only a Coronet owner would need to fool with it. My original thought for this build was to do a tribute to David Freiburger’s ’70 Super Bee (from the famous series Roadkill, on Motor Trend TV), but I just couldn’t get all the correct parts for the build, so this became a one-of-a-kind build – in MY image.
There are a few other versions of this pro street Coronet and they all rank about the same in modeling goodness. I don’t have any idea what type of decals the “Dirty Donny’s” version has, but I assume the rest of the car is the same (message if you’d like to fill me in otherwise!). Revell doesn’t make a ’70 Coronet and I don’t know of any others kits besides AMT’s stock kit… which has multiple iterations.
CAR BACKGROUND :: Here it is folks. THE ugliest Mopar muscle car EVER MADE. The jowls on this car are hideous; it’s too long; doesn’t have interesting lines; and has a bland rear fascia. Sorry Dave.
It IS one of the most interesting looking Mopars of the era and is one, with the right engine choices, that could walk away from even the most violent beasts on the road. Problem with the last statement is that only THIRTEEN of these opted for the Hemi (making them astronomically priced now), and only some 200+ got the 440 six-pack. Now, the plain Jane 440 was STILL a great motor, but there was no beating the other two for bragging rights! Now me, like Mr Freiburger, think this car does make a pretty sweet drag/street car. In his show, he takes his reasonably good Super Bee and makes it a violent piece of machinery. With quarter times in the 11s, his 3800+lb orange moves like nobody’s business and, because it IS so fast, doesn’t need to look like a Challenger doing so.
Don’t ask why, but I am a true fan of hot pink colors for hopped up muscle. To me it screams as loud as the car should. This one is painted Electric Pink and I think it definitely looks the part. I added a gnarly hood scoop from a Chevelle and chrome exhaust, but this was only the start of the mods.
So here is the meat of this bad-boy. A big, evil, hemi. A 484ci hemi to be precise. I used the size from Dave’s Coronet as it is a REAL engine and as good a number as any. The bay is very good for an AMT and the engine fits snugly under the massive scoop. The original kit has the high rise intake sitting outside the hood, but I like the giant scoop on the car much better.
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The next thing I wanted to do was add some writing to the story. I added custom “484 HEMI” and “Killer Bee” decals to the front and rear. I know the killer bee thing has been done, but it works for an unholy drag car IMHO and it looks the part too.
As you can see, the home-made license plate finishes off the craziness and I think, IRL, it all makes the car look like something I definitely wouldn’t mess with! I mentioned fit and finish as a complaint, and you can see that while the bumper fits neatly in the pre-made holes in the body, it still is molded to be crooked!
The underside of this car is ALL speed. The mufflers are stock to the kit and I fashioned some chrome exit pipes to go out the sides. I get that drag-ers don’t care much about exhaust getting in the car, and they sure didn’t give much care back when, but I wanted the exhaust to exit out the sides. The pro stock chassis works well and fits seemingly better than the stock AMT Coronet’s chassis did. The wheels are just the cherry on the look and I wish I had more cars this way… it is just bad-a$$.
I know the car looks like there would be nothing wrong with putting this together, but it really is a problem child with getting everything right. It isn’t a floater or missing a bunch of pieces, but it just exudes cheap and annoying. The hood is NEVER quite right (the stock fitting, not the scoop), you’ve seen the rear bumper fail, and the front grill/valance fit is loose and irritating. That said, this is a GREAT kit for making something grumpy and fast looking! It IS a good investment as these are getting SUPER rare and can cost upward of $40. I cannot say it is worth the price to build as there are far cheaper and far more attractive muscle cars… but, I built it… so…
7.0 Mediocre
X-RAY: 1969 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 1/25, AMT
This X-Ray is for a ’69 Firebird Trans Am by AMT. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and 2 sets of rims; 400ci, V8 (6cyl opt); hoods for the Firebird 400 AND Trans Am; smaller decal sheet w/ T/A stripes. Good: One of the few model kits with a 6-cyl engine and single exhaust included. Bad: Engine is small for bay; hood fit is lousy; terrible overall quality; getting expensive; who wants a 6-cyl & single exhaust in a Firebird!?!?.
Price: $35+
*** WANTED! :: 1968 Ford Galaxie – AMT ***
So, I have a problem here and I’m issuing a reward for finding a un-used AMT 1968 Galaxie by AMT. I am not interested in any other scale besides 1/24 or 1/25 and I do not want anything besides the AMT version. I am willing to pay either a $15 finder’s fee OR pay handsomely for the model car if you have one Contact me with any info please. You have one to sell… here’s the chance! –Kev
X-RAY: 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302 1/24, Monogram
This X-Ray is for a Monogram ’70 Boss 302. Kit includes :
1 set of tires and rims; 302ci V8; excellent interior; decal sheet – just stripes for “Boss 302”. Good: One of Revell’s better builds; low flash; good instructions. Bad: NOT the 429; decal sheet is small; rear view mirror glues to front glass; has blown hood scoop, but little else for speed parts; pricey.
Price: $35+
X-RAY: 2003 Ferrari Enzo 1/24, Revell
This X-Ray is for a Ferrari Enzo by Revell. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and rims; 650hp V-12; large decal sheet; mesh sheet. Good: Fantastic reproduction of the Enzo; Lots of parts; awesome engine detail; one of the cheapest Ferrari kits out there. Bad: Body and rear hatch are 50/50 to match up; lots of black trim.
EXTRA:: I will eventually be doing a review of this kit, but I HAD to mention the pricing of this kit. The Ferrari Enzo IS one of the coolest, fastest Ferraris ever produced, and, for some reason, is one of the cheapest kits out there. If you need a “starter” kit, this is the one – as pricing for these is at an all-time low. NINE BUCKS is a typical price. Nine dollars for a half-million dollar, 217mph, performance icon.
Price: $9+
X-RAY: 1971 Dodge Charger R/T 1/25, AMT
This X-Ray is for an AMT ’71 Charger R/T. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and rims; 440 magnum engine (no option); full stock decal sheet. Good: One of the better detailed AMT kits; LOADS of parts; Bad: No speed parts; no Super Bee option; one of the worst fitting hoods in model-dom.
Price: $30
1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 396
This is a review of the AMT ’67 Chevelle Revell Kit#4285
Back when I was around 13, I made this car for the first time. It was dark blue and came out superbly… for an early attempt. It was the dark blue AMT below and it is a favorite of mine to this day. Wished I had a pic of it, but – oh well. I had to do this car, but instead of a homage, I wanted something like night and day. This build is also a combo of this kit and I believe the #2 kit below. That kit was horribly molded in blue and the turquoise didn’t come out good enough for me. I kept the engine and chassis and took a new body from the Streetburner kit.
Yup, THAT many… and I’m not even sure these are all of em. I cannot understand – for the life of me – WHY this particular Chevelle was made into over SEVEN pro street editions?!? This was a pretty stout performer JUST BY ITSELF, so I am confused on the need. It wasn’t a popular drag car back in the day… wasn’t even THE best body style. I don’t get it. That said, you have a good number to choose from. The top row are the stock versions (though the “Streetburner” ones are usually stock or race) and the others are drag cars with no way of building stock.
BIG note:: the Pro Street bodies are NOT inter-changeable with the stock ones – say if you need a replacement. They do not have the inner fender wells and are slightly different proportions.
CAR BACKGROUND :: As I’ve said before, this isn’t the best Chevelle by any stretch. It is handsome, sleek, and is pretty muscular with the right options, but still probably number three or four in my book. Like I said above, too, this was a heck of a performer in its own right. The 396ci that you could get had a massive 375hp and would get this car movin’ into the 14s through the quarter. I saw a car show vehicle with a non-stock 427ci in it and would wonder what a YENKO of this one would do. Beyond numbers, the car is a solid looker and is demanding stout prices nowadays. CANT argue with Chevy style!
Night and day – I decided against the original dark blue and the turquoise I had done recently (with a fail) and switched to White. This happens to be Wimbledon White, but looks close enough to original for me (see pic right). I stuck with the rallye wheels and I believe I used the actual tires from the kit. This kit included a couple different color pin-stripes, but I went with black. Besides some extra trimming of the hood, this is a solid-build kit.
I didn’t get a good shot of the interior. I think from here on out, I will be photographing any of the cars interiors before completion. I cannot seem to get anything grandiose otherwise. The Revell kits all have decent interiors – whether for drag or stock – and are detailed, and well appointed.
The underside of this kit is excellent. There is a truck-load of detail – with the tank, axle and floorpan and the exhaust looks real-life. I like the AMT version’s side-exit exhaust better, but these still look good and this kit is a good bit better than the AMT. The axles are easy to work with and the exhaust mates well with the engine. Solid “A” here.
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One of the best Chevrolet engine bays out there, the 396 really shines up. I think I’d like the wires to be another color and, as this was an early job, would like the wires to be a bit more even/uniform. Really like the bay though. There is a TON to further detail than what I did and it has everything you need. Really, the only complaint is that the engine looks a little small. 396 cubes ain’t enough apparently!
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This is truly a good kit. The lines are fantastic; the flash is low; the number of pieces are good; and the fit/finish is REALLY good. The toughest part of the build is the chrome on the rear lights, but I’ve dealt with MUCH worse! The Revell non-pro-stock kits are becoming more and more scarce, so you should get em while they are still cheap. They are also still reasonable in cost, so build while you can as well!
9.25 Excellent
X-RAY: 1956 Chevy (Bel Air) 1/24, Monogram
This X-Ray is for a Monogram ’56 Chevy. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and 2 sets of rims; V8 motor; well detailed interior; modest decal sheet. Good: Nice set of speed parts; decent fit build. Bad: Terrible light blue mold; speed parts but no slicks?, lackluster chrome; lots of flash.
Price: $25+
1966 Pontiac GTO
This is a review of the Revell ’66 GTO kit #854479
This is a re-do build, but is one where I didn’t get “before” pics. Sadly, I forgot all about it, but never mind. This revell kit is substantial and has a lot of quality parts – many chrome – and is easier to make than 90% of kits out there. No lie, this “goat” is definitely one of the GOAT kits out there.
Revell has been busy with reissuing this one, so there is no shortage of good kits out there. The 2 “Royal” kits refer to the Royal Bobcat racing treatments that some of these got back in the day. They include a wealth of racing decals and such, but are otherwise little different that the other ones. I can honestly say that you will not find a bad kit with these.. they are high quality and are super good builders.
CAR BACKGROUND :: Beyond the Italian counterparts, any of which are better than this car by MILES, the ’66 GTO is the best GTO made. The stying, the speed, the pinache, the sales… this car really had it all. It was a colossal improvement over the plain-jane ’65, and though the ’67 was a close facsimile, it still didn’t carry the skin this tiger did. Carry a GTO, indeed. The 389 tri-power was strong enough to throw this car to 100mph in the 13 sec range and would still pull for plenty above that as well. Even regular 4-barrel versions would probably scare granny’s knickers off her and it couldn’t look any better doing so!
Done in Tamiya Gold with a nice black pin-stripe, this was heads and tails better than the Testors Aztec gold I used in my other build. It was more smooth and easier to blend. This kit comes with all the goodies, though – nice side mirror; 3 different colored pin-stripes; redline tires,… as complete as you can get out of box.
Easily one of the better interiors you’ll work with, the Revell ’66 GTO is highly detailed, needs nothing added, and is fantastic when done for even the worst modeler. I added the wood-look wheel, and kept the console chromed up. The gauges are decals and make for an easy good look. Only way this could be sharper is with a white/two-tone look.
The engine bay is awesome as well. I cannot say enough about the presence of the tri-barrel atop the big block. Say what you like, but it looks pretty nasty. I added the wires and some small detail here and there, but with NO work, this is still a fanatically good engine to display. Bout the only downside is the entire bay needs painted flat black after you paint the body so it matches GM engine bays. It is a LOT of cut work and is tiring. It sure “pops” when done, however.
The underside is a blessing to work with as well. The wheels are easy to make and apply to the axles; the engine and exhaust mate well; there is a good amount of detail; and plenty to work on if you like to OVER-paint the bottom of your kits (tank, shocks, cross-member, etc). I DID add my own exhaust tips, but the originals were really decent to begin with… I just wanted more chrome.
This is one of my favorites kits and, I have to admit, one of my favorite muscle cars. The ease of putting it together after working tirelessly on the engine, interior, trim, and such will put such a smile on your face. It has very few faults and is still among the mid-range kits to buy as well. Because of the reissues and the plentiful nature of the kits currently, it isn’t much of an investment. It is one of the best kits you’ll make, however.
10 Astonishing
X-RAY: 2006 Dodge Charger SRT Super Bee 1/24, Lindberg
This X-Ray is for a 2006 Dodge Charger Super Bee by Lindberg. The kit includes:
1 set of tires and rims; SRT Hemi V8; well-detailed interior; small decal sheet. Good: Only full model kit for the Charger that doesn’t include Lambo doors and 25″ wheels; good fit and finish; nice rims. Bad: Overall cheap feel; Less attractive “truck-front” Charger; only one color trunk stripe limits paint choice.
Price: $20