The Model Car Showroom
Reviews, pictures, hints, and links 1/24, 1/25 car kits
’68 Dodge Charger R/T (custom)
This is a review of the Revell 1968 Dodge Charger R/T #85-4202
I had not built this one til recently and I can say that – besides the detail work in places – it is a fun kit to work with. There is low/no flash, tons of parts and speed parts, and assembles well. This was another kit I had trouble with getting JUST RIGHT in past attempts, but in the end, I just needed it to look sharp, and I wanted it to be a smidge custom. I got both…
Thankfully, to all that appreciate THIS Charger above the redneck cousin ’69, the kit I bought was just recently reissued. The two above include the older “Landy’s drag version and the more rare Euro version, but are both every bit as fantastic as mine was. The “Landy” version comes with decals for the build driven by the famous drag racer. The blue one is – I think – the same as the one I purchased. I have never bought or seen it in person, but given to Revell’s track record, it must be close.
CAR BACKGROUND :: Ok, so everyone AND the Pope knew this review was going here, but that is the legacy of this classic muscle. The movie Bullitt was a movie that increased the popularity and collect-ability of this beast more than any of its achievements ever could. The stories of this car being so powerful that McQueen’s 390ci Mustang had to be modified “heavily” just to keep up, is just pure muscle car adrenaline. The ’68 Charger was more than just the movie, however. The dramatic reshaping from the heavier and less muscular ’67 was something the country couldn’t ignore. The “coke-bottle” styling and dramatic move from the hatchback made this car look like it meant business. Not that the ’66-67 Chargers weren’t fast – as the Hemis of the muscle car era were pretty much the same speedy goodness, but the ’68 made them look the part as much as a Lamborghini does. The 426/440 versions of this car could rip the ΒΌmile in the mid-13s at over 105 miles per hour. These were STUPID fast cars and could easily rip the rear tires – even at speed! The most iconic muscle car chase in history is a good place to be for a car.. and it is deserved for this one!
Yup… orange was NOT a stock color in ’68. I don’t care! I LOVE an orange Charger and not just because of the good ole’ boys, but I think it is VERY mopar. I used Tamiya Orange and it is just stunningly glossy. I also went with the hood scoop and slick tires (that ARE a bit too big, LOL). This kit comes with everything you could want and I only add/changed things because of wanting to customize it some.
So, with my terrible picture skills, I didn’t post the interior of this one. Safe to say it is very detailed and is needing little. I believe I added a different shifter for the more “drag” look, but the rest was good enough for me.
You will NOT see this engine bay in too many places! I chose to FORGET the 426 Hemi and, instead went with a nice looking 383. Whaaat?? Yup. The motor fit nicely and looks the part. I get that the Hemi would look more apropos in this bay, but I was TIRED of making hemi-powered Mopars and the 383 was a really good engine in its own right. The ’68 made some 335hp and would surprise many of the bigger engines out there with it’s quickness. Again… nice change from the same old thing. The rest of the bay is typical Revell and needed nothing.
The 383 matched up well under the car and the turbo mufflers add to the menacing look. I really love the tips that come with this car too. The rectangle ends that these Dodge’s had were very good looking and add to the kit’s quality. No real fabrication was needed and there wasn’t a lot of frustration here. You have to be careful with the front valance when assembling as it hinders the radiator if you attach too early, but otherwise – it is killer!
Yeah, this isn’t the Bullitt Charger… it isn’t the Charger from the Blade movies either, though you could build either with ease. It is what I could see myself liking and potentially affording easily – what with 440s and Hemis commanding upwards of $60k. This kit is REALLY good though and not just because of the famous movies the car has starred in. It is one of the better kits out there and with the reissue, costs a lot less than many. Not the BEST investment with the re-issue, but there are a lot of legendary builds you can make with this kit… and that’s the point!
9.5 Excellent
*Revised* : Revell/Monogram ’69 GTO
Letting everyone know there is a revision on this review. The Monogram and Revell kits have another difference in included parts that I didn’t realize was there. Go *here* and go to the green text to see what I’m on about!
X-RAY: 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix 1/25, Monogram
This X-Ray is for a RARE 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix from Monogram. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and 2 sets of rims; fuel injected V6 ; well-detailed interior; smaller decal sheet. Good: Fantastic reproduction of the popular coupe; Monogram quality; good tires. Bad: Molded in red = tougher to change color and paint pieces; decal sheet has no stock decals; NOT a very fast/exciting vehicle to build; cost.
Price: $30+
X-RAY: 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Thunder Z 1/25, MPC
This X-Ray is for a very rare MPC Thunder Z Camaro. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and 2 sets of rims; 305ci, V8; custom exterior skirts/effects; modest decal sheet. Good: Awesome custom Z28; crazy finished look. Bad: Awesome custom look still has lousy stock 305; orange decals make for few paint choices; few other speed parts (tach, seats, hurst shifter, engine, etc); few parts period.
Price: $60+
X-RAY: 1968 Chevrolet El Camino SS 1/25, AMT
This X-Ray is for a ’68 Chevy El Camino by AMT. This kit includes:
1 set of tires and custom rims; 396, V8 engine; well-detailed interior; decal sheet. Good: One of AMT’s better kits – with a lot of parts and great detail; Separate bed for easy painting; reasonable price. Bad: Decals sheet is TINY/useless; ZERO custom parts.
Price: $25+
Performance Book-ware!
Well, I’ve been at this a while and I figured it would be a good time to advertise my book. I have been studying cars for the better part of my life, and to that end, I’ve written a book about the best performance cars! It is a great deal on Amazon and I hope you give it a try! Get a copy here :: BOOK
HUMBLY,
–Kev
1986 Ferrari 288 GTO
This is a review of the Testors Ferrari GTO kit #221
I was young… really young when I saw a picture of this Ferrari. It was in a book that my brother-in-law gave me for Christmas. I was floored with its look, its speed and its name. This is a kit I’ve done some four times and I can say, that with a few exceptions, this is a heck of a kit.
There are a BUNCH of 288 GTO kits, but only a few in 1/24(5)th scale. These two above I’ve NOT done or even seen in person. The Fujimi was typically more expensive and only recently have I found Italari kits to be good.
CAR BACKGROUND :: Well, here we are. My absolute favorite car ON THE PLANET. I know I might get a lot of flak about that tid-bit of knowledge, but there it is. Looks just like a 308, right. Well.., no. The 308 design was widened, given fender flares, a bank of large headlamps, and a snarl that is every bit as intoxicating as you’ll find. The 2.8 liter V-8 has been twin IHI turbocharged and given a raucous 400 horsepower. In 1984, there was NOTHING on the road faster. With a top speed of 190 miles per hour, the GTO was an amazing leap from the 308/328 regime. R&T (to the left) timed the ΒΌ mile in a lethargic sounding 14 seconds at 113 miles per hour. The shift point is at 112 for this car and I think gearing was the culprit for the loss of time here. A Motor Trend article during the same time span ran the car to 60 in 5.0 seconds, and through the quarter in a blazing 13.2 seconds. Now, I’ll say that there are quite a few cars today that will butcher that, but back in ’84, there wasn’t much that would be quicker… and nothing that would out-last it. The car was more than just specs, however. The design was done by Pinninfarina and it was a masterpiece. It took the best of the 308 and made it more… more everything. More muscular, more squat, and more aggressive. Inside there wasn’t a lot to ogle about, but when the engine climbed to red-line, you wouldn’t have cared if you were sitting in a bucket of piranha fish. Glorious.
This is another re-do model build. I’ve remade many model cars, but this could be the best of them – and not because of the car, but the improvement. I kept a LOT of the other car, but the body’s detail is where I improved – using tape to do the black grove through the middle of the car and took more time throughout.
What remained was a true tribute to the car’s glory. The Tamiya Italian Red came out just fabulously. The original red I used – I believe – was just a Testors “red” and it was NOT a good paint job at all. The paint seemed to not cover the red molded plastic for some reason and it looked very flat. The only “fix” I did with the whole car were the exhaust tips.
I didn’t try to do any photography for the interior as this kit has 360 degrees of glass and trying to make out anything with a photo becomes folly. I can say that the interior looks correct, has most of what you need, and has good ridge detail. The instrumentation is a bit on the light side, but looks very accurate.
The engine is another story altogether. The twin-intercooled V-8 looks like something out of a sci-fi movie and is nicely detailed. There are enough parts to make anyone happy and it all fits very easily to the chassis. The lid is a bit of a mess, however, as you have to cut it out and then add four tabs to hold it in place. It would seem Testors could’ve done a better job getting it in place, but when it’s done, it looks damn good anyways.
I don’t usually do underside pics of newer cars, but the GTO shows off a lot of detail from below. The pieces fit easily and it looks pretty tidy. I added tips off some other exotic kit (as the ones for this car were weak-kneed) and I think it helped the look a lot. One thing of note : the tires look great and are very textured, but over time can split BADLY. I had two from the last one I made split so badly, one was 7/8 ripped and the other had fallen off the rim completely! Not all tires will do this, but these did for some reason, so beware.
They say never to drive your heroes and I can happily say that doesn’t apply for building em. This is a honey of a kit and doesn’t have the typical fit/finish issues that some exotics have. The side mirrors are grey (instead of the red that like the other body pieces); the tires can be explosive; the full glass makes the interior all but useless; and the growing cost will make you think twice. It is still a really good build. With numbers thinning more by the day, it should make an excellent investment too. You know what I’d do.
9.0 Excellent
X-RAY: 2009 Aston Martin DBS 1/25, Tamiya
This X-Ray is for a VERY RARE Aston Martin DBS kit by Tamiya :
1 set of tires and rims; detailed interior; small chrome decal sheet w/etched parts; Good: VERY RARE model kit of a Aston Martin; decent amount of pieces; etched parts. Bad: Engine is mostly cover; molded in an odd black-purple color; EXTRA EXPENSIVE!
Price: $125+
X-RAY: 1978 Ford Mustang II – MEAN STREAK 1/25, MPC
This X-Ray is for a VERY RARE Mean Streak ’78 Ford Mustang II. Kit includes :
1 set of tires and rims – including slicks; racing dual carb engine (likely 302); medium decal sheet (no stock decals); pro-stock type chassis; Good: RARE kit of an infamous (but lousy) Mustang II; LOTS of pro stock add-ons. Bad: Lousy Mustang to have to spruce up; flash/plastic quality issues; CAN’T build stock built without extra parts; EXPENSIVE. **NOTE – There is no date on the box – I am giving a date for saving purposes. This body style was made between 1974 and 1978**.
Price: $55+
’70 AMC Rebel
This is a review of the Jo-Han 1970 AMC Rebel “The Machine” kit #C-2670
Ok, I have said before that I am a AMC fan. To a degree, I like even the most usless of models they made – Matador, Hornet, and Pacer to name just a few. I do like em.. but they are as muscular as a field goal kicker in the NFL. In an effort to get a few AMCs for the collection, I have found a Rebel to add. There is something unique about this kit from all the ones I have posted… there is NO option for this car. There is NO other kit to buy… no better or worse… not even a crazy static kit. This is IT. Unfortunately, like the AMC AMX I reviewed a while ago, this one has a lot of problems and it doesn’t help that you could have to make payments on it just to buy it!
CAR BACKGROUND :: Only AMC would say in their ad that another car company was faster : “..it is not as fast on the getaway as a 427 Corvette or a Hemi..”. Only AMC. Could you imagine nowadays an ad that said – “Yes, BMW is more expensive”, or “Someday the Acura NSX will be fast!” Funny. But then, AMC has always been about quirky, odd names, looks, and styles. The Rebel was still a reasonably fair muscle car. With a 390ci, V8 carrying some 340hp, it would embarrass some other well-named muscle cars at a stoplight if the other driver wasn’t careful. No, it wasn’t as fast as a Hemi or as stylish as a Corvette, but it was cheap… and it would lay enough rubber to make anyone smile!
Like i said earlier, this one has issues. Oh it looks fairly well, but not for the kit’s prowess. Because of the kit’s garbage quality, I didn’t go with “The Machine” plan either. I decided to go with a standard AMC Rebel instead. With that, I painted it Tamiya Lavender and though it is off from AMC’s nearest color for 1970, it is a sharp look. I don’t do many with non-stock colors, but I liked the idea of this one. Outwardly, I used different tires (as the stock ones are two-piece plastic and look AWFUL) and rims, but the rest is out of the box. That is the END of the model kit’s goodness. What follows is a review from hell.
The engine bay is something out of a modeler’s nightmare. The fender wells are undefined and have odd circles atop. The brake boost is low; the radiator wall doesn’t fit solid according to instructions; and the firewall has a bunch of odd shapes… and not much else. Now where the AMX was basically a pro street model kit, this is supposed to be a stock Rebel Machine. The engine bay said otherwise and I had to fix it. It came with a cross-ram intake that you’d see in a drag car and NO stock air cleaner. SO… back to the parts bin. I used a Plymouth intake, a leftover carb, and a 428CJ air cleaner to make it look close to correct. I also had to add a hole for the oil filler tube and had to make a radiator hose – as the one with the kit wouldn’t match up to the new intake. YOU WILL NOT GET ANYTHING CLOSE to this look with what comes with the kit, and using the kit… you’ll have a mock-up drag engine instead of the standard 390.
The interior is thankfully better than the AMX, but it isn’t detailed THAT much more. The dash looks good and matches the actual car, but the doors are an afterthought. There are no inside door handles and there is nothing on the panels in the rear at all. The steering wheel also doesn’t have the trim (I had to manage without the trim line) and didn’t have the directional stalk. I can say that this is a lousy interior – more along the lines with a cheap AMT kit. SAD.
The underside is easily the worst part about this fiasco kit. The exhaust is not only fitted, but is a single exhaust that is supposed to be connected to a cross-ram, race engine! Even IF you wanted just the standard V8 setup, you’d still have to have a single pipe out the rear. I trimmed off the cross pipe and added a full second pipe down the passenger side. I then added dual exhausts from a Monogram ’69 GTO kit and I think it looks really good. In fact, the muffler only had one pipe exiting, it stopped against the frame, and didn’t exit the back of the car at all. Like I said earlier, I also had to replace the rims and tires and they were still attached to one of the worst front axle setups ANY model car ever had. I can’t even explain how odd the setup is and hope I never see one again!
NOT recommended at all. Not even something I’d give to an enemy. This is an outrageously BAD kit in almost every way. Add to that a price range in the $125-$160 range… YES… $125+ for this garbage of a kit and you’d want to pull your hair out. And by the way, it is a kit that also had suspect decals (for it’s age); a terrible front windshield (that I had to replace – including making custom window vents); and needed a dozen pieces to make correct. It is DEFINITELY an investor kit – as it is rare – and could eventually be worth 10X what it is currently going for. Better that than having to trudge through the build.. UGH.
3.5 – Terrible