The Model Car Showroom
Reviews, pictures, hints, and links 1/24, 1/25 car kits
X-RAY: Chevy Blazer 1/24, Monogram
This X-Ray is for a rare Chevy Blazer kit by Monogram. This kit includes:
1 set of 4×4 tires and rims; V8 engine; lots of chrome; decal sheet.
Good: Awesome rare truck used in many TV shows and movies; square-body trucks are getting very popular and pricey IRL; nice molded color.
Bad: Molded color makes it difficult for painting; tires a bit on the fake looking side; decals are ugly and only work with certain colors/no stock decals; pricey IRL means pricier here too.
Price: $65+
X-RAY: Cobra Street Racer (Mustang II) 1/25, Revell
This X-Ray is for a rare Mustang II Cobra (King Cobra-ish) racer kit by Revell. This kit includes:
2 sets of tires and one set of rim; V8 engine; reasonable chrome tree; stripe kit (not pictured) to match the box.
Good: Sporty take on a really dull Mustang; “ok” number of parts; more impressive than stock.
Bad: “Ok” number of parts is still smaller than usual; STILL a Mustang II; getting pricey.
Price: $50+
X-RAY: Cadillac Eldorado 1/25, Jo-Han
This X-Ray is for a Rare Eldorado Snap kit by Jo-Han. This kit includes
1 set of whitewall tires and rims; no engine, no removable hood; reasonable interior.
Good: Famous look and attractive Eldorado; nice chrome.
Bad: NO engine/hood; 20 pieces is still disappointing for an expensive model kit; price is escalating.
Price: $65+
Review : 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Z-28, AMT 1/25
This is a review of the AMT ’67 Camaro Z-28 #6638
Another of my youngster builds, the ’67 Camaro is a favorite because it was a simple-looking sportster with classic lines. The kit was a tougher one when I was little and is still a slight challenge for the novice. Still, I had to have this one, and it had to match the look of my early build. Needless to say, I am happy with it, or it’d not be here LOL.
The 1967 Camaro – the progenitor of the species – is a muscle car favorite. They ARE over-seen at car shows, overvalued, and WAY over-exaggerated in performance, but they are still very prevalent. The AMT versions are about the same and typically have only a few different pieces. The one I did and the other 3 newer AMTs above have the good decal page with the black-and-white stripes and other stock stuff. The top left is much older, and I am not sure about its sheet (maybe not important either, since it’ll likely run in the hundreds of dollars). I’ve never seen the Revells in person, as I’ve always gone back to my AMT that I made years ago. The AMT isn’t likely the better of the two, but it is nostalgic for me.
These kits are just a smattering of the 1968s available for building. They are 98% the same car as the ’67 and, in most cases, less expensive. If you need a gen-1 Camaro without paying a premium, the ’68s are the way to go. Unless you NEED the antique kits, they are a steal in pricing – somewhere around $15.
CAR BACKGROUND :: What do you do if you are Chevrolet and your rival, Ford, produces a small sports car that sells some 600,000 units? Well, you come up with this car. The 1967 Camaro was Chevy’s answer to the Mustang phenom, and though it wasn’t the record-breaking seller the trick pony was, it brought Chevy into the small-muscle fray. With a string of peppy engines, the Camaro did command performance (like the ad stated above). It did NOT, however, command it to the elites. Meaning, if you were in a Z-28 and found yourself next to a 440-6 Coronet, you were pretty sure you were taking the right on red to avoid being destroyed. Not that the Z wasn’t quick; at 14.9-ish in the ¼, it was cresting 100mph in a scant 16 seconds. Add a cam and some beefy tires, and you were in the 13s in a jiffy. Pretty toey for the $2500 Chevy.
My first one was white as well. Painted with a crappy paintbrush, it was lousy… but it was mine. I used the stock stuff, added mag wheels, and changed the bad, dangling exhaust. This one is done in Model Master Classic White, and it looks like what I had hoped mine would’ve looked like some 30 years ago. I will say if you are thinking white, be ready for primer or extreme patience, as this car is typically molded in a horrible grey, and the typical white paint sticks as well as a child’s reused scratch-and-sniff sticker. Stripes did work out – even with this being a 20+ year old kit.
Stock rims, red interior, and this one even had its own side mirror. Muy bueno.
The engine bay is decently detailed for an AMT kit, but the engine is absolutely TINY. Even the real 302 to the right looks a bit more snug. I know there are no hoses, and mine has white inner fenders, but the engine is still tiny. The radiator shroud is super decent for an AMT, however, the battery is too small, the brake boost is a bit on the small side, and the radiator hose is super long because of being shaped oddly. I assume the Revell kits would be better.
Who knows?… maybe I’ll buy a junker and swap out the bigger 302 someday?
Most AMT kits have lackluster interiors, and while I can’t call this an “A+” by any means, this is a decent-looking cockpit. Done in Red with red carpet, the inside certainly “pops” and I think it looks perfect with the white. Door detail is MEH, and the dash is a bit lean there too, but it is a solid display.
The underside is a mix of decent and average. The overall detail isn’t too bad but the car suffers from a lousy looking exhaust that happens to be a difficult placement. The over/under muffler goes under, around, and between for a complicated setup. Tough to pin down and get centered. The exhaust tips are a bit on the small/thin side as well. And those mufflers… off of a dirt bike? It came out really decent, but not a fan of the overall quality.
In the end, the Camaro ended up being exactly what I wanted and has made me smile more than once. Reminiscing about staring at this car when I was little, I hope it isn’t the last build for it. It was too enjoyable to walk through this memory. The kit is medium-priced, as it has far fewer than the ’68 & ’69 models. It is also probably a good investment, since it’s unlikely to be redone in the future. Since it is a great kit, you should get one while the getting is good – and build it.
8.5 – Very Good
X-RAY: ☼RARE☼ 1970 Plymouth (Road Runner) Superbird 1/25, Jo-Han
This X-Ray is for a RARE Plymouth Road Runner Superbird kit by Jo-Han. This kit includes
1 set of tires and 2 sets of rims – stock and race; 426 Hemi engine; decal sheet; wing and nose clip.
Good: Unlike Monogram’s newer Superbird, this one gets the Hemi and matching decals; classic race look.
Bad: Jo-han quality = flash, poor-quality chrome, 50% fit; no stock decals; parts count is still low.
Price: $95+
X-RAY: Chevrolet Vega Mini-Van 1/25, Monogram
This X-Ray is for a RARE Chevy Vega Mini-Van (wagon) kit by Monogram. This kit includes
1 set of tires and mag wheels; V8 engine; small two-seat interior; custom parts
Good: What do you do with a bland Vega?… customize and make a wagon out of it!; reasonable number of parts; cool kit.
Bad: It’s still a Vega; the only decals included are wood panels for the “wagon”; NO stock option.
Price: $65+
X-RAY: Porsche 924 1/24, Monogram
This X-Ray is for a Porsche 924 Monogram kit. This kit includes
1 set of tires and rims; no engine, no removable hood; reasonable interior; small decal sheet.
Good: There are very few of 924 kits out there; VERY easy; famous front engine Porsche.
Bad: Well, NO engine; 20 pieces is disappointing; decal sheet IS tiny.
Price: $25+
FAN SUBMISSION! :: Mike Blaskovich
I met Mike a couple months back and to say the least he is a born again modeler. With just a handful of personal vehicles from family experiences, he is now working pretty hard to get some nice stuff done.
Anyone who is a fan of older cars will instantly know what they are looking at in the above pic. The Dukes of Hazzard was a fun, mid-70’s muscle fest set in a fake southern town with all of the colloquialisms you could possibly find. Two hot-rodding young men set to outrunning the local police, solving mysteries, annoying their Uncle, and finding ways to demolish every 1969 Charger they could get their hands on.
The set above includes the Dukes Charger MPC kit – which is LOUSY, but Mike’s got it lookin’ really good. I did the same kit and can say I’d almost rather get the extras from this one and add it to a Revell kit to make the car… the MPC is just lousy. The kit also comes with a Hemi motor which would NOT be used in the show at any point, so keeping the hood down is probably for the best unless you change out to a 383 or 318 – like the show used.
The next vehicle wasn’t used nearly as much – and neither was her other vehicle for that matter. Daisy’s jeep was a cool addition to the show – what with all the dirt thrown around and it was always a hoot to watch her scurry around the police and their inability to drive in a straight line.
Yeah, this is Daisy’s other beast that she drove around – a ’74 Satellite (Roadrunner). The Roadrunner was just a decal set by the time her car came around and it was powered by a lethargic engine as well. This kit comes with a small block that is basically a 360/340 look and would likely be a 318 in the show for cost savings. The yellow looks good here and the stripes – which I find to be horrible to get just right – look really good. I’ll be remaking my ’74 soon and will hope it turns out this good!
Last and not least (in my book) is a car that screams 1970s-80s cop shows. Now don’t get ahead of yourself, this is NOT the Roscoe car from MPC. This is the 78 Monaco that comes in TJ Hooker, Joker Goon Car, and the latest reissued police car. Why? Well, the real Roscoe car is FAR more pricey. In my opinion, this later model Fury/Monaco is the better looking car. I owned one, made one HERE, and REALLY want to buy another one. That said, this car WAS in the show at one point or another and makes for a hell of a good display.
Mike’s rendition of the Boar’s Nest is hysterical and super cool as well. There is a lot of memory to go with the overall look and he’s got one heck of a display – getting these all to look just about right. Full length display, dirt looking ground (though I might have gone with real dirt), and decent scale size make it all pretty dang sweet.
Thanks to Mike for the cool pics. Keep on building!
Review : 1965 Pontiac GTO Convertible, AMT 1/25
This is a review of the 1965 Pontiac GTO kit by AMT #6593
This is one of those kits that I KNOW is going to be garbage before I start because I’ve seen many of these open and most have been just low quality, junky kits. This one is no different – to the point where I think this build is actually 2 of these kits worth of parts to make it properly. All things considered, I really like this car. I like the look, the engine, and the history. The kit is another story.
This car kit is in the “dime-a-dozen” category and costs as little as $12. The ones above are typical and share the same design, except for the reissue (light blue), which should be higher quality and have fewer issues. Big problems with the others include excessive flash, bad chrome, ugly molded colors, and weak decals.
CAR BACKGROUND ::
Ends up inside one, huh? I would.
These cars are beautiful, elegant, have excellent engines, and are one of the more stylish convertibles of the time. After the success of the ’64, you’d figure the ’65 would be identical, but Pontiac managed to make the car different while keeping what made the previous year so good. The body style was still mid-size, the hood still had a ram-air scoop, the grille was still menacing, and the overall look, Grrrreeaat! (sorry Tony)
Under the hood, the GOAT’s 389 was either a 335hp 4-barrel or 360hp tri-carb. Either way, this big cat could move down the road as fast as most other muscle cars and, in top trim, run down some of the elites. These cars aren’t for the timid, though, and even in the simple, flowing form shown in the pic on the right, they’d easily burn the tires off the rims at the drop of a hat.
Tiger indeed.
If you’ve seen my article on the ’65 Impala I’ve built, you’ve seen that I like the Iris color scheme from GM vehicles. This one is NOT Iris, and it is annoying it isn’t a bit closer because the Testors Purple is a reasonably good paint, and it’s worked every time I’ve used it. It is just a bit off in tint for the right color. Oh well. I decided to use it anyway because I LOVE the color and love how easily it works. The car needs a side mirror because the kit doesn’t include one, but otherwise it’s fairly complete.
The engine bay is decent, but still flawed. I did this one as a 4-barrel model instead of the tri-carb (for no reason except I’ve done MANY with the tri-carb setup and I wanted a change). Now, granted, the 3-2 is the more expensive and more powerful setup, but I wanted to show a typical 389. The problems with the bay are mostly display-related. The wheel wells and the firewall are plain, the radiator wall is a bit generic, and the metal axle rod is visible when you look down over the top of the engine. It is a bit aggravating – the level of cheap plastic – but it can look reasonable. I think this one is rather attractive.
This interior is a bit of good with a mess of terrible detail. The dash works, the seats are well detailed, and the overall look is good. However, the doors lack detail, the rear tonneau is a bit dreary, and there is no rear-view mirror. I think the black-and-white motif helps with the drab details and makes the interior “pop”, however.
I think I will trade out the not-quite-Iris convertible for the new-issue Hardtop and try a different color altogether. That is a story for another time.
The underside is about as bad as a kit gets. EVERYTHING is molded, which leads to fewer pieces and less detail. I painted the molded dual exhaust and added the tips out the side, but there is VERY little to display.
The kit is terrible overall, too. The hood is a poor fit; the body is “floaty”; the underside is barren of parts and detail; the engine bay is mediocre; the front grille is impossible to fit properly; the top DOESN’T FIT EVER; and the red clear-plastic taillights are too thin to fit inside the slots molded into the bumper.
I think the re-issue MAY be better in some ways and is still reasonably cheap, but I can’t imagine it is “amazing” compared to the older ones. The good news is these kits are ULTRA cheap, so you could buy 3 or 4 to get perfect pieces/parts to work with and still spend less than some rare kits. They are also NOT an investment, since a ton of these were produced AND it was just reissued. I’d say build it, but the kit isn’t THAT good.
As you can see, however, it is a hell of a looker… maybe you should build one?
4.25 – Poor
*** And now for something completely different – but the same***
This one is for modelers with too much time!
Thanks to Jim Davis. For everything.
–Kev