The AB was a soft-top variant of the Model AA, and inherited features such as the 3.4-liter inline-6 engine and live axle leaf spring front/rear suspension. It differed from the AA in its folding cloth roof, dedicated windshield design, and front-hinged door layout. To make room for the new folding auxiliary seats, the rear seat bank was moved somewhat further back. Of the 353 produced by 1938, the majority were eventually sent to the military and never made it into the hands of the public as was originally intended.

There’s not a lot of military history for this kit. It’s a pretty standard European-style shopping cart. I have pushed a bunch of these around stores in Italy when I was TDY at Vincenza. From my experience working at Kroger’s I know that the American version has a different wheel setup and a shelf below the main basket.

This kit is a marvelously done piece of photoetch. Everything except the push bar, which is done in resin, is on one fret. The basket is one piece with the legs attached. The wheels and axle supports are separate pieces, and there’s a chain which attaches to the push bar. I remember that this chain hooks into a dispenser outside the store, and you put a coin in the dispenser to get your cart. When you’re done, return the cart, and you get your coin back. That’s one way for the store to make sure you don’t leave the cart out there in the parking lot. And if you do, some kid would probably take it back to get the coin.

Revell hit a real winner with the Hot Rod Hydro kit. Very little flash and the parts fit very well.

Engine: The Hemi engine goes together extremely well. I opted to pull a dual quad intake manifold from the parts bin rather than use the 6 carb set-up in the kit.

Trailer: The trailer was slightly warped so I used very warm water to try and straighten it out. Nicely detailed, but it lacks lights. Parts bin came in handy.

Interior: Interior panels are very well engraved. Getting the side panels glued in gave me a few minutes of frustration because of the tight fit. Once in though, the panels look real nice.