Jim Stepanek

	1957 Chrysler 300C Published: September 13, 2018 Company: Round 2 Models Engine There was little flash on the engine parts with excellent details. You get just a basic Hemi engine. Interior Deep engraving can be seen on the door panels making it easy to detail paint. Seats and side panels are separate pieces from the floor. I used a Testors flat tan and flat black as called for on the detailed instruction sheet. Body The body went together very well with no adjustments necessary. My choice was to go with the Tru-Color artic white paint to maintain the factory stock look. Chassis The frame rails are separate from the chassis pan. Front, rear suspension, and exhaust are all separate pieces. All together, they make for a very pleasing assembly. Instructions The instructions are… more
	1985 Oldsmobile 442/FE3-X Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell This is a review of the Revell ’85 Oldsmobile 442/FE3-X show car. I built it as a factory stock 442. Engine Zero to very little flash was on the engine components. Two items I disliked were the valve covers and oil pan molded to the block. Should have been separate pieces. Interior Extremely distinct engraving on the interior pan. Door panels are separate pieces as are the front seats. The rear seat is molded to the interior pan. Dashboard allows two different decals for the gauge cluster and there’s two steering wheels. Body The body offers several variations. If you want to build the FE3-X version, additional body panels are available as well as three different front clips. Fortunately the front & rear bumper assemblies also… more
	Baja Bronco Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell Engine Beautiful Ford 289 is well detailed and fits together just perfectly. I added ignition wiring, throttle linkage, and fuel line. Interior Interior is wonderfully engraved just screaming for some detail painting. Rustoleum texture paint was used to simulate a sprayed on durable coating. Body The body went together very well. The open grille is an impressive piece. Didn’t have to grind away the back to open it up. Every piece fits very well. I filled the holes for the outrigger spare tire and put it inside. The fender flares were made with strip styrene and Bondo. I needed wider flares to cover the tires. HOK sunrise pearl was used on the body. Chassis The frame rails are separate from the chassis pan making for detail… more
	1980 Jeep Honcho "Ice Patrol" Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell This is a review of the Revell ’80 Jeep Honcho “Ice Patrol” kit. Engine There was little flash on the engine parts but there is also very little detail. You get just a very basic engine with a way oversize fanbelt. Interior Only faint engraving can be seen on the door panels making it very difficult to detail paint. The kit does have 2 different decals for the gauge cluster. Body The body went together pretty well. The rear portion of the box is a separate piece that I didn’t care for, but it fit very well. You get a choice with decals in either blue tone or orange. My choice was the blue to go along with the Tru-Color metallic bright Atlantic Blue paint. The inside of the box was painted with Rustoleum texture paint for a spray in… more
	1970 Dodge Charger R/T Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell Revell hits another one out of the park with their gorgeous 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. Engine Nothing like a Hemi and this kit features that engine with 2 4 barrel carbs. Magnificent engine that fits together properly and virtually no flash. Interior Door panel and dash engraving was very crisp and easy to detail paint. Side panels are separate pieces which makes for easier painting. The interior is also flocked. There are no options for the interior. You can make only a stock interior. The dash and console have woodgrain decals and separate gauge decals. Body Smooth, crisp lines and no flash. Just the way I like it. The front and rear valance panels were a pretty tight fit and they can only go on after the body meets the chassis. The… more
	Foose Custom Cadillac Eldorado Published: February 10, 2020 Company: Revell Chip Foose is one heck of a designer and his 1948 Cadillac Eldorado is no exception Engine A fuel injected big block Chevy engine fits nicely. I had a set of Cadillac valve covers that I like better than the kit pieces and they fit so well. The entire engine goes together quite well with no flash to clean off. The old school Caddy air cleaner is a plus. Interior Door panel and dash engraving was very crisp and easy to detail paint. Side panels are separate pieces which makes for easier painting. The interior is also flocked. There are no options for the interior. It’s either kit or scratch build something. Why anyone would want to carve up the beautiful interior is beyond me though. Body I modified the body by stripping the chrome… more
	Mazda RX-7 2 'n 1 Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell I still remember the commercials for the Mazda Wankel engined cars – like they hum. This was a pretty quick and simple build and was a pleasure to build Engine I have no idea about the size of the engine but it’s a Wankel rotary engine. The parts fit together like they should with no flash. There is an option for a different carburetor and air filter. I used the stock unit. I didn’t detail the engine to keep it an out of the box build. Interior Interior is just a basic tub. The gauges were strange because there’s 3 gauges well engraved on the dash but the included decals have 2 large gauges and 3 smaller ones that didn’t even come close to a match. I just detail painted the engraved pieces. The interior is also flocked. Body Smooth… more
	Ford FD-100 Pickup Published: February 10, 2020 Company: Revell The “Effie” pickup trunk have always held me in awe, possibly because a long time ago in another life, I was building a ’53 into a street machine. Engine The engine appears to be a small block Ford with Roush refinements. The parts fit very well. I was unable to put the supplied Rouch decals on the valve covers because my decal sheet disintegrated. Interior Door panel and dash engraving was very crisp and easy to detail paint. Side panels are separate pieces which makes for easier painting. The interior is also flocked. There are no options for the interior but it is extremely well done for such a small space. Body I was disappointed that the rear fenders were attached to the bed sides. Not the best situation for painting. The… more
	Cust ’69 Corvette Coupe Yenko Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell There’s always been a soft spot in my heart for ’69 Corvettes. I don’t know why, but maybe because they look so darn sexy. Engine We have a 427ci engine under the hood with 3 2 barrel carbs. There’s also an option for a single 4 barrel and different air cleaner. That chrome triangle looks better than a round semi-gloss black thing. Interior Door panel and dash engraving was very crisp and easy to detail paint. Side panels are separate pieces which makes for easier painting. The interior is also flocked. There are no options for the interior. You can make only a stock interior. Body Smooth, crisp lines and no flash. Just the way I like it. Couple of options are available here. You can mount at luggage rack to the rear deck. You can… more
	Custom Cadillac Lowrider Published: February 3, 2020 Company: Revell Never built a lowrider and still haven’t. This looked a pretty cool kit and I didn’t have a land yacht in my collection Engine I have no idea about the size of the engine, but I remember Cadillacs used to have some huge displacement engines. The kit supplies only those parts for a stock build and those parts fit together very well. Interior Door panel and dash engraving was very crisp and easy to detail paint. Rear seat is molded in and the front seat a separate unit. Side panels are spate pieces which makes for easier painting. The interior is also flocked. Body Smooth, crisp lines and no flash. Emblems and door handles are provided on the chrome tree. You get a choice of 2 grilles. The lower body chrome pieces are all separate and… more