Jim Stepanek
Reviews By Author
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Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO-MRPublished:
This is a review of the Hasegawa Mitsubishi Colt Galant GTO-MR. EngineNo engine. It’s curbside kit. InteriorInterior is wonderfully engraved and the supplied upholstery decals fit well. Didn’t even have to paint some of the parts. BodyBody was crisp and clean with no flash. I had hoped to just polish the plastic but there were swirls in the roof so it had to be primed and painted. I used Tru-Color sun orange which is pretty darn close to factory color. ChassisThe suspension parts are separate from the chassis pan as is the exhaust system. Some of the parts are pretty small and care must be taken when working with them. InstructionsThe instructions are several pages long with suggested paint… more |
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1957 Chrysler 300CPublished:
EngineThere was little flash on the engine parts with excellent details. You get just a basic Hemi engine. InteriorDeep 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. BodyThe 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. ChassisThe 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. InstructionsThe instructions are… more |
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1985 Oldsmobile 442/FE3-XPublished:
This is a review of the Revell ’85 Oldsmobile 442/FE3-X show car. I built it as a factory stock 442. EngineZero 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. InteriorExtremely 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. BodyThe 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 |
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Baja BroncoPublished:
EngineBeautiful Ford 289 is well detailed and fits together just perfectly. I added ignition wiring, throttle linkage, and fuel line. InteriorInterior is wonderfully engraved just screaming for some detail painting. Rustoleum texture paint was used to simulate a sprayed on durable coating. BodyThe 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. ChassisThe frame rails are separate from the chassis pan making for detail… more |
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1980 Jeep Honcho "Ice Patrol"Published:
This is a review of the Revell ’80 Jeep Honcho “Ice Patrol” kit. EngineThere 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. InteriorOnly 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. BodyThe 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 |
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1970 Dodge Charger R/TPublished:
Revell hits another one out of the park with their gorgeous 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. EngineNothing like a Hemi and this kit features that engine with 2 4 barrel carbs. Magnificent engine that fits together properly and virtually no flash. InteriorDoor 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. BodySmooth, 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 |
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Foose Custom Cadillac EldoradoPublished:
Chip Foose is one heck of a designer and his 1948 Cadillac Eldorado is no exception EngineA 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. InteriorDoor 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. BodyI modified the body by stripping the chrome… more |
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Mazda RX-7 2 'n 1Published:
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 EngineI 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. InteriorInterior 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. BodySmooth… more |
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Ford FD-100 PickupPublished:
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. EngineThe 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. InteriorDoor 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. BodyI was disappointed that the rear fenders were attached to the bed sides. Not the best situation for painting. The… more |
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Cust ’69 Corvette Coupe YenkoPublished:
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. EngineWe 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. InteriorDoor 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. BodySmooth, 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 |