Joe Staudt
Reviews By Author
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1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, Easy VersionPublished:
While most Americans might believe otherwise, the first production automobile was built in Germany in 1886 by Karl Benz (of Mercedes Benz fame). The Benz Patent-Motorwagen was built in very small numbers between 1886 and 1893. ICM first released a kit of this vehicle in 2020, with photo-etch parts for the wheels and and drive chains. This year they released an “easy” version of the kit that replaces the photo-etch parts with plastic versions at a significantly lower cost. The kit comes in ICM’s sturdy thick cardboard box and consists of several sprues of parts in a soft gray plastic. The softness of the plastic is good, because it means that the many small, delicate parts tend to bend rather than break. The parts had almost no flash and very few mold lines. This is… more |
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1914 Ford Model T Fire TruckPublished:
Henry Ford’s Model T revolutionized America. It’s low price and simple mechanics made it affordable and practical for ordinary people to own a car. The flexibility of the Model T’s platform also spawned a host of other applications that allowed businesses and municipalities to make the switch from horse-drawn vehicles as well. This kit shows a prime example of that flexibility. While the Model T fire truck may not have been capable of supplying all equipment needed to fight a major fire, it did provide a means of getting some basic firefighting equipment to the scene much more quickly, buying critical minutes in emergency situations. ICM has been releasing a host of Model T subjects in both 1/24 and 1/35 scale in recent years. Again, the Model T’s basic platform allows… more |
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Porsche BoxsterPublished:
In 1992, Porsche produced a concept car that harkened back to an icon of its early days: the Boxster. A two-seat, mid-engine roadster that was low on frills and high on performance. Four years later, the concept became reality, and the Boxster became the best-selling Porsche until the Cayenne SUV came out in 2003. Revell has recently brought us a Snap-Tite version of the first-generation Boxster. Let’s give it the once over. As you would expect for a Snap-Tite kit, part count is low and assembly is simplified. The 32 plastic parts are molded in red, black, clear, red clear, and chrome. Two metal axles, two screws, four vinyl tires, a sheet of stickers, and the instruction sheet round out the box contents. As one would expect for a new mold, the parts are free of flash… more |
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Piranha Super Spy CarPublished:
In the early 1960’s, plastics were the wave of the future. The Marbon Chemical Company believed that plastic could be used for the structural parts of automobiles, and to demonstrate this they decided to build an entire car out of ABS plastic. The folks at AMT were so taken by this concept that they not only released kits of the car, but also committed to build a quantity of the full-scale vehicles. The most famous of these was used on the TV show “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, where it served as the car driven by the main character and his sidekick, a pair of international spies. The full-size cars never caught on, but the kits were popular, and Round 2 has recently re-released them. The first one out is the “Original Art Series” version of the “Man from U.N.C.L.E.” car, with… more |
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Wire Wheels (15-Inch 60-Spoke)Published:
The future of modeling has arrived! 3D Model Parts is a company specializing in 3-D printed resin accessories for car and ship models. Their only offering for cars at the moment is these wire wheels. They will work as 15” wheels for 1:25 scale cars, and14” wheels for 1:24 scale cars. Available with 3 different styles of knock-offs, the wheels come in a pack of 5, with an instruction sheet that explains how to work with them. The wheels and knock-offs each come attached to a thin wafer of resin, not unlike traditional resin parts, which must be sanded away to release the part. I found it easier to cut the wafer away from the knock-offs, as they were too small to hold against any kind of sanding surface without also sanding the skin off my fingertips. The wheels… more |
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1978 Corvette Indy 500 Pace CarPublished:
In 1978, the Corvette was celebrating its 25th anniversary. In recognition of that milestone, it was name the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 race that year. Chevrolet released the car in a striking 2-tone silver and black paint scheme that had every motorhead drooling. I was a teen at the time, and I built MPC’s annual Corvette kit. It didn’t come with any of the striping or pace car decals, but I painted in that color combination anyway: it was that cool. Revell has recently re-released its kit of that vehicle, and it was my good fortune to get hold of a copy of it to review. With all the proper decals for a true pace car, I could finally build the model the way I wanted to do it all those years ago. The kit comes in Revell’s standard box, with the… more |
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1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz ConvertiblePublished:
The 1950’s were a decade of joyous excess in automotive design. After the austerity of the Great Depression and the deprivations caused by World War II, Americans were excited and optimistic about the future and America’s position in the world, and our cars showed it with increasingly powerful engines, multi-tone paint jobs, acres of gleaming chrome, and space-age tailfins. The pinnacle of this expression came in 1959, when General Motors unleashed its latest automobile designs. Every model, from the lowliest Chevrolet to the poshest Cadillac, sported tailfins the likes of which would never be seen again. Of these, the Cadillac fins, reaching nearly as high as the roof of the car, have come to symbolize the best (or, to some, the worst) of what that era offered. Revell/Monogram… more |
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Ed Roth's OutlawPublished:
Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was one of the greatest hot rodders of all time. Starting in the early1950s, his customs and show cars have become the stuff of legend. The Outlaw was his first use of fiberglass and, when it hit the car show circuit in 1960, it became an instant sensation. Thanks to Roth’s deal with Revell, the Outlaw lives on along with many of his other creations. Revell has seen fit to release it once again; let’s take a look at it. The kit is molded in white, with an extensive chrome tree; there are probably more chromed parts than there are unchromed. Four soft vinyl tires, a decal sheet to replicate the custom paint job, and a sheet of acetate for the windshield round out the list of parts. As an added bonus, the kit includes a 6-piece car show trophy, a signboard, and… more |
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Volkswagen T1 Samba BusPublished:
In 1950, Volkswagen brought out a vehicle that, like the Beetle before it, would become an icon of the 1960’s – what we now know as the Micro-Bus. It was available in many different versions over the years: panel vans, pop-up camper vans, and even as an open-bed pickup truck. But one of the most popular was the Samba Bus, also knows as the 23-window van due to the large number of windows. There have been a number of versions of this vehicle in kit form over the years; let’s take a look at the latest one from Revell. The kit is molded in white, with chrome and clear trees as well. Four vinyl tires and a large decal sheet round out the list of parts. All engraving is crisp, and there is no flash to speak of. Seams are fairly light and easy to remove. The instructions are a… more |
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Ferrari 250 GTOPublished:
Background In 1962 and 1963, Ferrari produced a small number of cars that were essentially racecars for the street. FIA rules at the time required that at least 100 examples of a car had to be built in order for it to qualify for racing in the GT class, but with a little sleight-of-hand and a few other tricks, Ferrari managed to get by with building only 39 vehicles in a couple of variations. These cars have gone on to become legendary and highly desirable, to the point where collectors today will pay several million dollars to get their hands on one. Over the years, several kits of this vehicle have been produced. I still have a 1/24 scale slot car that I can remember my Dad purchasing and building in the mid-1960's, and I also have a kit (still unbuilt) that I… more |