This kit is molded in light blue, black and chrome parts. It has 59 parts and is being marketed as “snap tite.” The kit has no engine, but the oil pan and the transmission are present.

The fit is good for the most part. I only had trouble with the chrome parts fits. I was not able to get them to snap, and some of the chrome parts (like the tanks) have sizable gaps.

I put together the chassis and wheels, then checked for misalignments. I only had to add a small shim to one of the suspension parts to get all the tires to touch the ground. I painted the chassis/wheels assembly flat black and the cab in “true blue.”

This is a good kit for a kid getting into the hobby, or a grown-up who just wants a break from more complex builds. I had fun putting this kit together and it was a great break from other projects. The only downside is that some of the chrome parts didn’t fit well, but it is nothing that some modeling skills couldn’t overcome.

Chevy’s classic Corvette was first offered in a hard-top version in 1963, and that model-year’s radical shift in design style can still be seen in the generations of ‘Vettes which have since followed. The ’63 Sting Ray Coupe is Revell’s latest addition to its Snap-Tite Corvette collection, and this one surely does not disappoint young modeling hands. Camden (age 6) built this review sample in less than an hour during a visit to a local pediatric urgent care facility the night the kit arrived, and we can definitely say this was one of the best-behaved snap kits we’ve seen in a while.

The kit consists of 5 sprues of parts, the candy apple red body, the clear window insert, 4 vinyl tires, steel axles, a couple of self-tapping screws, and a sheet of peel-and-stick decals. Surface detail is both raised and recessed, as appropriate, and appears to lend itself well to those who actually wish to paint the finished product.

History Brief:

The next step in the evolution in German tank designs may have included the “E-series” ordered by the Waffenamt as a parallel development to the Porsche Maus in June of 1943; these new super tanks would have been based on the E-100. Our model, the Jagdpanzer E-100 prototype, was being developed as the next generation tank destroyer. Henchel produced these prototypes around the city of Paderborn. However, after 1944 work continued at a slow pace and was finally canceled in favor of the Maus. The first prototype was never completed and was found by the allies on the factory floor in 1945. Secured by the British Army, the E-100 was evaluated and scrapped.

The Product:

Kit consists of over 270 parts on 7 sprues plus hull, vinyl track lengths and photo-etched grills. Color painting guide for 2 conjectural German vehicles.

The Build:

First thanks go to our friends at Stevens International who provided IPMS-USA this kit, and thanks to Trumpeter for having (once again) stepped out and provided what the modeling community had only previously dreamed of; a 1/32nd scale F-18G!

The Aircraft

While the Global Hawk may look like a larger version of the Predator UAV, it’s a different aircraft with a different mission. Predators provide real-time surveillance and reporting of local target and maneuver info, and Global Hawks provide long-range intelligence. Think of the difference between an RF-4 and a U-2.

Global Hawks have set a couple of world records for UAVs, including altitude (65,000+ feet) and range (8214 miles). The range record was also notable as the first flight by a UAV non-stop across the Pacific, Edwards AFB to Australia.