Reviews of products for scale automotive models, including motorcycles and motorized vehicles.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$49.99

The Sauber Mercedes C9 made quite a splash in 1989, winning the World Sports Car Prototype Championship with both the #61 and #62 racers. In this curbside kit you have the option of building either vehicle with the decals provided.

Although this is a simple model it is rated a skill level three kit for modelers aged 14 and over by the manufacturer due to the large decals involved in finishing. It has 79 pieces molded in gray, clear and black styrene. The decals are very nice with a great register and minimal carrier film. There are no drivetrain parts and the underside is a plain floorpan with a few molded in details. When finished the dimensions are approximately: Length: 8”, Width: 3”, Height: 2.”

Review Author
Gregory Hansel
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$22.95

Introduction

I remember when the Mazda Miata was introduced. I actually went to the dealership to check them out and I was a big fan of them. The Miata blended the style of a 60's British sports car with the reliability of a modern Japanese import. The kit was first introduced in 1993, molded in red, and this is the first reissue of it, so it had not been available for nearly 25 years!

Review Author
Steve Zajac
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$24.95

Revell has re-released the ever popular 1964 Ford Fairlane, originally issued in 1990. It is a 2 'n 1 kit so you can build the street version or the classic Super Stock Thunderbolt drag version with a 427 c. i. engine, featuring Dick Brannan's (head of Ford's Drag Racing division) Romy Hammes car. Only 100 for the race version were built. The kit features three wheel style choices, two hood style choices, 4-speed or automatic transmission, and stock and drag tires (8 total). I built the race car version, of course.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$26.95

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.

Review Author
Mike Howard
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$51.99

Background

The Group “C” racing class ran from 1982 until about 1993. It was an extremely exciting series that saw some of the class cars run over 250 mph on the Le Mans' Mulsanne Straight (the WM-Peugeot recorded the highest 405 km/h / 252 mph). Porsche revolutionized the race series with the 956/962 cars and the associated aerodynamics and ground effects innovations. These Porsche vehicles were dominant for many years and were campaigned by both the factory and private race teams which, for modelers, allows for a multitude of paint and color schemes.

Review Author
Ian Latham
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$48.75

The MiniArt German Passsenger Car Typ 170V Saloon 4 Doors kit is a 1/35th scale kit ideal for dioramas. This is the 5th incarnation of the MiniArt Mercedees 170V kit and includes the addition of a single female figure. There is a total of 265 parts supplied on 7 grey spue of simi-soft grey plastic with the body cast in one piece and boxed separately, 1 sprue of crystal clear plastic, 1 card of photo-etched brass, and a set of decals that include 11 different marking options. The detail is beautiful and exquisitely cast with no flash and only the subtlest of seams, which are easily removed. The instruction booklet includes beautiful color pictures of the 11 different options as well as well rendered cad drawings of each 48 steps. Color call outs are broken down for Ammo Mig, Humbrol, Mr. Color, Testors and Vallejo paints.

Review Author
Haylee Perdue
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$26.95

Kevin Harvick became a household name in 2001, when he was selected to replace the late Dale Earnhardt after the legend's fatal accident in the Daytona 500. He currently has 35 Monster Cup and 46 Xfinity Series victories, and has been piloting cars for Stewart-Haas Racing since 2014. This model kit, provided for review by Revell, is of Kevin's current “Freaky Fast” 2017 Ford Fusion stock car.

This kit is Skill Level 5, and is molded in white plastic with black vinyl tires and clear parts, which have pre-painted black frames. The kit includes water slide decals, which are excellent and very forgiving to use.

Inside the box, you will find two bags of white plastic parts, a bag which contains the body shell, chassis, tires, and metal axle pins, and a forth bag with the clear parts. The instructions and decal sheet round out the contents.

Review Author
Alan Wickham
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$29.95

The '66 Suburban is a modified tooling of Revell's '64-'66 Chevy pickup kits. The kit is nicely detailed, and complete, right down to separate lenses for all lights, interior mirror and dome, decal and "glass" for the instrument panel, and decals for the seat upholstery.

In this release of the kit, it can only be built stock, and no custom parts are included. Which was just fine for me, because I am an avid replica stock builder! I chose correct '66 Chevy truck light green and white for my model, with the correct light gold colored interior, and the correct greyish shade for the engine block.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$24.95

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.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$44.99

This is a nicely molded kit with lots of detail. The kit is delicate with many small and fiddly parts that require patient assembly. This will build a nice truck but requires working with some very small parts.

Background

This kit is the civilian version of the Mercedes L1500S 1.5-ton German cargo truck.

4101 of the trucks were manufactured from 1941 to 1944, and light fire fighting vehicles were the most common variant. Many of the others were used as trucks for civil & commercial applications.

MiniArt originally issued the kit in 2012 as a military cargo truck. The vehicle has been re-issued in several other versions including a personnel car, 2 fire truck variants, a 4 x 4 car, and two variations of a military cargo truck.