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

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/36

This is not a highly-detailed kit, but can be an entertaining build for both less experienced and more advanced modelers. Less experienced modelers will enjoy the ease of assembly, and can build the kit without painting. More advanced modelers looking for construction equipment will find the kit to be an opportunity for some extreme weathering.

Background

This is the second kit Hasegawa has produced based on the Hitachi tracked excavator. The first was the Double Arm Working Machine Astaco Neo released in 2015 and updated in 2017 with new parts. This new Hitachi Zaxis kit retains the grasping claw from the Double Arm kit, but adds an excavator bucket and dozer blade as additional options.

The Zaxis 135US-6 excavator is used by contractors needing a tight tail-swing radius to work in confined areas around obstacles. The excavator is equipped with an Isuzu engine.

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

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.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$24.95

The Kit

This review covers the 2016 Corvette Stingray 1:25 Scale Revell Kit #85-4425. It’s a Skill Level 4 kit for the intermediate builder requiring glue and paint. There are 57 parts molded in white, clear, chrome and transparent red and metal axles with easy-to-follow instructions and waterslide decals. The kit features a detailed LT-1 V-8 engine, multi-piece chassis, and soft black tires. Overall finished dimensions are approximately: Length: 7", Width: 3¼", Height: 2".

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Monogram
Scale
1/8
MSRP
$32.95

Background

The Grim Reapers description on Revell’s website sums up the premise best, “The baddest of the bad is back and hotter than ever. Tom Daniel's devilishly designed Grim Reaper still has that mean, classic look 40 years after it was designed. The Grim Reaper starts with raked, custom, square-tubular forks and cool, dual-square headlights. Then, there's the "coffin" shaped gas tank on the custom frame with custom stitched seat, and "Iron Cross" medallion. It's all powered by a classic V-twin motor with down-swept chrome pipes. Kit features tons of chrome parts, flexible tubing for wiring, swing out kick stand, and soft black tires”.

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

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.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$49.95

This review covers the re-release of the Kenworth K-100 by Revel in 1:25 scale. There are 284 parts molded in White, Chrome, and Clear, with Vinyl tires, and waterslide decals. Fit and finish on this kit is very good for its age. Incidentally, this is the truck style used for Optimus Prime in the original cartoon version of Transformers. The good news: this is a well designed kit. The bad news: I don’t see a current release date so they may be hard to find.

Construction and Detailing

This 2017 re-release #85-2513 has seen several box arts and versions (including the aerodyne’s) over the years. It needs glue and paint, so it would be recommended for advanced modelers due to the high piece count. On the other hand, it doesn’t have the usual poor cab fit issue. In fact, it assembles very well. The build is done in modules and is fairly simple with the full frame being assembled, then the motor and interior.

Book Author(s)
Jared A. Zichek
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Retromechanix
MSRP
$21.99

Illustrator and automotive enthusiast Jarek Zichek has gone digging deeply into the history of automobiles. Instead of ones that actually were built, he focused on concept streamlined automobiles. While not a complete survey of every car made, Mr. Zichek narrowed his focus to pre-WWII and to cars which had at least a fragmentary plan view. The majority of the 3D models generated are based on patent drawings and there are inconsistencies throughout some of the drawings so research and interpretation had to fill in some of the missing gaps.

The main body of the book consists of eight cars with reviews of the drawings that were used to generate the 3D models. Each car has multiple views as well as dimensions of the cars. Different color schemes are included especially if the car was designed for racing. The cars investigated and rendered are the following:

Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
Company
Hasegawa
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$52.00

Porsche is one of the premiere names in racing and sports cars in the world. This limited edition model of the Trust Racing Team’s Porsche 962C comes from Hasegawa and is a faithful reproduction of the real thing.

The kit contains 40 white plastic pieces on six runners, one white plastic car body, 12 clear pieces, four black axle retainers, and four rubber tires. There are several extra clear plastic and white plastic parts intended to create versions of the Porsche 962 that are different from the subject of this kit.

I highly recommend painting all of the kit’s parts prior to beginning any assembly. The only exception would be the parts used to build the airfoil on the back of the car, and that is due to a fit issue with the airfoil parts. Also recommended is to leave off the small exterior parts (windshield wiper, rear view mirrors, etc.) for last, to avoid breakage.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$44.99

There have been many incarnations of the Batmobile from the 1940’s until the latest entry, the Dawn of Justice Batmobile. All of them are cool but this latest is sleeker, armed to the teeth and looks the part. Moebius has replicated this with this kit so let’s jump in and get it built.

Looking through the instructions (gasp!), there are four major parts to the assembly- the chassis and wheels, the upper body, the cockpit and the spoilers/wings.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$34.99

After ten years of Countach production, the 1985 four valve per cylinder “Quattrovalvole“ V-12 coupled with a new fuel injection system was a significant upgrade. If that wasn’t enough for auto enthusiast they only made 610 of them which sold out immediately.

This review covers the skill level 5 (ages 14 years and older) 2016 release of the Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole 1:24 Scale Italeri Model Kit #3683. This kit is molded in white, grey, black, chrome, and clear with vinyl tires. Decals are made for the detailed interior and the chassis is made in multiple parts for enhanced finishing. The motor is highly detailed and can be viewed through the open engine cover. The body is also a multi-part unit crisply molded and proportionally correct. Finished dimensions are Length 7-¼”, Width 3”, Height 2”.