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

Review Author
Ron Verburg
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$25.95

History

Billed as the low priced car that's most like the high priced cars…the 1941 Plymouth offered Big 3 buyers an attractive, soundly engineered and thoroughly modern automobile. The Special Deluxe Four Passenger Coupe is a prime example of Chrysler Corporations emphasis on low priced luxury. Priced at $925 it featured a longer wheelbase that its competitors for a big car ride; front stabilizer bar; safety rim wheels; oil bath air cleaners, aircraft type shock absorbers; and a smooth running 201.3 cubic inch L head six cylinder engine with Chryslers famous Floating Power mountings. Introduced in 1928, Plymouth built a solid reputation for comfort and value, playing down performance until the horsepower race of the 1050s. With growing collector interest in prewar Chrysler products, the 1941 Plymouth has become a highly desirable milestone Mayflower.

Review Author
Gordon Miller
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

This proved to be a fabulous kit with both the tilt front end 1940 Willys Coupe as the subject matter, and the nostalgia provided with arguably the most beloved and popular individual of The Three Stooges, Curly Howard, as the backdrop. I was so impreesed with the car itself. It went together so seamless, without any fitting problems whatsoever. This particular Willys Coupe can only be built the way it is depicted on the box top artwork.

Review Author
Matthew Cottrell
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$24.95

On the back of the seventh Fast & Furious movie release, Revell has re-released a kit born in the 2 Fast 2 Furious era, or more commonly, 2003. Responding to the tuner craze of the time, Revell released several 2’ n 1 style kits of popular imports such as the Acura Integra Type R, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the subject of this review, the ‘99-00 Honda Civic Si coupe. Each of the the tuner-inspired kits included several aftermarket wheels, body kits, and spoilers, along with the parts to build a stock car.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Monogram
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

The Kit

This review covers the 1957 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon 1:25 Scale Model Kit #85-4193. A 2015 release, this model is a collection of past offerings with refreshed trees and some brand new tooling. It is a skill level 3 kit for the 12-year and older builder, molded in 156 pieces of white, clear, transparent red and chrome pieces with waterslide decals and instructions. As you can tell from the piece count it comes with quite a few options. Two complete versions can be built; either the police wagon or a stock version. Both use a highly detailed rendition of the 312 c.i.d. Thunderbird V-8. This kit includes a separate frame for enhanced detailing along with custom wheels and disc brakes. The completed dimensions are Length: 8”, Width: 3”, Height: 2-3/8”

Construction and Detailing

I elected to build the police version of this wagon for its “cool” factor and because the kit pieces were so nicely done in a period accurate manner.

Review Author
Gordon Miller
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

I was excited for the opportunity to build a truly wonderful American classic. In 1963 the Corvette had a base price of just under $4400. dollars and came in right under $5,000. for the fully loaded sport coupe . This model is one of the best offerings that will be coming out this year in my humble opinion . The car comes with all the accessories to build three different 327 c.i. power plants ! It comes with two engine blocks and parts to assemble three different versions of the famed motor. One , of course is the factory stock version , one is the custom one with a blower assembly and the other option is a fuel injected motor. The kit also gives you three hoods complete with the cutouts already completed on two of them . So trying to cut one out on my own is eliminated. That is very good news for some of us , namely me . And the third hood is for the factory edition . I chose to build the stock version of the car .

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$24.95

Cleanup on aisle six. That's what I kept thinking as I peeled away layer after layer of flash and mold seams from this kit. Michelangelo once said something like every block of stone has a masterpiece inside. It’s up to the sculptor to discover it. That's the way it is with this kit. Somewhere buried beneath all that flash is a nice kit.

This is a great Revell kit that once was a classic model that every car modeler needs to build. Dates on the sprues suggest this kit was first issued in 1982, and there have been several re-releases since then. The years have not been nice though, as the flash and worn moldings continue to grow, requiring lots of cleanup.

Review Author
Gilberto Ojeda
Published on
Company
Aoshima
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$38.99

DeLorean DMC-12

The DeLorean DMC-12 (commonly referred to simply as "the DeLorean", as it was the only model ever produced by the DeLorean company) is a sports car manufactured by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company for the American market from 1981–83. The car features gull-wing doors and an innovative fiberglass chassis and underbody structure, along with a brushed stainless steel body. The car became widely known and iconic for its appearance, modified as a time machine, in the Back to the Future film trilogy.

Kit Contents

The kit has 2 dark-gray and 1 black sprues, a body, a chassis, one clear parts tree, a chrome-finished tree for the 4 wheels, 4 soft plastic tires, and a grease tube for the wheel mechanism that transforms the Time Machine from a regular car to a flying car in the movie.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$33.99

The Kit

This review covers the Time Machine Mark IV (Back To The Future III) 1:25 Scale Polar Lights Model Kit #POL932. A 2015 release, this model is a continuation of the previous Time Machine version offerings. This skill level 2 kit is molded in color in about 60 pieces in gray, clear, chrome, updated brushed steel, metal axles with waterslide and sticker license plate graphics. While the kit is fairly easy to assemble the details are small and difficult to paint. You may also need to find some online sources to supplement the build with homemade decals to really make the model stand out. The completed dimensions are Length: 7”, Width: 3”, Height: 2-1/4” and it comes with a set of rail tracks for display.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$22.99

The Kit

This review covers the Nestle Crunch Monster Truck 1:32 Scale AMT Model Kit #911. A 2015 release, this model is a repackaging of the popular USA-1 Monster Truck model. This kit is designed to be an easy-to-assemble kit with subject matter that appeals to youngsters. It is all about letting kids get into the hobby with minimal skills and come out with a great looking “monster truck” that has “eye candy” written all over it! A skill level 1 Snap It kit it is molded in color in 21 pieces that are (blue, white and chrome) with metal axles, monster style wheels and vinyl sticker graphics. The completed dimensions are Length: 7”, Width: 4-3/4”, Height: 4”. Assembly time is under an hour.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$16.49

AMT and Round 2 are known for their automotive kits and have been for a very, very long time. To add to their cars, here’s some really nice tires as part of their "Custom and Competition" line. Anybody building a muscle car from the ‘60’s needs a set of these puppies. You get 4 F60 x 15 and 4 L60 x 15 tires. There are no wheels in the accessory pack. I just put some Cragar SS wheels for the pic.

And here’s a problem/issue I found. Round 2 does not have the tires shown on their website. Several aftermarket outlets have the tires available from their websites. Regardless, these are great additions to any muscle car and are recommended.

My thanks to round 2 Models for the review sample.