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

Review Author
Randy Robinson
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$19.95

From the instruction sheet-“This glass-bodied sleeper patterned after a ’60 Chevy panel truck looks like a clean semi-custom…” Designed by Tom Daniel it is a pro-street style custom wagon. Tom Daniel was prolific designer of wild customs; over 75 of his designs were made into scale models.

The kit consists of 72 parts molded in orange and transparent red with chrome-plated parts and four soft rubber tires. The instruction sheet is simple and easy to follow with clear drawings and part numbers as well as paint callouts.

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Camden Koukol
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$11.95

Background

The production Audi R8 was named after the manufacturer’s 5-time LeMans winner and was first marketed in 2006. Featuring a mid-mounted 4.2 liter V8 engine, generating 420 brake horsepower enabling a top speed of over 180 miles per hour, the R8 is truly a super sports car.

The Kit

Consisting of 13 pieces in pre-painted metallic orange and flat black; clear, chrome, and red clear styrene, steel axles, and vinyl tires, this kit is well-suited for first-time and beginning modelers. Exterior, interior, and underside detail is crisply molded and provides a convincing replica of the R8.

Review Author
Steve Zajac
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$14.95

Revell has released the brand new 2015 Ford Mustang GT in its SnapTite line, coinciding with the fall introduction of the actual car to auto dealers nationwide. The kit is a fast build with 10 pieces, and comes well packed in plastic sleeves with no sprues whatsoever. All parts are wrapped in plastic, are crisply molded and look to be very accurate.

This was a 15-20 minute build by my nephew, age 11, who also took the attached pictures. The comments that follow are his own. Overall, he gave the kit 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fast build and easy. The body seemed accurate, and the yellow color was cool. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The interior (consisting of fully appointed black interior with steering wheel) was realistic. It didn't matter that there was no engine, but he thought that an exhaust system and stickers/decals would have added more realism. The flat bottom was a weakness.

Review Author
Jim Stepanek
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$23.95

The Revell 1/25 scale ’70 Ford Torino GT is a wonderful kit with very little flash to be cleaned. The engine fits together very well, and the kit gives you two sets of valve covers and two different air filters. I chose the Lynx-type filter for its lower profile. The very nice chassis has separate suspension components and exhaust pipes. I replaced the kit exhaust extensions with aluminum tubing. The kit even comes with a set of slapper bars.

The interior has separate side panels, seats, and console. This is way all kits should be made! Each component features excellent engraving that just screams for extra detailing.

Review Author
William Mahoney
Paul Mahoney
Published on
Company
Round 2 Models
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$19.99

Although most of Round 2’s kits are re-issues of older models, this “Snap It” kit is an all new issue. As per Round 2’s website, “… parts molded in orange, tan, black, along with clear and chrome plated parts, modelers of any skill level can easily assemble a great looking replica with no paint or glue required!”

This is the second review written by my 9-year old son William, an IPMS Junior member. William primarily builds aircraft like his dad, but after doing one snap together car model review, he was anxious to do a second. As this is recommended for ages 8 and up, we thought it would be good to see how this model rates with its intended audience. The rest of the review will be in his words.

“When I opened this box, the model parts looked high quality, in particular because some of the parts were chrome. Most snap kits don’t have chrome parts.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/25
MSRP
$26.99

This is a tough kit to assemble. Not that it's difficult, but the parts are rough, fit loose, and require a lot of cleanup of flash and ejection pins. Several of the parts have a copyright date of 1973 and the years have not been nice to this kit. The kit has some interesting detail, particularly on the engine and its internal compliments, but the molding has lost a lot of detail. There’s lots of flash to clean up and some of the ejection pins are almost big enough to have their own part number. The part fit is loose and difficult to align correctly.

The kit has options for three different versions: street, Roth, and a drag version. Kit includes choice of three different engine intakes and has opening doors and trunk lid.

From Revell’s website:

Review Author
John Noack
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$22.95

Fans of 60's and 70's custom show cars will recall that prolific period when it seemed that every week a new car – prototype and/or model – rolled out on display. Many of these vehicles were designed to augment a popular TV show (The Munsters Coach and Dragula, the Monkeemobile, Batmobile, etc); others hit the show circuit, and still others landed on the shelves of our friendly hobby shop where hordes of kids (like me) spent our allowances. Tom Daniel's Cherry Bomb falls into that category. I'd never built it the first time around so I jumped on the opportunity to do so this time.

The kit actually contains three vehicles – the gas turbine-powered car, a surfboard-derived trailer, and a chopper style motorcycle whose gas tank replicates the explosive device in question, which launched many a boys' room toilet seat when lit and flushed. (Or so I hear).

Review Author
Chris Gibson
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/12
MSRP
$69.95

Overview

The ’69 Camaro was the second design change in the first generation series of Camaros; the ’67 and ’68 were basically the same except for cosmetic differences. The Z/28 was the top-of-the-line version with a vast amount of options, including the dual 4-barrel 302 with the Cross-Ram intake. Chevrolet designed and built the Camaro to compete against the very popular Mustang and did very well selling over 872,000 of the first generation models. The Z/28 Camaro also raced against the Mustang in the Trans Am race circuit.

Review Author
Joe Staudt
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$22.99

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.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Revell
Scale
1/24ish
MSRP
$23.95

Far Out Dude!

An enjoyable kit to build and paint! This would be a good kit for beginners who have done some snap-tites and are ready for their first glue & paint kit. It’s also an opportunity for experience modelers to let loose their creative monster art skills!

Part of Deals Wheels collection by Revell based on Dave Deal’s cartoons and far-out caricatures of cars & planes, the Nomad is a reissue of a kit originally issued in 1971. The detail is a little soft and the parts fit is loose, but it’s still a fun kit for beginners and a fun painting opportunity for more advanced modelers.