Through most of the seventies and early eighties custom vans were all the rage! This kit takes you instantly back to that magical era when shag carpet, eight tracks and incense were commonplace.

The Kit

This review covers the Bad Company 1982 Dodge Van 1:25 Scale MPC Model Kit #824. A 2015 re-release, this model was first produced in 1982 and Round2 has brought it back with all its original stock and custom parts along with an updated decal sheet. Round2 rates this a level 2 skill kit for intermediate modelers and I would say that it’s probably a 2+ with cutouts and large decals to install. The instructions are pretty clear and the motor is fairly well detailed although you would have to open up the hood to see it. It comes with cutout areas in the roof which harkens to previous versions of the main body but this kit only includes the large glass moon roof. It’s got 95 parts molded in chrome, clear and transparent red and white styrene with vinyl tires and metal axles. When finished it is: Length: 7½” Width: 3”, Height: 3”.

Construction and Detailing

As with most kits; start with the motor. The block and tranny are one piece so it goes together quickly. You’ll immediately start making choices between all the custom and stock parts. I used the custom wheels as seen on the retro style box art. The tires are the soft vinyl types with raised lettering. The chassis is pretty simple with a one piece front and two piece rear axles. After you assemble those, slide the metal axles into place and push the wheels on. Paint the exhaust (stock or custom) and radiator parts along with the driveshaft. After they’ve dried, add the motor to the frame and glue those pieces on and you’re already at the point of a rolling chassis.

This is the part where you could get really creative especially if you use the large clear roof panel. I painted the interior tub red and added some flocking but I just used the kit’s parts. There are a lot of aftermarket products available to make this area your own personal 1/25 sized living space. Or you could duplicate the van you had back in the day. Paint the dash and seats in your choice of colors and let them dry. This kit doesn’t come with decals for the gauges but you can find some images on the internet and print them out for the dash. Install the seats and dash and finish off the furnishings for the back of the van and glue them into place.

The body of the van was straight in this kit with minimal warpage. You may have to clean up some mold lines along the front fender and back quarter panel joins. Decide whether you want to open up the roof cutout to install the glass panel and clean that up. A final sanding with 600 paper will get it ready to prime inside and out. Don’t forget the airfoil and stone pan as well. Paint the interior and exterior along with the associated parts your choice for those areas being careful to mask off what you’ve already done. I add my decals after the exterior is dry so that I can clear coat them in place. These are pretty large so I recommend that you use some setting solution to get them to follow the contours and eliminate and puckering or wrinkles. It’s now a good time to add some foil to highlight the trim work. I followed that up with some clear coats and let the model dry thoroughly. Use some white glue to install the windows. Paint the interior draperies and install those. Also the front firewall gets a heater core and a brake booster.

Drop in the interior tub followed by the chassis. It’s tight enough that it will stay in place without glue. Detail the grill with some blackwash and the turn signals with some T/S amber. Add the headlights with some white glue. Glue those parts into position along with the stone pan and move back to the rear and add the turn signal lights and bumper. I made my model a modest custom with the addition of side pipes. Adding the final parts; the door mirrors, I was ready to pop in one my eight tracks and take it for a cruise to the concert hall.

Overall

This is another fun build from the mold vault at MPC and it won’t take you long to build it unless you decide to customize the interior with some scratch building or aftermarket parts. You could also open up the hood and doors and use the large clear roof panel to show off the interior. There was only slight flashing and cleanup was normal for mold lines although it was little heavy on the front fenders. I think you’ll like this kit for what it is and it can be built in around 8 hours with some fast drying paint or you can go crazy with its potential for customizing.