Índex per February 2020 a Scale Auto

For a long time, I’d wanted a 1/25 scale ’68 Pontiac GTO on my shelf, but finding the venerable MPC kit at a reasonable price proved difficult. When I’d almost given up the search, a friend gifted me an original MPC kit of the elusive “Goat” for my 50th birthday. More than grateful, I promised him the box for his collection after I’d built the model and immediately began planning how to improve the details. Like so many modelers, I have more kits than I will ever complete, so parting out some kits for the project didn’t bother me too much. BRINGING THE HAMMER The Pontiac GTO, or Goat as it is affectionately called, is widely considered to be the original muscle car and popularized the formula of putting big-displacement…

MAY 5, 2019…

Some of the most hotly contested racing series around the world feature FIA GT3 race cars with manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Acura, Lexus, and BMW. Thankfully, along with the racing, we’re getting many of the contenders in kit form. Tamiya first issued its Mercedes-AMG GT3 in 2017, in a rather boring livery. This new issue features the striking satin black scheme of the LEON CVSTOS sponsored car that won the 2018 Japanese championship and features spectacular Cartograf decals. With the change in markings come an update in the wheels and body, too. Most of the parts are molded in black, and Tamiya’s quality is outstanding: no flash or sink-marks and mold lines are virtually invisible. The kit also provides die-cut window masks, metal transfers for mirrors and badging,…

The A-body Plymouth Barracuda was introduced to the pony car market in 1964 and shared a vast number of parts with the Plymouth Valiant. In 1970, Plymouth cut all ties to the Valiant A-body platform with the introduction of the new E-body which the AAR (All American Racing) ’Cuda is based on. All the kit parts are bagged, with the tires and chrome and clear parts parked in individual bags. A sheet of superb decals and a comprehensive instruction booklet round out the contents. The 23-piece 340 cid V8 engine and six-pack carburetor assembled without any hitches. After removing some minor seams and minimal flash, the built-up mill represents the mighty small block well. Steps 6 and 7 want you to start on the chassis. I deviated and moved to…

Introduced at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, the 812 Superfast replaced Ferrari’s F12. The 812 continues the tradition of front-engine GTs featuring a 6.5-liter V12 producing 789 horsepower and advanced aerodynamics to decrease drag while increasing downforce. With a top speed of 211 mph, it lives up to its name. Alpha Models’ Superfast multimedia kit is a beauty, just like the real car! The major components are exquisitely cast in cream-colored resin, and the rest of the details are handled by five photo-etched (PE) metal frets, metal transfers, and a small decal sheet. The instructions are a bit simplified with a couple of exploded-view drawings to give you a rough idea of what goes where accompanied by a few reference photos. Being a curbside model, the parts count isn’t terribly…

Fujimi introduced its 1/24 scale Enthusiast Series in the mid-1980s. In the December 2014 “Classic Kits” column, I noted that the “Enthusiast Series proved that the model car world was ready for a series of premium-priced biscale kits that would set a benchmark for the hobby.” Just a few years later, Car Modeler magazine columnist and kit reviewer Larry Greenberg commented that Revell Germany, with its Premium BMW 850i kit, had “taken Fujimi’s idea of an Enthusiast Model and refined it even further” (“Strictly Stock”, March 1991). New in 1990, the kit’s MSRP was $50. That’s $95 today! BMW’s all-new 1990 850i coupe was a great subject for a Revell Germany Premium kit. The 850i replaced the much-loved 1976-1989 E24 6 Series cars. Beyond the all-new two-door body with hideaway…

It’s great that AMT continues to re-release older kits that haven’t been seen for decades, especially with better tires, chrome and decals. As a drag racing fan, I was excited to see the recent release of “Dyno” Don Nicholson’s Eliminator II Mercury Cyclone. However, I was disappointed to see that the kit doesn’t look anything like the actual car. While the ’67 Comet body is correct, the kit’s wheelbase is off, the 427 SOHC is equipped with a blower instead of velocity stacks, and the chassis doesn’t replicate the one used on the actual car. Therefore, I set myself the task of modeling a more accurate ’67 Eliminator II. AMT’s stock 1967 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT (No. 6750), which has been released several times, provides the correct wheelbase. Even though…

A tough day at the track As a teen, I dated a girl whose father, John, owned a local hobby shop. John and I became good friends, and he mentored me as a modeler. He was a huge Mopar fan, and all the models in this scene — an AMT 1978 Dodge Lil Red Express pickup, Revell 1967 Sox & Martin Plymouth GTX Super Stock, and Revell race car trailer — came from him. Of all my builds, this one was his favorite, and it has become one of mine, too. ABOUT CHRIS Chris Gaster of Painesville, Ohio, started building models when he was 12. One Christmas, he and his cousin received a truckload of model kits and stayed up all night building them. Needless to say, he’s been hooked…

OCTOBER 12, 2019…

In the fall of 2019 Revell released a modified and updated version of its venerable World of Outlaws sprint car kit with decals for the 2017 Indy Race Parts (IRP) car driven by Joey Saldana. Revell has added or replaced many parts from earlier releases, including the upper-wing sides, front wing, driver’s seat, engine intake and exhaust, and the wheels and tires. The few chrome-plated parts that remain are primarily for the suspension. In all my years of modeling, I’ve never built a sprint car, and this kit was an interesting change of pace. The mold lines on tube frame and other round parts need a good deal of cleanup. The chassis and roll cage are two large pieces that fit together well, but the joins require filling and sanding.…

The 1/25 scale AMT 1978 Subaru Brat was originally released in 1979, and Round 2 is finally reissuing the kit with a few improvements to take advantage of a market thirsty for more unusual ’70s vehicles. The basic instruction sheet lists 16 assembly steps, but includes no suggestions for paint. The kit reproduces the Brat’s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, along with the transmission and front axles, in eight parts. The engine compartment is molded as part of the body, and includes a washer reservoir, jack, and wiper motor. The radiator and master cylinder are separate parts; no radiator hoses are included. The spare tire was mounted horizontally under the hood at the rear of the engine on the real vehicle, but it isn’t represented on the model. AMT did a good…

I have always loved Tamiya kits, especially its motorcycles, and couldn’t wait for the new Honda Monkey 125. The parts in the box didn’t disappoint with cleanly molded parts and sharp, accurate details. I painted the parts before assembly. The instructions offer diagrams for four schemes; I settled on the factory two-tone red (TS-95) and white (TS-26). The kit provides a mask to help paint the two-tone design on the gas tank. Assembly was anything but complicated and all the parts fit well. I did have to go back and scrape some paint off edges — the fit is so good that even a little paint can foul it. Be warned, the kit contains many chrome parts, so you’ll spend a good amount of time scraping for clean plastic to…

Give your engine some spark Jeffrey Divoll provided another tip, this time for adding a great — but simple — detail to your scale engines. Here’s Jeffrey to explain: “Many modelers add spark-plug boots to plug wires going into the block, but how about kicking it up a notch by adding spark plugs? First, drill your spark plug holes in the block using a No. 67 bit. Next, cut short pieces of .030-inch white styrene rod for the spark plugs and sand one end to a point. Slip the pointed end into your boot material (the point makes it easier to insert). Insert the plug wire into the other end of the boot. When that’s done, glue the white spark plug into the engine block. That little touch of white…

Back in the day, modelers might pull parts from 10 or more kits while kitbashing. Now, with kit prices what they are and time at a premium, I’ve been asked time and again about kitbashing with fewer donor kits. So, when Revell introduced its 1957 Ford Gasser 2 ‘n 1 wagon and 1948 Ford Coupe kits a couple of years ago, it prompted me to wonder if I could build a convincing 1948 Ford gasser from just two kits. My plan was to combine the body, frame, and interior of the 1948 Ford coupe with the drag racing parts from the 1957 Ford gasser, including the hotrodded Y-block V8, straight-tube front axle, and 9-inch Ford rear differential. But could I implement the plan? WHAT IS A GASSER? Originally, a gasser…

AUGUST 7, 2019…

Strange, how marketing can sometimes overshadow an aspect of a product that would be appealing for many other reasons. When they were released, I dutifully picked up a copy of both the 1970 Dodge Charger R/T and the branded Fast & Furious Dominic’s ’70 Dodge Charger. Revell’s marketing move made sense: The ’70 Charger is popular, so why not? Both went into my stash, and I didn’t give them much more thought. Except, I did think about them. And after a while, it hit me: Aside from producing a kit hitched to the most popular movie franchise in Universal Studios history, Revell had filled a hole in the car modeling catalog and allowed Mopar fans to build the last year of the famous second generation of Chargers. Much as the…

Third-generation GM trucks have been referred to as “square body” trucks for years. This new design with added safety features came in Fleetside or Stepside models known as the C/K line. I owned the two-wheel-drive version — and wish I still owned it today! The kit instructions are easy to follow, give you plenty of information on the real truck, and suggest paint colors. Part names and numbers make each step easy to understand. You’ll also notice a decal sheet with a ton of options. Chrome and clear parts come bagged separately. The classic small-block engine (nicely detailed for the kit’s age) comes with a choice of chrome-plated or nonplated valve covers. However, it doesn’t have a carburetor; the air cleaner just sits on top of the manifold. It’s a…

Revell Germany initially released its Porsche 934 RSR kit in 2017 with Jägermeister markings, and followed up with a Vaillant scheme in 2018. Now Revell has issued the car in the popular Martini scheme. My first order of business when opening a new kit is to inspect the body and exterior panels. The Porsche’s smooth, white styrene body has only minor mold lines that require a bit of cleanup. However, the panel lines for the doors are a bit soft for my liking. The hinged whale tail opens to expose the detailed engine, and the hood lifts off to reveal the battery and fuel cell molded in place. THE PORSCHE’S SMOOTH, WHITE STYRENE BODY HAS ONLY MINOR MOLD LINES THAT REQUIRE A BIT OF CLEANUP. Four parts molded in black…