Sommaire pour June 2019 de Scale Auto

1/25 Scale • Ridge Runner Pinto, No. MPC906M, $25.99. From Round2. • Batman The Joker Getaway Car 1978 Dodge Monaco with Joker Figure, No. MPC890, $27.99. From Round2. • Batmobile Build2Together 2-Pack Figure, No. POL907, $39.99. From Round2. • 1968 Shelby GT 500, No. AMT634, $22.99. From Round2. • 1966 Chevelle, No. 117, $32. From Round2. • 1978 Dodge D100 Custom Pickup, No. MPC901M, $28.99. From Round2. 1/24 Scale • Kunny’z JZX100 (Toyota) Chaser Tourer V ‘98, No. 53034, $25.27. From Aoshima. • Vertex S15 SIlvia ‘99 (Nisssan), No. 52143, $25.27. From Aoshima. 1/32 Scale Bigfoot 4x4x4 Ford F-150 Monster Truck Snap Kit, No. AMT805, $22.99. From Round2. Die-cast • 1952 Agajanian, Winner Indianapolis 500, Troy Ruttman, No. R43016, 1/43 $89.99. From Replicarz. • 1953 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible, No. AW251,…

As a model car builder and kit collector I’ve often wondered why some really interesting kits have remained largely under the radar when it comes to the modeling popularity? One example is Monogram’s tool that produced two versions of the 1977 Jeep CJ-7. Not only is it notable, but there is an interesting story behind both kits, as well as the 1/1 vehicles. ICONIC FIRST-GEN CJ-7 From my perspective as a retired automotive marketer, design executive, and historian, the first-generation Jeep CJ-7 represents the ultimate expression of adapting the original World War II Jeep to the modern market. The ruggedness, the appearance when equipped with the Renegade option (raised ride height, aggressive wheel/tire combination, and factory-installed roll bar), and the visual/mechanical linkage to the original military Jeep took its purest…

MAZDA’S ROTARY WAS an invention masterminded by German engineer Dr. Felix Wankel, who wanted to create a new internal combustion engine. The rotary engine, sometimes called a “Wankel,” features a triangular rotor moving inside an oval-shape housing with no pistons, valves, or a camshaft, so drastically fewer parts when compared with a traditional engine. It was lightweight, compact, and powerful, and in 1961 Mazda was the first brand to contract Wankel to produce the engine for it. Two years later Mazda created its own Rotary Engine Research Department to test and perfect the engine for use in vehicles. The rotary made its initial debut with two-rotors in 1967 under the hood of a Mazda Cosmo Sport. Mazda continued working to improve the rotary engine for years to come. In the…

This 1/24 scale kit makes a mild custom version of Subaru’s boxerengined (horizontallyopposed four-cylinder) BRZ sports car featuring aggressive STI body parts, wheels, and suspension upgrades. If desired, it can be built close to stock too, just leave off the mentioned special performance parts and use the default items. However it only comes in a right-hand-drive configuration. The hood opens to reveal the boxer engine, albeit simplified. Yet it still looks convincing once put together and painted. Underneath, its chassis looks like a detailed curbside when viewed from the bottom. Other than the hinged hood, the BRZ’s poseable steering is the only other moving feature. The hood comes with a chrome metal prop rod that fits into molded-in bosses. Even after applying automotive paints, the hood opens and closes perfectly.…

Building an Italian legend from 40 years ago: Ferrari's 512 BB When I was invited to build a 1979 car model for Scale Auto’s “Class of ’79” theme, I had a small handful of models in my stash to choose from. One that stood out was Fujim’s Ferrari 512 BB. It was a sexy, flashy, exotic shaped like a missile from a time often described nowadays as the “Malaise Era” due to a perfect storm of emissions and safety regulations, along with a volatile and unpredictable oil market that had customers demanding smaller and more efficient cars. The 512 BB that followed the first 365 GT4 BB was built from 1976 through 1980. In 1981, the car was updated to the 512 BBi, “i” for fuel injection. Performance numbers from…

As often is the case, my initial impression of the CJ-7 kit was correct in some ways, and way off in others. Many Monogram kits introduced in the mid-1970s to early 1980s lacked accuracy but were fairly easy to build into presentable models. These kits are exactly the opposite, highly detailed and somewhat complex kits that require considerable skill to assemble well. The use of multipart body panels lends itself to increased accuracy as well as flexibility to replicate two different body styles - the enclosed “hardtop version” with doors, and the open top, doors-omitted off-road version. Based on prior experience with Monogram, I felt confident prepping painting, and detailing these body components prior to assembly. Yet as final assembly proceeded, I realized this approach may have been a mistake.…

AMT 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Chevrolet’s Chevelle was a mid-sized car built from 1964 through 1978. Based on the General Motors A-body platform, the Chevelle was one of Chevy’s most successful nameplates. This kit has been around for quite some time and I built mine factorystock. If this isn’t your taste, there are two options to choose from. Start with the V8’s 18 pieces. I went with the stock 454 cu.in. LS6, but the kit gives you the option of building a custom 454 V8 with a high-rise manifold, chrome valve covers, and a fuel-injected platform. While the engine appears complete when finished, it lacks a fuel pump, bracket for the alternator, and a lower radiator-to-engine water hose. Next were the tires and wheels. The kit provides two wheel options:…

MPC’s 20th century catalog of kits, like that of its counterparts AMT, Revell, and Monogram, was heavily tilted toward American cars and trucks. The few imports translated to 1/25 scale domestically made kits were virtually all European or British brands. But as the U.S. auto market evolved from the late 1960s to early 1980s, Japanese brands became far more important, forcing domestic kit makers to examine Asian imports as possible kit topics. With AMT leaving the “annual kit” market after the 1977 product run, MPC became the primary purveyor of current car kits. For MPC’s 1983 product catalog, the firm developed a kit of the new second-generation Toyota Supra. The sporty Supra was a six-cylinder derivative of the highly successful fourcylinder Toyota Celica sports compact. While criticized for a few…

With Scale Auto turning 40, I searched through my stash to find a kit I could build to commemorate such an iconic publication in our great hobby. One iconic muscle car came quickly to mind: Chevrolet’s 1979 Camaro Z28. Revell’s kit gives builders two options, factory-stock or a street machine, and both are tempting. Since the pages you’re holding right now aren’t part of just any ordinary issue of Scale Auto, I decided to take this Camaro well beyond stock, for a special look. 1 As usual, the first thing to address was the Camaro’s body, which had just a few minor mold lines that required sanding. The chin spoiler on the 1/1 car was designed as a three-piece unit, but the parting line sppeared in the wrong location on this…

While the 1978 Indy Pace Car and 25th Anniversary Corvettes overshadowed the 1979 offering, the latter benefited from a few upgrades, even if it was simply a placeholder until a restyled car came out in 1980. The base L48 V8 was bumped to 195 horsepower, and the high-performance L82 engine was boosted to 225 horses. The ’79 Corvette gained the special seats out of the 1978 model year’s top pace car trim, and the optional spoilers also carried over. For this project, I’m using Revell/Monogram’s 1/24 scale 1978 Corvette (yellow car on the box top), which is the same kit as the black and silver “Pace Car,” but with a different decal sheet. This car could actually be built from either kit. Some issues, mainly the seats and valve covers,…

1/8 SCALE • Harley-Davidson motorcycles (any) • Porsche 917 • 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 • Lamborghini Aventador • Mark’s pick: Ford GT40 Mk II • Robby’s pick: Saab 900 1/12 SCALE • 2015 and newer Ford Mustang • Jaguar D-Type • R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R • Porsche 917 • Porsche 962 • Mark’s pick: 1967 Gurney Eagle F1 • Robby’s pick: Cunningham Racing Nissan 300ZX 1/20 SCALE • Indy cars from the 2018 season • F1 cars past and present • McLaren MP4/4 • Williams FW15C • Ferrari 312 • 1979-1987 Chevrolet El Camino • Mark’s pick: 2018 Dallara Indy car • Robby’s pick: 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk 1/24 SCALE • 1948 Tucker Torpedo • 2002-2010 Ford Crown Victoria • 2015 and newer Ford Mustang • E46 BMW…

The SS100 was a watershed vehicle for Jaguar, the brand’s first in-house designed sports car after graduating from motorcycle sidecars (SS denoted Swallow Sidecars). This was the first Jaguar to incorporate the newly designed XK engine that would power several generations. Being interested in sports car racing I’ve always wanted to build an SS100 seeing as it was the grandfather to the iconic XK120, C-type, D-type and E-type Jags, and would round out my collection nicely. To my knowledge however, there’s never been an SS100 in 1/25 or 1/24 scale, only as a 1/32 offering from Matchbox. I wasn’t about to add another scale to my model car collection, but after staring at the Matchbox kit for some time I realized that the overall fender shape was similar to a…