|
Revell 1/25 '57 Chevy Bel Air Easy Kit |
|
|
Kit Number 1931 |
|
|
Reviewed By Joe Staudt, #39453 |
|
|
|
|
|
MSRP: $14.25 USD The 1957 Chevrolet has been a favorite subject for modelers for years now. There have been literally dozens of kit versions of this car released over the years. Revell has just added to that list by releasing this “Easy-Kit” version. This is a snap-together curbside kit, with only 28 parts (including the two screws used to hold it together). The body comes molded in fire engine red, with black chassis and white interior, chrome wheels, bumpers, and headlight bezels, and clear windows and headlights. Two metal axles allow the wheels to roll, making the finished product a suitable toy for any child old enough to build it in the first place. Everything comes packaged in separate plastic bags, so none of the pieces got scratched during shipping. The instructions divide the assembly process into 15 steps, each of which contains a clearly drawn and numbered exploded view of the parts to be assembled. The chassis has two sets of mounting holes for the axles, providing for both “standard” and “lowered” ride heights. All the engine, exhaust, and suspension details are molded in; a little detail painting here will add a nice amount of realism to the finished product. A set of generic low profile tires mount on a set of roughly 19-inch alloy wheels. The wheels and tires are rather narrow by modern standards, but they fit in the wheel wells. The interior tub has separate side panels, front seatbacks, dashboard with brake and clutch pedals, and steering wheel. Engraving is crisp throughout, again making detail painting a snap. The body has good proportions, and once again the engraving on the trim pieces is crisp, making the detailing relatively easy. My sample had no sink marks or flash anywhere. Two light mold lines across the hood and trunk would be relatively easy to remove. The kit comes with a rather interesting sheet of stickers. There are stickers for all of the body emblems (hood, trunk, and body side), including ones for the large stainless steel inserts on the tail fins. A set of flat-finished black stickers is provided for the insert panels on the seats. A set of flame graphics for the body sides and hood, plus a set of license plates rounds out the sheet. The stickers are printed on very thin plastic, and while they aren’t nearly as thin as real decals, they are much better than other, similar stickers I have seen. My plan for this kit was to build it as a father-daughter project with my 7-year-old (see her review at the end of this one), and to then let her have it as a toy. But of course, the modeler in me just had to have something more to do. In the end, I decided to keep things low-tech and build the kit the way a 9- or 10-year-old kid might. Taking a giant step back into my modeling past, I left the body in its original red and brush painted all the chrome trim with silver and gold paint. In the process, I found that my hand was just as steady as it used to be, i.e. not very. I decided not to use most of the trim piece stickers: the trim pieces stand out way too well to allow the stickers to lie down properly. I did end up using the “Fuel Injection” and front fender vender vent stickers, as those pieces were more lightly engraved. To preserve the paint and stickers from the rigors of toy duty, I covered the finished product with a coat of Future floor wax, which also enhanced the molded body color. On the interior, I again opted to paint instead of using the stickers provided. I did indulge myself a bit on the front and rear bumpers and grill, using a black wash on the grill, red wash on the taillights, and adding a few more details. The assembly process went quite smoothly. My daughter was able to install most of the pieces with little trouble. Even the wheels went onto the axles much more easily than I have come to expect. About the only things she would have had trouble with would be the screws that hold the body and chassis together and getting the large flame stickers to lay down smoothly with no bubbles. It took us about 30 minutes to assemble it and apply the flames. The end result of all this was a fairly nice-looking toy car. The rear wheels seem to be a bit too far forward in the wheel wells, so they rub against the body a bit; this might not be a problem if we had used the “lowered” ride height instead. I’m also a little disappointed at the lack of front fender wells: you can see straight through the car around the front tires. Even just a quarter inch or so of extra plastic in that area would have helped. But these are minor gripes, especially considering the great time my daughter and I had building it together. Any young modeler will enjoy this kit, and even some of us older modelers can have some fun with it. My name is Madalyn and I am seven years old. Daddy helped me make this kit. I liked it so much I want to build another kit but I want to build this one all by myself. The hardest part on this kit was putting on the headlights. My favorite part of this kit was putting the tires together and being with Daddy. I love cars! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Information, images, and all other items placed electronically on this site are the intellectual property of IPMS/USA ®. |
|
)
)
)
)