Revell-Monogram

1/25 Lowrider Cadillac

Kit Number 85-1560

Reviewed By Hugh Gilmartin, #39490

MSRP: $21.25 USD

Kit source-Revell via John Noack, IPMS/USA 1st Vice President

INTRO: Lowriders are extensively modified cars with suspensions, power trains and electronics that are so complex that it boggles the imagination.  To say that these cars are “pimped out” is an understatement.  Go to an auto show and you will see these cars dressed in all kinds of leather, chrome, and gold plate parts, fancy equipment that run into excess of $10,000 with values of $50,000 of add-on equipment not unusual.

THE KIT: In the box are 100 parts on 9 sprues plus 4 vinyl tires with details.  1 sprue of clear parts; 2 sprues of plated parts in gold and chrome; 1 pre-painted metal body with plastic windows attached; 1 bag of metal parts with one axle, two pins for the front wheels and two screws; 2 sprues of black plastic and 2 sprues of white plastic and a tube of Testers® plastic glue. Instruction sheet provided.

ASSEMBLY: This kit was made for ease of assembly the parts fit perfectly with minimum seams that match the seams found on the real cars especially the seats and engine block.  Minimal sanding and putty needed here.

The engine went together per directions then I chrome painted the entire engine to keep within the theme, set aside to dry.  Then came the front suspension, step 4 in the instructions and here a critical decision must, repeat must be made whether or not to lower the suspension to make the lowrider.  You have the option of having the suspension raised to maximum or-as I did, lower the suspension in keeping with the lowrider theme.  This is important because once you make the suspension decision you cannot go back and change your mind.

It was at this point the major flaw of the instruction sheet reveals itself.  There are no painting suggestions or callouts to guide you in assembly.  This means lots of trial and error before final assembly.

The next step was the interior.  I painted this white to match the vinyl roof of the car body with black instrument panels and assembled them per instructions.  Here again; parts call outs would be helpful but are not provided.  At the same time I set up the trunk interior with the audio parts, painted them flat black or white to match the rest of the interior.  All parts went together perfectly once you found out what goes where.

The next step was the assembly of the rear suspension, which has to align with the decision you make on the front suspension.  Here I had problems with the rear axle provided.  It is just a little too large in diameter to fit into the wheels and I ended up filing the axle down to fit.

While the rear suspension was drying I assembled the chassis and interior sections together without any problems and set them aside to dry.

After assembly of the suspensions and chassis I turned to the wheels which were gold plated with simulated whitewall parts that you may have some problems with in assembly.  Here the instructions finally give you specific callouts to assist you in assembly.  Be careful at this step as you have lots of small parts that can get lost in that carpet or floor and end up broken.  However, you will have four excellent looking wheels when done.  I then set all parts aside to dry while I performed final painting on the Interior/Chassis assembly.

The next step was to assemble the body to chassis.  Here you must leave off the rear suspension to allow the mounting screws provided to be installed in the rear wheel housings.  This step proved surprisingly easy.  Once this was done, I then assembled the driveshaft to the rear suspension as directed and assembled the suspension to chassis.  The last assembly step was a personal modification to the front lights which I set up recessed to conform to pictures of lowrider cars I saw in “Lowrider” magazine.  After this the model is done.  No body painting was needed or planned.

ASSESSMENT: This model was a pleasant change from the usual models that I do.   The model has much relevance with the kid and teen markets for which this is intended.  The kit looks good on the shelf and considering the metal body the price is reasonable.  I would not, however, recommend this kit for Make-and-Take programs due to the small parts, incomplete instructions, and cost.

COMPARISON:

Pros: Body is pre-painted so there is no mess here.  Parts are perfect with no flash or any flaw here.  Subject is relevant to kids and teens.  Subject is relevant to many generations of modelers and you have simplicity of assembly.

Cons: Too many small parts here that can get lost.  Instructions sheet is not as complete as it could be.  No paint options given for the interior.  I thought the price seemed a little high.

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