MSRP: $15.99 USD
The Dodge Viper is one of the hottest American-made
vehicles on the market today. In SRT-10 trim it easily performs
along with the best production “super cars” from Europe. As such,
it is a prime subject for kits of all skill levels. The subject of
this review is a skill level 1 metal-body kit in 1:32 scale. It
looked like an excellent opportunity for my daughter’s first solo build,
and she was quite excited to give it a shot. Here is what she has
to say about it:
“I am Madalyn. I am 8 years old. My Dad
helped me build this kit. I was in charge. All the steps
made sense except for step four. I got a little confused on step
four. My Dad had to help me put the wheels on the axles.
Also tightening the screws. I absolutely love it!!!!”
Okay, so she didn’t do it all by herself,
but she was in charge of the build, with me there for support and
guidance (and muscle) only. Here are the details of the kit and
the building experience.
The kit comes packaged in a see-through box.
All the parts are already removed from the trees, with decals and some
paint detail already applied. The paint on the body of my copy was
excellent, with no orange peel or other blemishes. There are no
additional decals to apply. The full-color instructions are
printed on the back of the box, and will be quite clear to anyone with
some modeling experience, i.e. anyone who knows that kit
instructions sometimes have to be taken with a grain of salt.
Construction is simple, consisting of attaching the wheels to the
chassis, installing the windshield, dashboard, and interior tub into the
body, and then attaching the chassis to the body with three screws.
A screwdriver is provided in the kit. Most 8-year olds would be
able to complete this kit with little or no help, aside from a little
extra muscle needed to get the wheels onto the axles and to tighten the
screws.
The resulting model is a curbside with opening
doors and rolling wheels on metal axles. The box advertises
“pullback action”, but the necessary mechanism is not included in the
kit, nor is it mentioned in the instructions. The proportions of
the kit look pretty good, but chassis detail is rudimentary at best.
The end product is essentially a metal-body toy car with some nice
detail. To that extent, it is a great kit for any kid old enough
to build it. My daughter certainly enjoyed the experience, and she
and her 3-year-old sister will enjoy playing with it. My thanks to
Testors for providing the kit. |