Part 1: First Look

MSRP: $27.99 Web Site: www.lindberg-models.com Monster trucks have captured the attention of kids for many years. Including big kids like myself. How could trucks with 2000 horsepower that fly through the air and crush cars not grab your attention? There have been a few Monster Trucks produced in scale over the years most in a smaller 1/32 scale and snap-tite. This kit being 1/24 scale really puts the size of the trucks to the point as just the box itself does a good job of. Opening the box, everything is nicely packed in tightly. Well enough that once it is unpacked, it is hard to get it back in and close the box. The clear parts are placed in a divided section of the box and the two sprues are sealed individually. The body is the only part not in a plastic bag. The majority of the sprues are placed into one large bag and then smaller bags containing two sprues and a couple having just one. The decals are also protected in a bag as well as with a protective sheet. No parts managed to find their way off the sprues in all the shipping the kit went through.

The body is done as one piece. It is nicely detailed and looking at reference pics only a small amount of masking will need to be done for the grill and everything else is black.

The real meat of the kit is in the roll cage. This is represented through several parts and glancing through the instructions looks like it laid out pretty nicely on the assembly of it. Most steps show one part being added so the chance of confusion is greatly reduced which is nice given the complexity of the cage. Overall the instructions show the assembly in 66 steps on 15 pages. After realizing the amount of rounded parts the cage contains I was a bit worried about the amount of sanding that is normal on tube shaped plastic. A closer look showed that the seams running down the edges are almost nonexistent and will only require some minor sanding but should not be enough to flatten the sides. Good job to Lindberg on that area. Even knockouts are kept to a bare minimum and virtually all are in places that will be inside other parts or not visible.

The 565 CI. BAE Supercharged Hemi (Yea, It's Got a Hemi) looks pretty nice. It should be pretty fun to build and offers some real detailing chances for those that want to go all out with fuel lines and such. And with the motor being pretty visible on these trucks, would be great way to improve on what Lindberg has all ready done nicely replicating.

The tires are rubber and have some nice looking treads. They are very sturdy and should have no problems holding the weight of the kit once done. There are no brand names on them but that is pretty typical in this day of licensing fees.

The decal sheet is pretty impressive and intimidating at the same time. I think this will be probably one of the most challenging parts of this build. They are nice and crisp and the print is readable on the various logos. The kit does contain a separate decal placement guide which should come in handy.

Over all this is a pretty impressive kit. While it is something off the beaten track, which is where a monster truck feels most at home any way, I think it is a nice break from the norm and should be a challenging but not overly frustrating kit. And for a good ole boy like myself, well it will just be fun to build. Just all the other cars and trucks on the bench better go hide in case I have a flash back of being 10 with this big boy in front of me. Thanks to Ernie Petit of Lindberg and IPMS/USA for the review sample.

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