Revell

1/25 '72 Hurst Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Kit Number: 85-4244

Reviewed by  Steve Zajac, IPMS# 34937

MSRP: $24.95 Website: www.revell.com The Muscle Car Era went out with a big bang when Olds released the '72 Cutlass, one of the best designed cars of this period, with plenty of horsepower (300 hp)!! Originally advertised as a police package option in 1964, the 442 stood for 4 barrel carburetion, 4 on the floor, and 2 dual exhausts. Later the 4 on the floor became a 4 speed automatic. The '72 was the last year of the great body style originated in 1968. The new tool Revell kit offers the option of building either the 442 (I elected to build this version) or Hurst package (Olds teamed up with Hurst Performance Products for special editions in the 1960's). Each has the 455 cubic inch Rocket V-8 engine. Kit options are limited to manual or automatic transmissions, with a separate console for each. There is no uptop. There is a second rear axle and an extra air cleaner in the kit, neither referred to in the instructions, so expect other versions of the Cutlass! This new mold offers crisp details, good fit, and looks great when completed. Rated a "3" in terms of difficulty, a novice modeler who carefully follows the directions can build this kit, and the advanced modeler will have opportunities to enhance it with detailing. I highly recommend it! I built the major sub-assemblies: engine, chassis, interior and body, following the 12-page instructions. Assembly goes well with no major issues. Here are my comments: Engine: After assembling the 2 piece engine block, I noticed that top and rear sides were a bit concave. Sand each side so the manifold and transmission sit squarely on the top and rear sides. I glued the cylinder heads (great spark plug detail for those who wish to wire the distributor!), water pump, and oil pan to the engine block, then shot it with Testors Oldsmobile Blue metallic enamel. I chose the 2 piece manual transmission and air brushed it with Testors stainless steel lacquer; I then used cyano glue to eliminate the seam on the bottom, re-sprayed the steel color, and buffed the high points with a soft cotton cloth. The detail is excellent. For contrast, I deviated from the instructions for painting the rocker covers and manifold, which are also to be painted Olds Blue. I instead sprayed the rocker covers with Testors buffable aluminum lacquer, and then polished them with SnJ aluminum powder. The very nicely detailed manifold was sprayed with Testors magnesium lacquer; and SnJ aluminum powder was then brushed on. After gluing the major engine parts, add the fan and pulley assembly and various small parts. The small parts (starter, ignition coil, fuel pump, oil filter) need to be gently sanded to eliminate the seams, and it's hard to avoid losing some detail. Chassis: Start by gluing the transmission cover in the correct position depending on which transmission option you choose. I painted the chassis, front suspension, rear axle, and upper and lower control arms flat black with Wal-Mart Color Place spray paint (goes on nice and thin). I then brush painted the front and rear suspensions with water-thinned Testors acrylic flat black, which left a nice semi-gloss effect. The exhaust pipes were sprayed with Testors stainless steel lacquer, after sanding off the seam lines. Next, I sprayed the mufflers with Testors aluminum lacquer, and buffed them with SnJ aluminum powder. Glue the exhaust pipes to the chassis first, the front and rear suspensions second! After gently sanding the seam lines off the rear shocks, I brush painted Future on each (no base coat, the parts are molded white), and glued to the rear axle. Tip: I dry brushed the completed chassis with stainless steel; it really brings out the nice detail often neglected. I used Shabo transfers on the no-name tires, adding Firestone Wide Oval on the side walls. The wheel-to-axle assembly uses metal plugs, however, they are too short and the fit is unstable. I substituted some round sprue. When attaching the engine to the chassis, dry fit to make sure it sits squarely and evenly, and be sure that the exhausts reach the headers. You may need to bend the exhausts slightly to ensure a solid fit. Body: I gently washed the body and hood with an old toothbrush and mild dish detergent. After air drying it, I gently sanded, and sprayed it and the hood with several light coats of Tamiya fine grey primer. I then masked off the top of the hood and spray painted the underside flat black. I sprayed the hood and body with Tamiya's TS-12 Orange, starting with a mist coat, 2 light coats, and building up to 3-4 wet coats. Between coats I checked for dust, lightly sanding any affected areas. After the orange base coat had dried for 5 days, I airbrushed Cobra Color's Ultra clear gloss (out of production). Again I checked between coats for dust, lightly sanding. After 3 mist coats, I sprayed 7 wet coats which are enough to sand and buff without sanding through to the base coat. After drying for one week, I sanded with 3200, 4000, and 6000 sand paper cloths, and then used Meguier's Fine-Cut Cleaner (#2) and Swirl Remover 2.0 (# 9), applying each with a moist flannel cloth. I finished with Novus #1 polish that really brings out the shine!! Bare metal foil was applied to the front of the hood, rear deck, rocker panels and the top edge of the doors with a fresh # 11 Exacto blade. A clean Q-tip was used for burnishing the foil in place. I was not able to foil the wheel edge of the fenders as the raised edge had disappeared after all of the clear coats. Chrome pieces were carefully snipped off of the various trees, the stub points sanded, and foil was used to repair the affected area. These included the windshield frame, front/rear bumpers, door handles, and hood pins. Decals are easy to apply with warm water, and Micro Set and Micro Sol. They are thin and opaque, set easily, and are as good as after-market decals! Interior: I decided on a white interior. Research revealed that the white interior means white seats and white on the upper three quarters of the doors, but the floor, dash, door bottoms, and console are all black. The white was spray painted with Tamiya's flat white fine primer and the black surfaces with Wal-Mart flat black. I next masked off the areas surrounding the radio, heater, and vents on the dash and dry brushed each with Testors aluminum Metalizer, then treated the dash and console with Future paint brushed on (3-4 light coats) in those areas where the decals were to be applied. The decals for the instrument dials, and wood grain went on well after I trimmed the decal edges for a close fit, and applied them with Micro Set and Micro Sol. Once dry, the wood trim decals received a clear flat coat of white glue diluted with water (1:1). I used silver solder wire (.015" diam. From Radio Shack) for the upper dash trim. The trick is to straighten the wire by rolling it on a flat surface, and then using white glue, gently attach it to the outside edge of the dash. I also used the silver wire for the trim surrounding the radio, heater, etc. on the lower dash, applying it with white glue. The side panels of the doors were enhanced with chrome bare metal foil. I left off the wood grain door panel decal, as I preferred the white and chrome look. Glue the 2 front seats to the interior floor first, and then glue the console to the floor. The side panels and instrument panels follow and the interior sub-assembly is now complete. Final assembly The interior fit to the chassis was fine, and was followed by the radiator support and upper and lower hoses. The lower hose connection is a guessing game trying to find the hidden attachment point on the radiator, but I think I found it. Holding the car body in both hands, I very gently flexed the bottom of the body to insert the chassis/interior. I made sure to keep the body from touching any surface, as there is no roof to lay the car on, just the windshield frame, which could easily detach the windshield from the frame. I slowly and gently eased the car bottom into place, only applying white glue to the 2 attachment points to the rear of the back seat. The fit is so snug that no other glue is necessary. I then glued the front grill/bumper, and attached the rear bumper, which fits well enough not to need any glue. One minor problem was inserting the hood to the body, as this is done under the firewall and you can't see the attachment points. By trial and error, I managed to get the hood in properly, and in the end it sat squarely. I was pleased by the outcome of the build. By following the directions, an excellent out-of-the box '72 Cutlass is yours!! Thanks to Revell for the review sample and IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it.