REVELL-The Multi Part Body Car Kits. And What came after
Hey:
This is a historic(From my point of view) Review, of those kits. Some may be surprising and some may be rote, But it is what it is. I do have quite a few still left, but none available for pics. Still in storage. Seems the only two missing is the two I have tried hardest to re-acquire.The 56 Buick and The 56 Mercury Montclair with Phaeton trim.
These certainly were a surprise for me. I had already built the M.G. and the Austin 3000. Both really nice(Well, they were New Releases too!) They went together surprisingly well, with all four wheels on the tabletop. Detail was in today's parlance(for the time) Fair to Good! Of Course I didn't have anything but shades of Grey, Flat Black(Made with Talcum Powder) and Deep red for Waterline and under(Also flattened with Talc) Well, that actually resulted in Semi-Gloss, But I didn't quibble. They looked good.
I used the Semi-Gloss on the Tyres and the Chrome Sliver for, What else? Chrome! They had really done their homework on the wheels.The best Wires in molded plasttic I can remember till Monogram's Classic cars came along in 1/24! Then I bought the Continental MK2 ! This one surprised me. It was sleek, a weird Slivery Black(Closer to Anthracite than Black.) And Chrome. I think it was the first to offer it. Large spots to cut it off the sprues though. Even so, I, as young as I was had to experiment with my models.
I discovered that there was a thin groove running around the windshield and rear window. Right away my brain went into high gear. What if? Hmmmm. I bet I could use plastic from dad's Collar supports under his collars on his new shirts. I replaced them with cardboard. Well, Four patterns later I had a windsheild that Popped right in the groove. I rolled the corners in hot water so the clear material wouldn't get that crisp starry effect in that area. I had learned that, from putting windows in my friction aftermarket cars that were AMT sized but not their Product.(Four Door Police and Fire Chief cars).
Anyway, At that time I made window glass for them. Now Dad buys me a model for my Birthday#12. it's the 57-Cadillac Convertible. Same scale, Same pile of pieces. That one got me in trouble. Carefully using a Zippo I had found, I melted and stretched sprue and created the top bows and frames for it. I used one of dad's IRISH LINEN Handkerchiefs for the roof material. Well, Gee he had a Gazillion! After my whooping, he looked at the car and said, "You forgot a piece"! And he showed me where I had forgotten the frame for the little glass window they came with then.
The line was sometimes fragile depending on the plastic color. My White Chrysler convert was Brittle as was My Red Ford Pickup. Not to be confused with the 56--1/25 kit! The Trucks were fun But taxing. Some parts so small, Remember these were originally 1/32 . I even had the Lindberg ones.They were a little larger but, they had one piece Bodies. Then The Big day. I bought the 1/25! Ford, Country Squire Station Wagon. Oh my gosh, I was going to make her look like the box cover!.
Well, I tried. I even got the windows in that multi-pieced Body Kit!. The dark wood? Contact paper. The Light? A new paint called PACTRA! No brushmarks Gauranteed! They even had REAL Flats! Whatta pretty car that was. The lettering on the White-Wall area of the tires was too pronounced, but who cared.They looked pretty. Didn't build any more cars until I had finished Boot Camp and done a cruise. So 14,15,16,16-1/2 spent working helping Mom pay the Bills. Then six months with DAD and School! Fiddlesticks.
Fast Forward to 1962, I just got back from Japan, Courtesy of Uncle sam and the U.S.Navy! Wanted to build a model. Went to a model shop on base. They had, WOW! a Revell, 56 Chevy Bel - Air, 1/25 scale! Working Steering, Opening trunk, Hood and Doors. Full engine Detail and Real Chrome. What's this? Window Glass too? But it went in funny .Oh, The Quarter windows even retracted out of sight on a simple swivel. It passed, But I didn't like it. Went back to my optically clear Collar plastic which I found in a Pencil and Art store!
I was very disappointed with it for another reason, and I am glad I found the Flaw BEFORE gluing the moving panels in place! If you weren't careful about lining up those very delicate hinges on the doors, hood and trunk, it would Allow the Panels to flop out of place, closing incorrectly! Even with paint! Working patiently, I discovered how to get the doors to close correctly and made larger continous pins for the trunk and Hood that would stop that. The nice part. The Hood hinge bar went under the dash just fine, allowing the little notch in the slots to hold it open!
So There you have an on the scene review on the Models and what they were like to put together! Back Then! Bye for Now! My Battle Cry-PACTRA RULES!!!!!