Review 20131028 - Right On! Replicas

Transcription

RoR Step-by-Step Review 20131028*
1977 Pontiac Firebird Smokey and the Bandit 1:25 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-4027 Review
One of the first movies I remember seeing in a theatre was “Smokey and the Bandit”, and from that day on
the movie has been in my top five favorites. Well, not so much the movie as the gleaming black Pontiac
that was the star (in my opinion). From the moment Burt Reynolds drove black beauty out of the back of
that semi, I was hooked.
For the Modeler: This is a Revell 1977 Pontiac Firebird Smokey and the Bandit 1:25 Scale Revell Model
Kit #85-4027 Review. This skill level 2 kit includes 89 parts, molded in white plastic, with black vinyl tires,
clear plastic windows and light covers. For years if you wanted to do a model replica of the "Bandit T/A"
you were limited by lack of correct decals and a kit without the right parts. While both Monogram and MPC
provided kits, neither had the right "Blackbird" decals and both lacked detail. Then a couple of years ago
Revell came out with a pre-painted kit, which was nice, but where is the fun in a pre-painted kit? Finally,
they released that kit in real model form....That’s right, this kit is NOT the old Monogram kit...it is the new,
very detailed, extremely well engineered, correctly decaled, Bandit T/A.
Right On Replicas, LLC ©2013 All rights reserved. *All registered trademarks are the property of their respective brands.
The Basics:
0a & 0b Here are the kit’s contents and box art. Revell's new T/A kit is a new tooling that The details are
crisp and very well done. Some things to note are the separate side vents, the very well engineered front
clip, the window assembly, the separate dash gauge face with decal gauges, and "Bandit" cowboy hat.
The Body:
8, 9 The body is made up of a separate front clip, hood, separate mirrors, door handles, a
and side vents. To start off I scuffed up the body and parts with steel wool, then wash with water and let
dry. At this time I also removed the slight mold lines on the front fenders, and rear fenders.
10 I detached the mirrors from the sprue and re-glued to the
sprue at their mounting points, that way I could paint them
separate and then cut them off later without disturbing the paint.
Due to the way the front clip was designed, it could be painted
without first attaching to the body.
3, 6 The side vents were attached to the body before painting
7 I attached the door handles to the body also (after the chrome
was sanded off). I then sprayed the body and parts with Testors
flat black, then followed up with 3 coats of Testors classic black
airbrushed on. All of this was set aside for a week to dry. The
proportions and detail are amazing, everything fits very nice and
is well engraved.
The Engine:
Figs 32 & 33) The legendary Pontiac 400 cu. in. V8, is a nice piece in itself. Compared to its predecessor in
the Monogram Trans Am... there is no comparison.
Figs 34 & 35) This version is very well detailed; there are no "blob" parts (parts that are not very well
detailed, but represent a part you know should be there. Like the starter and belt assembly on the
Monogram T/A). The engine/trans is made up of two halves, and it is designed to hide the seam that is so
apparent on these model motors. The oil pan/starter assembly covers the bottom seam along with a
separate transmission fluid pan. The top seam is covered with the intake/head assembly. There are two
belt assemblies, one contains the power steering pump and alternator. The other holds the A/C pump. The
both attach to the engine block with the with the fan spindle as the mounting tab. This is a very solid
design. The valve covers, exhaust manifolds, and HEI distributor are all separate pieces also.
Figs 36 & 37) The Engine was painted with Krylon Short Cuts Pacific blue, and the transmission was
painted with Testors Metallizer Magnesium. When completed it was attached to the chassis, which I have
to say the mounting points are incredibly good on this model. They are not small and spindly; all of them
are very strong and hidden.
Figs 11 & 12 The Interior is where the detail really stands out. The interior is a platform style with separate
side panels, separate front seats, front wheel wells, separate firewall, C.B., and dashboard with gauge
decals and separate gauge bezel.
Fig 20 I started by painting the platform of the interior with Testors satin black, then taped of the back seat
and center console and flocked the floor with black flocking. The front seats where painted satin black and
glued in. The front wheel wells and firewall were painted flat black and detailed with different colors of
acrylic paints.
Fig 15 The firewall has a separate
brake booster and master cylinder;
those were de-chromed and painted
with Testors metalizer paints.
Fig 4) I painted part 65 (gauge bezel)
Testors gold after de-chroming it, and be
aware, my part had stubs on the back of
it that should be sanded down a little.
This may have just been a mold error or
something, but it will cause fit issues if
not taken care of.
Fig 17 The dashboard was painted satin black and then detailed with some acrylic paints. The steering
wheel gets gold spokes, and a firebird decal for the center of it.
Figs 14 & 21 When it’s all done the interior assembly is awesome looking and very detailed (including
ashtrays and seatbelts) piece. The only gripe I have is that the C.B. does not include a microphone! This
could be easily fixed with some extra parts box pieces, or scratch building one.
The Chassis and Wheels:
The chassis is a very nice assembly, even though the parts count isn't very high, it is still nice and detailed
looking when finished.
Fig 23 & 24) First of all, the trademark info that is molded in the chassis needs to be scraped and sanded
off, then it was shot with flat black.
Fig 25) The wheels are the CORRECT snowflake units that have not been included in any other T/A model.
I used Testors gold to detail the wheels, and then used a flat black paint marker to paint around the outside
of the wheel.
Fig 26 & 26a) This was done because the wheels do not have a traditional "bead" that rests on the tire, and
there is a chance that you could see the edge of the wheel when mounted, but on mine, they looked great.
The tires are generic with minimal tread detail, probably the worst part of this kit, but still look nice on the
finished model.
Fig 27) The exhaust is a four piece unit with correct muffler and catalytic converter, the exhaust tips are
chrome units that have some beautiful mounting points.
Fig 28) The front suspension is one piece, which was painted satin black to contrast with the chassis. The
front wheels mount to the suspension with a metal pin that can only be set in the "stock" position. Putting it
in the "lowered" position will cause interference with the A-arm.
Fig 29) The rear shocks were left white plastic, since they are a pain to paint, and you really can't see them
when they are on anyway. The rear axle was painted flat black and detailed with satin black.
Fig 30)The exhaust
tips and pipe overlap
with a small
mounting tab. The
result is a strong
bond that won't get
knocked off when
you try to attach the
body.
Fig 31) Once the chassis is done, mount the interior and engine then add the radiator and clear reservoir
(red arrow).
Final Assembly:
Fig 39) Now that the
sub-assemblies are
done, it's time to put
things together and
decal the body. The
window assembly is
designed so that
you need no glue to
attach it to the body.
The headliner is the
attachment point for
the front and rear
windows, they need
to be taped off and
paint the headliner
flat black.
The rearview mirror
is also attached in a
fitted slot (red arrow)
so that no glue gets
on the windshield,
which has been the
bane of modelers
since time began.
Fig 43) The rear taillight panel should be molded in transparent red, as the instructions call out, but it's
actually clear. So I painted the BACK of the panel with Krylon red and then detailed the backup lights with
white acrylic paint on the front, and painted the raised ribs with a Sharpie black marker.
Figs 47 & 49) According to the instructions, part 55, should have the front marker lights attached to it, but it
doesn't. The front grille assemblies were painted with Testors gold and black acrylic paint.
Fig 51) The whole front assembly is an awesome design; it fits together with minimal glue, and mounts to
the body perfectly.
Figs 52 & 53) Now it's time to start decaling...WARNING: do not drink coffee, energy drinks or anything
else that will make you jittery. Decaling this car takes a steady hand and lots of Micro-Sol setting solution.
Altogether it took me about two hours to totally get it done, and the effort paid off.
Fig 53a) Here’s look at the engine bay after body is mated
to the chassis.
Fig 54) The decal sheet is great; all the striping is there along with the correct license plates, marker lights,
Pontiac logos, and even the key cylinders on the doors. The only thing missing is the stripes for the mirrors.
Make sure you follow the decal instructions, because some things have to be done in order.
Figs 55) Once it's decaled, install the side mirrors, the windshield assembly, the taillights, and screw the
body to the chassis/interior/engine. Lastly install the hood scoop, and front end assembly.
Fig 56 Out for some of that autumn sun.
Conclusion:
Fig 999) My final opinions on this kit are that it's been a long time coming. This car is an automotive icon,
and I can't believe it took this long to make a decent kit of it. But... it
was worth the wait. It is one of the most detailed domestic kits I have
seen in a long time. If you were going to build a contest quality
model, this kit is a great start. With excellent molded in detail, little
extras like Bandit's hat, and ease of construction, it is actually a great
kit for the younger generation also, although they probably have no
clue who Smokey or the Bandit are. The only disappointments would
be the tires, the lack of a C.B. mic, and the lack of a C.B. antenna. I
highly suggest this Model for anyone looking to stroll “Eastbound and
down”, memory lane.

Review 20131028 - Right On! Replicas

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