IPMS/USA Reviews

This is a review of the Veloce Buick Riviera 1963 to 1973

I haven't written a book review in over 50 years, so bear with me.

The Veloce book is packed with information about the first three generations of the stylish, luxurious, and performance-oriented Buick Riviera. Tons of pictures accompany performance data, available option equipment for each year, changes and upgrades by year. I didn't realize Buick started using the Riviera name in 1949 as a trim package and would later be changed/upgraded to compete with the Ford Thunderbird.

Also included are pictures of Riviera's that have been customized with paint, wheels/tires, and body modifications.

The Veloce Buick Riviera is a fantastic addition to your hobby area reference materials.

Thank you to IPMS for allowing me to review this kit.

This is my second review of a UGears wooden kit. The "U" refers to the fact that these unusual products are engineered and manufactured in the Ukraine. Each kit is precisely - and I do mean precisely - laser cut and etched from fine plywood. This particular kit contains two sheets consisting of 189 parts, along with peripherals such as rubber bands (for the drive mechanism) and toothpicks (used to anchor a number of the subassemblies together). A small stick of wax, for lubricating moving parts, is also included. More on that later.

For the purists who read this review, no, it's not a typical model kit. There's no gluing, filling, painting or decaling involved (although I suppose one could paint or stain the kit). But it's a nice break from working in the model room - I was able to fiddle around with this one while sitting in front of the TV with Sharyl, and it could also be a great parent-child project (check the website for some other kits that build into working toys).

And now for something different - for this reviewer at least. I've always been intrigued with the bright brasswork of early automobiles and the combination of dark green paint and brass trim caught my eye when perusing the list of review items.

The kit arrives in a very sturdy cardboard box with separate cover in full color. Each tree is carefully wrapped, clear parts and rubber tires are packaged separately, and a very nice gloss printed instruction manual is included.

Construction is relatively straightforward, I deviated from some of the sequences to facilitate painting and avoid knocking off some of the smaller bits. The 10hp Renault engine is nicely detailed but I ran into problems attaching the exhaust pipe. Part of this is due to somewhat obscure illustration and compounding this was the fact that the pipe itself was broken during assembly. Let's chalk that one up to builder error.

The leaf springs at each wheel are (realistically) springy and can present a challenge during chassis assembly. For some reason, one of the rear springs didn't want to line up and you can see that it is slightly out of line in the build photos.

ICM is a Ukrainian manufacturer and this kit is a 1/24 scale model of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first patented production motorized automobile. The kit is all new for January of 2020.

Kit

The kit comes packaged in a sturdy box that once the liftoff lid is removed, reveals another foldup lid on the box bottom. There is 1 bag consisting of 4 sprues of grey plastic parts, 77 in total. There is also a cardboard envelope containing a sheet of 12 brass photoetch parts for the wheel spokes and chains with sprockets. There are no decals or clear parts needed for this vehicle. Also included in the box is a printed copy of part of the patent application from 1886. It is printed on heavy cardstock and is weathered to look old.

The plastic is soft, well detailed and easy to work with. There is very little flash, only on a couple of parts and very few sink marks/ejector pin marks, less than 10 that need to be dealt with. Many of the parts have mold seams that will need to be cleaned up, but because of the softness of the plastic, it cleans up quickly.

It was some time after 2:00 PM on June 10^th, 1979 at the Circuit de la Sarthe, France. The 47^th 24 Hours of Le Mans had concluded with Car 41, the Porsche 935 K3 from Kremer Racing standing at the top of the podium, having won the rain-soaked race. The car was driven by Klaus Ludwig, Don Whittington, and Bill Whittington.

The kit box and instructions indicate manufacturers as Platz Co. Ltd. and NuNu Hobby Model Kit by Si Nok Development Company Ltd., both of Japan. The kit is molded in white and black with the usual supporting parts in clear and two mirrors in chrome. We also have a fret of photoetch, a sheet of mesh, and two sheets of decals. The paint color chart is on the outside of the box. This allows the buyer to see what he needs before purchase. The box photos of the model were somewhat helpful during assembly.