IPMS/USA Reviews

After ten years of Countach production, the 1985 four valve per cylinder "Quattrovalvole" V-12 coupled with a new fuel injection system was a significant upgrade. If that wasn't enough for auto enthusiast they only made 610 of them which sold out immediately.

This review covers the skill level 5 (ages 14 years and older) 2016 release of the Lamborghini Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole 1:24 Scale Italeri Model Kit #3683. This kit is molded in white, grey, black, chrome, and clear with vinyl tires. Decals are made for the detailed interior and the chassis is made in multiple parts for enhanced finishing. The motor is highly detailed and can be viewed through the open engine cover. The body is also a multi-part unit crisply molded and proportionally correct. Finished dimensions are Length 7-1/4", Width 3", Height 2".

Construction and Detailing

The body is molded in color (white) but there are some knit lines that are visible so primer and paint are recommended for an even color finish.

Back in '77 the AMC Pacer was arguably ahead of its time. The expanded windows were a definite safety feature allowing greater visibility, and the sub-compact (now the same size as some mid-size cars) had great fuel consumption. Unfortunately, it was "too far ahead" and people described its odd look as an upside-down fishbowl.

Construction and Detailing

This 2016 release #AMT1008 is a Retro-Deluxe re-pop for this kit which has seen several box arts over the years. It needs glue and paint, so it would be recommended for modeler 12 and older. The overall model is simplistic as many of the detail work is molded in. As an example, the block on 14 piece motor has a molded-in exhaust manifold and fuel pump. The gas tank and frame rails are molded into the floor pan and the door panels are molded into the interior bucket. For the experienced modeler this would be a "weekender" but it would also make a great "step-up" kit for a novice builder. It's what I would call a "tweener" and most appropriate for that age group.

Talk about a blast from the past - this kit hasn't been seen since its 1986 release. The secondary market prices were approaching $100 and here it is again for our enjoyment at reasonable prices. This kit features some of the largest tires available for a 1:25 scale kit, and not one, but three fully blown Hemi drag motors and a wagon full of accessories.

This review covers the skill level 3 (ages 12 years and older) 2016 re-release of the Blazing Bison Puller Tractor 1:25 Scale AMT Model Kit #1006. There are 150+ pieces molded in yellow, black, and chrome, with metal axles, gigantic soft vinyl tires and waterslide decals. Finished dimensions are; ~ L-8", W-5", H-3".

Construction and Detailing

To reduce color variations I recommend that you spray all the yellow pieces with a medium-tone primer.

This is a great kit with lots of detail and fit of the parts is excellent. The assembly is complex, but the instruction are clear so it's a fun modeling challenge.

Hasegawa's Yamaha YZR500 was released in 2014 and is a rebox of a kit first issued in 2012, The kit has been released several times since then, mostly with new decals.

This new kit from Revell is the 2015 Corvette C7.R that raced at Le Mans and in the IMSA racing league in the United States.

Kit

The kit comes packaged in the usual Revell 1/25 size cardboard box with 4 bags of white molded parts, 1 bag with a white body, the metal axles, rubber tires and clear red tail lights, and 1 bag with the clear parts. There are a total of 13 sprues of white plastic plus the body, 1 sprue of clear red, 2 clear sprues and the 2 metal axles and 4 rubber tires. All this adds up to a total of 64 plastic parts. The parts are molded with good detail and little flash. There are some ejector pin marks that will need to be addressed, but not too many.

The kit also comes with a very nice decal sheet with markings for 1 car, the number 4, that is in perfect register (More on the markings later). The instruction manual is 12 pages long and consists of 20 steps, including the decal guide. Paint callouts are generic in that they just give a generic color name and do not reference any particular paint manufacturer. There is also a listing of the parts and what they are, which is nice if you are not sure what each part represents.