Revell - 55 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop 2'in1 - 1:25 scale
Kit review by Peter Mosca of "escalemodels.com"
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According to the instructions on the new Revell ’55 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop kit, this chevy is regarded as an all time classic and considered one of the “10 Best” American cars. It captured the true spirit of the “Grease: generation with all styling and classic timeless design. i simply cannot argue with that statement, the 55 Chev Bel Air has been in my top ten cars of all time since I was a teenager.
So when I received my kit in the mail I opened it with great expectation. The kit appears to be based on the 1995 Convertible kit, as this date stamp is present on the chassis. My initial reaction was that you get a lot for your buck. On opening the box, you are presented with nine sealed bags containing the kit parts moulded in white.
The body has only minimal mould lines that will be easily removed with a sanding stick. Sink marks are not deep and will mostly be hidden from view. You may wish to address two sink marks in the head liner and whilst you’re there, admire the attention to detail that Revell as paid to this part of the kit.
The kit comes with separate side trim (see the chrome sprues) that some modellers will enjoy. However, if you wanted to customise your ride and remove all external components for that slick look, be ready for a whole lot of filling and sanding.
Onto the interior, and this is really neat. You get a nicely detailed floor board with textured floor, (for those not keen on flocking) with a moulded in back seat bench. These are nicely textured and marked facilitating a two tone finish. The separate door panels and a front bench seat are also nicely done. Add to this a three piece dash, (some nice chrome work here as well), two sun visors and a tissue dispenser! With the 2 n 1 custom options, it would have been nice to see a custom steering wheel but alas, not this time.
The 265cu V8 is nicely detailed featuring separate oil pan, option for a stock or custom valve covers, distributor, water pump, carburettor, starter, fuel pump, alternator, oil filter and choice of custom or stock air cleaners.
The options continue on the front assembly with the choice of suspension parts for that stock or custom low down look.
The chassis is nicely moulded with separate left and right exhaust, custom or stock rear axles, leaf springs and drive shaft. The firewall features a battery, master break cylinder and wiper motor. Nicely detailed radiator, washer bottle, hoses and horns finish off the engine bay.
You get two choices for your wheels, stock white walled chrome wheels and firestone tyres or custom wheels and low profile tyres. I only wish the low profile tyres were a little wider as they will look somewhat skinny under the large body of the Bel Air.
The kit chrome is some of the nicest of seen from a Revell kit. The very fine sink marks are all hidden and there’s really no flash to talk about. This is good news as it would have been a real shame to damage that nice chrome finish.
The clear parts look somewhat thick, but my sample was free of any defects. Check out the cool milkshake, soda glass and soda bottle options, refreshing!
The kit decals look nicely registered, little carrier film is present and contains three number plate options, gold custom flames and dash display.
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