Like most American kids, I went through a stage where cars were all I thought about. If I did a model, it was a car. I went to car shows, car races and when I got together with friends the conversation generally turned to cars (with some talk about girls tossed in there). I had a hopped up '65 GTO and would spend time and money working on it and making it cool. I also cruised the burger joints with friends. There were even those much more fortunate than I who had old cars that they had turned into street rods. We were all very envious of them as they always had babes hanging around them. As I got older, I went into the military, participated in a SE Asia war, and cars were no longer the main focus of my life. That had turned back to aircraft.

However, I have always liked street rods. There is something about them that really catches my attention. Probably the epitome of street rods are those based on the '32 Ford. Now I would rather walk than own a Ford, but the older versions ooze cool. It is just something about the styling and look of the '32 that makes it a classic. 

It is undoubtedly the most kitted car ever done. Just looking through the car model section for a kit to use for an upcoming theme contest, I saw no fewer than 5 different versions of the '32 ford in 1/25 scale. Amazing. A recent issue of Scale Auto Enthusiast touted the differences between three of the more available kits and the Revell-Monogram one was chosen as the best of the lot. So it was the kit that I bought. I also bought some other things for it, but that is not germane to this preview.

First thing you notice is the box. It is one of those miserable one piece thingies that is a pain to open and you basically end up tearing the box when doing so. I do wish that Revell would realize how hated these things are and return to two-piece boxes. Heck, you have to transfer the parts to another box to do any construction as you surely can't comfortably work out of this box in your lap!!  Wags will tell you to cut off the lid, but then you lose any usefulness of having the darn box!

Anyway, inside are two sprue bags, some unbagged sprues, a decal sheet, and instructions. The kit is molded in white and clear. I appreciate the white molding. All the white parts are in one bag. Probably because of the plastic color, scratches are not that evident on the pieces. They are beautifully molded and have no flash on them at all. There are a few ejector pin marks on the larger pieces, but cleanup won't be too much trouble except on the inside of the interior where removing them will be difficult and will damage the headliner detail.

The chrome bits are also very nicely done. The chrome plating is on there solidly and there are no flakes of chrome in the box as with other kits I have seen. The diehards will undoubtedly remove the bits and have them rechromed, but the rest of us will be happy with them as they are. The parts are engineered so that removal from the trees will result in minimal damage to the plating. 

Not shown are the small red sprue with tail lights, the clear sprue and the rubber tires. The tires are Goodyears and nicely done, only needing the seam removed. The clear sprue has front and rear 'glass' as well as lenses for the headlights.

There is, for a car, a largish decal sheet that has plates for South Carolina and Wisconsin as well as flames. They are well printed, glossy and a bit thick. Not sure how well they will work though as I have rarely used R-M decals for my aircraft kits.

The instructions are straightforward and give 8 easy to read construction steps. All parts are number, named and painting colors are given for each one. Any areas for options are clearly marked. 

This kit can be built basically two ways. First as a full fendered car or as a fenderless 'highboy'. That decision doesn't have to be made until very late in the building process. The fenders and running boards are separate from the rest of the chassis. You also have the option of leaving off the whole hood or just having the top of it installed and leaving the side panels off. The engine for the kit appears to be a 302 Ford with an automatic transmission, but I'm sure that many other engines can be crammed in there should the builder desire to do so.

Overall, it looks like a very nice car kit. Maybe this will be one that I can finish!

Review kit courtesy of me and my wallet!

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