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1/24 Revell '70 Plymouth Superbird


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is this kit available yet? i knew that Revell was going to re-issue it and i'm waiting for it myself to do some cars, including one of the Sox&Martin cars.

no thanks on the Johan Superbird kit, i've got it and it's a bit too crude for what i want and that's even with the help of the AMT parts :rolleyes:

Supposed to be coming in July..

I built the first issue molded in blue back in the '80s...nice kit, typical '80s 1:24th Monogram. I built a Johan Superbird back then also, it's the best kit to start with to build a race Superbird (has all the race parts) but is lacking the vinyl top to do a correct street version.

Now why would someone use five year old parts on a newer body ? Ed Shaver

???? The kit has 65 parts total. Typical '80s Monogram kit.

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having both the Johan kit and this one on hand to compare i decided that the Monogram based 1/24 kit is much better IMO for doing either a street stock Superbird or a race version. while it is indeed simplified with a low parts count it's still worlds ahead of the Johan effort in every aspect. the best part of the Johan kit in my opinion, is the box art.

The problem w/ doing a race version from the Monogram I would think is that the kit didn't include any race parts...would have to source those from somewhere else...

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you are right, you do have to source the race parts from elsewhere but the Johan kit really doesn't include anything "race" either other than some mag wheels and rear slicks anyways.

More than that..the Johan kit I have has the race interior (roll cage, race seat, dash, steering wheel, etc) racing gas tank, window bars, and race Hemi (single carb) engine...as far as wheels, it had the '70 style Mopar rally wheels and deep NASCAR style racing wheels. No mag wheels.

The Revell/Monogram kit definitely has the big advantage of being easily available and cheap.

Edited by Rob Hall
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So, with 65 parts, I take it this isn't the 1990's era Pro Modeler version...?

Or was that kit a Dodge Daytona?

That was the Daytona..the Superbird was never offered as a Pro Modeler version..

okay, then you have the Petty NASCAR version, which i don't have. i don't know what that kit has content wise. i have the Sox&Martin kit that i was going to build into one of the two cars that they campaigned. the Johan Petty kit may be a better starting point for a vintage NASCAR Superbird build in that case.

Yeah, I have the Petty version..got it new as a kid in '80s. I don't have the Sox & Martin version.

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this is the C/MP Superbird i built from the last re-issue with the Petty decals. i do have another blue plastic kit but the body and chassis are both warped.

section8957.jpg

the Monogram kit is simplified but it builds into a nice solid replica of the Superbird. hopefully this time around we've got some good decals included so you don't have to source them from the aftermarket.

having both the Johan kit and this one on hand to compare i decided that the Monogram based 1/24 kit is much better IMO for doing either a street stock Superbird or a race version. while it is indeed simplified with a low parts count it's still worlds ahead of the Johan effort in every aspect. the best part of the Johan kit in my opinion, is the box art.

Hey Dave, it looks like you did a really nice job on that Superbird.

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I had the original blue-plastic issue years ago, and IIR, the major bugaboo with the decal sheet in that issue was that it didn't include the Roadrunner logos for the spoiler uprights. Did the Petty version have those?

Not that I recall.

I found a set in the Old MPC RoadRunner kit when I built the one of my Dads Bird (20+yrs ago).

DadsSuperBird5.jpg

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I have the Richard Petty issue in front of me right now and it does indeed have two sets of roadrunner logos for the wing uprights on the decal sheet . One with black letters and one with white letters.

What it doesn't have is the proper Rally wheels - you get Magnum 500s instead and a set of all chrome steel wheels with dog dishes. If anyone wants pics i can add them later today after work.

gus

Edited by GrumpyGus
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A nice build can be made from this kit with a little tlc. I built this from the Revellogram kit, I forget which issue, it only had black markings, these white ones were made by a friend of mine. I sourced the ralley wheels from Revellogram's 70 Challenger kit.

1a16591428_th.jpg

e4c0e63578_th.jpg

b60684c690_th.jpg

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I have the Richard Petty issue in front of me right now and it does indeed have two sets of roadrunner logos for the wing uprights on the decal sheet . One with black letters and one with white letters.

What it doesn't have is the proper Rally wheels - you get Magnum 500s instead and a set of all chrome steel wheels with dog dishes. If anyone wants pics i can add them later today after work.

gus

hey Gus,

Yes,I would like to see pics if you can.

Thanks

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There's nothing about either the R-M or Jo-Han Superbirds that some modeler's elbow grease (and research) cannot cure.

The only thing I'm truly unhappy about in the R-M kit are the wheels. Not a lot of Winged Wonders were equipped with Magnum 500s - most either had the Mopar Rally wheel or they had steelies and dog dish caps. The slotted steel wheel and smooth dog dish cap that started with the 70 Road Runner and migrated into the last edition of the Wing Thing (Richard Petty Replica Racer) was incorrect for the '70 cars but wouldn't look out of place on any of the old Yodel '78 Mopar police cars - if you can still find any, that is.

The Jo-Han kit is typical late 60s, with simplified chassis and molded-in exhaust system. Subbing the AMT 68 Road Runner/69 GTX/70 (MPC) Super Bee chassis and Hemi improves the kit more than 50%. The vinyl roof is no biggie, there have been articles in a couple of different publications on how to make one, or use MCG's vinyl top kit. The only issue here is scratching up the chrome trim around the top, which also is no biggie with some Evergreen strip and a LOT of PATIENCE! And the nose clip on the J-H kit had indentations for the matt black areas, which the real car does not have. Filling and rescribing, filling and rescribing...!

How would I improve the R-M kit (suggestions to R-M)? First of all, rectify the wheel situation with correct choices. Second, all-new parts for a single four-barrel 440 option along with the kit's Six Pack intake that's been there from inception - many 'Birds had the base engine. As much as I would LIKE a Hemi in there - and an accurate one is desperately needed in a mainstream 1/24 scale kit - I doubt that R-M would tool one up. Third, make sure the kit has both black and white Plymouth billboards AND the circular Superbird decal both for the wing supports and for the nose - the latter was done in the Petty Replica Racer version of the kit (and was on Slippery Arts' correction decal sheet.)

With the Jo-Han kit gone, the racing guys are out of luck unless someone decides to produce an all-new (or mostly new) 1/25 scale 'Bird. Round2, you out there....?>????

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Third, make sure the kit has both black and white Plymouth billboards AND the circular Superbird decal both for the wing supports and for the nose - the latter was done in the Petty Replica Racer version of the kit (and was on Slippery Arts' correction decal sheet.)

Did the kit include three circular decals, or only two? IIRC, the NASCAR cars didn't use the left headlight door decal like the street Superbirds did.

I would be surprised if Warner Brothers, Inc. allowed Revell to reproduce the likeness of the Road Runner for the last re-issue of the Petty Superbird.

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Did the kit include three circular decals, or only two? IIRC, the NASCAR cars didn't use the left headlight door decal like the street Superbirds did.

I would be surprised if Warner Brothers, Inc. allowed Revell to reproduce the likeness of the Road Runner for the last re-issue of the Petty Superbird.

Guess I was Wrong.

Here are the decals.

P7030005.jpg

P7030003.jpg

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you can add the wheels from the challenger t/a kit and the hemi from the cuda..and bingo you got hemi bird.....

Yes you can add the Challenger wheels, in fact that's what most modelers do.

As far as the Hemi goes, the Hemi in the old (1982-vintage) '71 Hemi Cuda kit is WILDLY INACCURATE, both from a shape standpoint and from an accessories standpoint. The shape of the block is all wrong. Ditto for the poorly done intake manifold. I could go on but I think my point has been made. Some might say that "the big shaker is gonna hide it all anyway so who cares" and that might be good for some, but for other applications/kitbashes (the Superbird being a prime example) the poor engine shapes would stick out like a sore thumb. The only reasonably accurate Street Hemi engine is the Ross Gibson resin piece which is beautifully done, but a tad pricey, and until R-M tools up an accurate 1/24 426 Hemi, that's the best you can get - or do.

There's no substitute for research.

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Would the steelies and dog dishes that were in the Special Edition version of the '68 Charger be correect for a Superbird?

The steelies would be close, Ken, but the dog dishes wouldn't be - Dodge and Plymouth had their own unique styles, and the '68s are different from the '70s.

I'd go with the 1/24 open wheels and dog dish caps from Missing Link. Kevin does both the Plymouth and Dodge versions of the dog dish, and they are VERY nicely done.

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I honestly can't recall seeing a ton of '70 Superbird in steel wheels, as most I've seen are wearing Rallye wheels.

There are some, Casey - and several of them have appeared in print in some of the more well-known 1/1 scale muscle car magazines over the past, oh, twenty years or so.

By the way, most Superbirds had the base bench seat interior - the buckets were an option. This was the same as the standard Road Runner. If you wanted to kitbash this, the interior from the Revell '70 Road Runner could be swapped into the Superbird with a minimum of fuss.

Edited by larrygre
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A nice build can be made from this kit with a little tlc. I built this from the Revellogram kit, I forget which issue, it only had black markings, these white ones were made by a friend of mine. I sourced the ralley wheels from Revellogram's 70 Challenger kit.

1a16591428_th.jpg

e4c0e63578_th.jpg

b60684c690_th.jpg

Nicely done, Lee!

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