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Stacey David's Rat Roaster by : REVELL


Greg Myers

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Are the Rat Roaster's portholes molded as one with the hood, or are they separate pieces? Are two hoods included or just one?

There's just one hood. The holes are in the hood and the chrome parts are two separate inserts. I'm sure a lot of custom guys will be chopping the hood up and grafting them into lots of customs. There is the option of leaving the hood off and using the velocity stacks.

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I'll try to snap some tomorrow. I forgot and left it at work! I would have had to try and sneak it past SWMBO tonight anyway...

Where do you work? Not saying there will be a break-in and you'll return tomorrow to find it gone or anything, just curious... :lol:

Please do photograph the tires- I'm wondering how close they are to the 1:1 car's units. Heck, I'd buy two or three of these just for the tires if they're close- the rest would just be 'bonus bits'. :D Even if not, more than enough here to justify me buying a case. I can even get past the Chevy engine- I've got more than enough Flatheads to fill in.

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I will have to look for one of these this weekend. Sounds like there are some parts that make this worthy of buying a few extras for!

In regards to Tim Boyd's comments regarding the SBC engine choice, I understand your point but if Revell had chosen NOT to include the SBC and went with a Ford, imagine the outcry it! As it is, cutting corners on the chassis had caused a few comments.

Thanks for the mini review Brett!

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I wouldn't call this one a generic as heck SBC, though - I'm sure its Tremec trans is going to find its way into a lot of models. And I don't think Weiand offers that particular blower for anything other than Chevys in the 1:1 world. If you go back and watch the Gearz show where Mr David speaks about why he chose the SBC he even says "yeah, I know, another '32 with a small-block Chevy", but then he gives his reasons why and makes a pretty good case for the SBC. I'm somewhat surprised it took Revell this long to offer an SBC in the Deuce series.

But I'm sure you'll be glad to see there's now a blue oval on the grille shell!

When you watch that particular episode, Stacey mentions all the chatter from the Gearz website speculating and/or suggesting an engine for the car. The last one he mentions is that someone even mentioned putting a Pontiac in it. I'm the guilty party there. :D

As far as putting a Chevy engine in old Fords, it's like the old saying goes, "Fords go fast, with Chevy parts!"

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Very well put, and worth a comment...

I'm not a Chevy guy, but the reason the smallblock Chev is in EVERYTHING is because, in 1955, when real hot-rodding was defining itself, it was THE state of the art in overhead-valve, American V8 engines from a power-to-weight-ratio standpoint, and from an availability standpoint. Huge numbers of Chevy V8 engines in production made early junkyard-sourcing possible for low-bucks, and the low engine weight, high revving capability and small overall size made it the perfect package for any hot-rodder interested primarliy in performance. Please remember that going fast, cheaply, was the name of the game in those days. When the Chevy 265 was introduced in '55, there was NO WAY to go as fast with a Ford in a Ford. The idea caught on, and stuck.

Because of its rapid proliferation into the hod-rod, fast-car scene, the aftermarket climbed on the smallblock Chev bandwagon, and made ...

Frankly, I used to be put off by all the cookie-cutter, smallblock Chevy powered everythings, ... [but] I've come to understand how the mouse motor came to be as much an icon of hot-rodding as the flathead Ford engine, and the '32 Ford itself. It's simply a very VERY good engine.

Modeling is frequently about the iconography of the idiom we are modeling. A Deuce without an available small block Chevy is an incredible omission in capturing the iconography of the Deuce hot rod itself. Having to wait until in for the Revell Deuce Tudor 1/25th scale for a flathead and until the Rat Roaster for an SBC is one reason I have a stash of Revell 40 Fords and old Parts Pac SBC's. I have no doub t Revell is aware that serious modeelrs will purchase more kits in order to achieve the desired result (the 1/8th scale Deuce is near perfect in adressing all these issues and should have simply been shrunken and offered as-is), But for those of us who enjoy the "look and feel" of a period Deuce waiting 10 years or more for this was absurd and intolerable, if not outright boorish on Revell's part. Unfortunately the Rat Roaster is more of the same. I'm not trying to be a purist here, just pointing out that Revell continues to miss the boat on an enormously popular trend in contemporary rodding, ome that has been around for 20 years or more by now.

The point was they were strange. Questionable to some. I have all the Roth kits in my stash. To me they are a piece of polystyrene history. The epitome of wild 60's show cars. They have aged well... as I believe this kit will as well. As for the dropped I-beam. Some resin caster will rise up and make it right.

No quarrel with Roth cars as the epitomy of 60's show cars. His talent, originality and vision are undeniable, But I hardly think the Rat Roaster in the current era, even to contemporary eyes, is what the Beatnik Bandit was to those who experienced it then. I would look elsewhere for talent and inspiration in today's rodding world.

The dropped I beam is avalable right now from ThePartsBox.com. Recently they improved it by adding a metal rod to keep the resin piece from sagging under the weight of the model.

Product ID: 1137 Axle pack (I-beam wild drop)

1137.jpg

Product ID: 2296 Axle (I - beam mild drop)

2296.jpg

Product ID: 2297 Axle and spring (wild drop)

2297.jpg

Product ID: 2298 Axle ( I - beam wild drop)

2298.jpg

Edited by Bernard Kron
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Here's some quick iPhone pics from one sprue and the tires. Sorry for the quality it's all I've got here. When I get it home I'll take some better pics, once I figure out what's buggin' out my DLSR (I tried to take some pics of the reissued Ohio George Willys the other night and it didn't want to focus)

Tires -

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Stock firewall

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The infamous hood:

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bobbed rear fenders:

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The unfilled grille shell - the blue oval is a decal, and the radiator cap is a separate chrome piece.

72898_4207328068445_1487916729_n.jpg

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Front cycle fenders - the supports are molded onto an optional set of disc brakes on the chrome tree:

379181_4207417310676_544415332_n.jpg

back of radiator - there's another layer that goes on top of this, should make a nicely detailed electric fan when assembled. That's the way a lot of this kit is, it's sort of familiar, but new and different than the older tooling. Still more Street Rodder than Rodder's Journal, though <_<

424469_4207328868465_1368456191_n.jpg

More TK...

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Thank you for those pictures Brett.

I just ordered 2 off eBay.

On a side note, does engine from Revell 50 Olds fit inside a Revell 32 easily or is there some modifications required? Obviously a modeler can make it fit without any problems, but I'm just wondering if it has same length and width as the hemi/302/SBC/flathead that come with these kits so it can just slide inside?

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but most of us have to wait till the regular Hobby Shops and stores get them.

If you have an LHS, pressure them to become an RPP store. Tell them to ask their rep at whichever distributor they get their Revell from about the program. Mine is from our store's RPP shipment, not because I have any special contacts or anything.

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Thank you for those pictures Brett.

I just ordered 2 off eBay.

On a side note, does engine from Revell 50 Olds fit inside a Revell 32 easily or is there some modifications required? Obviously a modeler can make it fit without any problems, but I'm just wondering if it has same length and width as the hemi/302/SBC/flathead that come with these kits so it can just slide inside?

Just like in 1:1. the Olds engine fits a '32 engine bay fust fine. It's narrower than the Hemi, so hood sides are possible. It should also be slid back in the chassis a tad, and the distributor is at the rear, like a Chevy, so the firewall may need a slight modification depending on where you want it to sit.

There are ALWAYS modifications required when you swap engines, in models or real cars. B)

Olds engine in a '32 Ford. Though it's an AMT '32 Ford, these are scale models, and the engine bay in the AMT version is the same size as the Revell version...the Revell one is a tad taller due to the slightly lower height of the AMT body (incorrect). If the Olds fits this, it will fit the Revell kit, no problem.

DSCN7579.jpg

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That got my attention too, but because of the deep-sump shape and a factor called "draft angle" in molding - the capacity for a part to be removed from a mold without damage or distortion - it looks as if there's no economical way to do that oil pan as a single separate piece. It would need to be split, molded to the block or not.

Doesn't look as if filling the seam will be all that difficult...

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Hmm. Actually, that does bring up an interesting question - bearing in mind the oil pan pretty much has to be done as two pieces, and the simplest way is probably the same longitudinal split you see in the one molded to the block, what would you have preferred?

A separate two-piece oil pan? Or molded to the block as it is?

Anybody pipe in who wants, I'm just too lazy to make a poll. B)

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Hmm. Actually, that does bring up an interesting question - bearing in mind the oil pan pretty much has to be done as two pieces, and the simplest way is probably the same longitudinal split you see in the one molded to the block, what would you have preferred?

A separate two-piece oil pan? Or molded to the block as it is?

Anybody pipe in who wants, I'm just too lazy to make a poll. B)

Think of the finned Cobra oil pan in some the Monogram '65/6 Shelby GT350 kits. The "sump" area is a separate piece, but when put together with the upper piece, the completed oil pan is far from convincing IMHO.

The trans looks good, though. :)

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One thing's for certain...if the amount of speculation and commentary on this kit is anything to go by, Revell has winner on their hands. Though there are things I'm not hog-wild about, I'll be having a few.

I'd also have preferred to see a separate oil pan, but I'd prefer the whole engine to be made like the old Parts Pack version as well...separate everything. The draft-angle issue is indeed a problem and precludes a one-piece pan.

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Separate oil pan - easier to paint and modify. It's also nicer when the sprue attachment points are on top, since you never see that on the built model. Still, very cool parts.

Weird about the amount of flash on the transmission - looks like an MPC kit ;)

I am going to buy this kit. Probably three.

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Best thing....well...Revells doing a great job. Despite the funky chops on the 48 Ford and the 49 Merc, theyre great kits. Then comes that wonderful 32 5 window, and now this. Were lucky guys, even taking into account all the errors us traditional guys get obsessed about.

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