CrazyGirl Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Arii kits from Japan , any issues with these ?? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Van Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 Many ARII kits are reissues from other Asian manufactures. So the kits vary wildly. From very basic 'motorized' kits to decent full kits. Any kit in question?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGirl Posted April 3, 2013 Author Share Posted April 3, 2013 yes , the 58 caddy eldo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 That kit is 24th scale. Kinda basic as model;s go, it DOES have an engine, opening hood and such. It IS a nicely buildable kit, but it doesn't fall together like a snapper. You DO hafta work at it to make it REAL nice, but it IS a nice buildable kit. Hth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Smith Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=73318#entry915584 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azers Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 From experience with this kit a couple trouble areas are the windshield frame as it is separate and you have to cut the hood out as it is attached to the body in a few spots. Once its cut out the front end is flimsy till you get it assembled. The top is separate and to add it requires finess and filler. Also you have to fit the glass to the car by trial and error i have to sand the edges to fit. The valve covers are oversize for the engine. When i build these i use a the engine and engine compartment details from the 59 caddy as it is more detailed. To build an accurate representation requires a good amount of research especially on the interior. It does build into a nice model with care and attention to detail. I know this as i have access to a real 58 eldo conv. I spent eight years restoring my friends from the frame up. And i see it all the time. His is triple black. Beautiful cars. Also the side panels in back are not chrome. They are stainless steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edsel-Dan Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 The Arii/Imex Caddy is a Lot better than the Lee/Heller kit. The Lee/Heller kit is a Cheap copy of the Arii/Imex. That one Does have the battery tray & motorizing parts. Rear axle is cast to the chassis too, but trailing arms are separate!! So Yes, If you want a 58 Caddy, Pick the Arii/Imex!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 As Joe Azers said , the hard top is probably the biggest real problem I encountered . The windshield went in so so .I'd buy another just to have both a convertible and a hardtop ............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 As I mentioned in another post, the shape of the hardtop in the Seville was the biggest turnoff for me and looks nothing like the C-Bodied hardtops for 1957-58. It resembles more of a '58-'59 Rambler than anything else! If you want to get crazy, you could take the roof off of a Revell or AMT '58 Chevy-------but since the kit is 1/24th, you'd have to do some "stretching and widening" to get it to look right. Another faux pas in the hardtop is the shape of the windshield pillars. Should have just a bit more rake to them------even more so than Chevy and Pontiac's '58 B-Bodied 2 dr hardtops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZIL 111V Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 The ARRI kits, first made back in 1993...costing over $30, not a bad kits, but a few flaws: body proportions not perfect..no upper typical GM door "belt dip" line, like the real ones, hub caps design not correct, as mention hartop of the Seville Cpe badly designed (BAD!), tire (tread) way to wide for 1958....no white wall inserts? , as for the engine basic but not so bad, not a perfect kit but an experience modeler can make a good job....too bad Monogram didn't do the '58 after theyre excellent '59. Lee as mention a poor, simplified, Chinese copy of ARRI kits...bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azers Posted April 5, 2013 Share Posted April 5, 2013 The eldorado of 57 and 58 were not your typical cadillacs. They were hand built and one off from the doors back. Also the trim in the fenders was eldorado only. The standard cadillacs had the blades in the hood unlike the eldorados which had them in the fenders. The interior was similiar but different on the eldorados. The barritz and seville had a lot of interior trim which wss unique to that model. They also were only models that had tripower. I have access to the one i restored and all the photos from the restoration my friend and i did if anyone needs a reference photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 The eldorado of 57 and 58 were not your typical cadillacs. They were hand built and one off from the doors back. Also the trim in the fenders was eldorado only. The standard cadillacs had the blades in the hood unlike the eldorados which had them in the fenders. The interior was similiar but different on the eldorados. The barritz and seville had a lot of interior trim which wss unique to that model. They also were only models that had tripower. I have access to the one i restored and all the photos from the restoration my friend and i did if anyone needs a reference photo. Correction: The standard Eldorado's (Seville Hardtop and Biarritz Convertible) for 57-58 were production line assembled, mass-production cars. It was the Eldorado Brougham which was hand-built, special chassis (shorter than the standard Cadillac) and completely unique bodywork done by Ghia in Italy. The Eldorado Brougham is the car that Revell first produced in 1957, and reissued some years ago in their SSP program. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azers Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 No other 58 cadillac shared the the sheetmetal from the doors back with the bairritz or seville. That was unique to the bairritz and seville. The car had no visible seams which were leaded in. Which made it a limited production car. Imex did a good job of their kit of this car but should have taken more care to make a accurate model of the 58. The most glaring issue i have with the kit besides the inaccurate interior is the dashboard. They moulded the instrument faces flat. But the guage pods actually protude from the dash which makes it difficult to build accurate. Another glaring error was to include the airtank and plumbing and compressor for the airbag suspension and outfit the car with coil springs. Like i said in previous post with lots of research and care this kit can be built into a accurate model. I think its about time we had a modernized kit of the brougham either a 57 or 58 would be nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philo426 Posted April 9, 2013 Share Posted April 9, 2013 Not a bad kit and the fit is good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azers Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Nice seville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry P. Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Nice work, Phil. Any photos of the chassis or engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philo426 Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philo426 Posted April 10, 2013 Share Posted April 10, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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