REVELL 56 CHEVY BEL AIR

[Wm David Green]

Recent release by Revell (Germany).

                      

It's a reissue of the Monogram 1:24 scale kit, originally released in 1977 -78.

Back when, my dad made me buy one because he thought I was too obsessed with aircraft and military models. It was the 1978, or '79, issue in blue plastic.

I was really disappointed, because either I couldn't get it to look like the model on the cover, or I wanted it to have bigger wheels on the back.

 

 

[Jantrix]

I don't know why they would called a Level 4 model. The Monogram  tri-fives are simple and don't have perfect proportions, but they go together extremely well. I like them.

[Dave Darby]

That kit, along with the two 57 Chevy kits are very poorly proportioned. Too tall of roofs, too long of front wheel openings, etc. If you want a 56, I'd pick up the very nice newer tool Revell tudor post. I'd even take the 60s era Revell tudor over that hot mess.

Edited August 17, 2019 by Dave Darby

[Justin Porter]

It's definitely a baffling reissue when the recent '56 post is in the tooling bank. We really REALLY need these "legacy" kits to quietly disappear.

[tim boyd]

53 minutes ago, Dave Darby said:

That kit, along with the two 57 Chevy kits are very poorly proportioned. Too tall of roofs, too long of front wheel openings, etc. If you want a 56, I'd pick up the very nice Revell tudor post. I'd even take the 60s era Revell tudor hardtop over that hot mess.

What Dave said!  TIM

[RichCostello]

I wonder why Revell can't combine the 55 Bel Air and 56 Del Ray and make a decent 56 Bel Air. That old Monogram 56 is a joke(and a bad one at that).

[Watertown]

Probably the best option for creating an accurate ’56 Hardtop is to combine the excellent Model Car World resin ’56 body with the Revell Del Ray kit as donor. 
http://www.mcwautomotivefinishes.com/resin/resinlist.html

[Brian Austin]

This release is presumably for the European market, right?

So what's the problem with that?

[RichCostello]

1 hour ago, Brian Austin said:

This release is presumably for the European market, right?

So what's the problem with that?

It will be perfect for people who have never seen a 56 Bel Air.

[Dave Darby]

10 hours ago, Watertown said:

Probably the best option for creating an accurate ’56 Hardtop is to combine the excellent Model Car World resin ’56 body with the Revell Del Ray kit as donor. 
http://www.mcwautomotivefinishes.com/resin/resinlist.html

Now that is nice.

[Casey]

11 hours ago, Brian Austin said:

This release is presumably for the European market, right?

So what's the problem with that?

Yes.

There is no problem with it, really, other than people like to mention it's inaccuracies. Now, many of those criticisms are fair and deserved, but again, unless you're part of the passionate fringe of builders, those niggles may not matter much. It's up to each builder to decide what they find acceptable, and proceed (or end) there.

Considering it's the only 1/25 or 1/24 scale '56 Chevrolet Bel Air Sport Coupe available, there's no other choice for an out of the box model. While people like to suggest other options and modifications, some overlook the differences between Sedans and Coupes, thinking many things are interchangeable, when they in fact, are not, or may not be-- the "glass" for instance.

Here's the review topic from the last time it was re-issued:

 

[Atmobil]

I for one like the old 1:24 Monogram kits as they are all easy to assemble. Great slumpbusters and they have in general a cool look to them out of the box. Maybe not all correct and often a little lacking in details but I have other kits for that.

Maybe one can get a cool looking result with this, what about some bigger size wheels in the modern resto-mod look? Get it very low to the ground and a snazy paint job.

[stavanzer]

Dang, That is a great looking car, Gaute! Now show us the Model!!

I really like the build. You are correct, these old Monogram kits DO build nicely. Yours proves that it can be a great looking kit, even if it does have some issues.

[StevenGuthmiller]

6 hours ago, Atmobil said:

I for one like the old 1:24 Monogram kits as they are all easy to assemble. Great slumpbusters and they have in general a cool look to them out of the box. Maybe not all correct and often a little lacking in details but I have other kits for that.

Maybe one can get a cool looking result with this, what about some bigger size wheels in the modern resto-mod look? Get it very low to the ground and a snazy paint job.

I'm not much for customs, but that's nice!

 

 

 

Steve

Edited August 20, 2019 by StevenGuthmiller

[Atmobil]

17 hours ago, alexis said:

Dang, That is a great looking car, Gaute! Now show us the Model!!

I really like the build. You are correct, these old Monogram kits DO build nicely. Yours proves that it can be a great looking kit, even if it does have some issues.

Hehe, yeah but that is not mine, it came up in a google search and it is a real full size one? . Maybe I should build a model out of it.  I was thinking that this style may suit the old Monogram kit when the wheelopenings are too large. With bigger wheels they will be filled up better and a lowered suspension might take it away from that 70s streetmachine look.
Or maybe one can go the other way?

 

[RichCostello]

8 hours ago, Atmobil said:

Hehe, yeah but that is not mine, it came up in a google search and it is a real full size one? . Maybe I should build a model out of it.  I was thinking that this style may suit the old Monogram kit when the wheelopenings are too large. With bigger wheels they will be filled up better and a lowered suspension might take it away from that 70s streetmachine look.
Or maybe one can go the other way?

 

You'd have your work cut out for you just to get those goofy looking headlights to look right.

[Brutalform]

I have the Monogram issue with the black car on the box. I had this kit when I was 11 years old, and it was ok then. Now my current kit is primed, and will be built as a straight axle gasser. (never built a gasser before). At least when the front is high in the air, and all primed up with gray and red oxide, the inaccuracies won’t be so obvious. 

[KWT]

I built one of these in the 80/90's when I got into modeling the first go round. This is, like several of those Monogram kits, one that I happen to dig. I actually prefer them to most. I look forward to being able to grab one.

[MeatMan]

I bought a open box on the cheap early this year and understand the issues with it.

I''m right now in the process of building it and plan to go restomod, similar to Steve's post.

All the negative comments (I've heard them all before) almost turned me off but like I said, restomod.

My original plan was to use the Delray chassis w/MCW body, but I saw too many issues with it and don't think I'd ever finish it.

The positive thing is, the frame is narrower than stock, so wide meats fit well.

Molded in exhaust is a negative, for me anyway, as is the fact that mine is molded in green (ugh).

I have seen a couple of these well done, so its not as if you can't build one to your satisfaction if you are not one of the more discerning builders.

[Joe Handley]

I started this one a while ago, thought it might make an interesting mild custom................

Really need to finish it though....................

[MeatMan]

For giggles I did a little non-scientific comparison of a pic of my model body, and a Googled pic.

I kept the proportions the same relative to vertical and horizontal, but again, its not scientific.

There's a definite wheelbase diff, with near identical overall length, which jibes with my actual wheelbase measurements.

Based on the window trim it looks like the model door is too short, making the trunk too long.

The body looks shorter vertically as well.

I hope this helps with any decision-making, absent of personal preferences.

Edited August 23, 2019 by MeatMan

[Brutalform]

Not to change the subject, but fairly recently on this forum, someone built the molded in black, Monogram 55 Chevy. And to be honest, it was the nicest build I’ve seen. Looks like it was taken right from the box, but WAY nicer. This builder preformed all the necessary fixes, and it showed. I believe any kit can be built into a nice car, if the effort gets put into it. 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Brutalform

[Dave Darby]

1 hour ago, Brutalform said:

Not to change the subject, but fairly recently on this forum, someone built the molded in black, Monogram 55 Chevy. And to be honest, it was the nicest build I’ve seen. Looks like it was taken right from the box, but WAY nicer. This builder preformed all the necessary fixes, and it showed. I believe any kit can be built into a nice car, if the effort gets put into it. 

The Monogram 55 Chevy has nothing in common with the 56 kit. It was done in the early 1960s. While it does come with its own (minor) issues, it has way better proportions than the 56. While we looking at other kits, as bad as the 56 is, the 57 is even worse. The 56 is at least fixable with a little surgery.

Edited August 24, 2019 by Dave Darby

[Atmobil]

On 8/23/2019 at 3:06 AM, Joe Handley said:

I started this one a while ago, thought it might make an interesting mild custom................

Really need to finish it though....................

That looks really nice, yes, you do need to finish it
 

[Snake45]

I built one 7 or 8 years ago. Guy commissioned me to build a model of his real 56 Bel Air 2DS for a nice price. Was gonna start with a Revell Del Ray but before I could find one, he scored the Mono HT at a flea market for $5 or something and wanted me to use that instead. Well, okay. I reshaped the side window openings as best I could and added the door/window posts and got it to look kinda sorta like a Bel Air 2DS. Since he had a set of wheels/tires he sometimes ran with stock wheel covers, he told me to go ahead and use the ones from the kit. He seemed to be pleased with the final result. 

Someday I need to do a full Under Glass post on this one.