ImpalaBoy Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 (edited) I just got this off of Ebay so I figured I'd do a review in case anybody's interested. It looks like it will be a pretty decent kit with enough work put into it. As far as mold quality and flash goes, this is the worst kit I have yet encountered. However, with A LOT of cleaning up, the shapes seem to be pretty accurate and I hope the parts fit will be okay as well. I didn't take any 'before' pictures, but here's the body after quite a bit of work cleaning up mold lines and deepening panel lines. It seems to be straight and accurate and pretty nicely done overall. Chrome parts are a bit lousy, but fortunately the bumpers are pretty good. Most of these parts will probably get stripped. Comes with optional side pipes or rocker panels. Two choices of steering wheels. Very nicely molded stock rims that look much better in person. Edited July 12, 2014 by ImpalaBoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpalaBoy Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Engine halves and heads look nice. Oil pan is separate, but chrome plated, so that will get stripped. Inner wheels and optional roll cage. Very nicely molded vinyl Goodyear Polyglas GTs. Various engine bay parts. Various interior parts, including tub, which I suppose has fairly decent molded in carpeting texture, but very shallow door panel details. Various chassis and suspension parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpalaBoy Posted July 12, 2014 Author Share Posted July 12, 2014 Clear parts are in pretty rough condition, but I'm hoping I'll be able to polish them out. The shape is good and they fit well, so that's a plus. Parts that were in a ziploc bag in the box: springs for working front suspension, tail light lenses, oil filler tube, and one of the air cleaner covers for the optional triple carb set up. Decals, which are probably brittle and useless by now. Ok, that's about it. I hope this will be helpful to somebody at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I remember building a version of this kit back in the late 1970's. I loved it! This is high on my list of things I'd like to see Round 2 reissue. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Woodruff Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I forgot all about this kit. I think I have one in my stash somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iBorg Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 In many ways this shares a lot with MPC's later year Corvettes (1969-1973?). What seems to me is that scaled up their 1/20th later Vette and then created new parts to create the 1963. A bit of background..... The MPC 1/20th Corvette was released as a near current model year in 1969. Then in the early 70's Revell released their successful 1/16th drag kits. MPC responded with their 1971 Nascar Charger and then followed with both this kit and a 1957. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 When this 'Vette kit was first released, the guy who reviewed it for CAR MODEL magazine mentioned that the parts breakdown is very similar to that of Monogram's 1/8 scale '65 Corvette. MPC's 1/20 and 1/25 scale C3 Corvette kits are pretty much alike except for their size (but not that similar to the 1/16 scale '63). Early advertising for the first issue MPC '63 mention a pre-painted body, but I've never seen one with that feature. All that said, this is a pretty decent kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Interesting kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 When this 'Vette kit was first released, the guy who reviewed it for CAR MODEL magazine mentioned that the parts breakdown is very similar to that of Monogram's 1/8 scale '65 Corvette. MPC's 1/20 and 1/25 scale C3 Corvette kits are pretty much alike except for their size (but not that similar to the 1/16 scale '63). Early advertising for the first issue MPC '63 mention a pre-painted body, but I've never seen one with that feature. All that said, this is a pretty decent kit. I remember this being said as well...but I also thought it went farther and said that the Monogram and MPC teams more or less admitted to the writer's hypothesis that the MPC kit was tooled from the Moogram Masters (e.g. pantagraffed down from 1/8th to 1/16 scale). I believe Hank Borger may have been the source of this latter info>?>?>> TIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hamilton Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 This is one of my favorite kits. I built this one when the kit was first introduced, and restored it last year. This picture is while it was under restiration. I was able to save the paint with just a polish, and I "bare-metaled" the car over the silver paint. I bought the 5-spokes for another project, but they worked well here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted July 14, 2014 Share Posted July 14, 2014 they really couldn't settle on a scale to save their lives, could they? nice score though, totally my favorite 'Vette. gotta be metallic candy blue! jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpalaBoy Posted July 14, 2014 Author Share Posted July 14, 2014 Wow, I really didn't expect to get this much feedback! The history is quite interesting. I don't know when I'll be starting this kit, since I'm hoping to finish the Camaro I'm working on first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordairgtar Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I had that kit, but in a silver plastic. I had acquired a pair extra of tail lamps from somewhere and I made a six tail light version from the song "Dead Man's Curve" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 (edited) Lots of versions through the years : The Rod Shop version has some really cool drag parts in it. Edited July 17, 2014 by Greg Myers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwildpunk Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I would love to see what's inside the rod shop kit I. Am digging it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 time pending, I'll dig it out and photo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnwildpunk Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duntov Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Two inaccuracies on this kit that I can see from the photos -- The hood should not have open areas --- this area was actually part of the molded hood in the 1:1 cars and the "Cookie Sheets" as they are called in the hobby were glued in place right on the fiber glass-- the 1:1 cookie sheets were a stamped piece with the recessed area painted semi-gloss black (again a brushed silver surface and not chrome) -- The second one deals with the knock off wheels --- although much touted for '3 the actual wheels never made it onto a production car --- they were poorly cast and would not hold air for long if at all --- the few prototypes that actually made it onto some early lead press cars had two bar spinners and not the three bar set up as used on the 64 - 66 cars. Also, if you do opt to use the knock offs they were not chrome in any of the years --- 63(never really in production) and 64 had a brushed dull silver coating and chrome cones --- the 65 cars had the area between the fins painted a very dark grey and used a chrome cone --- the 66 was painted like the 65 wheel but used a brushed stainless cone ---- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Two inaccuracies on this kit that I can see from the photos -- The hood should not have open areas --- this area was actually part of the molded hood in the 1:1 cars and the "Cookie Sheets" as they are called in the hobby were glued in place right on the fiber glass-- the 1:1 cookie sheets were a stamped piece with the recessed area painted semi-gloss black (again a brushed silver surface and not chrome) -- The second one deals with the knock off wheels --- although much touted for '3 the actual wheels never made it onto a production car --- they were poorly cast and would not hold air for long if at all --- the few prototypes that actually made it onto some early lead press cars had two bar spinners and not the three bar set up as used on the 64 - 66 cars. Also, if you do opt to use the knock offs they were not chrome in any of the years --- 63(never really in production) and 64 had a brushed dull silver coating and chrome cones --- the 65 cars had the area between the fins painted a very dark grey and used a chrome cone --- the 66 was painted like the 65 wheel but used a brushed stainless cone ---- ??? It's a model! The chrome hood inserts work for me. As far the wheels, some experts claim they did not make on to the 63's. Other say they did. Then there are the '63 only two blade knock offs that many claim came on early 63's. They claim later '63 Vettes came with the three blade knock offs. So, were the '63 Vettes available with the aluminum knock offs or not. It seems to depend on which Corvette expert you talk to. Or book you read. Right or wrong, I still like them. And they could have been added later. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Handley Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Saw the above Leno' Garage when it came out couple of weeks ago. I also recently pickup AMT's reissue of their 1/25th scale '63 Corvette coupe. Because of Leno's Vette I'm building mine in the same color scheme. Silver with a black interior. Found it interesting that Jay's expert Corvette guy, Mike, gave some wrong information on two things I caught. They talked about the pull out parking brake. Mike said that feature was used only one year, and then they went to center brake lever. Not true. Corvette did not get the center mounted parking brake until 1967. The other wrong info he gave was on the Corvettes used in the TV show Route 66. He claim they used a 1960 Corvette the first three years. Sorry, they drove a 1960 Vette only in the pilot episode. After that they drove a new Corvette, updating every year. In the final season they did drive the new Sting Ray. A roadster. I do think Jay's friend Mike is still a very knowledgeable Corvette expert. Even experts can make mistakes. I can easily forgive him for the Route 66 comment. I have a little more trouble with parking brake comment. But then again, I've made bone head comments that right after I said them, I knew I was wrong. So I can still respect that this Mike guy is the Corvette expert Jay says he is. After all, as far as I know, all the other info he gave seem correct. (Though I do also questioned his comment on '62 vs. '63 production figures. He may be right? But, I thought Chevrolet built and sold more Corvettes for '63 than in '62. I'd have to look that up.) Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 So everyone's not an expert ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImpalaBoy Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share Posted July 20, 2014 There are only 24 rivets in this photo. I think it would look better if there were 25. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 So everyone's not an expert ? No, it just proves experts are human. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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