Len Carsner

Bill and I get them about 5-6 weeks before stock hits the shelves. During our last project (the 1972 Cutlass) the kits actually came before we finished our review. Bottom line - if we've got them then youi'll have them within a few weeks. We don't get vapourware or "maybes", we just get them first to review so you'll know what to expect when they arrive. Thanks, Len C.

Let me see what I can do. Len C.

I think I went over the size limit for the post. Here they are now: This tree has the Hemi engine with a four speed transmission. The other big block has an automatic trans molded to it. You'll need to break out the razor saw if you want to mix-and-match. The decal sheet is a nice blend of stock and generic race decals. Bill will be using an aftermarket sheet on his build to be a specific car. Keep watching, I'll have more in a couple of days. Bill and Len Here's one more, just playing around with parts:

As many of you have guessed Bill and I are building and reviewing the !968 Hemi Dart by Revell for our next project. Many of you have expressed great interest, and also some concerns, about what this kit will or won't be, so rather than wait any longer let's get to it. First - many of you may have heard the A100 style bucket seats and the plain steel wheels didn't make the cut. This is true. We're already working with aftermarket vendors to fill in the gaps so these should be available by the time the kits hit the shelves. While this may be a disappointment for many I believe it's not a deal breaker, just something that requires a bit of modeling know-how. Now that that is out of the way, let's move on: This kit is a two in one, meaning you can build it as a stock Dart GTS or as the Hemi Dart. Several parts trees were added to the original kit, making this more of a continuation of the Dart kit line rather than a separate kit of its own. Here we see the stock body along with both the stock hood and the drag hood and scoop. The scoop comes with three support struts molded in. The scoop was just placed on the hood for this picture, it fits much better than this pictures indicates. There has been talk of the rear wheel opening shape and a cut line on the body for that wheel opening. Here I've highlighted the scribed line on the inside of the body with black marker to make it show up more clearly for the photo. This line marks where you'll need to cut or grind to open the wheel well to match the lines on the Hemi Dart. As many have speculated this was done in an effort to save money and to allow the body to be used for future releases requiring the stock wheel opening. Two floor pans are included, one flat and one with the molded in factory console. On the right is the stock rear bumper with the molded in rear trunk molding. Since the race car did not use that molding Revell tooled up a new rear bumper and a filler panel for the rear trunk panel. Here we see the stock wheel covers on the right along with generic Cragar style mags on the left. The supplied tires are four generic street tires and two M&H Racemaster Slicks with sidewall markings. This tree is new to this release and includes the roll bar, Dana rear axle, race headers and pipes. The original 8 3/4" differential in still in the kit. You'll need that if you're building a car with an automatic trans or the original Magnum motor. Hemi cars with four speeds got the Dana, Hemi automatic equipped cars got the smaller diff.

We'll have an answer to that question sooner rather than later.

This kit gives you many options so you can replicate various trim levels. Here I've removed the rocker molding to show another trim combination available in 1962. Straight from the box Revells 1962 Impala builds into a pretty decent replica of a 60s era race car. Bill will be adding additional details to his car for an upcoming MCM article. These wheels don't come with the kit, but I couldn't resist trying them out. Maybe we'll see these in a future release. Some comments we've gathered while building the Revell 1962 Impala: The decal sheet has many small decals that will try your patience. The white wall decals are a bit fragile. The word CHEVROLET is not engraved on the chrome strip between the inside taillights. It should be and is shown in all my references. There are a couple of errors on the instruction sheet concerning colors (oil filter housing). There are no side windows. That would have been required for any competition version. Had some trouble attaching the grille, gravel pan, and front bumper together and in place on the front fenders. A dealer invoice sheet would have been nice included on the decal sheet. It was required for the NHRA drag version. There is no tachometer. That would have been a necessity for any competition version. Inclusion of the factory cowl induction system would have been great. Though not all teams used it, many did in both NASCAR and NHRA from 1961 through 1963. That concludes our build and evaluation of the new 1962 Impala by Revell. All in all another solid release from Revell and one that will fill a hole in many builders collections. Definitely worth your time to add one to your collection. Once again Bill and I would like to thank you for your comments and critiques. Watch for another project from us in the near future. Bill Coulter and Len Carsner

The Impalas are done! It's taken longer than I expected but the results are worth it. This time the two cars were not together for pictures so I tried to duplicate the poses Bill used when shooting his car. And now, on to the beauty shots. Bills' car was finished using aftermarket decals not included with the kit. For my car I've done the left side with a little more deluxe trim, using the rocker moldings and full wheel covers. The right side has the poverty caps on steel wheels with no rocker moldings. From the rear you can see the satin trim panel on the decklid. We taped of the bumper and shot the panel with Testors dullcoat to simulate the factory finish. The engines, other than the air cleaners and rocker cover colors, are virtually identical. Here you can compare the differences between the race (RH) and street (LH) chassis. (continued...)

Well, life has gotten a bit hectic lately and I've not had time to update the Impala build until now. The cars are finished and after this update I'll be posting the finale tonight. Let's continue: Here we have five wheel and tires choices available right out of the box for your street version. Not shown is the combination Bill used for his race version. The white wall decals are among the easiest I have used but are a bit fragile. White wall decals are included for the four street tires and also two for the slicks. Here I've got the chassis sitting on its wheels for the first time. The wheel backs use short metal pins to locate them to the front suspension and the rear axle. The method works well but leaves an exposed pin in the front suspension. At first glance it looks like the old full wire axle suspension in classic kits. For the purposes of this build I'm building this car as a "half-and-half", that is it will have one set of wheels and moldings on the left and an alternate set on the right. There has been a lot of discussion about the color of the valve covers and oil filter which I won't go into here but my engine was painted to match one posted on a restoration board that was going into a 1962 Impala with a similar body color as I used. Valve cover decal position has also been a point of discussion but images pulled up online show various decal arrangements being used, probably based on owners choice. Again I duplicated the restored car I have been using as reference. The engine is in place along with the firewall and radiator support. Once the body is in place I'll re-install the upper radiator hose. Other than the choice of color and the rear seat the interior of Bills car and mine are virtually identical. There are numerous small decals for the gages, door marker lights, dash and rear speaker emblems, and the four speed markings for the shift knob. Taking your time here will payoff big time. The body emblems are included on the decal sheet. I know there are many out there who would rather have the emblems molded in but consider this: when the SS version comes out (and you have to assume that one is coming someday) Revell would have to tool up a whole new body to do the SS but by doing it this way all they need to do is print up new decals. Dollars saved on tooling can go to other, newer projects. Again there was a lot of discussion about chassis colors: I chose to ignore all of it. I've seen some restorations lately where the chassis was painted with the same product used for spray-on truck bedliners. Sometimes the product was mixed with the same color paint used on the body. I tried to duplicate it by using grimy black railroad paint mixed with a small amount of same paint used on the body. The results were as expected, a dark gray finish with a subtle blue cast. Although it worked as planned next time I'll mix a bit more body color into the mix as this time it came out a little too dark for my taste. But it's better than flat black or all body color, neither of which would be correct. Come back this evening for the final comments and beauty shots of the finished cars. Bill and Len

No need to hate, we're not doing anything that you couldn't do yourself. Everything is easily duplicated using nothing more than what's in the box and a little trial and error. And as for the roof, yes I like it. It'll look good sitting with my 63 and 64 Impalas. Thanks for your interest. Len C.

I was going to save this for the next post but since you asked: And here they are on my soon to be completed street version: Thanks for asking. Len C.

The Revell 62 Impala decal sheet provides multiple choices for license plates. You can either attach the front and rear brackets as shown here or I like to trim out each plate from the decal sheet and glue it in place with white glue. Shown here are two water-slide decal sheets. On the bottom is the kit generic sheet and at the top is an after-market sheet from Decals by Lucas. I’m pretty sure the kit generic sheet is patterned quite a bit after the actual Zintmaster Chevrolet NHRA Super Stocker which the Lucas sheet represents. I have been prepared for this new Revell release for some time thanks to good friend Skip Samples who custom-made these Dave Strickler decals for me. We used this photo from a Larry Davis book, SUPER STOCK, Drag Racing the Family Sedan (and some color details from LD) as reference to produce the sheet. I was a little skeptical when I first saw that the WSWs were to be represented with water-slide decals. But, my doubts disappeared quickly when I saw how nicely these narrow whites went onto the kit tires. I’m sure the raised sidewall shoulder helped immensely in positioning the decal concentrically. Len's blue car will have the stock wheel covers for some of the pictures and the poverty caps for others. Here Bill has added the ornaments from the decal sheet and a little Detailer to accent the vent slots on the outer perimeter of the cover. Detailer was also used on the grille and flat white in the headlamp cups. Here's a copy of the paint chart for 1962 Chevrolet products. I chose a color close to Nassau Blue for my street Impala. With the Bare Metal Foil in place the color I chose looks like a good one. The chrome really pops with this combination. A little more Detailer was added to the simulated vents below the rear window. A soft toothbrush was used to clean grit and dirt from the body lines before setting the body aside. At this point it's ready for decals. I'll clean it again and wax it before final assembly. That's all for now. We're wrapping this up quickly and should be posting the final sets over the next couple of days. Keep watching, you won't be disappointed. Bill and Len

It's been awhile, but here's the latest update on the Revell 1962 Impala. We're still focusing on Bill's race version as he's made much more progress than I have with the street car. Watch for multiple updates today. The Tamiya Pure White dried to a nice clear and clean gloss. If any rubbing out is required, 8K and 12K sandpaper along with white polish does the job nicely. At this point it’s a good idea to take stock of where we are in building the drag version of this new Revell 62 Impala kit. Following the kit instructions brings us to this point in the assembly. I used BMF to mask off the edge to be painted matte black along the perimeter of the engine compartment as shown here. I like to tape in position each of the individual windows as shown here. This allow for final positioning of the separate parts and have you hands free to apply white glue along the edge sparingly. Just prior to installing the windows, the headliner was brush painted flat red to match the interior theme. I like to take some risks when building a model. In this case, I used carpet tape to attach the rocker molding chrome trim. You could choose to use tube glue, super glue or white glue if you don’t want to push the envelope. So far it’s held the parts in place with no fuss and no mess. I’ve found that household cleaners like Fantastik shown here to be a quick and effective way to clean up smears, smudges, finger prints and any residue left from applying BMF. I use non-oil content facial tissues and cotton swabs to do the job. Here we see the painted, foiled and detailed Impala body just before tackling the decal application. Note the masking tape still in place holding the windows inside the body in their proper position. I like to leave the tape in place until I’m completely certain the white glue is dried thoroughly. *continues below*

Are these close to what you're looking for? Len C.

Time for another quick update. Only eight picture this time but we get to see the interior coming together and lookin' good! Let's continue.... Here Bare Metal Chrome foil is being applied to the interior panels. For straight sections like those shown here on the interior door panels are best trimmed by carefully cutting long strips of foil and methodically placing them over raised engraved details. For surface details like door handles and window crank handles, cut rectangular pieces of BMF and burnish it down over such details. Then carefully cutting away the excess material makes for a realistic details. Front and rear seat fabric inserts for the new Revell 62 Impala are available on the decal sheet. Carefully cut out each fabric insert section but be careful so as not to loose track of their proper location. The best way to deal with this is to write the part number on the back of each piece which will enable you to get each one positioned in its proper location. The completed 62 Impala dashboard and steering wheel was first painted gloss red. The pedal assembly (emergency brake, clutch, foot brake) were painted matte black as shown here. The steering wheel center spoke was brush painted Metalizer Aluminum Plate and then given a wash with black The Detailer. Next the instrument cluster and glove box trim piece were glued into place. Then the kit decal sheet provided speedometer, gauge faces, steering wheel center medallion and a round Impala crest for the glove box door trim. At this point, a test fitting of the interior with seats, dashboard, steering wheel, and gear shifter was in order. The left side door panel was removed to aid in seeing all these elements including the BMF applied on the front seat side trim. Note here the installation of the rear seat speaker with an appropriate black wash applied and on the front speaker grill and both front door panel air vents as well. The 62 Impala drag version calls for the option of a four-point roll cage which requires the omission of the stock rear seat as shown here. The instruction sheet calls for the roll cage to be painted matte black. The RC was assembled and positioned properly but left in white plastic for clarity. That's all for now. I'll have another update later this week. Bill and Len.

For some odd reason the Chinese die makers have the idea that period American cars used a 10V battery. We say that since this kit contains a battery with just five caps. Actually, all these batteries should have 6 caps representing a 12V system. Be assured that Revell is aware of the problem and it is being corrected. Until then, the fix is simple. First, drill a small diameter hole spaced properly in the battery as shown here. Once that done choose a diameter of plastic rod that matches the kit battery engraved caps. Next, insert a short length of plastic rod into the drilled hole and finally clip off and file the protruding rod to match the other five caps. At this point we’ll stop and take an accounting of the engine compartment accessories that should include steering shaft/steering gearbox, hood hinges, core support with battery (and detail painting), radiator/fan shroud ring, fire wall (with accessories), choice of two air cleaner housings and finally, the fully-assembled Chevrolet 409 dual-four barrel V-8 engine. That will wrap it up for now, next post we'll get into the interior parts and I'll have some pictures of the progress I've made on my street version. As you can see, Bill's really getting close to the end with his: I've got to get to work on my car, we'll see you again in a few days. Bill and Len

Well, I originally intended to post this on Friday, but three graduation parties plus Mothers day pretty much used up my free time over the past few days. Lets pickup with Bill continuing on with his drag car version of the 1962 Impala: I find that a very coarse sand paper works best when scuffing up model car tires to get that “well used†look. The generic slicks in this new Revell 62 Impala kit have a decided seam running around the circumference of the tread area and will require a bit more than a normal light sanding to achieve the right look when finished. Here we’ve brought together the major components for the rear tires on the drag version of this 62 Impala. From left to right: generic drag slick, rear outer wheel, wheel/drag slick needing a bit more sanding, the rear inner wheel (drum brake hub) and the metal axle pin. Follow the kit instructions and this series of parts goes together quickly. Depending on what type of competition application you decide on for your 62 Impala, raising the rear axle to increase grouind clearance and adjust ride height has been provided for in this new Revell kit. You have a choice between short jack-up blocks (foreground) or tall jack-up blocks (background) and not to be over looked Revell has included extended coil springs to fit the taller application. I’ve scraped away the black paint from the exterior of the coils to make them more visible in this photo. Once both the front and rear wheel/tire combos have been assembled following the kit instructions, simply insert the metal axle pins through each wheel center and carefully press them into the holes provided in the front suspension and the outside ends of the rear axle. Take your time, don’t apply too much pressure on delicate parts and the pins should register into place very nicely. Note also in this photo(s) the kit drag exhaust system has been test-fit to the floorboards. There are convenient pins on the back sides of the exhaust that simply snap into pre-drilled holes in the floorboards. Before starting to apply the various engine etc. decals, it would be a good idea to brush on some clear gloss bottle paint to the affected areas. Traditionally, water-slide decals always work best on a glossy surface. Here both valve covers received a generous coating of Testors bottle Clear Gloss. Decal markings for such varied engine parts as the fan belt, valve covers, generator and oil filter were applied carefully. It is recommended that Micro-Sol and Micro-Set be used to facilitate the task. The only “fly in the ointment†if you will is the call out in the instructions to paint the oil filter white. The problem comes when applying the OF markings…which also happen to be white. The simplest solution is to paint the filter another color. In the future Revell might want to add a second color choice for this particular decals application. Here the 409 V-8 engine is nearing completion built pretty much straight from the kit box with the exception of paint and some detailing. Note here that factory-supported Chevy Impala drag cars utilized both the stock dual snorkel air cleaner housing probably as many or more times than they did the Revell kits optional drag finned air cleaner. This unit goes together very smoothly with no surprises or ill-fitting parts or pieces. For the basic or out-of-the-box builders as can be seen here, some Testors Chevrolet Engine Red, Metalizer Aluminum Plate, Aluminum, Black Chrome and Gloss Black really brings this one to life. This kit engine will lend itself nicely to much additional detailing. Here, the finished out-of-the-box 409 V-8 engine is sporting the optional finned air cleaner for the drag racing version. Any additional detailing especially surrounding the dual carb set-up will be more clearly visible using this particular air cleaner arrangement. (continued in next post.....)

Bill and I get ours about six weeks before they hit the shelves to do our review and buildups. That should put their arrival in stores at around third week of May. I'm curious though about the "hoopla" you're talking about. Is it our buildup thats bothering you, or are you referring to the discussion/criticism along the way?

Only the SS models had the engine turned insert in the side moldings and rear deck molding. This being an Impala it would have the silver/light argent panel on the trunk. What I'm planning to do is mask my bumper and the surround molding for the rear panel then air brush some aluminum Alclad on the surface. Wish me luck! Len C.

The headers are meant to replicate the factory manifolds used on the hi-po version of the 409. While they were still a cast item they were made to flow nearly as well as aftermarket headers. As for the way they hug the block, consider these images: These pictures are factory hi-po manifolds as used on the Z11 engine. The manifolds did hug the block much like the block hugger headers of today. Not sure why they made them like this, but in looking at both pictures and real cars the one thing that strikes me is that these are big cars on the outside but with a big block the engine compartment is TIGHT, so space may have been the prime consideration. Hope this answers your question. Len C.

Uh, are you watching the buildup going on in the "On the Workbench" forum? It's very real, my friend or my imagination has gotten WAY out of hand! Len C.

post continued.. Once the AP Metalizer was thoroughly dry, the mufflers and resonators were masked in preparation for spraying the tail pipes with Metalizer Stainless Steel. I've also discovered that when you run out of SS, Testors Magnesium Metalizer works pretty well in a pinch. The stock or drag version of the new Revell 62 Impala features a fairly intricate rear suspension and axle assembly. Note here the trailing arms, coil spring (which were touched-up with the Sharpie silver pen so they would show up better in photos), the differential snout (painted with a mixture of flat red and Rust, the rear shocks (given a light flat black wash), the stabilizer bar and one strange looking part...the rear control arm (protruding from the rear axle housing). I was puzzled for a bit as to where the RCA was to be attached to the rear axle. Once I discovered the rectangular hole in the floorboard kick-up just ahead of the rear axle, it began to make sense. The instruction illustration doesn't address this assembly as well as it could. Since there's no locator pin for the RCA on the axle housing, you'll need to do some test fitting to get it in the right spot. From this angle the rectangular opening can be clearly seen located in the floorboard kick-up just ahead of the axle location. It's better to temporarily install the rear axle assembly and then determine where to attach the RCA once the end piece is inserted into the rectangular floorboard opening as shown here. Prior to test-fitting many of the suspension and drive line components to the chassis plate, that part was painted with white automotive primer since the drag car body color is white. Once dry, a mixture of Metalizer Aluminum Plate, Magnesium and gray automotive primer were intermittently sprayed down the chassis center line to represent the factory application. Then the X-frame was hand-painted with Black Chrome. The gas tank was painted with Aluminum Plate. The lower from suspension (which is molded as one assembly) was painted flat black and integral components like the stabilizer bar and steering assembly was painted with varying shades of metallic bottle paints. That will wrap up this update. Look for the next update toward the end of the week where we'll be showing some of the interior paint work and detailing. See you then, Bill and Len

Well, we've discussed "primer-gate" to death, let's get on with the build up. SInce the first post dealt mainly with my prep work, we'll let Bill take over and show the parts starting to get their colors. Though some say no, I continue to gang spray paint trees of small parts that all get painted the same color. It not only speeds things up, it keeps the number code system intact and helps me keep from loosing something in the process. Note this free-standing generator etc. which can be a bear to find on carpeted or marble floors etc. I've found that once the individual parts are separated from their tree and cleaned up, something as simple as a black Sharpie makes quick work of touching up any affected area on the part. Once parts are primered ( I use Plasti-Kote T-235 gray sanding primer), I recommend first painting the interior parts with a gloss color of you choice. I know that vinyl/leather interior surfaces are usually matte finish but remember we have a decals to apply and other detailing that always goes better on a gloss surface. I'll apply semi-gloss clear when that work is completed. While browsing in an office supply store the other day I came across a Sharpie metallic pen with a pen point tip. I found it is ideal for trimming out those itty-bitty buttons on the seat and side panel upholstery as shown here. Once the interior floor/front inner fender panels were painted red to match the other parts, I found that Sherwin-Williams Shurtape continues to be a good choice when masking where you need a clean separation line as shown here. Again, I use automotive flat black primer with a few coats of semi-gloss clear as a sealer. The legendary Chevrolet 409 V-8 engine is well replicated in this new-tool Revell 1962 Chevy Impala kit. Once the basic assembly was together and any clean-up accomplished, the block/transmission with cylinder heads, water pump and dual carb intake manifold were given a generous primer coat. That was followed up with a few coats of Testors Aluminum Plate Metalizer on the four-speed transmission and W valve covers. Testors Chevrolet Engine Red bottle paint was then applied to the engine block, pan and water pump with a suitable brush. The flywheel/clutch inspection plate was then painted with Black Chrome. Here the basic 409 engine is taking shape. The aluminum drag headers which replace the stock cast-iron units were also painted with Aluminum Plate Metalizer before test fitting in place on the engine block. The new Revell 62 Impala kit includes a drag version with two sets of mufflers/tailpipes. Here both are attached to card stock in preparation for coating with Testors Aluminum Plate Metalizer. I snuck the drag headers in here at this point for good measure. continued in next post....

And take a look at this picture: **Supposedly** this is an unmolested original 1962 Impala. It looks a little too fresh to me but if it was well kept maybe it is correct. I guess red or gray could be correct, maybe dependent on the color of the car or maybe what primer they had on hand (like my situation). In any event it shouldn't have any effect on the build. BTW - I'm packing for Indy (the Hoosier Model Car Show and Swap) show so I won't have time to post until I return tomorrow evening. Thanks, Len C.

Because red oxide is all that I had on hand at the time!

First installment of the buildup has been posted to the "On the Workbench" forum.