Len Carsner

Here's the first installment of our buildup of Revells latest release. Watch for our first steps of the buildup later this week in the "On the Workbench" forum. The long anticipated Revell 1/25th scale 1972 Hurst Oldsmobile 442 convertible plastic model kit features eye catching box lid artwork depicting a standard 442 convertible in the background and a Hurst version in the foreground. This first parts group shows the convertible body shell, chrome tree, clear glass parts and transparent red taillight lenses, four unbranded tires and four metal axle pins. Note the absence of any semblance of a windshield frame attached to the body shell. Don’t be alarmed. We will address that feature as this build/review progresses. The next group of 72 Olds convertible kit parts (contained in a separate clear bag) includes the chassis plate, engine block and accessories along with under-hood components, a choice of two transmissions…automatic and four-speed, front and rear suspension parts, and a complete dual exhaust system. The next group of bagged parts for the 72 Olds includes: the hood and hinges, interior/engine bay inner fender panels, interior side panels, front and rear seats, dashboard with interior components, rear deck wing, sunvisors, outside rearview mirrors, convertible boot cover and wheel backs. Here the 72 Olds Cutlass body shell is shown separately (left front ¾) to help give a clearer view of the considerable surface detail, which is difficult to present visually in all-white plastic. This rear ¾ view of the Revell 72 Olds Cutlass convertible shows off the crisp panel lines, compound surfaces like an artist’s blank canvas just itching to be painted and detailed. Shown in this view is the twelve page, sixteen step instruction sheet booklet along with the extensive decal sheet with markings for both the standard 72 Olds 442 convertible and the Hurst version. Thanks for looking. We hope you will enjoy this as much as we are. Bill Coulter and Len Carsner

Patience, my friend, patience. The 66 Impala will be here soon I'm sure (no, I don't have any insider info so don't ask) but in the mean time let's enjoy what we have on the table now, shall we?

Sorry to keep teasing you, but a little mystery mixed with anticipation can be a good thing, right? Anyway, starting next week Bill and I will be reviewing and building this upcoming new release in much the same way we did the Chevy 150 sedans and the AMT and Revell Challengers. This build will be spread out over the next 4-5 weeks, so keep checking back or subscribe to this thread to watch the build up and get our honest opinion as we go along. Len C.

Glad you like the kit. I consider that paint scheme fo rmy car, then decided against it since the box art car was that color combo. Bill convinced me to try red thinking it would "jump" off the pages better and also compliment the red accents in the decals on his car. I think it turned out to be the right decision. Thanks for your interest. Len Carsner.

They’re finished, so now it’s time now for the final reveal! Take a look at these beauty shots, read Bill’s text, and enjoy our wrap-up of this great project. ] You could use the kit decals to build the No. 46 Herb Thomas machine with a bit of manipulation of the numbers and the addition of a few selected after-market contingency markings. I've been hoarding a set of Fred Cady decals for some time now. No. 665 allows the 1957 NASCAR Grand National championship BW driven by Buck Baker to join my personal collection of vintage stock cars. The new Revell Chevrolet 150 US-Black Widow kit is loaded with extra parts and includes enough stuff to build a variety of engine combinations like this 283 4-bbl V-8 with Powerglide automatic transmission. The inevitable question is, "Do we need another 57 Chevy?" Len and I say "absolutely yes" when they look, build and capture the essence of the car like this new Revell kit does. From any angle, top or bottom, there's no question this is a 1957 Chevy 150 Revell 1/25th scale plastic model...or is it? We think they did a great job capturing the look and proportions of this vintage American iron. Police car, Fire Chief's car, military staff car, over-the-road salesman's ride, or whatever you can imagine, the new Revell kit has a whole bunch of interesting possibilities. Whether you're a bow-tie kinda guy or not, you'll likely find a whole lot about the new Revell 1957 Chevrolet 150 Utility Sedan/Black Widow to like. That’s a wrap! I hope you’ve enjoyed our buildup as much as we’ve enjoyed building it. And as I’ve enjoyed posting it for you. Oh, and be sure to share your experiences and pictures of YOUR Black Widow/150 Sedan buildups! Thanks to all who commented and complimented, Bill Coulter and Len Carsner

I can think of a couple - both minor. The steering column comes with both levers for the gear shift and turn signals. The levers are a bit fragile and can break off easily. The rear shocks needed a little persuasion to get them in place. Maybe my fault since I didn't follow the instructions (who does?) and tried to put them in place after the rear end assembly was installed. Too much pressure causes them to bend in the middle, but they didn't break and I was able to straighten them and get them installed. That's it and both could be chalked up to builder errors. Actually, this kit went together better than any I've put together in the last couple of years, and I was very pleased with the ease of assembly. Thanks for the question, Len Carsner

You won't want to miss the unveiling of the finished cars tomorrow. Bill built his car as the Buck Baker car you mentioned and my car was built as the street car. Sound closed to what you're planning. The reveal is at 8:00 PM EST tomorrow, March 3rd. I think everyone will be pleased with the outcome. Thanks for your interest. Len Carsner

Thanks for the additional info. According to the judging rules I mentioned in the earlier post the engine should be chartreuse, but I never was able to find a picture or paint code to corroborate the information. The picture of the yellow engine lead me, and others, to question the accuracy of the judging rules and to write about the yellow engine color. Amazing what you can learn by building a model, eh? Len Carsner

Okay, now I understand which dummy plates you were referring to and yes, they are there molded into the front bumper. You're not going to be disappionted with this kit.

Hi Steve, The dagmars are separate pieces molded in white. Checking the instructions I see there are no block off plates for the turn signals or the "dagmar" bunper guards. The bumper is molded closed in that area. There are block off plates for the headlamps and backup lights. Hope this clears that up for you. BTW - from one member of "Team Banzai" to another - NICE SIGNATURE!!

Thanks for your comments, Art. You're correct, these cars were meant to be bare-bones alternatives to sedan deliveries or panel trucks. It is safe to assume there were instances where extra options were added, either at time of order or dealer installed, per individual tastes. As for my 150, I could have removed the right hand visor and armrest, but the decal for the door panel had a cutout to fit around the armrest. I chose to leave it as it was. Since my car has such "options" as both visors and armrests plus the automatic transmission and 283 engine with four barrel carb and dual exhaust I figure this car was intended for a salesman who'd been a little more successful than most. Len C.

(continued from previous post) Seen here is the 150 Utility Sedan interior on the left with the Black Widow interior on the right side. Some references showed the upholstery pattern carried through onto the inside trim panels (left) while others showed that area as being matte black like the BW interior on the right. You've seen the fuelie engine that Bill is building for his car, now here's the four barrel version in mine. The scripts on the valve covers is included on the decal sheet as well as the decals for the generator, oil filter canister, and air cleaner. You know the build is getting close to the end when the "jewlery" is being installed. Here we have the grille and bumper assembly with its separate turn signal lenses and "Dagmar" bumper inserts installed. The grille was given a wash with The Detailer and lastly the decal for the center bar. As I said the cars are done and are ready for their unveiling. Make sure to come back Tuesday evening around 8:00 PM. You won't want to miss it!! Len Carsner

Our project is rapidly winding down and the cars are now finished. We're continuing our coverage of the buildup with a double update today and will post the grand finale unveiling a few days. Now, we continue: I used a lead pencil to highlight five raised round shapes on the 150 headliner. The circle in the center is where the street car dome light locates. You may or may not choose to remove the other four which are in actuality ejector pin marks. Obviously they aren't there on the headliner of a passenger car so you make the choice. I used a couple of different kinds of tape for the painting of my Black Widow as well as a little different procedure. The yellow tape is called Razor Edge and is available in three widths at Sherwin-Williams paint stores. So far I've been impressed with the kind of sharp clean edge it provides. The blue tape is 3M painters low-tac tape. I started using it since it doesn't stick to things quite as aggressively as regular 3M tape. Here I've masked the body to prepare for applying the white paint to the rear of the body. I decided to try a different method this time. Rather than paint the whole body black or white and then mask off for the second color, I will spray the rear white and later re-mask to shoot the rest of the body black. This might allow the two paint applications to dry and cure-out more quickly. We'll see! Oh, I also used the two different tapes cause the yellow and blue looked good in pictures. This time of year especially, it's a good idea to heat up the paint can just a tad. I put a small amount of water in a coffee cup (you'll soon learn how much when it doesn't run over when you set the can in the cup) and stick the cup of water in the micro wave for about 60 seconds. After the nuking the water I stick the can in for a few seconds. You want the can warm to the touch and no more. After shaking the warned spray can thoroughly, the 150 body shell received multiple coats of GM white paint. I waited about 30 seconds between each series of coats. Once the freshly-applied paint is thoroughly dry, I carefully removed all the tape from the 150 body. So far I am very happy with the way the Razor Edge tape has performed. After waiting a full 24 hours, I felt confident the white was dried enough to stand up to being masked over. Using just the Razor Edge tape this time, I carefully masked the body once more this time for the application of GM black automotive paint to complete the Black Widow two-tone scheme. Again the Razor Edge tape worked just fine. The parting line is clean and sharp and the low-tac allowed for flawless removal. Though the new paint looks pretty slick in this photo don't let the camera fool the eye. It will require a light wet-sanding with some 600 grit automotive sandpaper in preparation for a liberal coating of clear. It's clear from this shot why BareMetal foil is so popular. Though the new Revell Chevrolet 150 Utility Sedan/Black Widow kit body has a minimum of bright work, once BMF is applied it really brings the car to life compared to the one left to do. It's obvious that Len's 150 (right) core support is intended for a street driven car. Whoever heard of an oval track race car with a horn? (continued in next post)

I was actually going for a bit lighter shade of red but this one really turned out well. And the red does show off the chrome nicely: Bill got a little ambitious and Bare Metaled both of our cars. The chrome really "pops" with the red paint. Bill's doing the prototypical black and white "Black Widow" racer which we'll show being painted in a couple of days. Thanks for the comments, Len C.

Glad to see everyone is so anxious for updates. Since I'm building the street version and haven't contributed much to the overall build I thought I'd post a couple of my pix. But first, a little lesson on 1957 V8 engines. On the Spotlight Board it was mentioned that the 265 V8 engine year was the only engine (other than the six) that was available in the utility sedan for 1957. It was also said that the engine was painted yellow, not the typical Chevt red/orange color. Having never heard about this I decided to do a little research. Here's what I've found: Here's a picture that Bill Coulter forwarded to me. He's not sure where it came from, so credit where credit is due to the original poster. This shows the yellow 265 engine in a 1957 Chevy Utility Sedan. According to judging rules at http://www.emarkay.com/joutline.html the 265 was available only with a two barrel car, single exhaust, and manual transmission. Also the air cleaner would have no snorkel. The engine would have been painted yellow from start of production to early Novenber after which it was painted the same color as other Chevy V8 engines. Contrary to what most believe the 150 Utility Sedan was available with any regular production engine from 1957, meaning anything from the straight six to the 283 fuelie motor (records show 22 such units were built) could be had. Since the engine in the kit is a four barrel with dual exhaust and automatic transmission it must be assumed its a 283 C.I.D. engine. There had been some question as to the accuracy of the kit engine, hopefully this will put that to rest. Here are the main components of the chassis. I've tried to duplicate the reddish-orange primer of a restored car I have pictures of during its restoration. While the callouts on the instructions call for black and silver for most items I've used Testors Metalizers plus various shades of black in order to give the chassis a little "pop". The assembled chassis looks pretty much like I had hoped, looking a lot like the restoration photos I have for reference. I planned to paint my car a color close to 1957 Matador Red. I used Duplicolor aerosol paint that came close, but is a bit darker than I hoped. Still, it came out well and has a great shine. I couldn't resist the urge to set the painted body down over the interior and onto the chassis. This car is building up really well and Revell has the look of the full-size car nailed. Now its on to Bare Metal for the moldings and exterior ornamentation and we'll be wrapping this one up. Sorry I didn't have more pictures tp post, but my photography skills have "gone south" over the past year and the shots of the four barrel engine and my interior were not worthy of posting. I'll catch up in a later post. We should have another update ready by the weekend, then the wrap-up will follow shortly after that. Thanks, and keep those comments coming. Len Carsner

I'll leave that for Bill to answer. He's adding lots of extra details not included with the kit where as I'm doing it completely box stock. He'll be going more in-depth about his modifications in an article he's doing for MCM which will show what modifications and/or extra details you'll need to make an accurate Black Widow stock car. Thanks for the comments.

Here's the latest update on our Black Widow build and things are coming together well. Tonight we'll show you the finished interior for the race version as well as the engine for the same car. Later in the week I'll post pistures of the interior and engine from my stock 150 sedan and maybe, just maybe, another surprise! Here the typical Black Widow race car interior is nearly complete. Note the placement of the matching seat and door panel fabric, the four-point roll racing roll cage and the spartan but detailed steering wheel/dashboard including the under-dash tachometer. Firestone was the only tire provider for NASCAR in 1957. Though white side wall lettering might not have been proto-typical back-in-the-day, it does add that additional pizzaz to an otherwide spartan black donut. Here, Shabo dry-transfer, rub-off lettering makes for simple application. Clean the fire side wall with paint thinner. Line up the lettering on the sheet with the appropriate spot on the side wall. Then burnish the lettering onto the tire with something suitable like this wooden clay-working tool. The results as shown on the tires in the background are worth the effort. This is a rare and invaluable piece of reference material for accurately building and detailing a Black Widow replica from the new Revell 1957 Chevrolet 150 Utility Sedan/Black Widow kit. Virtually every aspect of the legendary, iconic and mysterious Black Widow is presented in great detail. If you're really serious about building a BW replica getting access to this vintage publication (up close and personal or electronically) will be well worth you time and energy. Which ever version of this Revell kit you are building the detail painting for the chassis, driveline and front/rear suspension is pretty much the same. Oxide Red, various metallic shades and flat/matte black will do the job just fine. Part number 352 is to be attached to the Fuel Injection Plenum but first you need to remove this hunk of plated styrene being pointed out in this picture. If took me a while to figure out that it was the part on the end of the "knockout" that was need instead of this thing that looks like an over-sized thermos bottle. What is it you ask? This extra piece of material makes sure the flowing hot styrene when forging it's way through the tooling innards completely fills out the part cavity. Just some of the stuff I'd recommend for use for applying decals to this 57 Black Widow Fuel Injection engine from the new Revell kit. You can see the very intricate and delicate detailing on this newly-tooled power plant. Likewise, the number of tiny decals will test your dexterity and patience. At my age I have to use some 2X reading glasses to see some of these demure elements. Remember to only apply water-slide decals to gloss surfaces. I recommend applying a dab of Microscale Micro Set first to the location and then lay the decal down in place as shown here. Once blotted dry, follow that up with a dab of Microscale Micro Sol to assure the further adhesion of these decals. Revell maintains high standards once again on newly tooled kit parts like the Fuel Injection 283 engine from their new 1957 Black Widow/150 Utility Sedan kit. This example is built straight from-the-box with the addition of a variety of factory-correct colors, matte and gloss black and metallic finishes ranging from gunmetal to aluminum plate Metalizer. The Corvette script shown here on the right valve cover is straight from the decal sheet. Pretty much everything but the smell of pump gas and exhaust fumes is here just as it comes from the kit box. This engine is just screaming for some TLC detailing. With all the intricate attention to details on this new 283 Fuel Injection engine included in the Revell 1957 Black Widow-150 Utility Sedan all it take is patient and methodic painting and decal application to get a very nice out-of-the-box powerplant. In this shot the engine is in position between the front frame rails and the steering gear has been properly positioned. The kit engine features realistic cushioned motor mounts in front and an angled bracket which notches into place in the front of the chassis as shown here. That's all for now, keep checking back for more updates, leading up to the final reveal in about two weeks. Len C.

Thanks for the reference pics! BTW - nice car!

That's the look I'm going for on the underside of my car. I hope to show it to the board later this week. Len C.

Regular red-oxide primer should be fine. I'm custom mixing mine to replicate the underside finish on a restoration I've been watching online. It's orangey-red with black frame rails and grey colored springs and control arms. May not be prototypically accurate but it looks good. Hopefully I'll have my chassis done this week and pictures to show by weeks end. Len C.

Second half of todays update. Shown here are some of the tools and supplies needed to properly apply waterside decals. They include sewing scissors, a clean brush, Microsoft Micro Set and Micro shallow bowl with lukewarm water, hobby knife, tweezers and a cotton swab. The sewing scissors are very important as they allow for trimming really delicate markings up close and personal as shown here. Once the front seat cushions were primed and painted with Metalizer Magnesium, the seat upholstery decals were applied as shown here. Always get in the habit of applying Micro Set to the affected areas first before applying the waterslide decals. Once blotted dry, follow that up with a light coat of Micro Sol to insure that each decal draws down and conforms to any irregular surfaces. I find BareMetal foil has a secondary use as a making agent. Here I'm masking the portion of the interior door panel that was earlier painted silver. Once the material is burnished, trimmed along the seams etc., the excess BMF was removed in preparation for painting the remainder of the panel with matte black finish. Here we see interior parts including side panels, seat and dash board fully masked in preparation for painting them matte black. The interior side panels having been painted metalizer magnesium and matte black and are now ready for the upholstery pattern decal to be applied. Setting solution was applied in the appropriate area and then the wetted decal was applied in place as shown here. I suggest using a cotton swab to push the decal in and around tight areas like the arm rest and door hardware. Using BareMetal Chrome foil, small pieces were used to highlight the door hardware. Again use a cotton swab to push the BMF in and around the individual handles and knobs, then trim out the excess foil with a fresh hobby knife. Be extra careful removing the excess foil so as not to accidently lift the decals. Later in the week we hope to show the completed interiors, pointing out the differences between the race and street versions plus the start of the chassis and drivetrain. Thanks for watching. Len C.

Here we have the first of two updates tonight on the Building the Black Widow. We'll cover mainly the interior pieces tonight and get into the chassis and drivetrain later in the week. BTW - you'll notice the images are now watermarked. I'm afraid we've been forced to make that choice as the pictures were being taken from here and posted on other boards with no attribution to the authors. We don't mind people spreading the words and images but at least let others know where they came from. Be sure to check the next post ater this one for the second half of the update. And now, on with the show.... I like to tape all the parts that need primer or paint to one piece of cardboard and spry them all at once. Same goes for the chassis in this case which gets primered as part of the same operation. Not the piece of brass rod stuck up the transmission tail shaft. Makes a pretty good one-piece paint stand so you can get good coverage and at the same time not have to paint you fingers. Once I painted the gas tank with steel metalizer, I mask it off in preparation for painting this chassis insert to match the rest of the chassis. I concocted a mixture of Flat Red and Rust to emulate the bright oxide red found on the underside of the chassis which was then applied with an airbrush. I decided the rear axle snout needed the same sort of shade of rusty red. This time the paint was applied with a brush and mixed 50/50 on a piece of household wax paper as shown here. Note in this view, that though I've painted the topside of the interior floor flat black, the underside is a 50/50 mix of Flat Red and Rust. There's a reason for that as the bottle shaped area (actually the transmission tunnel) shows through on like-shaped opening in the chassis and needs to match the rest of the chassis underside. The Mini-MIte drill bit is pointing to the two holes needing to be drilled out to accommodate the roll bar registration pins as mentioned earlier. Whether you paint the interior floor first or not, for the Black Widow version, you'll need to construct the four-point roll bar. There are locator pins on the bottom of each upright that fit into locator holes in the floor. I suggest taping down the vertical hoop and then one at a time, glue the angle support bars to the uprights as shown here. After priming the interior parts like the seat insert, inside door panels, dashboard, steering column and wheel, those parts got a generous coating of Metalizer Magnesium. Once dry, the parts getting decals applied in a later step, were coated with High-Gloss Clear. Remember, waterside decals stick pretty well to a gloss surface, not so well to flat-finish surfaces. Continued in next post. LC

Hello all, The next installment of the buildup should be posted no later than Saturday afternoon. Tentatively we're showing the chassis and drivetrain, possibly some interior shots. Here's a little teaser for you: Stay Tuned!