Len Carsner

Thanks for the info, Steve. Quite a lot that I never heard before. BTW - this is the first ever TRI-FIVE Chevy model I've ever built, so working on this is going to be educational for me as well as informational for the readers. Hopefully I can do this great kit justice.

Not to worry, it's on another tree. We didn't show all of the trees with common parts. **Correction** As has been pointed out the kit DOES NOT have a back seat, which would be correct for this particular model of 150 sedan. Sorry for the confusion, it was an error on my part. Flog me with a used sanding stick and lets get on with the discussion!!

The long anticipated 1957 Chevrolet Black Widow/150 Utility Sedan plastic model kit will soon be available to one and all. For me, this is a version of the venerable 57 Chevy that though it has been available in a wide variety of versions from the after-market, I for one never envisioned it would ever be done in poly-styrene plastic. Announced at iHobby 2007, the newest 1957 Chevy appears to have been worth the wait. The new kit box art is an attention getter with actual built models featured in both versions. I like the tricky way Revell has done the race car numbers on the BW version. Though to my knowledge no one ran the No. 64 in NASCAR competition in 1957, jockeying the numbers around a bit will give you one that did. Again, like many recent Revell releases, each set of parts is individually bagged making it pretty easy to review the contents without the fear of losing anything. The parts set shown here is from one of those clear bags a is comprised mostly of the bulk of the parts shared with the 1956 210/Delray kit that has been so popular. This is the first parts set specifically created for the BW/150 Utility Sedan. Note the correct door panels, steering wheel and column, front seat, four-point roll cage, dashboard with suspended brake and clutch pedal and the back seat delete interior floor pan. Here we have the second parts set specifically for the BW/150 Utility Sedan. Of particular importance here is the correct production 1957 Chevy dual exhaust system, six lug Chevy truck weeks, rams horn exhaust headers, stock hood, core support/radiator, firewall etc. and a new 283 SBC with a heavy-duty three speed synchromesh transmission. The body shell is packaged separately in it’s own clear bag. We’re showing it here with the other items in this grouping for convenience only. The bodylines and proportions look to this designer’s eye to be right-on with all the reference material I’ve amassed on this subject. The decal sheet contains some basic stock car graphics, production scripts and badging, license plates and I’m pleased to see the factory seat/door panels fabric patterns included. Tires are period correct (read that tall and skinny) plain black donuts with no tire manufacturer markings or other surface details. Clear red taillights are included. The BW/150 US contains two separate chrome trees. The large tree holds most of the exterior bright work including front bumper/grill, rear bumper, head and taillight bezels, rearview mirror, hood/deck emblems, windshield wipers and such. The small chrome tree has the small parts including dog dish hubcaps, and a variety of parts for the Rochester fuel injection system. The clear parts tree features front and rear glass (note the sunvisors attached), vent and side window glass, headlight lenses and turn signal light lenses. In preparation for our build/review, some of the things that stand out on this new kit include: a choice of 3-speed standard or Powerglide transmissions, both the carry-over 56 dual exhaust system plus the 57 unit (great spare parts box stuff) and the usual nit-picky attention to all the little details we’ve come to expect from Revell these days. Stay turned as we gear up to build for you both the NASCAR No. 87 Black Widow and the 150 Utility Sedan.

Yeah, I've pretty much relegated myself to the fact that I'm not likely to be welcome at many modeling shows or events anytime soon. Probably just as well, I'm not sure I can face many people right now. It was great while it lasted, I had a good time. I'll see you guys around some time. LC

Guys, I need to clarify my original post on the Black Widow. First, it IS coming. Nothing abut that has changed. Like that which was said earlier the original kit number was canceled because a new one is being issued. Someone in marketing probably mistook that as cancellation. Second, I also gave out info on other variations that were supposed to be coming. Turns out that was idle speculation that I took as fact and attributed to someone who was not even involved. Believe me, I've caught hell for that and probably cost myself untold hours of sleep over the holiday not to mention couple of friendships. When I saw the post over at the other board was starting to turn ugly I thought I needed to speak up to defend REVELL from the pitchforks and torches crowd, and in my zeal I confused facts with idle out-loud thinking. Bottom line - we're getting the Widow, after that is anybodies guess. You may now turn those pitchforks and torches on me.

Just for fun Bill swapped the kit tires for redlines and white letters, just to get a feel for what a simple change could do for the car. That ends our coverage of the new Nova kit. Hopefully we'll do this again soon with another "coming soon" subject. For now, I'm done and need to get that grill outside (and get some bandages) and get on with the holiday! Len C.

Sorry guys, I meant to get this up last night but spent my evening assembling a new grill for the weekend cookouts. Here we go withthe final installment: Captions, final posting, Revell 69 Nova This series of elevated front ¾ views show off the accent lines and compound surface of the Revell 69 Nova quite well. Whether you choose out-of-the-box, slightly modified for the street or this new kits drag option, you certainly have a well-appointed and accurate platform to start with. From any angle the Revell 69 Nova look like the full-size Chevy compact only 25 times smaller. Checking out the wide range of factory color choices and being able to choose from interior colors of either black, medium red or blue or green, you can personalize your Nova to your very own tastes. The performance 300hp/350ci small block Chevy V-8 looks great even when built straight from the box. The kit engine compartment has just enough accessories to make it interesting but it’s not over done leaving the door open for your personal attention to further detailing. On the left is an original AMT 72 Nova I built shortly after the kit was released. It was the standard for this Chevy icon that is until now. On the right, the new contender benefits from over 35 years of design and engineering advancements. The new Revell 69 Nova sets many new standards for this subject. Canadian Keith Marks is at it again! This time he will soon have available four unique water-slide decal sets for either the original AMT or brand-new 69 Nova kits. Here is a sample artwork for two of them. This will likely not be the last after-market product developed exclusively for these kits…especially the new Revell 69 Nova.

Tonight we feature the last of the assembly and a beauty shot of the finished car. Final thoughts and a comparison to an AMT Nova on Friday. 1 After painting the headliner to match the interior, I began installing the clear parts. The interior dome light is a separate piece as are all front, rear and side windows including the vents. There is no door glass. I recommend positioning each clear part with small strips of tape to hold the part in place while white glue is applied around the edges. For very small parts, I attach tape curls to a brush handle or in this case a burnishing tool. This approach makes it a whole lot easier to manipulate the part into place as shown here. 2 To give the under hood a bit of definition I mixed up a batch of yellow, primer and flat white which I then applied in the openings in the reinforcement panel as shown here. 3 Putting final touches on the bright work like the bumpers, grill etc. include painting and installing tail light, back up, turn signal and headlight as well as the front and rear license plates is best done before attaching them to the body. Note that I put a thin white wash on the backside of the headlight lenses to give them a bit more realistic appearance. 4 I recommend using white glue anytime you’re attaching clear or plated parts. Any excess is easily wiped away with a damp tissue. Just squeeze some out into the recessed area you can see here and carefully position the hood vent in place. 5 You have a choice when putting the radiator/core support in place as shown here. Obviously, you can apply glue where those parts attach to the front frame rails. Since I plan to partially disassemble this Nova to add more detailing, I cut a piece of two-sided carpet tape, placed it between the fan pulley and radiator and stuck it in place until I need to remove it in the future. 6 This eye level front ¾ view of the new Revell 69 Nova clearly shows accurate proportions and attention to detail. Adding BareMetal foil to exterior trim details along with the kits plated bright work really brings this one to life. That's all for tonight. We'll wrap this project up on Friday. See you then! Len Carsner

Look for the next set tonight, with the wrap-up on Friday.

Hmm, this topic doesn't seem to be collecting many comments or views. Have we bored/overloaded the viewers?

One more image to add: 11 Since I had but one sample decal sheet for this test-shot project, I spent 50¢ to get a color copy of the sheet Revell sent me. You might ask why bother? As small as many of the decal markings are on this kit, I decided to trim out those itty-bitty images and put them in place using white glue. Trust me, it works and you sleep better at night knowing if you loose one you’re got a very suitable back-up handy. Next time we’ll be applying BareMetal foil, carefully dropping those pre-painted lenses into place and hanging all the exterior bright work including windshield wipers, door handles and the outside rearview mirror. Check back next week! Len C.

Here we go again, this time detailing and painting the various body components. It's really starting to look great and it should be done soon. The plan now is to have maybe two more sets of pictures and captions to finish this thing out. 1 When it came time to select an exterior paint color for the Revell 69 Nova, I referred to autocolorlibrary.com and paintscratch.com websites. At these sites you can select make and year yielding a scanned page of paint swatches. I narrowed my choices down to Daytona Yellow and Garnet Red. Depending on what colors are chosen, if you desire authentic automotive finishes MCW Auto Finishes is the route to go. I was on a tight time line so I decided to hit the local automotive parts stores in my small town. At one place I found a Plasti-kote metallic red very close to Garnet Red. At another place I found a Dupli-color import spray can very much like Daytona Yellow. After some thought, I decided Daytona Yellow would fit this Nova just fine. 2 Most automotive paints today are two-part with the color coat requiring a clear topcoat. I was pleasantly surprised to see how smooth and shiny this Dupli-color paint leveled out and dried very quickly. 3 I decided to use white liquid polish to add that little bit of extra sheen to an otherwise A-okay finish. 4 The Detailer for me has a multitude of uses on virtually any model. Anything with recessed details can be brought to life by applying The Detailer with a paintbrush, as shown here. Once it starts to dry, a slightly damp tissue or cotton swab will remove any excess. 5 Another natural use for The Detailer is bringing out the recessed details in these ribbed fake hood bents on the Revell 69 Nova. 6 Use a matte finish black bottle paint applied with a small diameter brush to paint the grill screen and headlight bezel detail as shown here. The same approach also makes quick work of the rear trim panel. 7 If you didn’t manage to stay “inside the lines†like me, I recommend using a round wooden tooth pick to carefully clean off excess paint along the edges as shown here. 8 Leave the well-organized clear parts attached to the trees when detail painting parts as shown here. Matte black for the sun visors will match the interior color. Stoplight Red applied on the backside of the taillight lenses gives a real appearance of realism. You can choose either Revell Turn Signal Yellow or Tamiya Clear Yellow for the turn signal lenses. 9 Someone posted a reminder that I hadn’t scuffed up the tire tread. Actually, I had but this is the first time we’ve had an opportunity to show it. I use and section of an old sanding disk. It’s pretty coarse and quickly gives realistic results. 10 You may have seen this photos a few days ago on the board. I still think it’s a good idea to recheck the fit of major assemblies before you get too far along in a build. Continued in first reply. Len C.

Not sure about MCG, but I've heard that Keith Marks is working on some alternate decal sets for it. More info later..... Len C.

Yes there is, and the next set of pictures will show that. They should be posted this evening. Watch for "WIP Pt#4" in this forum. Len C.

Ask and ye shall receive....... It's not clear-coated yet, this was just a trial to see how it would look. Pretty good, eh? Len C.

He's got the body painted, waiting on it to cure before clear coating it. Wanna see a sneak peek?

Not really a big deal, just a little fiddlin' to make it fit the way Bill wanted. Nothing that made it a "deal breaker" if that's what you are wondering about. We'll get into that more when we come back later with the followup piece on adding extra detail. Keep watchin', it's gonna be good!

Third installment is in the "Workbench" forum. Fourth *should* be ready in about a week.

I can't take the credit for the build - that goes to Bill Coulter. I'm just the web-geek doing the posting. Glad everybody likes the build. Keep watching, we'll have the finish soon then Bill's going to go back anf throw some great extra detail to it. Len C.

10-11 I recommend before applying primer or paint to the body shell, a quick test fit of the chassis and especially the engine compartment is important. This is a time to check fit and alignment, which appears to be spot-on with this new Revell 69 Nova kit. 12 The Nova wheels are attached to the front and rear axle using a small metal pin that passes through each wheel back and slides firmly into each axle end as show here. I did have to make some minor adjustments in tread width to get the tires up inside the fenders to my liking. 13 The Nova kit tires are a “no-name†brand. There are many options available in the after-market as shown here, dry transfer lettering and pre-printed red lines. 14 A thorough test fit of body, chassis, interior with everything up-on-all-fours shows the fit and alignment so far on the new Revell 69 Nova is excellent. 15 Don’t forget to check out the fit and alignment from the underside of things as well. At this point everything is looking fine as we prepare for the next step: priming, painting and detailing the body. Weather permitting, painting will get done this week and we'll be wrapping this part of the project up. Watch for our next update in about a week. Len C.

The Nova is really beginning to take shape. This time we're doing the interior and rolling stock, as well as getting it up on all fours. Lots of pictures in this one so I've broken it up into two sections, the second section will be in the first reply. 1 This is as good a time as any to start referring to some solid documentation on 69 Novas. I find enthusiast books and magazines a great source for such details. I got this Nova SS Muscle Car Color History softbound book at a recent swap meet from Craig’s Hobbies and Crafts ( HYPERLINK "mailto:celmorejr@bellsouth.net" celmorejr@bellsouth.net) and articles from month magazines like this Muscle Car Review are available on just about any newsstand. 2 Before attaching the Brake Booster, I hit it with a little Metalizer Aluminum. Once in place on the firewall, I gave it a liberal coating of Tamiya Clean Yellow to give it the appearance of an anodized finish. 3 The raised Delco lettering on the battery’s top surface helps add visual detail by carefully scraping away the black paint leaving the white lettering exposed. 4 Once the windshield washer bottle was sprayed flat white and the cap brush painted matte black, I mixed some light blue with flat white and applied it to the bottle as shown to give the appearance that the bottle contained washer fluid. 5 The engine compartment is beginning to take shape with some detail painting and the addition of major components like the brake booster, master cylinder, battery and washer bottle. 6 From this angle, we can see how the assembled radiator wall/radiator/shroud is attached to the frame rail horns at the front of the engine compartment. 7 The platform-style interior lens itself quite nicely to in-depth detailing. Always scrape away paint from any two surfaces to be joined together with glue as shown here in preparation for attaching the driver’s seat in place. The side panels attach nicely with slots and tabs and the steering shaft is positioned to the dash with a locator hole and pin. 8-9 From any angle, the completed interior is taking on a look of realism. Continued in reply below. Len C.

Look for the next installment to be uploaded on Thursday, 05/08.

Yep, we'll be doing a little comparo to the old kit in the followup article. Be sure to check out the buildup in the "On the Workbench" forum. Part three will be uploaded tomorrow.

We're aware of that, in fact I have those cover on my 1976 Laguna S3. The covers are keyed so they will only fit one way, thus the upside down left cover. We didn't want to correct it since this is an out-of-the-box build with no add-ons or modifications. The followup article will show adding a wired distributor, tire lettering, possibly other wheels, and correcting the valve cover. Glad to see you're paying attention! Be sure to check the second set of pictures, building the chassis, which are posted here. Thanks. LC

Bill let me know today that he has the chassis up on its wheels and the interior work will be next. I should be posting the images mid to latter part of next week.