Kinda makes ya wanna have another go at one of those fiddly ol Revell kits

[Greg Myers]

Take yer time,   http://www.rodauthority.com/features/car-features/nostalgic-tod-barkers-period-correct-ford-anglia/

[Dave Van]

If you are well north of 50 and built much as a kid you know about those Revell kits. Difficult, at the time, was an understatement.

But age and 50 years of building have changed these kits. The kits are the same...but they are not the terrors they were when we were 7 years old. A few years ago I wanted to build a early 60's rail....and I picked out of the stash the Revell FE kit that had beat me as a kid. But I found that the kit was really better than I remembered and 50 years of kit building had helped!! So some of these 'tough' early Revell kits may not be so tough as we recalled!!  

[Ace-Garageguy]

A lack of patience, a lack of fine motor-skills (which come partially with talent but primarily with practice) and a lack of the confidence to make modifications in order to achieve good fit...get past these limitations that most inexperienced builders at any age will have, and you'll see these old kits are marvels of engineering and crisp, precise and well-scaled tooling.

Yes, they DO take more effort and thought than some of the toy-like but easy-to-build kits we've seen recently, but they CAN build up into spectacular models.

[bismarck]

If you are well north of 50 and built much as a kid you know about those Revell kits. Difficult, at the time, was an understatement.

But age and 50 years of building have changed these kits. The kits are the same...but they are not the terrors they were when we were 7 years old. A few years ago I wanted to build a early 60's rail....and I picked out of the stash the Revell FE kit that had beat me as a kid. But I found that the kit was really better than I remembered and 50 years of kit building had helped!! So some of these 'tough' early Revell kits may not be so tough as we recalled!!  

Beautiful build.

[JTalmage]

Working on the Tom Daniel "Bad News" chevy wagon at home right now doing some panel fitment and bodywork before it goes in primer... 

[AC Norton]

If you are well north of 50 and built much as a kid you know about those Revell kits. Difficult, at the time, was an understatement.

But age and 50 years of building have changed these kits. The kits are the same...but they are not the terrors they were when we were 7 years old. A few years ago I wanted to build a early 60's rail....and I picked out of the stash the Revell FE kit that had beat me as a kid. But I found that the kit was really better than I remembered and 50 years of kit building had helped!! So some of these 'tough' early Revell kits may not be so tough as we recalled!!  

Dave, that's a great looking 60s rail job....excellent work for sure....the Ace....

[Lizard Racing]

My exercise in patience with a "tough" kit: Revell's Challenger I.  I entered it in a contest at LHS.

[DrKerry]

My Achilles heal was always the older version of the Orange Crate. Someday I want to try and tackle it again. I have two in my stash for that day!! LOL

[Lordmodelbuilder]

If you are well north of 50 and built much as a kid you know about those Revell kits. Difficult, at the time, was an understatement.

But age and 50 years of building have changed these kits. The kits are the same...but they are not the terrors they were when we were 7 years old. A few years ago I wanted to build a early 60's rail....and I picked out of the stash the Revell FE kit that had beat me as a kid. But I found that the kit was really better than I remembered and 50 years of kit building had helped!! So some of these 'tough' early Revell kits may not be so tough as we recalled!!  

Nice build Dave. I agree with your comments. I built this Revell 57 Chevy in the 70's & I am going to rebuild it some 43 years later.

[bbowser]

Those Revell kits were just way ahead of their time.  Designed for adult builders, which we weren't!  As others have said, go back now with a different attitude and more refined skills they make excellent models.

My exercise in patience with a "tough" kit: Revell's Challenger I.  I entered it in a contest at LHS.

Great job!  I built this one a while ago and it was a beast!  I never did get the body panels to line up properly .  As I recall, the instructions weren't very clear either, making it doubly difficult.

[louie]

Ain't this the truth. Absolute nightmare some of those where to build when I was 10-12 years old, now I absolutely love and appreciate the challenges that some of those kits possess and today I can finally get to finish one. Man,brings back a lot of memories for me thinking back to when I just couldn't get em really right.     Thanks.       Jeff 

[Daddyfink]

When I started building at the age of 6 back in the 70's, those kits where way out of my league! I loved all the parts and details, but, I don't think I ever tried one until in was in my teens. And even then I don't think I fully finished on of them, them being the Orange Crate, Challenger or the 57 Chevy. 

I am currently getting back on a 57 I started a few years back. Stripping and starting all over again! 

[Greg Myers]

Tom Daniel "Bad News" chevy wagon

Read through the thread Jesse. All you're fiddling with is a flip front.

We're talkin' Revell here, poseable steering, opening doors, hood, trunk, some with the rear windows that go up and down AND a flip front on the Thames and Anglia gassers. Not the same ball park. Not EVEN the same league. 

Oh yeah, the Revell parts are no where near as robust as those from Monogram. 

Edited March 30, 2016 by Greg Myers

[Ace-Garageguy]

We're talkin' Revell here, poseable steering, opening doors, hood, trunk, some with the rear windows that go up and down AND a flip front on the Thames and Anglia gassers. Not the same ball park. Not EVEN the same league. 

Oh yeah, the Revell parts are no where near as robust as those from Monogram. 

I have to admit I made some real messes of those Revell kits when they first came out and I was a kid. Tube glue, limited tools and experience, chubby hands that didn't always follow the helm exactly, and wanting to see the dang thing finished TODAY were kinda problematical.

Today, every time I get into one, I DO have to agree that they must have really been designed with adult modelers in mind. And now, I think they're some of the best kits we'll ever see. 

[ChrisBcritter]

If you managed to get all the delicate, brittle parts off the trees without breaking any, you were halfway home! Too bad we didn't have photoetched saws back then.

Funny thing is that I remember the Stone/Woods/Cook Willys as being much better engineered in parts fit and alignment than many of the other Revell drag kits that followed it.

[espo]

I have to agree that Revell's kits in the early years were very intimidating to a young builder. They didn't have the 1 to 3 builder ratings that we see today. Looking back I feel that Revell was trying to offer as accurate a kit as possible. Revell and all of the model companies of the time didn't have the ability to mold the detail they were after and still offer a simplified kit. While they seemed daunting at the time , now they seem a little fiddly and about a 2 1/2 to 3 build now.   

[Greg Myers]

Fiddley ? Try this one.  Wings fold, dive brakes operate, canopy slides to show full cockpit, landing gear retracts and cowling comes off to show fully detailed engine.

 

[unclescott58]

Working on Revell's '41 Willys pickup. The rear suspension is interesting one on that one. Even at 58 years of age. Plus 50+ years of building. It took me a while to figure out how to put that one together. I remember trying build Revell's Henry J back when I was about 13. I believe it has the same chassis as the Willys. I know I got it somewhat together back then. But, I'm not sure how looking at it now.