Best Corvette 4th Generation (C4) kit out there?

[Jonathan]

In y'all's opinion, what is the best 1/24 or 1/25 C4 Corvette kit?  I have one - in the box - of the Monogram '85 Corvette.  But are there any better kits to build for this generation, or is the Monogram the one?  Thanks!

[Don Sikora II]

It's not perfect, but I'd say the 1/24-scale Monogram one is the best one. Remember when the original '85 coupe version came out and was very impressed with it at the time. The basic kit was converted and updated many times, and it's possible some of the newest variants were branded Revell. The coupe kits had a one-piece window unit that incorporated the clear roof panel, so there isn't any detailing of the structure at the top of the windshield...the convertible versions did a better job with that part.

Most of the MPC/AMT kits are missing the detailing like the headlights on the underside of the hood (think it's only present in the ZR-1 kits) and the early ones had MPC's BFG Radial T/A tires (the Monogram kits had various Goodyear Eagle Gatorbacks depending on the issue). Some of the MPC/AMT kits had molded in side mirrors that were pretty clunky too.

[matthijsgrit]

My personal favourite is the Revell Monogram '95 Corvette ZR-1 (The last king of the Hill, or something like that...) 

[Darin Bastedo]

I agree the Revell / Monogram C4s are the best out there. The best thing is you can build almost any variant of the C4 by mixing and matching parts from different kits. 

Almost all the various wheel styles are available;

1985-87 Turbine style (1985 Corvette, 1986 indy pace car roadster, 1987 Corvette roadster)

1988-89 Cusinart wheel (1989 Corvette ZR-1)

1991 Turbines (1991 Roadster, ZR-1, 1993 40th anniversary)

1995 Corvette 5 spoke, (1995 Grand sport, Indy Pace car and ZR-1)

Every type of engine;

L98, LT4 ,LT5 (ZR-1) and a Callaway twin turbo 

Automatic and 6- speed ZF Transmissions

all sorts of different seats and dashboards, and Model car Garage has the set MCG 2158 photoetch that has all the badging you need as well

 

[935k3]

I built the MPC 1/16 scale years ago. It was a a really nice model.

[matthijsgrit]

My personal favourite is the Revell Monogram '95 Corvette ZR-1 (The last king of the Hill, or something like that...) 

There's one for trade now in the traders section of this site...

[Len Woodruff]

I agree the Revell / Monogram C4s are the best out there. The best thing is you can build almost any variant of the C4 by mixing and matching parts from different kits. 

Almost all the various wheel styles are available;

1985-87 Turbine style (1985 Corvette, 1986 indy pace car roadster, 1987 Corvette roadster)

1988-89 Cusinart wheel (1989 Corvette ZR-1)

1991 Turbines (1991 Roadster, ZR-1, 1993 40th anniversary)

1995 Corvette 5 spoke, (1995 Grand sport, Indy Pace car and ZR-1)

Every type of engine;

L98, LT4 ,LT5 (ZR-1) and a Callaway twin turbo 

Automatic and 6- speed ZF Transmissions

all sorts of different seats and dashboards, and Model car Garage has the set MCG 2158 photoetch that has all the badging you need as well

 

Very kool information Darin.

[RickRollerLT1]

The MPC/AMT C4s are decent builders (the ZR1s have nicely detailed but chromed DOHC LT5s), but for the master detailers out there they have slightly simplified suspensions and some versions have issues with body proportions and molded mirrors.

The Monograms are very nice, but the hood fitment on all variations is extremely finicky (Calloway Speedster comes to mind) And if your kit happens to have a badly warped hood, then good luck getting it to at least seat right 

Edited June 16, 2016 by RickRollerLT1

[iamsuperdan]

There's one for trade now in the traders section of this site...

Hee hee...that's the one I have listed.

I knew these were a nice kit, but Corvettes traditionally just aren't my thing. If I can't find a home for it, I'll probably end up building it. Or using the parts to restomod something.

 

 

[OldNYJim]

Follow up question on this topic - which of these kits has the best suspension and drivetrain parts?

Looking for the entire front suspension (plus sway bars, steering rack etc) and rear suspension to transplant into something else…any opinions, Vette experts?

[the other Mike S.]

On 6/16/2016 at 2:23 PM, RickRollerLT1 said:

The MPC/AMT C4s are decent builders (the ZR1s have nicely detailed but chromed DOHC LT5s), but for the master detailers out there they have slightly simplified suspensions and some versions have issues with body proportions and molded mirrors.

The Monograms are very nice, but the hood fitment on all variations is extremely finicky (Calloway Speedster comes to mind) And if your kit happens to have a badly warped hood, then good luck getting it to at least seat right 

I never like the molded into the A-pillar mirrors on the convertibles.  That seemed to be a lazy design effort from (MPC) AMT/Ertl.

Edited September 19, 2021 by the other Mike S.

[Rob Hall]

Just now, the other Mike S. said:

I never like the molded into the A-pillar mirrors on the convertibles.  That seemed to be lazy design effort from (MPC) AMT/Ertl.

That detail came from the promos,  they probably didn't want to deal w/ separate mirror parts that could get broken off and lost. 

[Luc Janssens]

4 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

That detail came from the promos,  they probably didn't want to deal w/ separate mirror parts that could get broken off and lost. 

The mirrors of their Chevy Beretta were designed the same way.

[the other Mike S.]

8 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

The mirrors of their Chevy Beretta were designed the same way.

It didn’t look that bad on the Beretta because the real car had them nestled up against the A-pillar.   The Corvette mirrors were mounted separately on the door so it looked more obvious.  Like Rob Hall stated, they probably made them that way to fit in the regular promo boxes and not have small parts that would break and fall off.

The odd thing about the Beretta was the molded in mirrors were actually way too small in scale compared to the real car.  They looked like small little knubs on the model car body.  No doubt made that way to fit in the regular promo boxes that year.  

Well, at least they were not as egregious as Johan by actually shortening the model car body a few inches to fit in the promo box.  Johan did that to the ‘59 Cadillacs so they could fit the cars in the standard size promo box without having to invest in a slightly longer box.

Edited September 20, 2021 by the other Mike S.

[MPi-KM]

This is the best 1/25th C4 available, it had a totally new chassis/suspension. You could use the body from the regular AMT or MPC Corvette on it.

Edited September 24, 2021 by MPi-KM

[OldNYJim]

1 hour ago, MPi-KM said:

This is the best 1/25th C4 available, it had a totally new chassis/suspension. You could use the body from the regular AMT or MPC Corvette on it.

That’s a really good tip!  Never knew about this kit!

[the other Mike S.]

On 9/23/2021 at 6:42 PM, MPi-KM said:

This is the best 1/25th C4 available, it had a totally new chassis/suspension. You could use the body from the regular AMT or MPC Corvette on it.

I’ve seen pics of the chassis/suspension of that kit online and I will have to respectfully disagree. It’s based on the regular C4 kit by MPC with just a few little bits changed here and there.