Revell Viper GTS: With Headlight mod

[DiscoRover007]

Hey guys so this will be a slow progress build but I wanted to get the thread started. This is the Revell viper GTS. Probably the best example of the car aside from the prototype version made by AMT.

Good kit overall. However if any of you are familiar with it I’m sure you are aware of the horrible panel gap between the bumper and hood. I have almost addressed this by adding extra plastic and putty so it’s newrly fixed.

The other inaccuracy of this kit that isn’t talked about much is the horrible headlights. They do not resemble the real ones at all and look very toy like.

So to address that I actually bought some cheap burago die cast viper models off eBay. Those headlights are actually very close to the real deal. So I cut those and sanded the backs of the piece to make them very thin. Then I hollowed out the Revell headlight housing with aid of a dremel. If you attempt this be careful as it’s easy to grind away too much. Only one side done right now but I think you can tell it’s a much improved look.

[espo]

What do you have in mind for the void area above the Head Lamps ? Are you using the kits head Lamp Lens and maybe darken that area so it wouldn't be seen anyway ?  

[ismaelg]

Looking good!  I'm a sucker for proper panel gaps.  This car looks great in blue with the white stripes... hint hint...

 

[Snake45]

2 hours ago, DiscoRover007 said:

So to address that I actually bought some cheap burago die cast viper models off eBay. Those headlights are actually very close to the real deal. 

Good to know! I'm pretty sure I have a Burago Viper GTS kit in the to-do pile that I bought at Hobby Lobby. It should get built soon as a cold-weather project. Thanks for sharing that! 

[DiscoRover007]

2 hours ago, espo said:

What do you have in mind for the void area above the Head Lamps ? Are you using the kits head Lamp Lens and maybe darken that area so it wouldn't be seen anyway ?  

Which area are you referring to? I do plan to use the kit lenses.

[DiscoRover007]

2 hours ago, ismaelg said:

Looking good!  I'm a sucker for proper panel gaps.  This car looks great in blue with the white stripes... hint hint...

 

Oh yeah that's the plan. Going with the testors GTS blue pearl.

[espo]

20 hours ago, DiscoRover007 said:

Which area are you referring to? I do plan to use the kit lenses.

I like what you're doing with the headlights. What I was trying to understand was from the picture it looks as if there is a gap between the chrome part and the plastic just above it and the hood. My thought was that this might be where the kit's headlight lens would go.  

[DiscoRover007]

1 hour ago, espo said:

I like what you're doing with the headlights. What I was trying to understand was from the picture it looks as if there is a gap between the chrome part and the plastic just above it and the hood. My thought was that this might be where the kit's headlight lens would go.  

Ah yes I understand. I will be using the kit's lenses for the lights and I will try to minimize the gap of the chrome piece and housing by careful sanding. Ill paint them the same color and hopefully it won't be too noticeable.  The kit headlights are poorly designed and "built in" to the bumper. There's no sign of any of that in my photos thought because I completely cut them out.

[89AKurt]

I built that last century!  The headlights bugged me too.  I used MV lens for starters.  Then I vacuum-formed new covers, because the kit parts are terrible.

[DiscoRover007]

1 hour ago, 89AKurt said:

I built that last century!  The headlights bugged me too.  I used MV lens for starters.  Then I vacuum-formed new covers, because the kit parts are terrible.

That looks great! What did you mean by MV lenses?

[89AKurt]

2 hours ago, DiscoRover007 said:

That looks great! What did you mean by MV lenses?

Thanks.  Model railroad product brand is MV Products, there is a large choice of various sizes and colors.  I'm posting this link just for reference, not suggesting as a source, but a decent *real* hobby shop should carry them.

https://www.hobbylinc.com/m-v-products-model-trains

[da_ashman]

Awesome! I've built 3 Vipers, all had the horrible bumper gap & at the time I didn't have the experience to correct it, thought it was just something I hadn't got right. Planning on building an RT/10 shortly so will be following closely!