Revell 69 Boss 302 - My take

[Kmb0319]

I was really excited to get this kit, as the 69 Boss 302 is one of my all-time favorite Mustangs.  Having finished it, I’m less than thrilled, unfortunately.  Part of it is flaws in the kit, part of it is the fault of the builder.  

I know there are some inaccuracies, and this new release was to correct the awful front end of the previous version.  The front end is a lot better, but still not correct.  It seems as though the grill is a little too tall.  The tops of the headlight bezels roll into the body crease, which is correct, but they slope too much to meet that crease, where they’re almost horizontal on the 1:1. The other major issue with the new front end is the headlights themselves.  On the 1:1, the headlights sit almost flush against the inside of the bezels, but on the kit, you’re supposed to glue the headlight lenses into these chrome backings that have a thick lip that protrudes outward.  I did my best to fix that by finding some chrome backs for the headlights in the parts box, gluing them on the inside of the front end, and then using my Molotow pen to make a small trim ring and gluing the lenses directly onto the bezel.  I think that looks a lot better , but see for yourself.

Another disappointment was my color choice.  All along, I planned to do something other than one of the 4 colors the Boss came in upon its release.  I had a lime green picked out... and I talked myself out of it.  I told myself that I had always wanted a Mustang in Acapulco Blue, and it was a factory choice, so I ended up going with that.  It’s fine, and my finish came out good, but I’m a little disappointed that I didn’t do something a little different.

The engine and chassis are good... the interior isn’t completely accurate but builds up nicely and the wood decals add a lot of realism.  

My other big issue is with the body decals... for those of you who have this kit to build, WARNING!!!!  The hood and side decals were an absolute nightmare.  (I’ve seen a few posts of this kit, like Randy B’s, who didn’t seem to have the trouble I did, so maybe I just did a terrible job). But... this whole “we’re just going to give you the outside of the stripes and you have to paint in the middle” is terrible. Semi Gloss Black is the closest match, but nothing perfectly matches the sheen of the decals. (Just give me a whole decal for the hood like you did for the trunk.  But the far bigger problem was getting the decals in place.  Mine sucked onto the body and were completely immovable to get them positioned within 2-3 seconds.  I tried more water, no luck... I tried even more water and the blunt side of my hobby knife, and they tore before they would move.  On the Boss 302 side decals, trying to get the thin ends of the stripes straight instead caused them to roll up.  They were the worst decals I’ve ever tried to work with.

 I added some wiring and details under the hood, but everything else is box stock.  Paint is Testors Nassau Blue, which is a little lighter than true Acapulco Blue, but shows the stripes better.

Anyway, thanks for looking and I hope you like it.  If you have this kit to build or plan on picking it up, be careful with the decals and I hope yours work better than mine did.

 

Edited August 21, 2019 by Kmb0319

[Craig Irwin]

Looks great!

 

[larman]

Great job! Very clean build!

[shoopdog]

Even if the decals aren't perfect it still turned out  extremely nice.

[cobraman]

I like it !

[vamach1]

Sorry to hear about the problems.  I've got one in primer and am not crazy about the stock color choices either.  You're right on the hood decals - why bother.  One thing I have found is when it come to the doors and decals - I cut the decal in sections after measuring very cafefully.   That way I have smaller sections to deal with.  Of course that assumes you can reposition any if they do not line up.  I wonder how Keith's decals compare to the kit or even the old Fred Cady ones.  Lastly, good job despite the problems you had - the engine is very sharp.

Edited August 22, 2019 by vamach1

[michelle]

very nice 

 

[donb]

I think  it looks great. The color fits tge car nicely too. Nice and neat. Good job Sir! 

[charger74]

Its very nice

[espo]

Stop beating your self up on this, it looks great to me. I like the blue that was not that common on the 1:1 Boss cars. Most of the few I remember where the Orange color. 

[LouO]

I think it looks great! I actually am making note of the color to use on something for the future b/c I like that much! Really you did a nice clean build!

[crazyjim]

Looking pretty good to me.

[webestang]

Looks like a nice clean build. Love the color. 

[KWT]

Dang fine job!

[Dragonhawk1066]

Nice job! That blue really stands out nice on that car!

[landman]

21 hours ago, cobraman said:

I like it !

Me too.

[vamach1]

Very nice job.  I think I got the black decals in the left corner on Ebay.

Edited August 24, 2019 by vamach1

[Jim N]

Really stellar Kevin!  I think this is a great build.

[zakdoggi]

Nice job man. 

[BeakDoc]

Man, I don’t see thing wrong with her. I feel your pain though, decals have really whipped my tail on my last several builds. The struggle is real. 

Beautiful Boss. And kudos on the color choice.

[oldscool]

Looks OK to me.

 

[TarheelRick]

You may have had issues, but you overcame them quite well.  That is one fine BOSS.

[Snake45]

Looks very good, and thanks for your thorough writeup of your problems and modifications. Very informative! Well done and model on! 

[Shambles]

Looks great. Love that color. Perhaps you can find some better decals on eBay. That's where I do most all of my model car shopping.

[ATHU]

I think it looks great, well done!!