Revell Snap-Tite 63 Corvette Transformation

[StokeModels]

I've seen a few builds of the Revell Snap-Tite Corvette and was always impressed by the look of the body lines. The rest, not so much. I decided to build as close as I could get to a stock, fuel injected 63 by combining the Snap-Tite body with the chassis and interior tub from the Revell 67 kit as well as 3D printed engine, wheels, tires, grill and rocker trim. 

 

 

I started by shaving all the emblems off the body as I knew I would be replacing them with photo-etched pieces from The Model Car Garage. 

 

 

I custom designed and 3D printed the wheels and tires, including a bit of weight deformation to the tires. The whitewalls were made as separate pieces to make painting easier and tidier. The wheels and the rest of the chrome were all painted with Alclad Chrome.

 

 

The body was painted with Mr Color Super Silver and cleared with Mr Color GX100. The bumpers are from the 67 kit with the 3D printed grill in place of the original Snap-Tite part that was all one piece.

 

 

I used the dash from the 67 and drilled out all of the gauges. I used aluminum tube for the bezels and painted silver circles on the kit decals to try to get them closer to the 63 versions. I know I've probably missed some key differences on the 63, but I'm happy with the overall look.

 

 

The engine was downloaded from a designer called Motabas on Cults3D.com. I changed a few things from his model including adding bellows to the air intake, plumbing to the fuel injection, fins on the valve covers and moving the alternator to the other side of the engine. I also added the aluminum tank, ignition cover and hood latches.

 

 

The photo-etched fake vent pieces on the hood were tricky as they were probably sized for the AMT kit and didn't really fit on the hood of this kit. I ended up cutting through the hood and thinning it out to get them as close to the surface of the hood as possible. Thinning out the super thick Snap-Tite plastic around the hood opening was also time consuming. 

 

 

The exhaust trims were drilled out and replaced with aluminum tube and the antenna was made from a guitar string and small piece of styrene rod.

 

 

The door handles were sanded off the Snap-Tite kit and replaced with the ones from the 67 and I added the door locks from the photo-etched set.

 

 

And that's what it looked like when I bought the already assembled kit. Thanks for looking!

 

Martin.

 

[michelle]

Nice work 
Are you sure  those are not photos of a real car lol cause wow it does not look like a plastic model it looks like a real car 

Edited July 5, 2024 by michelle

[Nacho Z]

Unbelievably amazing. 

[XYHARRY]

I agree with Michelle, looks like you could jump in and drive away. Your builds are truly amazing, attention to detail and execution is top notch. Really well done Martin and thanks for sharing. 

Cheers, 

David. ??

[Jim B]

Beautiful Corvette.  Amazing work.

[Bainford]

Absolutely stellar build, Martin. High quality work with a high degree of realism. Super clean. This is a very impressive model. Excellent work. 
 

I have been planning a '63 Vette build myself, and bought some kits last winter to support it, including the AMT '63 coupe. It looks like the AMT body may need some work. I never thought to check out the Revell snapper. 

[kelson]

Nothing short of incredible! hard to believe that it's a model!!?

[bondo bill]

wow that's a fantastic build

[Phildaupho]

Absolutely outstanding. I am looking forward to the next masterpiece.

[charger74]

It looks fantastic ????

[PappyD340]

Now that's a real stunner Martin, extremely well done!!

[Ulbo]

Perfect as always from you?

[Dragonhawk1066]

Wonderful engine details, a very nice interior, and a beautiful paint job! Fantastic work!

[Kah puts]

When I first opened this I thought the first picture was the real inspiration photo, holy mackerel was I fooled. Your photography and background are stunning and the Corvette is beautiful ?

[1959scudetto]

Excellent model, Martin - as others said before, it looks like you could jump in and drive away (Especially the first 2 photos / rear and the side view)

In any case, this is the best looking split-window Corvette i have ever seen + awesome photography.

 

[Rattlecan Dan]

That's amazing! Absolutely gorgeous. I could go on and on with praise and superlatives, but that is just masterful modeling. And tremendous photo realism to boot! Thanks for posting and showing the ultimate possibility of scale modeling.

[Hemifever]

Very impressive build.

[karbuildr]

That is an incredible build. I agree with the others, it's so realistic and beautifully detailed, it looks like a real Corvette. Gorgeous in every way.

[bh1701]

Absolutely amazing - an incredible model!

Bart

[Kenmojr]

Super realism. This is truly amazing.

[Gramps46]

Be still my beating heart.  You did a great job and got all the details right.  In the mid 70's I bought and restored a 1:1 split window so this is special to me.

[Phildaupho]

Unreal but looks real. Another masterpiece.

[StokeModels]

Thanks to all for the great comments - much appreciated!

[catpack68]

Stunning work Martin! Your build could be easily mistaken for a real car.Those pics of it look really nice? 

[dietgilroy]

On 7/5/2024 at 6:10 PM, StokeModels said:

I've seen a few builds of the Revell Snap-Tite Corvette and was always impressed by the look of the body lines. The rest, not so much. I decided to build as close as I could get to a stock, fuel injected 63 by combining the Snap-Tite body with the chassis and interior tub from the Revell 67 kit as well as 3D printed engine, wheels, tires, grill and rocker trim. 

 

 

I started by shaving all the emblems off the body as I knew I would be replacing them with photo-etched pieces from The Model Car Garage. 

 

 

I custom designed and 3D printed the wheels and tires, including a bit of weight deformation to the tires. The whitewalls were made as separate pieces to make painting easier and tidier. The wheels and the rest of the chrome were all painted with Alclad Chrome.

 

 

The body was painted with Mr Color Super Silver and cleared with Mr Color GX100. The bumpers are from the 67 kit with the 3D printed grill in place of the original Snap-Tite part that was all one piece.

 

 

I used the dash from the 67 and drilled out all of the gauges. I used aluminum tube for the bezels and painted silver circles on the kit decals to try to get them closer to the 63 versions. I know I've probably missed some key differences on the 63, but I'm happy with the overall look.

 

 

The engine was downloaded from a designer called Motabas on Cults3D.com. I changed a few things from his model including adding bellows to the air intake, plumbing to the fuel injection, fins on the valve covers and moving the alternator to the other side of the engine. I also added the aluminum tank, ignition cover and hood latches.

 

 

The photo-etched fake vent pieces on the hood were tricky as they were probably sized for the AMT kit and didn't really fit on the hood of this kit. I ended up cutting through the hood and thinning it out to get them as close to the surface of the hood as possible. Thinning out the super thick Snap-Tite plastic around the hood opening was also time consuming. 

 

 

The exhaust trims were drilled out and replaced with aluminum tube and the antenna was made from a guitar string and small piece of styrene rod.

 

 

The door handles were sanded off the Snap-Tite kit and replaced with the ones from the 67 and I added the door locks from the photo-etched set.

 

 

And that's what it looked like when I bought the already assembled kit. Thanks for looking!

 

Martin.

 

Others may have more detail or more wild customization in their builds, but you’re so good at it the model looks real!