2023 Raptor - William Byron

[Jim N]

This is my first Salvino’s kit and the learning curve was steep.  The model is a Chase Elliott NAPA Camaro with Mike’s decals to do the Raptor scheme.  I built this box stock and did very little detailing.  I saw the builds of other guys and noticed their comments that very little of the engine bay and trunk compartment are visible when the model is completed.  I build these to display on a shelf, so doing a display with the body off and the internal components visible is not really an option.

The cons to this kit were that the chassis pan was warped and there was A LOT of flash.  I tried getting the chassis pan as flat as I could, but it still had some bend in it.  Final assembly required a lot of super glue to get the body to fit properly to the chassis pan.  It also didn’t help until it was too late into the build that the fire wall and the side roll cage assemblies had to be trimmed a bit for better fit.  This made a big difference as the tolerances are so tight.  I also bought their jig for the suspension construction too late, and the four tires fit wonky in the fender wells, but surprisingly, they all fit flat in the table.

The pros are that this is a well-engineered kit.  I was surprised at how well the parts did fit, particularly the roll cage.  This is a small observation, but I still marvel at how the rear spoiler snapped into the fitting and largely stayed there.  A tiny drip of super glue and the spoiler did not move.

Enough of the words.  Below are the pictures.  Thank you for looking.

[Jim B]

Great looking NASCAR Camaro. Well done. 

[Belugawrx]

Really well done Jim..and I hear you on the Salvinos kits being on a steep learning curve. I'm working one of their Monte Carlos right now, and it's been a bit of a struggle.

You did a great job on this one, decals and finish look fantastic!

[Jim N]

58 minutes ago, Jim B said:

Great looking NASCAR Camaro. Well done. 

Thank you Jim.  I appreciate it.

[PappyD340]

Very nice build!

[Matt T.]

Great build! I still haven't tried one of these yet.

For not using the jig, the stance looks perfect! Mean looking.  

[ChrisR]

Very nice.

[Jim N]

15 hours ago, PappyD340 said:

Very nice build!

Thank you Larry.  I appreciate it.

[Jim N]

11 hours ago, Matt T. said:

Great build! I still haven't tried one of these yet.

For not using the jig, the stance looks perfect! Mean looking.  

Thank you Matt.  The tires tucked into the wheel wells nicely.  I was a bit surprised.

[catpack68]

Looks great Jim! I had trouble with the Next Gen Camaro I built too.I like that Raptor scheme.

[Jim N]

16 hours ago, catpack68 said:

Looks great Jim! I had trouble with the Next Gen Camaro I built too.I like that Raptor scheme.

Thank you Scott.  I appreciate it.

[pulln4dejr]

Very nice job, stance looks great!

[Jim N]

Thank you Melvin.  I appreciate It.

[Ken Hart]

Turned out very nicely! I've built a few of the Next Gen kits and they do get easier to build as you become more familiar with them. 

A couple of tips:

The chassis pans have been warped to some degree on every one of those kits I've built. I've found it's easy to straighten then by immersing them in a pan of near-boiling water. I use a pair of kitchen tongs to hold them under the water and to make sure the entire part is pressed flat against the bottom of the pan. This can be repeated as many times as necessary. 

 As you've no doubt learned, the kit's instructions aren't the best. You'll have an easier time if you ignore them and work out an assembly sequence that works for you. I also highly recommend watching Clay Kemp's YouTube videos on building the kits. 

[Jim N]

On 5/12/2025 at 1:51 PM, Ken Hart said:

Turned out very nicely! I've built a few of the Next Gen kits and they do get easier to build as you become more familiar with them. 

A couple of tips:

The chassis pans have been warped to some degree on every one of those kits I've built. I've found it's easy to straighten then by immersing them in a pan of near-boiling water. I use a pair of kitchen tongs to hold them under the water and to make sure the entire part is pressed flat against the bottom of the pan. This can be repeated as many times as necessary. 

 As you've no doubt learned, the kit's instructions aren't the best. You'll have an easier time if you ignore them and work out an assembly sequence that works for you. I also highly recommend watching Clay Kemp's YouTube videos on building the kits. 

Thank you Ken.  I appreciate it.  I also appreciate the tips.