Revell (Monogram) 1/24th scale, 1985 Pontiac Fiero

[Matt T.]

Am I mis-remembering, or did I read back then that the Fiero started as a mid-engine Corvette concept, but Chevrolet axed that idea? 

[Jim B]

Jason Cammisa from Hagerty did a pretty interesting video on the Fiero.  It's informative & funny:

 

[Ragtop Man]

Fiero was pegged as an affordable, lightweight two seat commuter car, but with really aggressive Pontiac styling.

At the time, X1-9 was big, and the idea of a really innovative car that could be a stalking horse for new manufacturing techniques was hot - enduraflex body panels, mill-and-drill construction, space frame design, etc.  

Pontiac had an entire divisional concept built around the car - they would become 'center of expertise' for this type of construction. A very innovative 4-cylinder engine was also planned (Manhattan) that was similar in concept to the Offy - with no separate cylinder head (!) - that weighed only a little more than a 4-stroke motorcycle engine of similar type.  As twin turbo 2.9L was also in the plan, as was a body to be pressed from lightweight HSLA (high strength, low alloy) steel. 

Other Pontiacs would follow the idea - light space frame cars with innovative styling, great handling and great fuel economy, and the campus at Joslyn Rd would go from stone age to high tech, keeping a large and loyal workforce busy for a generation. 

Then ... came the GM law of gravity. Namely, "yea, fellas, that all sounds good, but we have all this other stuff laying around, so use that instead." The suspension that debuted in '88 for the final year was planned for all in '84 and instead components from X car and chevette were substitituted. Engine came from the Pontiac foundry - the clunky Iron Duke derived 2.5L - instead of Manhattan. Purchasing killed HSLA steel, claiming it was too expensive and hard to press with conventional GM tools.  What was once a beauty became the beast...

[martinfan5]

Was never a fan on the Fiero , but its nice to see kits of cars from my kid years getting a reissue. 

As for which one looks better, I think they both look fine for their respective reasons, I am not sure even if you forced me to choose I could. 

[Luc Janssens]

What's in the box...

Photo's courtesy of Frank Richter and Modellversium.

More info via link below:

https://modellversium.de/kit/artikel.php?id=14326

 

[peteski]

The tree with wheels is not plated?  The are really downgrading their kits.

For a while Revell AG had their decals printed by Cartograph (Italian company making top-quality decals). Looks like that's not the case either,.

Edited Wednesday at 02:44 PM by peteski

[stavanzer]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

The tree with wheels is not plated?  The are really downgrading their kits.

Not really. There wasn't much on the Fiero that was chromed in real life. Lots of black painted trim, though.

I think in this instance, it works.

[Luc Janssens]

1 hour ago, peteski said:

The tree with wheels is not plated?  The are really downgrading their kits.

For a while Revell AG had their decals printed by Cartograph (Italian company making top-quality decals). Looks like that's not the case either,.

It's an North American boxing, which for some reason (tarrifs maybe) ended up in Europe first.

Edited Wednesday at 04:17 PM by Luc Janssens

[peteski]

11 hours ago, stavanzer said:

Not really. There wasn't much on the Fiero that was chromed in real life. Lots of black painted trim, though.

I think in this instance, it works.

I'm almost certain that the original run had that tree plated. Even looking at that tree parts, it holds parts which would customarily be plated. Yes, there weren't many plated (or polished aluminum, or stainless steel parts on 1:1 Fiero, and the wheels were aluminum mags, but having those parts plated makes painting them easier.

The wheel faces were very shiny bare turned aluminum with a clear coat, while all the recessed areas were black.  On a plated model wheel you just spray the entire wheel black (like Testors flat black), and right after the paint is dry you wipe the rim's surface with a paper towel or a piece of rag moistened with paint thinner. That will remove the paint from the smooth plated surface, leaving rest of the wheel black (just like the 1:1 rims).  Nice and easy.  If you find the plating too shiny, you can spray it with a flat clear.  If they are ribbed, the same can be done for rocker arm covers.  If those items are unpainted plastic, they have to be dealt with other, not as easy ways.

Edited Thursday at 03:22 AM by peteski

[DJMar]

On 7/2/2025 at 12:08 PM, peteski said:

I'm almost certain that the original run had that tree plated. Even looking at that tree parts, it holds parts which would customarily be plated. Yes, there weren't many plated (or polished aluminum, or stainless steel parts on 1:1 Fiero, and the wheels were aluminum mags, but having those parts plated makes painting them easier.

The wheel faces were very shiny bare turned aluminum with a clear coat, while all the recessed areas were black.  On a plated model wheel you just spray the entire wheel black (like Testors flat black), and right after the paint is dry you wipe the rim's surface with a paper towel or a piece of rag moistened with paint thinner. That will remove the paint from the smooth plated surface, leaving rest of the wheel black (just like the 1:1 rims).  Nice and easy.  If you find the plating too shiny, you can spray it with a flat clear.  If they are ribbed, the same can be done for rocker arm covers.  If those items are unpainted plastic, they have to be dealt with other, not as easy ways.

1) The original issue wheels were plated, but they were also molded open, as they are in the reissue. 

 

2) There were no "recessed black areas" on the stock wheels; it's more of a medium/graphite gray. 

As you can see in the pic below (1985 Fiero GT), those recessed areas just kind of blend into shadows at scale viewing distances. You could probably replicate the effect with something like Tamiya's grey panel line accent or a simple gray wash. 

 

[peteski]

Open recessed areas was what I was describing. Anything below the wheel's surface. As for the color (black,  gray, blue, red, etc.), my painting technique applies to any color used for the recessed areas (even if they are open). I just used a generic description for the technique.  Yes, I know I can paint the wheels shiny aluminum using organic solvent paint, then use water-based paints for my technique, but having the wheels plated makes my technique easier (and I like plated parts).

Judging by all the parts located on that tree (like the door mirror faces, etc), it was designed to be plated and Revell for some reason decided not to do it.

[Luc Janssens]

5 hours ago, peteski said:

Judging by all the parts located on that tree (like the door mirror faces, etc), it was designed to be plated and Revell for some reason decided not to do it.

An incentive maybe to buy Revell Chrom Spray?!

🤣😇🤪

[Stef]

5 hours ago, peteski said:

...and Revell for some reason decided not to do it.

Pretty sure Revell recently did the same on their ex-Monogram Stranger Things Camaro. IIRC, that entire parts tree was plated in every pervious version I'd ever bought/seen over the years. Revell saves a few bucks, while some hardcore modelers don't need to strip plated parts.

[peteski]

6 hours ago, Stef said:

Pretty sure Revell recently did the same on their ex-Monogram Stranger Things Camaro. IIRC, that entire parts tree was plated in every pervious version I'd ever bought/seen over the years. Revell saves a few bucks, while some hardcore modelers don't need to strip plated parts.

Maybe so, but I suspect that most modelers aren't hardcore (like me) and prefer plated parts.  Stripping parts is easy, but getting that super shiny chrome-like metalized finish is much more difficult and expensive.  I much prefer the kit's old-school vacu-plated "chrome" than any currently available spray-on paint chrome finish.  Too bad it seems the manufacturers are eliminating that option.

In this specific case there is no real need for the shiny chrome finish for those parts, but as I mentioned, it would make painting the wheels easier (at least using the method I like).

Edited Saturday at 01:21 PM by peteski

[Stef]

2 hours ago, peteski said:

Maybe so, but I suspect that most modelers aren't hardcore (like me) and prefer plated parts.  Stripping parts is easy, but getting that super shiny chrome-like metalized finish is much more difficult and expensive.  I much prefer the kit's old-school vacu-plated "chrome" than any currently available spray-on paint chrome finish.  Too bad it seems the manufacturers are eliminating that option.

In this specific case there is no real need for the shiny chrome finish for those parts, but as I mentioned, it would make painting the wheels easier (at least using the method I like).

You're 128% correct Peter, and I totally agree and prefer chrome-plated parts myself, too. I found an original sealed Monogram molded-in-red Fiero in the mid-90s and painted the wheel recesses flat black, then dullcoated the wheels, and they looked sick awesome realistic.

It's interested how Revell of all companies has come full-circle with not plating their parts. They stopped plating in the late 70s/early 80s for awhile, and now here they are, back at it again!

[DJMar]

Revell skipped the chrome on the recent reissue of the '85 Z28, too. I'm sure it's a time/cost/process saving step to eliminate the plating, but whatever the case, it also happens to be accurate. Neither the '85 Camaro nor the '85 Fiero have chrome wheels (or valve covers or alternator, for that matter). The only thing "missing" the chrome plating in those kits are the mirror faces, and that can be handled in a jiffy with some BMF or Molotow.

As for the Stranger Things Camaro, the only thing on the 1:1 car that was chromed were the wheel trim rings and center cap. Yes, it would have been nicer for some to have the wheels plated for ease of painting, but honestly, that's not going to be a deal breaker for most people buying that kit. And I think that's the point.

In this economy, companies are going to do whatever they can to cut corners while still getting us to buy product. So yeah, the bottom line is literally the bottom line. Revell saves a few pennies by skipping plating on some of their kits where it's not "needed". The accuracy crowd cheers. The convenience crowd complains. Some modelers don't care. And the Don't Like It, Don't Buy it crowd says...

[stavanzer]

Are there any other Revell kits that have been molded with out Chrome Parts? Or is it just these two kits?

If it is just these two kits, I'm not worried that this is a trend.

Let's wait and see if any others are sold with out Chrome before it becomes too big a Thing. 

[niteowl7710]

SJR has not chromed the parts on some of their reissues of old Monogram kits where the cars themselves had no chrome on the 1:1s.  Handful of their own tool 1/25 vintage kits don't have chromed parts either in cases where the car ran painted bumpers and the like.  That's a relative godsend since SJR plates with some sort of real metal that you can't strip off.

[Stef]

2 hours ago, stavanzer said:

Are there any other Revell kits that have been molded with out Chrome Parts?

DJ mentioned above that the recent 85 Camaro did not have chrome, confirmed here with an HPI Guy screencap.

99% certain the Revell 81 Camaro snapper never came with chrome to begin with.

Also just occurred that NONE of the three Stranger Things kits had chrome!

And... Revell's recent 1/16 Trans Am GTA did not have chrome, either. IIRC, the late 80s version I had featured gorgeous satin-chrome plating.

Good news everyone, Revell has not bailed entirely on chrome; recent reissues of the ex-Monogram 1/12 Camaro and 1/8 Trans Am DO still have plated trees.

[stitchdup]

revell are just trying to sell more of the expensive spray chrome. 

[martinfan5]

4 hours ago, stavanzer said:

Are there any other Revell kits that have been molded with out Chrome Parts? Or is it just these two kits?

If it is just these two kits, I'm not worried that this is a trend.

Let's wait and see if any others are sold with out Chrome before it becomes too big a Thing. 

Adding to kits that Stef mention, the C8 Corvette kit has no chrome parts ( side mirror faces, wheels, taillight buckets) 

[martinfan5]

14 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

An incentive maybe to buy Revell Chrom Spray?!

🤣😇🤪

It is possible, I was thinking that as well. 

Edited Saturday at 09:10 PM by martinfan5

[64Comet404]

On 6/25/2025 at 9:38 AM, Ragtop Man said:

Pontiac had an entire divisional concept built around the car - they would become 'center of expertise' for this type of construction. A very innovative 4-cylinder engine was also planned (Manhattan) that was similar in concept to the Offy - with no separate cylinder head (!) - that weighed only a little more than a 4-stroke motorcycle engine of similar type.  As twin turbo 2.9L was also in the plan, as was a body to be pressed from lightweight HSLA (high strength, low alloy) steel. 

Other Pontiacs would follow the idea - light space frame cars with innovative styling, great handling and great fuel economy, and the campus at Joslyn Rd would go from stone age to high tech, keeping a large and loyal workforce busy for a generation. 

Then ... came the GM law of gravity. Namely, "yea, fellas, that all sounds good, but we have all this other stuff laying around, so use that instead." The suspension that debuted in '88 for the final year was planned for all in '84 and instead components from X car and chevette were substitituted. Engine came from the Pontiac foundry - the clunky Iron Duke derived 2.5L - instead of Manhattan. Purchasing killed HSLA steel, claiming it was too expensive and hard to press with conventional GM tools.  What was once a beauty became the beast...

I remember cases like this being described in a book I read on the American automotive industry of the late 20th Century. The case was made that firms like GM and Chrysler had been run by groups where the majority of executives had either graduated from GMI or from some Midwestern football school. Consequently, the idea of 'everyone wants big cars' and 'innovation doesn't sell' kept being promoted, usually to the detriment of the corporations. Ford didn't seem to have these issues, or not to the same extent, which probably explains why Ford was more innovative during those years (if Tim Boyd hasn't signed an NDA, I would love to hear his take on the subject...)

I'm happy to see a Fiero which hasn't been moulded in red, and I like the lack of chrome on the trees. I almost bought a 1:1 version when I was a kid, but it had a horrible clutch cable adjustment issues, and was concerned about servicing and reliability problems.

 

[peteski]

13 hours ago, DJMar said:

Revell saves a few pennies by skipping plating on some of their kits where it's not "needed". The accuracy crowd cheers. The convenience crowd complains. Some modelers don't care. And the Don't Like It, Don't Buy it crowd says...

I'll take an exception to this.  First of all, I'm an "accuracy" modeler. Second, I don't understand why some models think that chrome finish has a scale, and supposed to look duller than on 1:1 vehicles, so they strip perfectly good metallic layer from plastic part and use less shiny metallic "chrome" paints. That is strictly personal view, not a fact. Chrome does not scale.  Just like transparent "glass" items on a model should to be just as as smooth and transparent as they are on 1:1.  You don't make scale "glass" duller because it is smaller than the original modeled object.  You don't use semigloss paint on the model of car which in 1:1 scale is glossy.

Also, the whole "vote with your wallet" thing is also silly, especially if the desired model is the only game in town.  It is unfortunate that manufacturers are cheapening their model offerings (as I don't think they do this to cater to the "duller chrome" crowd).

Edited yesterday at 05:20 AM by peteski

[Luc Janssens]

12 hours ago, Stef said:

Also just occurred that NONE of the three Stranger Things kits had chrome!

The Stranger Things Blazer, does have chrome parts, like the bumpers and mirrors. The grille isn't plated because the grille isn't chrome on the real vehicle.