Lindberg 66 chevelle SS. Any good?

[Dragline]

I'm not a big Lindberg guy. Got kinda burned in the 70's by them and never bought one again until I got the Color Me Gone car so I could replicate the Dodge Charger first ever Funny Car in scale. I was inspired by Hot Rod mag when they did an article on it a few months ago and the detailed pix got me going.

But the 66 Chevelle SS......... Far and away my fave year Chevelle. Is this kit worth the price of admission? I see the Revell 66 out there as well.

Pro/Cons?

Inquiring minds..

Thanks in advance

Bob F

[george 53]

YES by all means get it! It's a GREAT kit I have about 5 of them! It's really nicely detailed, not too hard to build, goes together well, And I NEVER get tired of a 66 Chevelle! Go ahead and get it, you'll LIKE it!

[george 53]

See Bob, If BOTH George's in this forum agree that it's a GREAT kit, plus a few others of respectable repute, it REALLY MUST be a GREAT kit! Try one on for size, but once ya get ta likein it, DON'T say we didn't warn ya!!!!

[ajulia]

Hello there friend!! You can count my vote for a must have.. My very first build-up was the only con I had of this kit and I was able to remedy the problem of the kits glass and opted for the acetate sheets. Parts fit quite well and as mentioned awesome detail throughout. My first build-up was for my father- in -law a few years ago. this is the only pic i have of the build. Hope it helps on deciding.

peace

ajulia

[Modellpularn]

I just checked the one I've got, and the intake manifold looks a bit strange, and way too narrow. That's probably why I haven't built it..... lame excuse, eh? An engine swap, and you're all set! Hmmm, better get my hands on this one. How shall I build it.....?

Edited July 6, 2009 by Modellpularn

[Dragline]

Thanks guys, seems positive all around. I pulled the trigger and got one off the Bay...

Should be here late in the week. The intake looks narrow you say?

I'll remedy that.

Thanks to everyone. I knew I'd get an honest perspective.

Much love

Bob F

[Dragline]

Got the kit today and just inspected it..

MAN, this is the nicest Muscle car kit I think I've ever seen!

Details abound, every bloody piece is seperate. The rear window trim seems heavy handed but otherwise a great kit!

Intake doesn't look too bad. I'm thinking of putting the 427 from my AMT 67 Impala in it.

All around, Lindberg stock just went up in my eyes.

Thanks guys.

Bob F

[oldman23]

It's a great kit. revell's, by the way, is a 67. george, if you have any unbuilt 66's, pm me.

Hi Lee

Revell made 66 Chevelle Kit number 85-2219. It is listed as a Malibu SS

Ernie

[LoneWolf15]

Count me in as one who loves this kit , one of the nicest around! I have one word of caution though...... On the front part of the frame , the ends need to be trimmed back to allow the natural flare of the fenders to turn under. Otherwise, the front end and bumper will not fit properly. I found this out the hard way during final assembly on the first one I built.

The Old Man

[Dragline]

Count me in as one who loves this kit , one of the nicest around! I have one word of caution though...... On the front part of the frame , the ends need to be trimmed back to allow the natural flare of the fenders to turn under. Otherwise, the front end and bumper will not fit properly. I found this out the hard way during final assembly on the first one I built.

The Old Man

This very comment is why I post on and read this BB.

Good tip.

Anyone else got a tip about this kit?

Bob F

[MrObsessive]

You might want to swap the kit mags for some aftermarket ones if you plan to use 'em. The ones in the kit have unacceptable sink marks in the spokes. At least the mags in my sample do.

Some nicer ones can be found here from Scale Equipment.

[larrygre]

You might want to swap the kit mags for some aftermarket ones if you plan to use 'em. The ones in the kit have unacceptable sink marks in the spokes. At least the mags in my sample do.

Some nicer ones can be found here from Scale Equipment.

Alternatively, Missing Link Resin (http://www.missinglinkrc.com/parts) has the five-spoke simulated "mags" too.

FYI, these wheel covers can be used on many cars as they were a factory option from all three of the Big Three at different times, for example, 65-67 Chevelles, 68 Shelby GT350/GT500, 1966-67 Dart - and there are others.

[Harold]

I can't vouch for the Chevelle, but Lindberg was trying their darndest in the late nineties to knock everything out of the park. I've built the '97 F-150. a couple '53 Fords, the '67 442 and I have the '64 Plymouth on my to- do list.

[roadhawg]

.....but aftermarket the AMT '40 Ford Modified kit has a very nice Edelbrock Tarantula intake for a big-block Chevy.

Dave

Dave, is that Tarantula intake made correctly, with the carburetor mounted at like a 45 degree angle?

[Dragline]

All excellent points mates..

MrObsessive... My God man. Are those your mitts???

If so, I applaud all you do simply from a logistical standpoint.

Then, I look at what's in your hand and I worry not at all brother.

More to the point though....

I'm not certain how I'll tackle this except to say factory stock....

I have enough wild $hit on the workbench as it is.

When the days begin to grow longer, so shall I begin my task of creating something in plastic.

Till then, I remain a viewer only....

Thanks for all the patter friends... Truly.

Bob F

[DougieFresh]

How is the shape of the Lindberg kit? Looking at pics, the shape just looks slightly off especially the quarter panels. The Revell 66's shape seems some better.

Anybody know how correct the Lindy's body shape looks compared to the Revell? From reading this thread, I get the feeling the Lindy has more detail throughout, but that body shape on the box pics just looks off.

I want to build a 66 Chevelle as a gift for my wife. It's her fav. 

Thanks in advance.

Doug B.

[tbill]

I’ve built 4 of these kits, they are great. When you’re done, it looks like a 66 chevelle. 
 

[DougieFresh]

4 hours ago, tbill said:

I’ve built 4 of these kits, they are great. When you’re done, it looks like a 66 chevelle. 
 

Thanks so much for your quick feedback! Those builds look absolutely sweet & indeed do have a nice shape!!!!!! ?

[Mike999]

On 7/9/2009 at 6:47 PM, oldman23 said:

Hi Lee

Revell made 66 Chevelle Kit number 85-2219. It is listed as a Malibu SS

Ernie

That's the very old, 1/24 scale kit, released as the "Street Rat" and several other names.  It can't be built stock.  Not without a LOT of work, anyway.  What you see on the box top is what you get.

[Snake45]

Ace Garage should weigh in here. He pointed out that the front fender crease line goes up as it goes forward instead of down as it should. I have a couple of these kits but haven't yet built it so had never spotted this. Looking at the pics of the built ones above, it looks like he might be right. 

I have a nice cheap diecast holding down the '66 Chevelle slot on my shelf. I wonder if the front end of the Revell '66 wagon or El Camino could be grafted onto the Lindberg body for a more accurate shape? 

[TransAmMike]

I now have 2 of the Lindberg '66's. They are now a super rare kit but my wife and daughter were able to win ebay action for Christmas present. The '66 is special for me as it was the first new car I ever bought back in the day. I have yet to start the builds until I feel like my skills are ready to tackle it. My intention is to build one as it came off the truck from the factory at the dealer and then as I modified it over a few years. My one dislike about this kit is the rarely seen bumper guards and I don't know if I can remove them without distroying the bumper

 

 

 

 

 

[Snake45]

Super rare? They were in HL not long ago, and Ollies blew out a bunch of them for under $10 within the last 2 or 3 years. I picked up an extra just because they were cheap. 

There are 15 of them on eBay right now, and quite a few of them have sold on eBay in the last 30 days for between $25 and $35, or about MSRP of any new AMT or Revell kit. I don't consider that super-rare. They're available. 

[Fat Brian]

 

20 hours ago, DougieFresh said:

How is the shape of the Lindberg kit? Looking at pics, the shape just looks slightly off especially the quarter panels. The Revell 66's shape seems some better.

Anybody know how correct the Lindy's body shape looks compared to the Revell? From reading this thread, I get the feeling the Lindy has more detail throughout, but that body shape on the box pics just looks off.

I want to build a 66 Chevelle as a gift for my wife. It's her fav. 

Thanks in advance.

Doug B.

 

5 hours ago, Mike999 said:

That's the very old, 1/24 scale kit, released as the "Street Rat" and several other names.  It can't be built stock.  Not without a LOT of work, anyway.  What you see on the box top is what you get.

With a bit of work you put the chassis of the Revell 64 GTO under the Malibu body to give it a stock chassis. 

[Snake45]

20 minutes ago, Fat Brian said:

With a bit of work you put the chassis of the Revell 64 GTO under the Malibu body to give it a stock chassis. 

Yes, you can. I've done it. It's actually a lot more work than you'd think. And then you have to do a bit of work to make the front end fit. And then you have to fix the caved-in front section of the roof. And after all that, you've got a 1/24 model, not 1/25, if that matters to you. 

But yes you CAN build that old Monogram backbirth into a semi-respectable model. I'm darn close to proud of this one. 

[Robberbaron]

In addition to everything Snake described, another word of warning on the Monogram '66 Malibu:

The grille doesn't really even resemble a stock '66 Chevelle grille anymore.  From pictures I've seen on the net of the original '70s box art, it seems like it started out fairly decent:

At some point it seems like the grille texture was re-engraved. I suspect it was either damaged in some way, or just worn out enough that they redid it.  Looking at the recent versions, it's obvious that they just cut further into the tool to do this, since the center section of the grille now protrudes out much further than the area around the headlights.

Worse yet, those new grille bars weren't even cut truly horizontal, or spaced evenly (work must have been done on a Friday afternoon after a couple of lunch beers). You can even spot it on the box art pics for most of the newer releases (at least I guess it's not deceptive box art):

 

 

 

 

Edited January 24, 2021 by Robberbaron