Check out the Revell 62 Impala

[Len Carsner]

Some of you guessed correctly that our next project is the 1962 Chevy Impala by Revell. I'll be building a street version while Bill, as usual, will be the optional race version.

Here's what we know so far:

1 - This kit is an Impala, not an Impala SS. To my knowledge this may be the first time a non-SS 62 Impala has been kitted (please correct me if I am wrong).

2 - There is only drivetrain, the dual-quad 409 with a four speed. For small block fans, time to kit-bash with that 63 or 64 Impala you've got on the shelf.

3 - This car has a bench seat rather than buckets. Buckets with a console were optional on the Impala, standard with the SS.

4 - There are full wheel covers and "poverty" caps for the steel wheels. There are two extra wheels for the optional slicks.

5 - There are no markings on the tires or slicks. There are four decals for the whitewall tires and two wider whitewall decasl for the slicks.

6 - The decal sheet has all of the dash gages, side moldings, and emblems, plus the generic race markings. Something I don't recall ever seeing in a kit is a decal for the shift knob with the four speed shift pattern!

7 - The silver areas on the front and rear bumper will need to be painted by the builder.

8 - There are two sets of headers (street and race) for the 409 engine. There is also a stock dual snorkel air cleaner and an oval shaped unit that appears to mimic an aftermarket unit.

9 - There are two exhaust systems - stock and racing (side outlet).

10 - All parts are bagged with the exception of the decal sheet.

Our buildups have already started, so we'll be updating you within a few days. Keep checking the "On the Workbench" forum for the latest info.

Now, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the box contents:

(continued in next post....)

Edited April 21, 2010 by Harry P.

[Len Carsner]

Done for tonight!

[camaroman]

Watching with bated breath...

[JamesW]

I'm a little disappointed that the frame/floorpan is molded as one piece unlike the 64. Though overall it looks to be a very well molded kit.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Huh! Well, the body looks a lot better from the angles you shot it at. Also miss the separate frame, but I'm liking the overall design and the Bel Air cross-pollination prospects. Full covers AND dog dishes? Very impressive!

Here's hoping...

[LVZ2881]

looks great to me, i already seemyself picking up a couple....

[Guest]

Looks as good as the AMT 62, near as I can tell. I take it the wipers and door handles are on the chrome tree? The tires, are they Revell's muscle car tires, or something new to this kit?

[MrObsessive]

Hmmm..............

I'm gonna reserve comment until I see the model up close and personal................

I'm sure you guys will do a terrific job on it!

[george 53]

Looks like a winner ta me! I know I'll be gettin at least two of them, one for one of my first cars(I used the 283 in it fir my 52) And another to do my Godfathers turquise Impala! Glad they FINALLY brought out a hardtop!

[weasel]

i think yer gonna like it Bill!!

[cruz]

Just when I thought I would keep my promise of not buying any more kits, BANG! They pull me right back in!!! I am liking this one a lot, I will wait for the reviews though, I want this one to be correct!!!

[Chuck Most]

Looks like a nice kit. Like lots of Revell's new stuff, I doubt I'll personally buy one, but I can see this one being a huge sucess for them. I like the AMT Bubbletop version, even though the base of the rear roof post is a little wrong, judging from the pictures you posted this one looks similar in terms of detail.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and brood over why they couldn't have kitted a Mohs SafariKar instead of this!

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Hmmm..............

I'm gonna reserve comment until I see the model up close and personal................

I'm sure you guys will do a terrific job on it!

Hear ya, Mr G.

With any luck, they'll file down to something a little closer...

[Zoom Zoom]

I see minor issues w/front & rear wheel openings (rear being worse), and with the roofline/drip rail area, especially over the quarter glass area. Seems like someone used their straightedge more than their ships curves

Big Freaking Deal. It looks like a '62 Impala HT, and last time I looked I could pay $25 for a resin body to put on AMT's convertible, or buy an original.

I'm 100% more psyched since it's not an SS and comes w/poverty caps. I'd have bought the kit if it were an SS, but they've made it more tempting in subtle ways.

I'd love to see someone graft an AMT bubbletop onto the Impala body...and keep it as a phantom Impala.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

I see minor issues... with the roofline/drip rail area, especially over the quarter glass area. Seems like someone used their straightedge more than their ships curves

That's what I'm gonna reserve judgment on till I have mine. It does look that way, but it would be a little curious were it so - that's one of the areas they really nailed on the '64 Impala.

[bobguar]

Len as always your commentary is great and appreciated. I think Revell has another winner and kudos for the straight Impala and the choices, hopefully the 66 Impala will too be a terrific kit too. I am looking forward to your updates but I wish the comments regarding faults are held back until the kit is actually in our hands. Great job

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Well Len and Bill aren't idiots - I think they know that kit criticism (and very MILD criticism at that) doesn't reflect in any way on their stellar efforts, or the fact that we all appreciate what they do.

[Jon Cole]

Like others have stated, I also join the ranks of "Hmmm..." Those wheel openings... well, the best thing to do is to wait and see. As long as the finished model looks good, that helps.

[Eshaver]

Hep me hep me .......... dis is a bigg one ! I toll ya'all Uh I'm havin da bigg one ! revell, is makin a fairly MAINSTREAM CAR !!!!!!! AGGHUGHHHH ........ Uh Miss Molly golly !!!!!Whats da worl commin to ....... Bench seats ..... no useless buckets and extra consoles ....... and no exclusive to a few trim options ... Oh noooooooo ...... Gimmie one right now fer I passout !!!!!!!!!!! Ed Shaver

[spkgibson]

Finally a non SS Impala,way to many SS models out there!They should have done this with the 69 Nova,And made the SS emblems separate for the SS fans,Anyway,I will get this one when it comes out,Also the 66!Hmmm I see the "OLD RELIABLE" 62

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Ken, am I just missing something here? Is there another forum somewhere where they're really unloading all over this model?

The single person I've seen who's brought up the most problems is Bob Downie, who also very clearly says "big deal".

I didn't see a lot of fur flying here or at Spotlight till someone essentially equated Terry Jessee with an IPMS rivet-counter for pointing out the small wheel arch deviations (which, forgive me, I'm betting will still be quite visible through the most award-winning finish imaginable - and that doesn't make me or any too many others slobber over the kit ANY LESS, if people could just get their freakin' heads around that for a minute).

Nobody was saying that this emperor came out undressed, just that his cuffs were a little funky. And in the two forums I'm watching, I didn't see anything qualifying as a truly harsh observation on the kit till this morning. Maybe there are just great swaths of commentary I've skipped inadvertently, but from what I have seen, up till this morning anyway, words like "harsh", "trash", "bash", and "excoriate" withered quickly under even the most casual scrutiny.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Yeah, maybe you're getting at the root of what I suspect the problem really is: some prominent commentary over the '69 Nova and '72 Olds - essentially correct, I have to acknowledge - was also so unsparing that everybody else is hypersensitive now about Revell getting the wrong message.

You bet the new one is closer than AMT's original. As for AMT's more recent '62s (a "new tool" now 17 years old), however... well, pics just speak for themselves. Nobody nails those arches outright, but it's clear which kit is closest.

What we're not seeing yet is that Revell may have done the best job of getting that sharp profile peak at the leading edge of the front fender, or that the sides may have better sectional contours than the slightly slabby AMT kit. What we can see is that Revell's kit is much sharper overall, and likely the most accurate all around.

Heh. Just makes me more eager to get mine...

[MrObsessive]

That's the reason I made my post above...............I wanted to post a pic of the 1:1 along with the model. I want to see the model in my hands and do some comparing. More than likely I'll build it sometime, as I like this body style a little better than the bubbletop.

Hard to believe that just a couple model years earlier, Chevy was making something that looked on the order of a land bound jet! The early '60's were a neat time of change for cars-------getting away from the chrome and fins, and moving into cleaner styling. Yet not an ugly one in the bunch as far as GM's cars are concerned.

Some fancy sheetmetal work among all the divisions back then------it's amazing that the '59-'64 cars were all basically the same. Save for sheetmetal and interior changes, the understructrure was all the same. Too bad they don't change 'em as quickly today instead of hanging on to the same ugly styling for too many years.

[Chuck Most]

For what it's worth, the grille detail on this one looks quite a bit better than the AMT rendition. Maybe that makes up for the wheel opening issues?

I'll parrot what Bob said: "it LOOKS like a '62 Chevy". I can live with a few minor gripes, as long as I can tell what kind of car it's supposed to be. I've long maintained that if, say, the door handles are ten microns too low on the doors but the model still looks like a '62 Chevy, it's good. On the other hand, if the kit is so full of hiccups and poor execution it looks more like, oh, a '62 Studebaker, THEN there's a problem. No kit ever has been, or ever will be, 100% perfect. I've grown to accept that!

[camaroman]

I concur wholeheartedly with that sentiment. I get tired of seeing only kits of top-of-the-line trim-level cars.

That is exactly why I was excited to see the revell 56 delray and the 57 150 and belair "post" cars... more main stream

Now if I can talk them into a stripped down 59 or 60 sedan that would be cool!