Revell 2010 Ford Mustang GT

[horsepower]

Dropped by the local LHS (the one with the preferred partner program) & the 2010 Mustangs are in, I haven;t opened mine yet, since due to a pending neck surgery it will be about three months before I will get back to building again I didn't want to over stress my self. They also had the new? Texaco '50 Chevy pick-up, & the '62 T-Bird from Round2 on the shelf. Not a bad week for modelers.

Edited August 13, 2012 by Casey

[SSNJim]

I just picked mine up - the hobby shop said they came in today. I've been checking for the last month or two for either this or the convertible.... There were 2 on the shelves when I got there; I only bought one. Nice kit, if you're familiar with the 2005s you'll feel right at home with this. It's got separate front and rear bumpers, new wheels, and the seats strike me as new.

I've been waiting a long time for this!

[whale392]

Got my 2010 Mustang GT yesterday. The engine assembly, front and rear chassis assemblies, and those horribly over-sized tires are the same as the 2005-2009 releases from Revell. The chassis has floor pan carry-over, but front and rear inner fender wells are different (but still too narrow for a good set of tires/wheels). The body looks very well done, and the front bumper, rear bumper, and hood are separate...making it easier to paint the satin black in the trunk recess between the tail lights. Wheels themselves are chromed and look very nice (I will use some copies of these on other builds). Overall interior has been updated to the 2010+ style, but goes together just as the earlier kits did. Ride height will have to be adjusted, as this kit suffers from the same 4x4-itis as the earlier kits did. All in all though, I am happy I picked one up, and will get one or two more to do motor swaps with/build variation of.

[Rob Hall]

Got my 2010 Mustang GT yesterday. The engine assembly, front and rear chassis assemblies, and those horribly over-sized tires are the same as the 2005-2009 releases from Revell. The chassis has floor pan carry-over, but front and rear inner fender wells are different (but still too narrow for a good set of tires/wheels). The body looks very well done, and the front bumper, rear bumper, and hood are separate...making it easier to paint the satin black in the trunk recess between the tail lights. Wheels themselves are chromed and look very nice (I will use some copies of these on other builds). Overall interior has been updated to the 2010+ style, but goes together just as the earlier kits did. Ride height will have to be adjusted, as this kit suffers from the same 4x4-itis as the earlier kits did. All in all though, I am happy I picked one up, and will get one or two more to do motor swaps with/build variation of.

I got my first one yesterday also... glad to see they tooled the fasicas separately, this will enable variations without a new body (like the upcoming Shelby version). I hope they tool up the 5.0 engine to do an '11 and up GT and do a Boss 302 eventually..

I am a bit disappointed they boxed it as a 'Special Edition' but there are no extras..they could have at least tooled up some of the optional gingerbread like quarter window louvers, hood scoop, etc that I've seen on cars on the dealers' lots.

Sounds like that is how they are going to release the '10 Camaro SS kit, w/ some extras.

[whale392]

Seems a lot of Revell marketing these days is to label the box as 'Special Edition' to help increase sales to those who are not avid, ate-up modelers (you know, the sheep that they are intended for, instead of us hardcore wolves us dedicated modelers are!).

I have already 'started' on a variation of the kit by using the drivetrain/brakes from the GT500KR kit. Lowering it and using some of Caseys 'Modern Magnum500' wheels, along with some other slight alterations, is helping me to build one as if I ordered it (even though Ford will not let you custom-order a car anymore).

[horsepower]

I finally opened mine, just couldn't stand it, I especially like the separate fascias, but for a slightly different reason, mine is that there are no mold lines to mess with, resulting in less work to prep for paint & a better chance of not hiding any detail under paint/primer build up. Also what's with the Mach1 style decal for the rear panel, it doesn't show up on either versions on the box, or in the instructions. Is this a hint of things to come?

[Chuck Kourouklis]

I hate to contradict anybody, but a side-by-side comparison will reveal there are no plastic or vinyl parts in common between this kit and any of the '06 - '08 Mustangs. The tires are new, even if they're high-profile like the previous ones, and the chassis is more distinct than it first appears; in addition to the lack of front wheel well filler panels, there's a front frame rail plate over the fuel lines, smooth texture on the fuel tank, and new engraving over the spare tire well. The engine parts are nearly indistinguishable from the previous 4.6, but they are arranged differently on the trees - from the looks of it, to facilitate complete new engine trees in future releases. The separate front and rear fascias appear to make for a quicker changeover to the GT500, and since the upcoming Snaptite convertible has a separate hood, the prospects for bashing between this kit, the convertible, and maybe even the GT500 look pretty good. Revell said this tooling was all-new, and they meant it, even if they may have developed some of it from the '06-'08 master patterns.

And boy, what a boon CAD files are. Comparing this body shell with an '11 1:1, there's very little deviation; it's much closer than Revell has been with their vintage subjects lately, and better overall than their '06-'08 models - no too-small headlight reflectors or anything like that. The stance does look a little high initially though, mostly up front - a build-up should help clarify if this is an actual stance problem or an artifact of the high tire sidewalls.

Edited June 7, 2011 by Chuck Kourouklis

[Chuck Kourouklis]

One of the first things I noticed about mine was how much higher up I seem to sit in it, relative to the Camaro that preceded it - just wrote it off to the insidious dumbing-down factor SUVs have had on general expectations for modern vehicles. It sure don't handle tipsy.

But yeah -

- it ain't the lowest rider you've ever seen. What can make a model look a bit toylike is not just the ride height, imho, but the way that ride height combines with a sidewall aspect ratio that's outta whack.

Revell tends to include the bigger rear SSR tire for things like the Magnum, the Challenger, and the GT500KR when they should really include the smaller front SSR tire that's used as the custom option in a whole bunch of "California Wheels" reissues. I've pilfered a few, they stretch over the wheels intended for the bigger tire, and they look a lot better in sidewall height - that smaller tire on the GT500KR wheel sort of approximates the 1:1 above, and I like it far better for sidewall profile than the rubber that comes in the new kit.

[whale392]

Thanks for your input Chuck. The front suspension and the rear lower control arma ARE THE SAME as the 05-08 units, same with the shocks. While the '10 units frame/bellypan unit is different, the suspension goes into it the same way. Brakes are the same units, the engine is the same (even if it is re-arranged on the sprue). There are plastic parts in common with the original kit, so I would hate to contradict you but have to. I also do the side-by-side, as I have a dozen of the 2005-2008 variations (GT, Bullitt, GT500, GT500KR) and pulled them all out just to see what will and won't swap back and forth. I was dearly hoping that the inner fenderwell issues had been fixed. While they were redesigned to closely mimic the '10 changes, they are still too shallow and do not locate the tires deeply enough into the wells. But, these are just a few of MY observations sitting these kits down side-by-side.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Whale, there may indeed be parts that swap back and forth because they were developed from the same masters as before (and this wouldn't be the first time that's happened), but Revell is on record as saying that this is ALL new tooling:

note the ALL NEW claim in this brochure

And unless they're prearranged with a system of opening and closing gates, redoing mold cavities to come up with a different sprue order isn't a trivial undertaking - you might as well do it from the ground up.

But I'll be having a closer look later on, and if I see any evidence that the parts are the same, I'll let everyone know.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

It's a major clue, Ken, along with differing part number callouts.

Revell's 2010 Mustang gives us those two clues and a whole lot more. Here's the photo analysis. 2010 Mustang parts are white.

SHOCKS:

Here are the rear shocks. Note the striking difference not only in the lengths of their floorpan mounting pins, but in the entire general lengths of the shocks themselves - in addition to differing sprue location and part numbers.

BRAKES:

I'm confining this to the front brakes mostly because in the 2010 kit, the rear brakes are on an entirely separate tree. Note two sprue mounts for the old brakes versus one in the new ones. And although it's not obvious, you can begin to make out the subtle differences in caliper shape between the two sets - in addition to the sprue differences and vastly diverging part numbers.

EXHAUST:

Nope, these ain't the same either. Check out the crossovers and the forward mount tabs on the old set - in addition to sprue layout and part callout.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Now for the SUSPENSIONS:

It's difficult to imagine why Revell would go to such a length simply to retool the sprues. But in addition to the obvious differences in sprue mounts, you can see that the differential pumpkin in the new kit is beefier than the old one.

Here you see major differences in the perimeter of the sprue for allowing sliding mold clearance to cast those axle holes. Look a little closer and you'll see how much larger the '06-'08 rear axle mounting pins are.

The impression you get from the photo of a girthier subframe and suspension arms for the 2010 kit is about what you'll perceive in the plastic. You can begin to make out variations in the rear crossmember shape and in those open triangles defined by the suspension arms against the subframe.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

The divergence between the ENGINES is almost comical:

Here you see an entirely different system of pins and bosses on the inside surfaces between the old 4.6 block/transmission and the new one.

Here you see confirmation of a clue given you in the previous picture: the cylinder head locators are male on the old engine and female on the new one.

And here (in addition to the sprue arrangement and part number callouts) is the most lurid deviation between the two kits: cylinder heads varying ninety degrees on the mold axis. The old kit used a sliding mold to define the outer face of the head. The new one orients those surfaces upward for a more traditional two-piece mold casting.

It's not just that the parts are different, but that they're CLEARLY different. And I reiterate that which is now proven: there are NO carry-over plastic parts between Revell's '06-'08 Mustangs and this 2010 kit - just like Revell said.

Edited June 8, 2011 by Chuck Kourouklis

[whale392]

Hey Chuck, thanks for the pics. Yes, they may have re-arranged the sprues and it technically may be 'New Tooling', but my point is that some of the engineering/parts casts are the same, just moved. As I said, technically it could be considered 'New Tooling'.

I guess that the 83-84GLX Mustang converts and the 85 SVO could technically be considered 'New tooling' when they came out too (as the parts were either 'updated' or moved on the sprues), even though they were THE SAME PARTS. Now, this is just my opinion, but to me new tool means completely new engineering, not just moving the parts around (even though I see the point of having to cut new 'tools' for the re-arranged parts content).

Either way, I am happy with the new kit and can't wait to see what other variation they come out with. I will be buying a few of these, and since they are 1/25th scale, combining these with the 1991-93 Mustang Coupe when Revell releases it!

Edited June 8, 2011 by whale392

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Well, perhaps we're getting mixed up in semantics then, Brad. I mean, I'd have to look again, but I don't think the tooling even changed for the basic chassis plate or suspension pieces in any of those Monogram Fox Mustangs, and if that's the case, then they would truly qualify as a carry-over parts by my definition. They might have a different relationship to the sprue from one release to the next because a gate on one section of the mold was closed for one release and opened for the next, but the basic mold cavity stayed the same or was lightly modified for the parts in question, so they produced pretty much the same parts. Yeah, that's a carry-over.

But in the case of this kit, that's almost certainly not what happened. Fact is, there's a whole lot more than "technical" new tooling going on here. It's not just a matter of how radically rearranged the parts layout is (and what a wasteful exercise breaking up an existing steel mold just for a different order would be), but it's also the fact that there are differences between the individual parts themselves. What was a male mating point before is a female mating point now. What was a little more rounded before is more angular now, and vice-versa. What was adequately defined before is super-crisp now, a three-piece mold cavity before, two-piece now. There's no reason for any of this unless the molds are all-new.

Assuming that Revell still uses 1:10 master patterns, then yes, they could have gone back to those same masters for the parts that didn't change, and they could have developed new molds from those masters so similar to the old ones that the parts they produced could interchange with their forebears. It was true of many similar-but-distinct Monogram NASCAR kits back in the day, and it's true to some degree in Revell's new mini-Charger Funny cars.

But trust me - the pics say it pretty loudly, and the parts say it even louder the closer you examine them: this 2010 Mustang isn't "technically" a new tool, it's absolutely a new tool; partly from familiar masters, most likely, but brand-new molds for those parts just the same. And if the agreed-upon definition of "carry-over" is "from the same mold cavity" for parts, then there are NONE between this kit and any of its predecessors.

IF, however, you really meant that some of the old master patterns probably figured into the development of this kit, then I'd say you're likely right. And yeah, it is a nice new kit, and bring on the Coyote variants please.

Edited June 9, 2011 by Chuck Kourouklis

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Decals, I bet. Wheel options of course, maybe lowered suspension bits. Buckets maybe?