Newly reissued Revell BRE Datsun 510 Racecar kit

['70 Grande]

I just received my newly-reissued 1/25 Revell BRE Datsun 510 racecar kit and found this kit to be pretty much as I remembered it from the original, mid-1970's issue. There is very little flash in my kit and everything looks to be molded very well. The new decal sheet also looks excellent. One area of disappointment for me though; the kit has new tires in it, and although produced with excellent tread-pattern and plain sidewalls, these new tires seem extremely small to my eye. The tires are right at 3/8" wide, making them slightly-wider than 9" in 1:1 scale; (this dimension seems about right to me). But the tire's sidewall height is right at 7/8", or slightly taller than 21" in 1:1 scale. That sidewall height dimension seems too small to me. Were the tires used on these little Datsun racecars really that small?

[GlueTube]

Yup. 13 inch wheel diameter. Raced against a few of the "BRE" clones in my club racing days.

Regards

Brian Kroon

[Austin T]

Looking forward to picking one up soon. And yes they do have super tiny tires, it's next to impossible to find a wheel that fits in one of these things in scale.

[Miatatom]

I've got one ordered! I've got the chassis of an original built and maybe this time, I can finish the body without messing it up. My original decals were going to be a struggle too. Happy to see it available again. The old ones were getting pricey.

[Daddyfink]

Looking forward to picking one up soon. And yes they do have super tiny tires, it's next to impossible to find a wheel that fits in one of these things in scale.

Fujimi wheels did the trick for me. They fit just fine and gave the car a great stance

[VERNON]

Excellent reissue. I remember this kit when I was young. The kit was way advanced for it's time and still looks every bit as good. As far as the tires go, it looks like Revel took the original two piece, removed the lettering and made them a beautiful one piece.

Could the 240Z be just around the corner????

Vernon

[Austin T]

Could the 240Z be just around the corner????

I certainty hope so. I've got two stock ones and a BRE gluebomb. It sure would be nice for them to repop the BRE version so we could get back the race parts.

[iBorg]

How differnt is this kit than the tuner series car? Also any sources of aftermarket decals?

I remember this kit back in the day and is one of the few I sold I regret selleng. With a little detail work it was outstanding.

[mnwildpunk]

Pix of inside the box please someone

[Daddyfink]

How differnt is this kit than the tuner series car? Also any sources of aftermarket decals?

The Tuner Series issue is the same as the Brock Buster issue, It was the street car version with a full interior. The BRE car has a race only style interior with a aluminum dash and aftermarket gauges.

There was someone selling decals on eBay to build the Mike Downs car and the Bobby Allison version as well. I would like to see decals for the Bob Sharp/Paul Newman car

Edited July 7, 2014 by Daddyfink

[Brett Barrow]

The Tuner Series issue is the same as the Brock Buster issue, It was the street car version with a full interior. The BRE car has a race only style interior with a aluminum dash and aftermarket gauges.

There was someone selling decals on eBay to build the Mike Downs car and the Bobby Allison version as well. I would like to see decals for the Bob Sharp/Paul Newman car

Wha?!?! Bobby Allison drove one of these? Now I've got to get one...

['70 Grande]

It's kinda funny how the Coke bottle decal on decklid of the Bobby Allison car is pouring into the fuel cell filler!

[kitbash1]

Yup. 13 inch wheel diameter. Raced against a few of the "BRE" clones in my club racing days.

Regards

Brian Kroon

Some guy's who ran these cars in Ontario regional racing, ran flared fenders and slicks from formula fords. Cornered like they were on rails. Defiantly going to get a couple of these kits.

Edited July 7, 2014 by kitbash1

[iBorg]

I remember this kit when it was first issued (showing my age). It was kitted in might be considered one of Revell's zeniths. They did this kit not long after the funny cars and the dragsters. One of Revell's gems. Sadly, many would say the 240Z falls short with an undersized body. I'm not sure if this body is to scale or not.

Compared to the MPC and AMT stock cars, this was head and heels more accurate. I see a hobby shop run coming up later this week.

[mikemodeler]

I remember seeing these cars race at Road America in Elkhart Lake WI back in the 70's, these bring back some memories! I do recall seeing Paul Newman behind the wheel and couldn't understand why an actor was driving a racecar!

Definitely want to get one of these, I'd get a couple if they were available in stock form.

[martinfan5]

I have thought a few engine swap ideas for the 510's , my biggest gripe with this kit, inst really the kit itself, but what was pointed out already its a pain in the horse's rear end doing wheel/tire swaps on

[Austin T]

I have thought a few engine swap ideas for the 510's , my biggest gripe with this kit, inst really the kit itself, but what was pointed out already its a pain in the horse's rear end doing wheel/tire swaps on

I know. Eightyone81 has some awesome wheels that would look killer on a 510 but they are all 16'-18' which is way to big for the tiny wheel wells. Another interesting swap would be an AWD EJ20 conversion, use one from the Revell wrx sti kit or get one from Eightyone81 in a few weeks when they restock.

[martinfan5]

I know. Eightyone81 has some awesome wheels that would look killer on a 510 but they are all 16'-18' which is way to big for the tiny wheel wells. Another interesting swap would be an AWD EJ20 conversion, use one from the Revell wrx sti kit or get one from Eightyone81 in a few weeks when they restock.

One of the engine swaps that I have thought about doing, I cant take credit for, another builder was going to it , is the VG30ET from Tamiyas 300 Zed kit

[JoeBrown]

I'm thinking about buying one and doing a ratty one or making it a wagon

[Austin T]

One of the engine swaps that I have thought about doing, I cant take credit for, another builder was going to it , is the VG30ET from Tamiyas 300 Zed kit

That would be a good one as well. About a year ago there was a real 510 on ebay with a twin turbo'ed V6 in it, some of the ideas for engine swaps people have are crazy.

I'm thinking about buying one and doing a ratty one or making it a wagon

Ah yes, a Ratsun is on my list to do someday. Bare metal look, exposed rivets, a tiger shark mouth , and some surface rust make a 510 look downright evil. Bonus points for exposed intercooler and a stripped down interior.

[Scuderia]

Any idea of how hard it'd be to put some type of stock-ish interior? any close donors?

[Daddyfink]

To do the stock interior, I would just hunt down the tuner kit with the stock panels. The only other kits that have that dash are the Hasegawa Rally kit, the stock version of that kit and the 1600 Bluebird Doyusha kit that is pretty hard to find.

[Scuderia]

Thanks for the info Jesse, I wasn't sure of the lineage on these kits; but I sure do love that body lol

[Zarana-X]

I'm probably gonna have to get this. Just finishing up the old Tuner version.

[Bucket T]

I recently posted a BRE 510 from the original kit, and have a 1:1 BRE clone (sort of). I would like to get some decals for the #85 dime but all I could find were 1/32 scale.