Review:
Revell 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop
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Review: Revell 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop |
| Revell's '55 Chevy Bel Air hardtop kit is a revised version based on the Monogram tooling of the '55 Bel Air convertible that was originally released in 1995. Most of the kit is the same but there are a few changes. Here's a look at what's in the box. |
| I still had an unbuilt version of the Monogram convertible in my stash when the Revell kit arrived from Fantastic Plastics, so I was able to do a side-by-side comparison of the parts trees from both kits: | |
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 The clear parts tree is modified to include the hardtop's rear window. New to this kit are modern tires. The stock tires are a little smaller than the ones from the convertible kit. The new kit also includes a really cool set of "drive-in" goodies with a tray to mount on the driver's window. |
 The lower chrome parts trees pictured are pretty much identical to the convertible kit, but come in two sections rather than one. The convertible windshield frame in included, although it's molded into the new hardtop tooling. At top is an all new chrome tree that includes up-to-date wheels and additional engine parts. |
 The convertible top, boot and continental kit have been eliminated from this tooling. The rest is identical to the convertible. |
 The interior tub for the hardtop has been modified slightly, eliminating the wider rear seat side bolsters found in the convertible. |
 The remainder of the hardtop kit is identical to the convertible. The main difference is that the new kit is molded in white rather than in color. |
 There are two new parts trees included to provide for lowered suspension. |
 The new decal sheet is a vast improvement, and includes many details like emblems and dash inserts. There's also a great new set of flames. |
Overall my first impression of the new kit is very positive. It looks like Revell's engineers were really on top of things. I was particularly impressed that they went the extra step to provide the correct interior for the hardtop rather than just using the convertible version. The extra parts found in the new kit are well thought out and add some builder options not found in the convertible. I'm looking forward to building this one! |