RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120117* – 1958 Chevy Impala 2n1 kit #85-2073 Revell Review
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See the Step-by-Step Review by Todd McWilliams 
Timeline 1958: Yes, I remember those days as an ornery 9 year old at the time and the 1958 Chevrolet Impala was my most favorite car of all time! It was also the very first year for the Impala badge that is even in use today by Chevrolet. I had the pleasure of owning a 1:1 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe in 1983-85. It was a dream come true! The Revell ’58 Impala pictured here in this review is a 99% correct replica of the actual vehicle I owned; only difference is that my Impala had a single 4-barrel carb whereas the kit has a tri-power setup. I chose to build this kit as a stock offering to represent my car.
For The Modeler: – This Revell 1958 Chevy Impala 2 in 1 kit #85-2073 is a skill level 2 with over 143 parts count in white, clear and red colored plastic. This particular kit has more than enough parts to build an accurate stock vehicle or a beautiful crusin’ low-rider custom version. This plastic model kit was originally a diecast offering by Revell. In doing this crossover from diecast to plastic, Revell had to change a few parts to accommodate the plastic construction. For accuracy – trunk modifications are detailed as well.
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RoR AfterMarket Review 2012014* – Decals by Lucas & Sadewater (RL-51009 ’49 Ford #333 Rose) and (RL-54934 ’50 Ford – #27 Florian) Review 1/25 scale Click Here to Buy These Decals
See the AfterMarket Review and Photos by Tony & Martha Gibson 
Split paint/decal jobs can be a lot of fun, especially when you’re combining two historical cars. After market products have become an important and much appreciated addition to the modeling community. In order to construct truly unusual or interesting models the builder has to use his own skills and equipment but that isn’t easy. Fortunately, there are small companies out there like Decals by Lucas & Sadewater that fill the void and provide excellent products for the discriminating hobbyist.
For the Modeler: – This review takes a look at Decals by Lucas & Sadewater; an up-and-coming automotive aftermarket decal maker. All aspects of the decal’s appearance and suitability are examined. In the process – an excellent tutorial is provided on the proper methods for decal preparation and application.
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RoR SnapShot Review 20120110* – 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible AMT #30081 Review
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Review and Photos by Marty and Stephanie Oberman 
AMT/ERTL’s ’62 Ford Thunderbird convertible kit (#30081) is part of a class of newly-tooled kits of previously unavailable subjects issued around 2000 by AMT, of which included the ’71 Plymouth Duster and ’58 Belvedere. By all respects, they were well-engineered and designed kits that satisfied modelers’ cravings for new subject matter. They were immediately successful and enjoyed a wave of prosperity while issuing these new kits.
Overall, the ’62 T-Bird was a complete joy to build…the 390c.i. V-8 engine was realistic-looking, the chassis included poseable steering, and the majority of the kit pretty much fell together. I had a lot of fun building it. There were only two negative issues with this kit; one was complaints from some folks about the windshield glass being too small to fit inside the frame properly. I tested a trick I learned with other convertible kits: I first installed the windshield frame into the body (which secures it under the cowl as opposed to above it), then glued the interior tub into the body. Once done, I carefully slid the glass between the dashboard and frame and glued it into place. Voila! It worked like a charm! Any gaps are barely noticeable.
The other issue is the center console piece, which should flow from the bottom of the dashboard as if it were one complete unit. Unfortunately, the contact points for the console in the interior floor leave it a good 1/4″ away from the bottom of the dashboard when everything is assembled. My advice to the modeler is to cut off the contact points on the console, and dry-fit it with the dashboard installed until it lines up properly, then glue in place.
Other than the console issue, I had a great time building this beautiful vehicle, and would do so again in a heartbeat, especially now that I’m 
aware of the console issue. What rating would I give it? An easy 4 stars out of five! Yes, that’s how nice the rest of this well-detailed kit was to build. I’m already planning the color scheme for the next one I build, now that I’ve finished this one in DupliColor Hampstead Green with DupliColor “Vinyl and Fabric” gray interior. I highly recommend this kit to everyone.
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RoR Step-by-Step Review 20120106* – Soviet Aerosan RF-8/GAZ-98 1/35 Trumpeter #02322 Review
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See the Step-by-Step Review by Pat Ackerson 
The Soviet Aerosan RF-8/GAZ-98 was a propeller-powered snowmobile used by the Soviet Union during the Second World War. Running on skis and powered by an automotive engine, this unusual vehicle carried a crew of two soldiers and was armed with a 7.62mm machine gun. The Aerosan was primarily used for communications, mail deliveries, medical aid, emergency recovery and border patrolling in northern Russia. Combat loaded, the Aerosan weighed 0.892 tons and was capable of speeds up to 30 mph. The GAZ-98K was a version with a more powerful GAZ M-11 110-hp aviation engine in place of the standard automotive engine.
For the Modeler: – Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale Aerosan RF-8/GAZ-98 consists of 77 light gray injection molded pieces, two clear parts and two photo etched machine gun sights. Additionally included are the kit instructions, color painting guide and one set of water slide decals. Generally, Trumpeter has done a fine job with this kit. Parts are finely cast with little to no molding flash, seam lines or defects but the decals will need some special preparation. By and large, parts fit together well enough throughout the entire build with the exception of the crew figures. The figures and machine gun mount required special attention in order to get them to seat right in the vehicle for a convincing, natural appearance.
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RoR SnapShot Review 20120104* – The Munster Koach 1/25 AMT #647 Review
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SnapShot Review and Photos by Michael Garrett 
I followed the adventures of the Munster family as a small boy back in the 60′s and when my daughter discovered the show she quickly became a fan of the ghoulish family too. So I decided it would make a great Christmas gift to give her a Munster Koach of her own. Thanks to AMY this classic model has returned to the shelves for a whole new generation to enjoy!
For The Modeler: Tamiya gloss black was used for the main color with semi gloss black applied to the fabric areas on the top. The curtains were then brush painted and covered with a black wash
to bring out the details. BMF was used for the bright trim. The inside is rather basic with only 5 parts including the interior tub. I painted the seats and inner panels Testors red and then covered them with a layer of flocking. The floor is painted flat black. All the chrome was covered with a layer “The Detailer” wash to tone it down a bit and bring out the details. This was a rather simple, but still fun build with only about 60 pieces in the kit. There was actually very little flash to clean-up considering that the molds are 40 plus years old now, however I did replace the kit supplied plastic tires with rubber ones from my parts box.
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RoR Step-by-Step Review 20111230* –1978 Pontiac Firebird 3n1 1/24 Revell 85-4927 Review
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See the Step-by-Step Review by Stephanie and Marty Oberman
I agreed to review this particular kit for two reasons: first, I hadn’t built it before, and second (and most importantly) it reminded me of the ’79 Trans-Am my neighbors who I grew up with owned. They’ve both passed on, but I have fond memories of them, they were like step-parents to me. I decided then and there I would build this car in the same color scheme as theirs: silver with maroon interior.
For the Modeler: Even though this kit has been around a while it’s in pretty good shape for the intermediate to advanced modeler. There is one issue that must be addressed for a proper fit. There are drag and movie car optional parts. Strategic clamping of sub-assemblies is needed to insure a proper fit in some places and some instruction errors are highlighted in this review.
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RoR Step-by-Step Review 20111223* – 1966 Chevy El Camino 2n1 1/25 85-2045 Review
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See the Step-by-Step Review by Stephanie and Marty Oberman
I have built not only the original issue El Camino but her sister kit, the ’66 Chevelle wagon as well, both share the same tooling. I remember my experiences building both these kits fondly, so I jumped at the chance to build the California Wheels version of the Elky for review. This time it was decided that the car would be built similar to the custom version on the box art, which is a bit out of my comfort zone as a factory stock builder, but knowing the kit I was willing to do so.
As loathe as I was to build this kit as a custom from the start, I’m glad I did. It gave me a chance to go outside my “comfort zone” of building stock vehicles and allowed me to let my imagination take over. A better kit could not have been selected for this venture. Minor fit issues, decal preparation and extensive finishing details are examined in the this review.
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RoR SnapShot Review 20111221* – ’48 Ford Custom Coupe 1-25 85-4253 Review
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See the SnapShot Review by Rich Clark 
The 1948 Ford was the company’s last model to be produced using a pre-WWII design. Distinctive “fat” fenders helped make it an instant favorite with custom builders, who tended to chop the top and add fade-away fenders and tunneled headlights.
For the Modeler: – This kit features optional custom parts, four grilles with separate surrounds, two bumpers, two hubcaps, three taillights, two hoods, one with louvers and one stock. fade-away side panels, spotlights, fender skirts, metal exhaust tips, whitewall tires, chrome-plated parts and decals with colorful custom graphics.
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RoR Step-by-Step Review 20111218* – Lamborghini Diablo VT Roadster 1/24 Revell SnapTite 85-1966 Review
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See the Step-by-Step Review by Mike Phelps 
In June1985 Automobili Lamborghini decided that it was time to start thinking about a replacement for their legendary Countach. It would take 5 yrs. to complete this. Thus the Diablo was created. The Diablo was presented to the public on January 21, 1990 at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. It would have to have the top speed of 315 Km/h but was set at 325 Km/h. The Diablo has reached up to 340 Km/h with an engine creating 492 bhp. It not only took 5 years to develop the Diablo but also 6,000,000,000 Lire went into the project.
For the Modeler: This kit contains 32 pieces, one instruction manual, soft black tires, ten piece sticker sheet, one tree in clear parts, parts molded in yellow and black parts, and one tree in chrome. MOMO styling tips, general finishing suggestions and more are detailed in this review. This SnapTite kit makes a great intermediate skill builder for the junior modeler.
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RoR Step-by-Step Review 20111209* – 1959 Chevy Impala Convertible Revell Kit # 85-4944 Review
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See the Step-by-Step Review by Stephanie and Marty Oberman
I remember building this kit some years ago, so I somewhat knew what to expect from it despite my rather foggy memory. The last issue came in a rather low, long box as opposed to the re-issue’s normal-shaped box. The ’59 Impala spun off the ’60 Impala, also packaged in the unusual box.
For the modeler: I wondered how they would retrofit the parts trees for this box. It seems Revell pulled it off quite nicely. The instruction sheet contains a glossary of part numbers with their corresponding identifications. Dealing with “Pretzel Logic”, scratch building a radio mast, custom foiling the taillights, use of metalizers and a preponderance of clamping issues are fully explored in this review.
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