{"id":1148,"date":"2011-04-12T04:57:25","date_gmt":"2011-04-12T12:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rightonreplicas.com\/blog\/?page_id=1148"},"modified":"2011-04-12T04:57:25","modified_gmt":"2011-04-12T12:57:25","slug":"1968-corvette%c2%ae-l88-rebel-racer-review-85-4915","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.rightonreplicas.com\/blog\/?page_id=1148","title":{"rendered":"1968 Corvette\u00c2\u00ae L88 Rebel Racer review 85-4915"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Twitt\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>

RoR Review 20110412 – 1968 Corvette\u00c2\u00ae L88 Rebel Racer 85-4915<\/p>\n

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\nBuy This Kit<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Review and Photos by\u00c2\u00a0\"Tony<\/a> Tony Gibson<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 1 For the modeler, this is the Revell Motorsports Series 68 Corvette L88 Rebel Racer in 1\/25 scale. This kit is molded in white, chrome and clear with red tail lights and includes 119 pieces with a skill level 2 rating. The kit features altered front and rear generic (without names) tires, and beautiful, bright, clear decals. The kit comes with two options, stock or race versions with flared quarter extensions and non-bumper front. This model also has a removable convertible hardtop and easy step-by-step directions.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 5 To remove part of the tree from the body and the hood from the tree, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to score with a sharp blade, then cut away.\u00c2\u00a0 If you try to break these parts away it will cause too much damage.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 10 Use the same process for cutting away the quarter flares and the roof. Some of the extra may need to be trimmed with a sharp blade before moving on.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 8 To get rid of the rough edge after cutting parts away, use an emery board with a light touch, then finish with 600 grit sandpaper.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 13 A small molding dimple was found on top of the passenger side fender (part #1).\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 14 This was easily sanded away with 600 grit sandpaper.\u00c2\u00a0 A final follow up was given with 1000 grit paper.\u00c2\u00a0 This may have been a defect for this model alone or it may be common with this kit.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 15 Getting the body ready for paint, it seemed easiest to place the quarter panel flares before painting.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a builder\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s choice but will give less chance of error than if they are placed after painting.\u00c2\u00a0 Gorilla\u00c2\u00ae glue was used for a better bond and better edge.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 17 Before painting, all the body pieces were mated together to make sure everything fit. All body parts were then washed with mild dish soap and water, rinsed well and dried completely.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 18 The body was painted with Duplicolor\u00c2\u00ae products.\u00c2\u00a0 First, one even coat of white primer.\u00c2\u00a0 After an hour in a nice warm place, the parts were given a quick wipe with a piece of old t-shirt.\u00c2\u00a0 Then three light, even coats of Flame Red\u00e2\u201e\u00a2 were applied.\u00c2\u00a0 Each coat was just a little heavier than the previous coat.\u00c2\u00a0 30-45 minutes of drying time was allowed between coats.\u00c2\u00a0 The color coat was allowed to dry in a warm area for two hours.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 19 Finally, two even coats of crystal clear were applied with 30 minutes between coats.\u00c2\u00a0 All parts were allowed to dry 24 hours.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always best to give the paint a lot of time to dry; your finish is the most important part of the build.\u00c2\u00a0 Semi-gloss rattle can paint was used to paint the chassis and interior parts.\u00c2\u00a0 These were also allowed to dry 24 hours.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 21 The chassis and suspension went together smoothly. After assembly, some silver bottle paint was thinned down and rubbed over the high points of the chassis with a bit of t-shirt material.\u00c2\u00a0 Use a light touch.\u00c2\u00a0 It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be perfect.\u00c2\u00a0 This helps highlight some of the parts.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 22 Once the paint was dry, the body was mocked up again just to check fit.\u00c2\u00a0 Sometimes the thickness of the paint will change how parts fit.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 23 The engine went together smoothly and without surprises. The engine was given a wash of thinned flat black paint, then the excess dabbed off with a paper towel.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 24 The headers were put on before the body was put on. This is easier than wrestling around with them after the body is set into place.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 26 To give the interior a little more detail, the inner door pads were covered with aluminum tape. \u00c2\u00a0This is the tape they use on furnace duct work.\u00c2\u00a0 If you buy a roll of this tape, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll find lots of uses for it and a roll will last a long time. The door pad was laid on the tape (the side that will show once in place facing the tape). The tape was cut to size, leaving enough to wrap around the edge of the part.\u00c2\u00a0 These edges were then folded over and smoothed, leaving as few creases as possible.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 28 Once covered, the pieces should look pretty smooth and flat.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 29 Using the round edge of a marker, or any other smooth, hard tool, rub over the part to smooth the tape completely.\u00c2\u00a0 Work carefully and make sure the whole piece is smooth.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 30 Using a very fine polish, rub the smoothed tape with a bit of soft, smooth cloth.\u00c2\u00a0 This will bring the finish to a brushed polished aluminum look.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 31 This will give the interior a really cool effect once completed.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 32 Seat belts were created from fine line pinstripe tape.\u00c2\u00a0 The buckles were created from small pieces of the same aluminum tape cut to size and stuck on the ends.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 33 This is an inexpensive alternative to aftermarket buckles and belts.\u00c2\u00a0 You could also use a fine ribbon for the belts, and even painted masking tape can work.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 34 The dash gauges from the decal sheets were a nice bonus.\u00c2\u00a0 Take your time and follow the direction sheet for placement.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 35 On the roll bars for the interior, black electrical tape was used to simulate padding.\u00c2\u00a0 It was cut to size and rolled around the bar.\u00c2\u00a0 The interior and the bars looked good completed, but the roll bars were a little out of scale.\u00c2\u00a0 Evergreen\u00c2\u00ae plastic rod could be used to make roll bars from scratch if a more scale look was needed.\u00c2\u00a0 The fire extinguisher seemed a little large also.\u00c2\u00a0 A smaller one would be better if you had one in your parts box.\u00c2\u00a0 Everything went together well and looked pretty good.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 37 Instead of leaving the wheels chrome, they were painted with Testors\u00c2\u00ae Steel bottle paint.\u00c2\u00a0 They were allowed to dry, then given a wash of thinned black bottle paint. The tire treads were given a scuff with an emery board.
\nThe Goodyear\u00c2\u00ae lettering was an aftermarket set.\u00c2\u00a0 The tires were generic with no lettering.\u00c2\u00a0 For this build it looked better with something on them.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 39 When assembling the body, it is a must to do step 7 of the hood first, then move on to step 7 of the inner fenders.\u00c2\u00a0 If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do it this way you won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be able to put the hood on properly.\u00c2\u00a0 The rest goes in the order of the direction sheet. The inner panels of the body were painted black just for visual effect.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 40 The decals all went on pretty well.\u00c2\u00a0 The hardest one was the decal going on the rear end of the car.\u00c2\u00a0 It just wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lay down properly.\u00c2\u00a0 Micro-Sol\u00c2\u00ae and Solva-Set\u00c2\u00ae were used to try to get the decal to lay down properly.\u00c2\u00a0 A couple small cuts with a sharp blade helped.\u00c2\u00a0 But it still did not go on very well at all.\u00c2\u00a0 It seemed that the Micro-Sol\u00c2\u00ae and Solva-Set\u00c2\u00ae attacked the decal and made it wrinkle badly.\u00c2\u00a0 Unfortunately, it never did go into place just right.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 Some touch up can be done with blue paint to cover any defects.\u00c2\u00a0 Hopefully, this won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t happen to everyone and the decals will go on smoothly and with no problems.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 41 The front grill was given a wash of reduced black paint, the excess dabbed off with a paper touch and a light touch.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 43 The body did not want to fit well to the chassis at first, but after studying to see where it was touching and working it slowly, it finally went into place perfectly.\u00c2\u00a0 Final assembly should go as stated on the directions.<\/p>\n

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\nFigure 44 Overall this kit went together fairly well and without issues.\u00c2\u00a0 Most important is to study the directions and test fit before gluing.\u00c2\u00a0 The kit was a lot of fun and when it was finished, a great looking piece and will look good in anyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s collection.\u00c2\u00a0 Skill level 2 is appropriate for this kit.\u00c2\u00a0 The decals were the hardest part.\u00c2\u00a0 As a box stock this kit hits the mark but with a few details you can make it truly stand out.\u00c2\u00a0 Have fun, be patient and you will be rewarded.<\/p>\n

Keep the glue off the windshield
\nTony Gibson<\/p>\n