Kit: No. 72714
Scale: 1/25
Manufacturer: Lindberg Models/Craft House, 328 N. Westwood Ave., Toledo, OH 43607-3343, &419-536-8351
Price: $14.40
Comments: Injection molded, 64 parts, 41 parts (2 metal, 5 vinyl), decals.
Bold is a perfect description for the new Dodge Dakota pickup. After a 10-year stint as a typical boxy workhorse, this truck was given a complete makeover for 1997. It took on the slanted windshield, sloped front fenders, and nose of its big brother, the Ram. Although it competes with the compact Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10, the Dakota is slightly larger, making it closer to an intermediate-size pickup.
Lindberg's Super Snap Ultra kit is a welcome addition to the pickup truck and sport-utility vehicle model market. This kit is basically an unassembled promotional model (one given away at dealerships). The molded red body was free of scratches and mold lines and had a beautifully smooth finish. It was so good that I decided to paint only the trim for the windows and bumpers, and just polish the plastic body.
The instructions are easy to follow for assembly, but there are no paint suggestions. I painted the inside of the bed semigloss black to represent a bed liner, then "detailed" the interior with four shades of flat gray. A dealer brochure and a real Dakota in my driveway made this easy. A decal is provided for the instrument cluster.
Some of the parts must be glued, but the instructions don't mention that. The backs must be cemented to the seats, and the rearview mirrors have to be glued to the mounts. Trim, including cowl and wipers, is molded into the clear windshield. It's best to paint the inside of this item. All the interior pieces snap easily into place.
The plated wheels were too shiny, so I removed the chrome (with a soak in chlorine bleach), painted them aluminum, and detailed with flat black. I carefully painted the outline of the raised white letters on the tires. The wheels required some trimming to accept the metal axles. A spare tire and wheel clicks into place underneath the chassis. The rest of the kit was literally a snap, and the chassis is held to the body with two small screws.
The result is an attractive "curbside" - a model with no underhood detail. It took me less than 10 hours to finish. If I had chosen another color, more time would have gone into priming, sanding, and applying color coats.
Lindberg's Dakota is simple enough for beginners and has the potential for experienced modelers to produce a fully detailed scale replica of a popular pickup.
- Mike Dowd