Kit: No. 6399
Scale: 1/25
Manufacturer: Revell, 8601 Waukegan Road, Morton Grove, IL 60053-2295, phone 847-966-3500
Price: $10.25
Comments: Injection molded, 66 parts, stickers.

SOME YEARS AGO, I outgrew my fascination with little, fast cars that carried two adults with small children, and became enthused with big, fast cars that carry up to six people plus luggage. One day I walked across a shopping-center parking lot for a close look at a Chevrolet Impala SS. Waiting for a model kit of this exciting car tried my patience.

Revell, in the SS’s last year of production, has favored us with a kit that can be assembled easily into a convincing model. Don’t let the SnapTite label fool you: The kit offers advanced car-model features. These include Goodyear Eagle P275/40ZR17 tires, complete engine and drive train, detailed front and rear suspensions, separate dual exhaust system, and complete interior with peel-off, self-stick decals that can be substituted for the molded instruments on the dashboard. Under-the-hood data plates also are provided.

Molded in black plastic with the usual clear, clear red, and plated parts, the SS can be built without painting. But to copy the model shown on the box cover, you’ll want to paint all of the parts following the color suggestions provided in the eight-page instructions. An instruction in step 15 to paint the rear quarter panel window frames silver should be ignored, though.

While parts fit is excellent after mold seam marks are cleaned up, it helped to enlarge the snap-fit locating holes slightly with a needle file to reduce the amount of thumb pressure it takes to snap the parts together. A dab of glue on the pegs of assembled parts helps hold everything. When mounting headlight and taillight lenses, smooth the sprue-attachment points as these parts are a tight fit.

I painted the body with Testor Model Master gloss black metallic and the interior with Floquil light ghost gray (FS36375). Give the chrome-plated wheels a coat of buffing aluminum Metalizer to simulate the real brushed-aluminum wheels. Place the side-view mirror mounts on the panels in the forward corners of the front windows. Modify the mirror-mounting arms to get the right look.

I spent 10 hours on my Super Sport, two hours applying narrow strips of Bare-Metal Foil to the side window edges. My SS has an attractive low-front stance and looks like the photos in a Chevy sales brochure. Vrooom!

Al Jones