Kit: No. 7629
Scale: 1/25
Manufacturer: Revell-Monogram, 8601 Waukegan Rd., Morton Grove, IL 60053-2295, phone 847-966-3500
Price: $10.50
Comments: Injection molded, 106 parts (4 vinyl), decals.
The Coronet nameplate had been a Dodge staple since the early 1950s, but when the muscle-car battle heated up with Pontiac's introduction of the GTO and Plymouth's GTX, Dodge responded with the R/T (Road and Track) version of the Coronet in 1967.
A 383-cubic-inch V-8 engine was standard, but a 440-c.i. mill with a four-barrel carburetor that turned the quarter mile in less than 15 seconds was optional. For nearly a grand more, the dual-four-barrel 426 Hemi could be dropped in. Only 283 Hemi R/Ts were built for the 1967 model year - a rare car indeed.
This Hemi Coronet R/T kit shares its engine, wheels, tires, and chassis with the Plymouth GTX kit released a couple of years ago. The body, hood, bumpers, grille, and windows are new, as is the interior Dodge upholstery. The only option in the kit is a choice of decals.
The parts are molded in white, chrome, and clear styrene. My windshield was packaged with the rest of the parts and was slightly scratched. Little cleanup of the parts is needed, and they fit well for the most part.
The top of the right rear quarter panel is slightly higher than the left, but it doesn't detract from the overall look. The raised ridges on the hood and trunk should be sharper, but the rest of the body looks good. A base for the radio antenna is molded onto the right front fender, but no antenna is provided.
I had a few assembly problems. While the chassis and drive train show good detail, my sample's drive shaft barely reached between the transmission and the differential.
The two-piece dashboard is tricky as you have to fill and sand a seam dangerously close to the speaker grille. The interior fit was poor, but improved after I cut away the rear side windows. If you want to keep those windows, shave off the bottom edge and dry-fit the interior until it fits properly. My sample's windshield was short and didn't quite reach the roof - perhaps a result of a slightly warped body.
There's an error in step six of the instructions. The arrow for the chrome taillights points to where the rear bumper should go. Of course the taillights go into the depression above the bumper.
The wild customizing decals shown on the box top were not typical of the era. I used the provided trim-stripe decals over an orange-red enamel finish and that looked more like the vintage R/T. The detail decals for the emblems are poor, so I left them off.
Overall, I like the Coronet R/T. It is simple enough for a novice to assemble, yet detailed enough for experienced MOPAR builders. I spent 30 hours on mine, but that includes sanding and polishing each of several coats of enamel.
Mike Dowd