Revell 1/25 scale 1971 "Stars and Stripes" Corvette

Kit: No. 2825
Scale: 1/25
Manufacturer: Revell, available from Revell-Monogram, 725 Landwehr Rd., Northbrook, IL 60062, 847-770-6100, www.revell-monogram.com
Price: $16.80
Comments: Injection-molded, 115 parts, decals
Pros: Striking subject, Cartograf decals
Cons: A few details incorrect

In the long racing history of the Corvette, a few cars really stand out. The SS, Grand Sport, and C5-R certainly make the list; the John Greenwood Corvettes are also right up there. Although this kit is one of Greenwood's early racecars, he would eventually build and race some of the wildest-looking Corvettes ever to hit the track. Greenwood and his co-driver, TV star Dick Smothers, raced the full-size version of this kit to a class victory at Sebring in 1971.

The kit itself is based on Revell/Monogram's Owens Corning racer, which was based on Revell's '68 roadster. Although this basic kit has been around awhile, my sample showed no excessive flash or blemishes. The parts are molded in white; a beautiful chrome-plated tree and crystal-clear parts are included too. The star of the kit is the decal sheet. Printed by Cartograf of Italy, all of the flag graphics are included, and they lay down wonderfully with patience and a tiny bit of solvent. Be aware that the numbers on the decal sheet do not match the numbers in the instruction sheet! Placement will be pretty self-explanatory if you use the box art as a guide.

The kit's body, chassis, and engine are well-detailed and go together easily. A nice set of racing headers and sidepipes are included, but the headers are a little tricky to install. They must go on after the body and chassis are mated, so be careful. The body has all of the stock emblems and marker lights molded on. These should be removed for the racing version. A new set of domed headlight covers are included, but the lights underneath are depicted by decals. They look so-so in my book; maybe an enterprising aftermarket company will produce a better set of lights. The flares on the rear fenders fit perfectly.

The interior is based on the stock tub but has racing components for just about everything else. The racing dash, seats, and roll bars are nicely done and look period correct, but with the excellent hardtop installed, the details are a little hard to see.

The biggest letdown of the kit is the wheels. All of my references show this car racing with Minilite wheels, not the Torque-Thrusts that are provided.

The most time-consuming task was applying the decals. Because of this, I would recommend this kit for moderately experienced builders. The kit was a pleasure to build, and it definitely stands out in my display case.

- Mark Melchiori