Revell 1/24 scale 1970 Plymouth Duster Flashpoint Funny Car plastic model kit review

Many will recognize this kit and think of the Monogram 1/24 scale Tom Daniel 197X Duster “Cop Out” Funny Car, or some of you might even remember “The Mongoose” Tom McEwen Duster Funny Car kit. Now, you can add this version — Revell’s Flashpoint — to the list.

Inside you will see that Revell has continued to keep up with the expanded instructions. They provide paint suggestions and parts numbers and descriptions. Very cool.

The 426 Hemi engine with stack injectors and blower with front and back assembly to the manifold assembles without difficulty. After trimming the parts from the chrome tree, you may have to do some touch-up work on them. Some of the attachment points leave you with larger-than-normal bare plastic spots. Use your favorite chrome paint to cover them up.

The 426 seems slightly out of scale at 1/24, but the heads and valve covers look the part.

Funny Car chassis can be difficult, and the Flashpoint is no different. Pay attention to the hints in the instructions during the assembly. Lay out the two side rails first and slide the firewall (Part 15) into place without gluing it. If you glue this cross member in place, the Hemi engine will never fit properly inside with the rails.

Continue to attach the crossbars and front engine plate to the rails, keeping them on a level surface to square the chassis and prevent it from warping. Set the floorboard and frame bottom sections in place along with the front frame section (Part 11). Add the tank assembly to the chassis last.

With the chassis complete, slide the firewall as far back as you can. Work the engine back under the firewall, then forward into the front engine plate (Part 12). Now, glue the firewall in place. Slip the rubber drive belt over the bottom pulley and then around the top pulley.

When assembling the rear suspension, Part 16 can be troublesome to fit through the chassis. Be patient. And once it is set in place, you can drop the rear suspension into the chassis.

Similarly, the steering support bar with the gas pedal can also be tricky. Spread the frame open to place the steering support bar. The tabs on mine broke while trying to force it into place. Still, I was able to secure it without the tabs.

The front axle mounts to the frame, and both left and right front radius rods connect to the chassis. The steering linkage completes the work up front.

The front wheels and tires look the part, But the two-piece rear wrinkle tires are a slight disappointment. While they fit together, it took a lot of sanding to blend out the seam, and even then, I’m still not happy with their appearance. I would have preferred Revell upgrade these tires, and you might consider an aftermarket solution.

You’ll need to perform minor cleanup on the body and light bar. The windows fit perfectly.

The Flashpoint’s decals look cool! Even though they are larger decals, I had no issues with them—they laid down nicely and didn’t shatter.

It's good to see Revell breathe life back into this venerable kit with another iconic look. If you’re into drag racing, especially Funny Cars, Revell’s 1/24 scale 1970 Plymouth Duster “Flashpoint” will be a good addition to your collection.