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Jaguar E-Type (07668) 1:24


Mike

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Jaguar E-Type (07668)

1:24 Revell

 

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The E-Type is perhaps Jaguar’s best-known type, and was one of their most successful too.  Based on, but very different from their D-Type racer, it introduced a number of modern features that we take for granted today, such as a monocoque-type body that removed the weight and bulk of a ladder-chassis, adding disc brakes, a powerful engine, and a modern steering rack that gave the driver excellent feedback on which to judge their performance.  It was beloved by purchasers, and even competitors, one of whom rated it as the most beautiful car ever made.  It retained its popularity through the years and there are still many examples on the road, and even a replica that costs many hundreds of thousands more than the original - go figure.  It was in production from 1961 to ’75, known as the XK-E in the USA, and was available first overseas, with drop-top and coupé versions, a choice of engines, fit and finish, and the occasional special edition throughout the Series, which extended from 1 to 3 with over 72,000 made before it was replaced by the “Marmite” XJ-S that polarised Jag lovers, although time seems to have softened the opinions of those that disliked it initially, as did the improvements over the years before it too was replaced by the soap-bar shaped XK8.

 

 

The Kit

This is a brand-new tooling from Revell, and we’ve had news of it coming for a wee while now, and there’s been a lot of discussion on our forum for one, so probably elsewhere too.  Yes, I’m insular, I can’t help it 😊  Now that it’s here we can have a look in the box and see what all the hubbub has been about.  It arrives in one of those end-opening boxes, and inside are three sprues in light grey/green styrene, two in “chrome”, two sprues and two body parts in red, two clear sprues, four flexible black “rubber” tyres, a decal sheet, instruction booklet and a helpful safety sheet.  It’s a colourful model even before you get your paintbrush out, and while some of you folks might not like the chrome out of the box, we’re not all perfectionists, and it can be removed pretty easily, although I can’t for the life of me remember how at time of writing.  While we’re on the subject of Chrome, you should see the new Mirror paint from Stuart Semple.  It’s pretty pricey, but it’s damn good, and you can see a little bit about it on my recent build of Sputnik-1 here.  Sorry about that diversion – I’ve got a thing about that paint, and Stuart’s awesome.

 

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You get ONE bodyshell, I just thought you'd like to see it from a couple of angles.

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It’s a thoroughly modern tooling, but there are a few ejection marks that you might want to cover up if you’re putting the effort in.  My sample had a few small scratches on the wing stubs due to it being packaged with the bonnet/hood in the same bag.  There are also a few tiny sink-marks here and there around the roof too, so get to work on those before you start building in earnest so that they don’t bite you later.  The inside of the roof also has a strange raised serpentine pattern to it that is reminiscent of an ants’ burrow, and might show up under the coat of dark grey paint you’re advised to apply.  Getting that flatted back might also be an idea in case your viewers have a habit of getting into the dark areas of your models.

 

Construction begins with the engine block, which comes as two halves with the transmission moulded in, and has the sump and rocker cover added, then the ancillaries, fan-belt, and the exhaust manifold with six-into-two downpipes.  At the rear is a differential, drive-shafts and suspension-link, bookended front & rear by a pair of formers.  The suspension units either side of the diff are covered by the lower swing-arms, the it’s time for the twin exhausts and their mufflers to be made up, then added under the chassis once the engine has been popped in between the front rails, so that the manifold and pipes can be mated.  The framework under the bonnet is next, getting painted along the way, then being put to the side while the firewall and front brakes/steering are inserted into the chassis.  A pair of drop-links slip in between the bottom of the brake assembly, gluing into the top of the bonnet framework, then it’s time to fill the bonnet/hood with stuff!  The triple-carbs are fed by the airbox, with a choice of left and right hand steering boxes, battery, radiator and a bunch of other little ancillaries that festoon the area.

 

Moving back indoors, you can choose the right- or left-hand drive, with decals appropriate for each, plus pedal-box and steering-wheel fitted underneath in your choice of positions.  The centre console is made up with a central shifter, and a handed hand-brake, so make sure you drill out the correct hole in the underside before you proceed with the gluing.  One of the appealing features of the E-Type was its practicality, which included a fair luggage space, depicted by an internal skin and bulkhead piece that will be painted black and glued in the rear of the floor along with a modesty panel then decaled with the chrome décor strips, and a couple of little chrome handles low down in the front of the cab and some decal vents that they operate.  The dash slides in and locates on some pegs and ledges in the floor, then the two door cards are detailed with handles and window-winders, both of which are chromed.  Unexpectedly, they attach to the sills of the floor pan, and are then joined by the two seats, which are each single parts and have nicely moulded cushion details included.  They look strange to modern eyes though with the lack of head rests and seat belts.

 

Even a Jag won’t go anywhere on its own without wheels, and these are next to be made up.  The flexible tyres have a cruciform sprue arrangement in the centre that must be cut out with a sharp blade, then in the front the chromed hub and spokes are inserted, which should look good with a dark wash to bring out the spokes.  There’s a separate hammer-on locking nut as is appropriate for the era, then at the rear is a simple hub with a hole in the centre and a cap that will glue onto the axle, leaving the wheel able to rotate if you’re frugal with the glue.  With four of those done it’s time to prep the bodyshell, paint it, paint the interior a dark grey, add the chrome rear-view mirrors and then flex it to install it on the floor pan.  The slightly contentious front windscreen is next, with the chromed bezel added first, but there are some sprue-gates on the sides that will either need touching in, or stripping and repainting, depending on your feelings on the task.  The windscreen slips in from the exterior, then the rest of the glazing is fitted, again from the outside, requiring a fine line of silver paint around the edges before you insert them into the frames.  More chrome parts with clear inserts make up the rear light clusters, joined by the rear bumper halves and a central clear reversing light, then a pair of chrome bumper overriders, and a choice of EU or US number plate frame.

 

The E-Type is well-known for its gigantic bonnet, which takes up a large proportion of the front end, and makes pulling out of some junctions fun.  The underpinnings are made up first, with the lights inserted into the front bulkhead, which is then fitted into a frame that holds the bonnet to shape once it is glued in place in the huge panel.  The curved lower is then put in place below, and as this is a separate part on the real thing, you can leave the seamline there as it's mostly occluded by the bumpers anyway, unless your references show otherwise.  There is a choice of colour for the light “tunnel”, using either body colour, silver or black, so while you have your references out you might want to check that too.  With the paint choice decided, the chrome bezels and clear lenses are glued in, and the indicators join them with chrome base and clear lenses.  The front bumpers are also fitted as halves, then joined together by adding the central section with moulded-in overriders that hide the join between the three parts.  There is another choice of EU or US plate frames, which glue to the lower lip of the oval intake under the bumpers.  More chrome is added in the shape of wing mirrors with clear lenses, an aerial at the centre of the roof 1.5mm aft of the windscreen frame, three small windscreen wiper blades, and door handles to finish off the model.

 

 

Markings

Many of the supplied decals are used up in the cockpit, providing a comprehensive set of dials and instruments for the interior, a number within the engine bay, and smaller details around the vehicle, including meshes, grilles and stencils.  In general, someone has taken a lot of time and effort to create a set of decals that really drills down into the detail, from filler cap logos to shock absorber badges, alternator shell cut-out patterns and battery filler caps – remember the non-sealed batteries that needed topping up with deionised water from time to time?  The rest of the decals are number plates from various countries, plus a set of generic E-Type plates for showroom examples.  A few “driving abroad” country stickers round out the sheet if you feel the urge to apply one.

 

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There is one colour option shown on the instructions, which is red, but you’re at liberty to paint it any colour you like.  Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas.

 

Conclusion

This is a modern kit of a classic car, and has plenty of detail moulded-in for the detail hound to finesse and add to.  The decal sheet is excellent, and if you can live with the slight issue with the front windscreen angle and curve, it’s a great kit.  I’ve taped the screen in position myself and stared at it comparing it with pictures of the real thing, and it’s a very slight difference in shape from what I can make out.

 

Very highly recommended.

 

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Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

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Lovely fitting kit with a lot of nice detail, let down by very poor moulding of some parts, sink marks/rough finish large sprue points. Not exactly what you would expect from a new mould nowadays,even from Revell.

The decals are lovely and go down really well

Bleech fetches the chrome off really easy, good job as it's terrible, left the chrome on the wheels and with a wash do look suprisingly very good for solid mouldings.The front screen surround wasn't the best fit and mine was broken due to the way it was packed, if building another, which I probably will, I'd glue it in place before I spray the body and use bare metal foil after.

Just finishing it off now ready for the rfi

 

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  • 3 months later...
On 06/01/2021 at 21:53, Pete in Lincs said:

I thought I'd previously read comments about the screen.

So have I; specifically that the screen is for a roadster, and not the taller unit for the fixed head coupe.

 

On another point, the tyres look to me like Michelin XWX radials, and not the Dunlop crossplies that the 3.8l cars were sold with.

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It was not before time that Revell replaced their old 1960's vintage kit as the moulds were getting quite worn from the re releases down the years. I think it may have been a roadster version and in 1/25th scale.

I have read some differing opinions about this new 1/24th scale kit and am sure that there will be some comparisons made with other manufacturers offerings like Gunze and Heller's.

The E Type is one of the most beautiful cars ever made and should be the subject to a good kit or two. 

What surprises me is that Tamiya have never done an E Type in 1/24th Scale, as they did a Mk2 Saloon in the past.

There was a 1/24 th scale roadster kit in white metal by SMTS (Scale Model Technical Services) that is a complex kit and now quite rare as it was a limited edition kit. They made an AC Cobra kit as well. A bit of a deviation from their usual 1/43rd scale kits.

 

The new Revell kit is sure to please, and a very welcome kit of this iconic motor car!

Edited by Noel Smith
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