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2022 Corvette C8 Coupé (07714)

1:25 Carrera Revell

 

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After WWII General Motors subsidiary Chevrolet developed a sports coupé concept into a production car following a good reception at their 1953 show, with solid sales ensuring its continuation.  Each year subtle changes were made until a new generation was ready to supplant the ageing design.  By generation three, referred to as C3, which was made from 1968 to 1982, the look of the car had changed substantially to a smaller, sleeker two-seater, about which Prince was probably dreaming about when he wrote Little Red Corvette, a song released in 1983.

 

The C3 was based on their concept car, utilising many of the internal components of the C2, but replacing the engines with a slightly larger unit pushing out the same BHP, which gave additional leeway for tuning.  Engine sizes and output changed as the years went by, with optional small- and big-block engines, plus a host of other options such as power windows and side exhaust options, while the introduction of unleaded fuel and catalytic converters put a bit of a crimp in their performance for a while.  We’re currently on C8 at time of writing, introduced in 2020 with a rear-mid engine layout in a choice of 5.5L or 6.2L in V6 or V8 forms and a variety of outputs in each production year.   Price increases came along with the new product years, reflecting “supplier cost increases”, although sales of the unusual Right-Hand Drive (RHD) variant have been strong regardless, but folks with Corvette type money are seldom affected by financial crises.  In addition to the standard Coupé bodyshell, a Targa and retractable hardtop are available, offering plenty of choices to the discerning sports car enthusiast, along with many trim, and accessory options to push the price further north.

 

 

The Kit

This is a new tool from Revell in their more US-centric 1:25 scale, which may lose them the occasional sale in other territories, but will doubtless compensate with sales in the US where the Corvette is produced.  The kit arrives in an end-opening box, and inside are eleven sprues of various sizes and a bodyshell in white styrene, two sprues of clear parts, a cruciform sprue of flexible black tyres, decal sheet, and instruction booklet printed in colour on white paper, with colour profiles on the rear for the decal option.  Detail is good, the 144 parts should result in a level of realism, and the holographic GM Official product sticker on the box should help in that regard, as well as keeping you transfixed for a few seconds while you move it around admiring the apparent depth.

 

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Construction begins with the engine, starting with the combined block and transmission, which is formed from two halves, adding detail parts top and bottom to hide the seams, plus the end of the transmission, building a three-part assembly with serpentine belts moulded-in to hide the front seam.  Ancillaries and drive-shafts are fitted to the sides, mounting two four-part cylinder head banks with exhaust manifolds to the diagonal surfaces of the block, putting the motor to one side while building the front axle, which consists of three-part hubs with brake-discs and callipers moulded-in, plus a steering linkage that is pushed into position without glue, leaving the glue off the centre part on each hub if you wish the wheels to remain mobile.  The front arch liners have a two-part strut inserted in a recess during detail painting, and both assemblies are mounted on the floor tray along with the front axle and two swing-arm covers on the underside.  The rear arches are built in a similar manner but without the linkage below the struts, installing the motor on pegs at the rear of the floor, fixing the exhaust muffler to the very rear, then mounting the hubs and arch liners over the moulded-in swing-arms and locating the drive-shafts in the rear of the hub assemblies.  The split radiators are located in the front of the floor tray on lugs, forward of the front arches, making the steering column from two corrugated halves, and the underside of the air intake manifold that is laid between the twin cylinder banks, adding a two-part box to the front, which has a scrap diagram showing how the hoses mate with the engine.  Heat-deflectors are installed over the manifolds, following which attention turns to the interior of the car.

 

The two seats appear to be based upon those fitted in the GT2, and are made from front and rear parts, but you’ll need to fabricate your own belts if you feel the need.  They are installed in the interior tub along with a centre console and rear detail insert, choosing the appropriate console part depending on whether you intend to build the LHD or RHD variant of the car.  The decals applied to the console are identical, as are those of the floor mats and central parcel shelf stowage bin, detail painting the interior as you go.  The dashboard choice requires different parts with their own instrument binnacle coaming, but uses the same decals, and three-part steering wheel with paddle shifters.  The door card parts are the same for both options, swapping the decals for each side as appropriate after more detail painting.  The two-part scuttle panel has holes drilled at opposite ends for Left- or Right-hand drive options, and the two wiper blades are reversed, ensuring that you remove the overflow tabs on each one before painting.  Your choice of scuttle panels, door cards and dash assemblies are installed in the tub, and the purists may decide to fabricate some foot pedals if they think they’ll be seen from outside.

 

Painting of the bodyshell is shown being completed before adding any of the detail parts, following which various trim parts, two-layer front light clusters and intake trunks are applied to the shell from the both sides, which includes the sun visors and rear-view mirror, rear window in a fairing, and a cowl that covers the dirty parts of the engine compartment.  The completed cab is inserted from below, the location points noted with large red arrows on the instruction step, followed by lowering the growing assembly onto the floor tray in the next step.  The rear bumper has two-layer light clusters and grilles inserted, adding twin pipes below each cluster, and a choice of square or rectangular number plates, depending on where your Corvette will live.  The completed assembly is fixed to the rear of the vehicle, mirroring the number plate installation at the front whilst adding more grilles below, covering the headlights with clear lenses, and installing the windscreen from the front.  An insert that is painted body colour is inserted over the rear roll-over bar, painting the verge of the rear windscreen before installing it, and adding two-part windows on both sides.  The targa roof panel is also painted body colour, while the splitter under the front bumper is painted black to match many of the other trim parts such as the spoiler over the rear, and the supports for the twin door mirrors that have separate mirror parts that you’ll need to paint with your preferred chrome paint, doing the rear-view mirror at the same time.  The top cover of the air intake manifold is also painted body colour, as are the wing mirror shells, adding decals to the former, and applying some decals to the right side of the engine bay during installation.

 

Your Corvette isn’t going anywhere without wheels, which are separate pairs of different sizes, painting the rims gloss black and detailing the studs in silver.  Each one has a flexible black tyre flex-fitted over the rim, applying a decal to the centre boss to complete them, gluing them into the relevant arch carefully to leave them mobile… for no reason of course, as it would be childish to brmmmm your model around your desk after completion.

 

 

Markings

There is only one example shown on the profiles, but you can build your ‘Vette any colour you like, but there are a number of real colours that were applicable to the 2022 variant if you intend to go for realism.  Bright red appears on the profiles, and there are number plate options for several countries including Germany, Netherlands, UK, Belgium, France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and of course America, with a Hawaiian plate that has a rainbow background.  From the box you can build the following:

 

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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.  The carbon fibre decals for the roof have a more matt carrier film however, so check your references to establish whether they’ll need a coat of gloss to finish.

 

 

Conclusion

A well-detailed kit of this American Muscle Car that can be seen elsewhere in the world with the appropriate steering wheel location. 1:25 isn’t too far from 1:24, so it shouldn’t put off too many buyers, as it’s an attractive car.

 

Highly recommended.

 

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

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