Monogram 1/24 Tom Daniel Bad Medicine
By John D. Dutze
Subject
This model is a creation from designer Tom Daniel. It is a character oriented themed model with a driver figure of the Grim Reaper (however, it looks like a plain old skeleton). It is basically a show car dragster brought to life in model form by Monogram. It is a model that invites nothing but fun. It is a reissue and is a nice subject.
Model Parts
The model states that there are 60 parts within the box. The model sprue/trees have some flash, however, not much-on the edge of the car body, engine parts, skeleton body, and the chrome sprue. The model body has minimal mold seam lines that shouldn't be difficult to remove. The body has only 6 parts. I am amazed at the size of the one piece main body section. With so many cuts and shapes, I am amazed how Monogram molded this complex body in one piece. This in itself is an engineering marvel. The body is beautiful and perfectly executed. The body is molded very cleanly and is very, very solid, with good thickness throughout.
The other parts in the kit are really nice in weight and detail. The only drawback is that the chrome parts have a lot of flash within the wire wheel pieces. A little patience is the key to making the wheels as they should be. Because this is a reissue from the seventies, the rear tires are molded in two separate pieces with a molded-in flat spot to represent the tires as they take the load from starting at the line on the drag strip. Neat for the 70's; however I would recommend a nice pair of modern drag slicks to really make this model stand out. The tiny front tires are nice and have a Dunlop logo on the sides. There are no clear parts with this kit. The kit includes a nice skeleton driver and a steer skull for the front end of the car that adds a really nice touch.
The model instructions are an eight page list of details which include a parts list, paint letter code guide, guide to decal placement, assembly sequence and an icon key. First and foremost I need to address the new format that Revell has implemented for its instruction sheet. The instructions have changed significantly and are in my opinion more difficult and bothersome to follow.
The old instructions had everything listed, the part number with name of the part included alongside each other as the model was being built. There was no fumbling through the instruction sheet other than determining the recommended color to paint the parts. It would have been nice to include a copy of the original instruction sheet to make this reissue complete. The model details overall are great. Yeah, there are a few issues here and there; however, this kit is 41 years old. The decal sheet is excellent and very colorful.
Conclusion
I highly recommend this kit for any modeler. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it 10 out of 10 just for the fun theme and ease of this kit. This kit is one of the reasons we all started building models, it is still exciting and easy to build. It is a well-made kit that has stood the test of time and has a lot of potential for conversion and kit bashing. I have nothing else to say other than go and buy 2-3 of this kit because the next time it is reissued may be a long while from now. I would like to give a big thank you to Monogram for the reissue of this one, and I would like to thank Revell for providing the review sample. Amazing!
