Internet Modeler : First Look : Automotive RSS News Feed

Revell 1/25 American Graffiti Die-Cast Cars

By Michael Benolkin

Revell recently released the American Graffiti series of cars in their Metal Body line-up. These cars were standard kits that featured a beautifully finished metal body. With the body finish done, there was little work left to do in order to have a completed model. Could this get any easier?

Well, the answer is now YES! Revell has released all three American Graffiti cars as pre-built offerings. A great pre-painted figure is also included with each car that is also a nice representation from the now-classic movie of the same name.

There are three cars in this series:

1956 Ford Thunderbird driven by the mysterious blonde (Suzanne Sommers)

1955 Chevy Street Machine driven by the character 'Bob Falfa' (Harrison Ford)

1932 Ford Duece Coupe driven by the character 'John Milner' (Paul Le Mat)

Each car is really a pre-built version of the metal body kit. From initial inspections, they've been rather nicely done too. The chassis, interior and details are pre-finished styrene plastic, but the finish on the metal body is great.

What is even more interesting is the figure that is included in each of the three cars. The waitress figure, for instance, is a good example of the stunning detail that each figure features. I believe the figures are either cast resin or similar material and each is hand-painted in China. These are keepers!

Whether you are a fan of this classic movie or not, these three cars are great additions to your scale automotive collection. If you insist on building them yourself, the unassembled versions are also available minus the great figures. On the otherhand, if you have as much spare time as I've had lately, it wouldn't hurt to cheat this once and get the pre-built versions on your shelf. I won't tell...

My sincere thanks to Revell-Monogram for these review samples!