Revell's 1/25 Steve McQueen "Bullitt" Metal Body Cars By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Overview

There are bad cops and there are good cops - and then there's Bullitt.

Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen), a no-nonsense gutsy cop in San Fransisco, has been assigned to protect a Mafia witness. When this witness is killed, it's up to Bullitt to track down the killers, using his own brand of policework. This culminates in a spectacular car chase through the streets of San Fransisco between Bullitt in his '68 Mustang and the assassins in their '68 Charger.

Also starring in this movie is Robert Vaughn as Walter Chambers, a politician riding Bullitt's back; Jacqueline Bisset as Cathy, Bullitt's girlfriend; Robert Duvall in a short appearance as Weissberg the cab driver; and Norman Fell as Captain Baker. Directed by Peter Yates, this movie is high on action and slim on plot (you kind of know what's going to happen before you even get past the title), but the final car chase is spectacular and worth watching.

The Kits

Revell has released several kits from the 'Bullitt' movie, with two 1/25 collector's cars, two 1/25 metal body car kits, and two 1/64 die-cast collector cars.  The first two, being labeled as 'Collector's Kits', have no assembly required.  There are two vehicles in each of these series, one being McQueen's 1968 Ford Mustang, finished in a dark metallic green and the other being an all-black 1968 Dodge Charger.  The 1/25 Collector's Cars come with figures, with the Charger occupied with a driver & passenger and the Mustang having Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt standing outside.  Being collector kits, everything is sealed to their cardboard base with a preprinted backdrop.

If you are looking for a bit more in terms of modeling, you'll want to pick up the metal body kits.  The end result will be the same, but you'll be able to control the assembly and interior.  The '68 Charger comes with a nice pre-painted metal body, with the vinyl top being matte black while the rest is gloss black.  The chrome trim is painted silver, which doesn't exactly blend with the chrome plated bumpers, but still looks good.  Other detail painted parts on the body include the license plates and the 'Charger R/T' logo on the front and rear. 

The plastic parts really add a lot to this kit.  This is no basic model here, with a complete 440 Magnum under the hood and a detailed interior.  Most of the parts are molded in black plastic, although there is one sprue of chrome-plated parts and the exhaust pipes & mufflers have been sprayed silver.  The engine looks every bit like the 440 Magnum found under the hoods of Chargers, with the only real addition needed being the plug wires.  The one-piece interior tub includes the battery molded in with other details found under the hood, while the radiator is made up of two pieces and fits to the front of the one-piece chassis. 

Underneath, the front and rear suspension are separate pieces, with the drive train attached to the rear suspension piece.  The wheels are chromed and there is no detailing on the back side where they meet up with the axle.  Then again, this area isn't visible unless you pick the model up, so it's probably nothing to worry about.  Vinyl tires are standard, with no whitewalls, and a pair of metal axles are provided to run through the plastic pieces.

Inside the car is an excellent representation of a Charger insides, with the seat detailing being particularly well done.  The rear seats are molded in with the interior tub while the front seats are made up of seat fronts and backs.  Other nice details include a separate shifter, individual pedals for the gas, clutch, brake and parking brake, and a well-detailed steering wheel & column.  The one-piece dashboard incorporates these pedals as well as presenting raised instrument details & woodgrain.  The interior is finished off with a pair of sidewalls that add all the usual stuff to the sides of the doors.  Finally, all of this is put together with some metal screws.

Conclusion

If you're a Steve McQueen fan, or just like muscle cars from the late 60s, you'll definitely want to check these out.  Get the collector's kits if you just want a Charger or Mustang on your shelves fast, or take your time and build up the metal body kits. Either way you'll be pleased with the final results.

Our thanks to Revell-Monogram for the review sample.