Overview Since 1997, Taurus has won over 50 races, three championships, and a whole lot of believers. For 2002 two of the top drivers with Ford rides are Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin, sponsored respectively by UPS and Viagra. A three time Daytona 500 winner and the 1999 series champion, Dale has proven to be a solid consistent top 10 driver during the past two racing seasons. Driving the #88 Ford Taurus with sponsorship from United Parcel Service, Jarret is focusing on a strong 2002. Mark Martin has been one of the top drivers in both the NASCAR Cup and Grand National Series for over a decade. Mark is looking to rebound despite back surgery after the 2000 season. Perhaps it is his reputation as NASCAR's "marathon man" that landed Mark his new sponsorship by Pfizer pharmaceutical men's health care products! The Kits Since these two models are identical apart from decals, instructions, and box art, I'll cover them together. Each kit contains 103 parts molded in white and clear plastic along with black tires. The only parts loose in the box are the tires and glass so there is very little scuffing of the important clear pieces. The decals are covered with a protective sheet but past experience with other kit decals "protected" in this manner would suggest that this should be discarded as soon as possible. It's been a while since I've looked at a NASCAR kit but these appear to be typical of the earlier Monogram cars and very similar in execution. Detail is adequate but simplified, with much of it cast into the parts, making assembly easier for casual or inexperienced modelers. There's quite a bit of room for extra work by experienced detailers. The all-important body appears to capture the slab-sided look of the real thing compared to photos I've seen online but the engraving of the roof flaps is rough, needing block sanding prior to painting, and would probably require rescribing after being leveled out. It might be easier to just fill them in and replace the lost detail with aftermarket decals. Speaking of decals, both kits include some very impressive, and large, decal sheets. Strangely, the decals included in the UPS car are called out on the instructions as not being compatible with setting solutions or solvents, while the Viagra sheet supposedly is. Comparison of the two sheets indicates that their quality is identical so some careful testing is in order. The decals themselves look to be well printed though it's impossible to tell if the white is opaque enough to cover the dark-colored areas of the bodies. | 
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