Revell’s (Deal’s Wheels) Old School “Zzzzzzzz-28” Limited Edition By Ward Shrake

Background

Way back in the early- to mid-1970’s a cartoonist named Dave Deal worked with Revell to design nifty little caricature kits of 13 cars and 4 aircraft. This kit is a modern (May 2007) re-release of Deal’s cartoonized version of Chevrolet’s popular “Z-28 Camaro” musclecar: hence the use of both the “Deal’s Wheels” and “Old School” series names.

Revell also re-released one Deal’s Wheels airplane in April -- the Baron’s Funfdecker Fokker. Unless Revell’s buy-out by Hobbico has altered those plans, another car and plane are due out soonish. I plan to review more of the series, if they do come out. (The “1957 cHEVY” and “Spitsfire” both alluded me as a whippersnapper, so I can’t wait!)

Rather than try to recap the history of the series, I’ll just refer you to Tres Wright’s fan web site where you can see a wide range of build-ups of most of the Deal’s Wheels series … both straightforward “out of box” builds, as well as extensively modified models.

While these simple little caricature kits are an ideal gateway into our hobby, kids are not the only folks who like to build them. Adults also proudly build, customize, kit-bash or otherwise modify them. Just as a personal for instance: I bought two of these Zzzzzzzz-28 kits, to build them as a matched pair. One build will be fairly straightforward: a “tow car” for a fictional racing team. The other I’m currently Frankenstein-ing into becoming a mostly-period-correct 1970’s Camaro Funny Car. (Automotive editor Russell requested a full build-up article of the Zzzzzzzz-28 kit. I agreed to that with my tow car’s build-up, as that one will be relatively quick. The other one may or may not take me “many moons”?)

In the Box

The pictures of the sprues tell most of the story: fairly big parts, and not many of them. There are 44 parts total. The wheels, tires and axles alone account for nearly half of that: 8, 8 and 2 respectively. If you count the 4 parts included for a driver figure - two head halves plus two hands, without any other parts to go with them – then you’ve already assembled half of this kit. It’s a pretty simple kit to assemble, even for youngsters. Even more so once you consider repetition: after you know how to assemble one wheel, the next three will be easy. Having built all of these kits that I could obtain as a youngster, I feel they would make an ideal “make-and-take” intro to building car or figure models. The brightly-colored “Why would I take time to paint it?” plastic doesn’t hurt, either.

Packaging was first-rate. The orange, chrome and clear plastic sprues all came in their own protective bags, and I didn’t notice any damage done to either of my two kits.

Part #23 (middle of the chrome sprue) is delicate enough that young or impatient fingers may break it. You may wish to consider that part optional? No sense making youngsters feel bad about their first builds. Other than that, the whole kit is finger-assembly friendly.

Part #5 isn’t mentioned in the instructions. It’s an optional steering wheel, in case you choose not to include the driver figure. Tres tells me that the 1970’s and 1995 instruction sheets say so; but for some reason the 2007 instruction sheet does not mention that part.

The only annoying glitch for older modelers will be the headlights. There’s a mold defect that results in a raised ring that shouldn’t be there, right in the big middle of the simulated glass. Other than replacing both headlights, there isn’t much you can easily do about it.

Fans old and new will appreciate having Deal’s original style instruction sheets -- it just wouldn’t be the same experience without “Big Deal’s” humor and artwork.

Decals

While this kit is largely unchanged from the 1970 release – much to the delight of Deal’s Wheels fans! – the improved decal sheet is a very thoughtful and welcome upgrade. The kit includes a small, nicely done sheet of waterslide decals -- racing stripes, in either black or white. Tres tells me older releases of the kit only had the black ones. Having the white ones available opens new possibilities for paint jobs; and as such, is a really nice touch. (See Jim “Good Stuff, Inc.” Johnson’s burnout diorama on Tres’ site: it uses the new white decals on a green Zzzzzzzz-28.) A waxy cover sheet guards the decals from shipping damage. For extra protection, they were tucked inside the folded instructions.

Conclusion

What’s not to like about fun little kits that don’t cost very much?! ($10 to $16 depending on how well you shop.) They’re a great entry-level kit for youngsters. For modelers of all ages they could be a non-intimidating way to try your hand at building and painting a figure. (Try using acrylic paints along with chalk pastels: you might be surprised at the results.) Out of the box, it can be a quick weekend build or a fun change of pace … or you could go ballistic with radical modifications: your choice. Highly recommended!