THE VAN
This is one of the new Revell release products, ID 85-7221, of the Truck series. The Chevy Van received a big change with a redesign of the body and chassis at the beginning of the '70s. The engine was moved forward, the front end received a short nose with hood, the frame was a unibody style with dual A-Arm independent front suspension and stronger truck style hubs and brakes. Chevrolet offered V6 and V8 engine options and single or two-tone paint. These vans were quite popular as emergency vehicles, trades vans, and custom or standard vans. Some of them are still around now, and it's easy to spot them on the road, and after all these years they are still pretty cool vans. For these reasons this kit is a great release to have in your own collection.
THE KIT
The first thing you notice is the box art, with a nice picture of the van, and some information about it's history and the kit. On one side of the box there are three nice pictures of the finished model. On the other side you have more kit information such as the van's length (7-5/16"), the number of parts included (81, ) and that it's molded in white plastic and includes waterslide decals. You also find a skill level on the box, in this case Skill Level 2, which means this kit is an intermediate level and requires glue and paint, and is for modelers age 10 and up. Finally, we open the box. There is always this kind of magic when you open it... Inside there is one bag with all the white plastic parts, a bag with the chrome parts, one with the clear pieces, and a bag with the tires, instructions and decal sheet. The instructions are a 12 page booklet, very simple and easy to read. They include a little history of the van, a list of color recommendations, parts diagram, and a clearly illustrated construction sequence. Another nice touch are two full pages for decal placement for both versions, custom or work, which you can build with the kit. The body is solid and nice but a harder plastic than I expected. There is some flash that needs removal, but it's not a big deal.
You can build this kit in two ways, a work van or custom van. If you build it as work van, you will probably remove the fender flares and add a nice two piece trailer hitch. But if you build it as a custom van besides the fender flares you get a front spoiler and rear spare tire. On the inside of the roof there there is an impressions for cutting a sun roof, or a bubble roof for the back. The sunroof is not included in the kit, but you will find a clear bubble roof for the back. There is also a chrome antenna, that can be used in both versions. The interior is nice and simple in the cab, with two nice captain's chairs, nice dashboard and a sporty steering wheel. You also get a center console with cup holders, tape player and CB radio. These are some great details that make a difference on a model. Plus, they show very nicely inside the cab. This is a solid van, so the rear of it is very empty, so if you decide to cut all the doors, remember to build some interior in it.
The motor is a nice molded Chevy V-8 with chrome valve covers. The kit also includes two types of exhaust. One set is the stock version-nice if you build a working van. The other set is two chrome side pipes, more appropriate for a custom van. The chrome parts are nice with good detail and plating. The front grille on the center has an opening between the bars, like the real van, which is a nice detail. In the middle of the grille there is a nice Chevy logo, that you can paint, or just use one of the two decals that came with the kit. The wheels are chrome with nice detail and resemble the Chevy Rally wheels.
Last but not least are the decals. They are extremely well printed and provide custom and work van options. If you build the custom van, you can use the blue graphic for it, the Auto Crafter logo for the back doors, a blue Chevy logo for the front grille and custom license plates. If you don't like license plates you can use a license plate with a Chevy logo. For the Custom version there is a nice "For Sale" sign decal for the front windshield. If you build it as a working van, there are some very nice decals too-for a plumbing company-for the van's sides and the back of the van. You also get a gold Chevy grill emblem and regular license plates. Either way you build this van, those decals add a nice finishing touch.
CONCLUSION
This is a nice kit, a must have from the new releases. The plastic has some flashes here and there, but overall all the parts are very nice. The kit can be built custom, as work van, or many other ways: use your imagination! You will have fun no matter how you build it. I would like to thank Revell for providing the review sample.