The Automobile
The Saleen S281 was based on the popular Ford Mustang GT. The S281 took its name from its twin supercharged and intercooled 4.6 litre single overhead cam engine. This V-8 provided up to 435 horsepower with 4 pounds of boost. The S281 was quick with a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds, and a quarter mile time of 12.6 seconds with a terminal speed of 107 MPH. Saleen's customized bodywork produced a distinctive, muscular variation on the standard Mustang, and numerous options helped set the S281 apart from the muscle car crowd.
The Kit
This kit is part of the Testors Rad Rides of the Road series. The kit comes in a stout cardboard box with a photo of the completed model on top. This is a unpretentious curbside kit with simplified detail. It consists of 21 parts, 3 of which are clear. These parts are attached to individually bagged sprues which is a nice touch. The interior is comprised of 4 parts-2 seats, dashboard and interior tub. The gear shifter is integrally molded with the tub. The dash is nicely molded but lacks any instrument face detail. The underside approximates the underside of a car but that's about it. The tires are poor and are more appropriate for a farm implement than a Mustang. There are no chrome parts. The instructions are well illustrated with a logical, easy to follow build sequence.
The body has minimal mold lines and a minor amount of flash confined to the inside edge of the driver's side of the windshield. The windshield wipers are integrally molded to the clear window insert and the separate mirrors are nicely executed. The decals are cleanly printed, legible, in register and include all of the relevant Saleen scripts. The final touch is 3 pots of acrylic paint and a paint brush. The colors are 2 pots of flat black and 1 of silver. Have fun!
Accuracy
The website Mustang Heaven lists the following dimensions for the 2006 S281: the wheelbase is 107.1 inches, the length is 189.1 inches, the width is 74.0 inches, and the height is 56.0 inches. Some details are missing, such as the driver's side gas cap filler door, and the rear bumper's recessed Saleen script.This last detail is provided on the decal sheet and it's not convincing. From a visual perspective there doesn't appear to be enough sheet metal between the front of the front wheelwell and the side edge of the headlight covers. The top of the door also appears to have slightly too much slope. But it looks like a Saleen S281 and that is what is important.
Conclusions
The side of the box claims that the kit can be built in 15 minutes and I don't doubt it. However, I would take a little more time with the kit. I think that with some detail painting and patient assembly one can assemble a convincing replica of the Saleen S281 Mustang. I suffer from an advanced case of AMS-Advanced Modeler's Syndrome-and I have already spent more time researching the car than it should take to build the kit! The target audience would have already finished this model and would be on the next project. This is a perfect opportunity for AMS sufferers to set that aside and actually build something. I recommend this kit, and I purchased my review sample at Skyway Model Shop.
References:
1) https://www.mustangheaven.com/stangspecs/saleen/2006_saleen_s281coupe.htm