Another C8 Corvette by Revell

[mrm]

Well, after seeing the model here on the forums, I ordered one. It arrived earlier today (or is it yesterday now). I was actually super excited about it. I have way too many projects I'm trying to finish and the last thing on earth I need is yet another one. But I could not help it and started looking into it and mocking things up. Before you know it I was gluing the engine together... So what the heck, I'll build it. 

   Let me tell you my first impressions. This is a really high quality kit. It is not quite Tamiya precision, but it is the closest Revell has ever gotten. The engineering is top notch and parts fit very well with very little cleaning or none at all. The engine is very detailed and it is really a shame that once build, none of that detail would be seen. This is actually one of the reasons why I don't mind adding it to my list of current projects. It is the perfect model to build straight from the box and enter in box stock class at shows, because just like on the real car, everything is hidden. Revell have still done an amazing job with the detail and engineering. Like some engine parts which could be molded together are done as separate pieces, just so they could be painted separately so paint detail can be executed with ease. That goes for the body and interior also. Having both right hand drive dash and center console and left hand drive is a very rarely seen option in kits and is a pleasant surprise. 

    The second thing that impressed me are the wheels and tires. Again not quite Tamiya level threads on the tires, but getting there. Actually there is a little detail that is better than Tamiya/Fijimi/Aoshima on the wheels tire assembly. And that is the little groove on the inside of the tires, which first does not allow you to put the tire on the wheel in the wrong direction and then makes that annoying inner edge on the wheel sink in and sit flush. I love it. 

   Third thing that is impressive is the decal sheet. The choice of two different stripes aside, it is a very well thought out decal sheet without being big or confusing. For example it offers three different "stitching" options for the emblems on the headrests of the seats, meaning you can have different color emblems for different color interiors. The decals on the engine cover give you two different color options for silver or black panels with contrasting "Corvette" script, but what is very cool is there is also a plain "Corvette" script, so if you want to color match the panels you can still have the emblems on it. There are four different main screen configurations for the dash and four different center console screen configurations, which means there are 16 different display configurations you can chose from. They're also British, Australian, Japanese and American license plates plus the "showroom" Vette plates. Best of all, most of the decals include a spare. For the seats there are three headrest emblems from each color. For brake calipers there are five decals in each of the two color choices. Same with all the emblems. And since the third brake light is a decal, there are two red ones, but also two tinted black ones if that's the route you would like to take. 

    The only thing I believe Revell should really work on improving are the instructions. Some parts are vaguely pointed where they go or how they attach. I personally have no problem figuring it out, but I can see a lot of people being confused. Especially inexperienced builders. Still, overall I can definitely say that Revell has knocked it out of the ball park with this kit. The manner in which everything is done in my opinion shows that Carrera/Revell are clearly aiming at the Japanese competition. Now I just have to decide what color to make it.

 

Edited August 16, 2024 by mrm

[customline]

Thank you for that very informative review!  ? 

[Rich Chernosky]

Michael...thank you for the well thought out review. Very informative. I have been on a Revell kick myself lately and it is nice to see them step up their game.  The only problem I see is now I may want one myself <G> 

[mrm]

53 minutes ago, Rich Chernosky said:

Michael...thank you for the well thought out review. Very informative. I have been on a Revell kick myself lately and it is nice to see them step up their game.  The only problem I see is now I may want one myself <G> 

[mrm]

I went ot work on this kit right away, pushing all my other projects to the side. I can't explain it myself, but I have not ben this excited about a new kit in a long time. I don't even know why, as I am not a fan of the real car and I have plenty other models to work on. It is going to be a simple build, straight from the box. I am tempted to add some carbon fiber decals and different wheels, but I think I'll menage to resist. LOL.

  First the engine. In this case most of it is going to be completely hidden, which is a shame really, as Revell did an amazing job with all it's details. It consists of 23 separate parts, not counting headers, axles or heat shields. I did some research and pretty much everything is aluminum color. So I assembled the whole unit before paint, to be sprayed all together, as it will be a lot easier.

 

The headers are made of two pieces each and they get together into the cat/exhaust pipes, which are made up of two pieces each also. The instructions show you to to put together the headers and then glue them to the heads, before butting the heads on the engine. There are not very good location pins on either the heads nor the headers and I consider this assembly and its instructions to be pretty much the only weak point of this kit. I always study the instructions in detail before I start a kit I'm not familiar with. Not because I really need them, but to gain a better understanding of how the kit is engineered, so I can create my own plan of assembly and paint. So I mocked up all the pieces and decided that is would make my life considerably easier if I assembled the headers and cat pipes and glue them together first. This will make painting these parts a lot easier too. 

 

Same logic was used on the plenum and air filter. This is a four piece assembly, which I chose to glue together before paint. On the stock car, everything in this assembly would be plastic black. I am thinking about color matching the plenum cover, so maybe I should have left just that piece separate, but oh well...

 

The chassis consists of basically a floor plate with lower control arms molded in and four fender wells, to which the upper control arms and shocks attach. The instructions call for the pieces in the wells to be assembled first and then the wells glued to the plate. I disagree with that sequence and glued the wells onto the plate first. This will help align the shocks with lower control arms better, while it will not complicate final assembly. Save for threading the steering rod and rear axles through the slots, which is why I understand the sequence in the instructions. Gluing the wells to the plate first also will help tremendously with the painting and with the strength of the assembly. 

 

The body is comprised of the main shell, separate pieces for the side intakes, targa roof, the "halo" behind it, rear hatch and the rear bumper. I glued the side intakes, the halo and the rear bumper together right away, so I can paint them all together. These pieces had to be molded separately due to limitation of angles. But there is no reason why should they be painted separately before assembly. As I always do with all my kits, I re-scribed all panel lines with the back of an exacto blade and sanded everything smooth with a Tamiya 600 grid sponge. Now the body is ready for primer. 

 

I took these shots of the engine assembly after primer, to show the excellent detail. This engine looks like it came out of a Tamiya kit. 

 

Off to paint we go...

[mrm]

Quite a bit achieved today. 

First the chassis plate was primed and then shot with Tamiya Matt Black.

 

All engine components were shot with Tamiya Matt Black, then the engine assembly received a couple of coats of Tamiya Gloss Aluminum.

 

All the interior pieces received a couple of coats of SEM paint in my favorite leather color. This was shot straight from the can into bare plastic. SEM does not like primers or other paint, while it does not attack plastic. It could be used as primer, as it can handle almost anything applied over it. 

 

That stuff literally cures in 15 minutes, which made me put a quick interior mock up.

 

Meanwhile all the exhaust components were covered with tamiya Matt Black followed by Tamiya Silver Leaf. That stuff is really shiny and a lot brighter than the Gloss Aluminum. When dry, the headers were masked off.

 

All the exhaust components have a particular weird looking finish on all the pictures I've seen on the net. To mimic it, I sprayed Tamiya Smoke over the Silver Leaf, which gave me exactly the finish I was looking for. The little piece of the muffler that is molded into the chassis plate was carefully masked off and treated the same way as the other parts. It's a shame really, as pretty much all of that will be hidden from view once the model is finished. 

 

The exhaust pipe assemblies received brass rods as lokating pins to ease instalation later on. 

 

All control arms were painted Tamiya Bare Metal Silver, while the shocks received some Gloss Aluminum and Semi-Gloss black. All the parts were first painted Tamiya Matt Black as a base, including the axles, which had the shafts done in gloss black, while the rubber boots were left flat. 

 

The floor plate was color detailed and all the suspension was installed. 

 

The engine received a nice black wash from Tamiya and some paint detailing.

 

And then the drivetrain and the exhaust were installed in the chassis. Pretty nice detailed package. Such a shame it will be hidden.

 

On a stock Corvette the entire plenum, air filter assembly and engine cover are just plain black plastic. However there are plenty of options to dress up your engine in 1:1. I wanted the engine cover to pop and not just disappear. So, the air filter box was painted Tamiya Semi_Gloss Black, while the engine cover was sprayed with Tamiya Mica Blue and the plenum underneath was painted aluminum. Decals were applied and I have to say that I am impressed with their quality. 

 

I painted the valve covers in the same MIca Blue and installed the induction. Now it looks "money". 

 

And those beautifully detailed headers, completely disappear under the heat shields, which actually doesn't matter, as after the model is complete we won't be able to see the heat shields either. 

 

The disc brakes were painted with Tamiya Silver Leaf. The calipers were done in Tamiya Yellow and then detailed with the provided decals. Cool thing is Revell gives you five of these in case you mess one up. And they provide five more decals in white lettering with red detail in case you want your calipers black. Cool stuff. 

 

The radiators were painted with Tamiya Bare Metal Silver and detailed with Tamiya black wash. After putting them in place and gluing the brakes, the chassis/drive train is now complete. The only reason why it is not sitting on its wheels/tires is that wheels are still curing. 

 

Next will be the interior, which I will tackle tomorrow or the following days. Today I just managed to spray on "the carpet". It is my favorite solution for carpets when I don't want to use flocking. It's a cheap Texture paint from Walmart by Krylon. It comes in three or four different colors. This one is called Textured raw clay.

 

Not bad for a day's work me thinks...

Edited August 19, 2024 by mrm

[Mattilacken]

Nice build! Looks like a good kit for sure! 

[mrm]

13 hours ago, Mattilacken said:

Nice build! Looks like a good kit for sure! 

Thank you. It is a very nice indeed. I would highly recommend it to anyone. 

[John B.]

Looks like you're off to a great start!

[rv1963]

Looking good Michael, I like the textured paint idea.

[mrm]

On 8/19/2024 at 6:42 PM, John B. said:

Looks like you're off to a great start!

Thank you John. I just have to paint the body and I’ll be on the home stretch. 

 

On 8/19/2024 at 9:01 PM, rv1963 said:

Looking good Michael, I like the textured paint idea.

I stumbled upon it fee years back. Krylon used to make a cool craft “mini” spray cans that were called suede. They had the perfect micro texture to imitate alcantara in scale. I was trying to find a can, altho I knew it was discontinued. That’s when I stumbled upon this stuff, which back then I just bought to try. It is too coarse and not uniform enough to use for alcantara or vinyl tops, but I’ve been using it for “carpet” ever since. If you are building a model to enter in a box stock class at a show where flocking is not allowed, this is your ticket. I believe Krylon makes it also in black, grey and maybe like brick red. 

[Nitro330]

Awesome work Michael and I really appreciate your in-depth review of the kit!  I will be buying one soon.  Also like the idea of the smoke sprayed over the silver leaf, looks great.

[mrm]

2 hours ago, Nitro330 said:

Awesome work Michael and I really appreciate your in-depth review of the kit!  I will be buying one soon.  Also like the idea of the smoke sprayed over the silver leaf, looks great.

Thank you and you're welcome, Terry.

You won't be disappointed from the kit.

I really wanted to build this kit and I do want it to come out good but I am not afraid to experiment on it. And the Smoke over Silver Leaf was exactly that. I wasn't sure what the effect would be, but I like it and will definitely use it again. My parts were sprayed straight from the can and not airbrushed. And my Smoke can nozzle was not right, as it has been used numerous times before. If decanted and properly airbrushed on, the effect of the smoke over the silver would be more controlled and probably a little less would look even better. 

[mrm]

As I have said earlier, I am trying some new things with this build. I have heard a lot about different chrome finishes and the never ending pursuit of creating a realistic AND durable finish. Something I have run across few times was the Revell chrome spray can, which has received some great reviews. When I stopped by the only hobby shop anywhere near me (still an hour away) a couple months back, I noticed three cans of the Revell chrome. I picked one up and was ready to check out, when I saw that it is $30 per spray can. I decided that this is too rich for my blood and put it back. But then again some people in comparison videos on YouTube were swearing by it. So few weeks back I had to go by the hobby shop anyway, so I decided to stop by and get me a can of "the magic stuff". Now, whether $30 for a small spray can is worth it or not is subjective and I am not the making that decision for anyone. I can only share my opinion of the product. And it is indeed magic stuff. I have played around with all of the chrome products out there, but nothing compares to the effect and ease of use of the Revell Chrome. Amazing shine, mirror reflection and perfect coverage straight from the can onto the bare white plastic. No primer, no sanding, no base coat. With perfect result. 

     I am after a certain look for this Corvette, so I wanted chrome wheels. These were the very first time using the Revell Chrome. I think they look great with the yellow brake calipers behind them. 

 

I have finished the interior too, but need to process the pictures. 

[mrm]

Another first for me is using Tamiya's dark brown panel liner. I liked how good and crisp the detail on the interior panels was, that I wanted to bring it up a little. Looking at it now, I think that it should be toned down a little, but that train has left the station. 

 The kit comes with the GT2 option seats, which is a great choice that I am glad Revell went with. They are not the plain Jane standard seats, which are kinda mehhh, but they are not the "competition" seats either. I hope Revell is saving those for an upcoming Z06 model. Or dare we dream - a ZR1. The seats are comprised of two pieces each, the back being separate, which means painting it black (or color matching it) becomes a breeze. The decals for the headrests are one of three different color options and there is a spare included on the decal sheet. I have to note here, that the decals are excellent, with no clear film around them at all. I mean perfectly printed. However, for some reason Revell decided to cram them so close to one another that it can be a chore cutting them out. I mean, they could've made the decal sheet just an inch or even half an inch wider and give some space. Still, I would take the cramped decal sheet over an eight of an inch of clear film around every print any time of the week. 

 

The door panels are really well detailed, relying also on some decals for the silver speaker panels. Silver decals are also included for the buttons under the grab handles, but I just painted those. Which also goes to show how great the silver finish on the decals is. It looks pretty convincing. 

 

The dash is pretty much one piece. Well two actually, because the "hood" over the instrument cluster is a separate piece. I personally, would have preferred if it was separated into upper and lower half, which would have made painting the black vents and silver trim on the front much much easier and also replicating a two tone interior would not require as much masking. But this is nitpicking. The dashboard detail is great and you have a choice of four different instrument cluster screen set ups and four more for the center screen. The start button is a separate decal and there are three different color options for it too. Because you know, not everyone is a fan of the bright red nuclear launch start button I opted for. 

  

Center console is equally well detailed and everything fits absolutely perfect. What I really like is that there is even a separate part for under the trim under the halo, which also serves the double function of hiding the rear hood hinges. I still have some touching up to do on the interior and on the pictures is missing a piece that goes between the seats and has another great solver decal on it. 

 

And now, we are just waiting on a body....

 

Must resist carbon fiber, must resist carbon fiber, must resist carbon fiber...

[Nitro330]

21 hours ago, mrm said:

As I have said earlier, I am trying some new things with this build. I have heard a lot about different chrome finishes and the never ending pursuit of creating a realistic AND durable finish. Something I have run across few times was the Revell chrome spray can, which has received some great reviews. When I stopped by the only hobby shop anywhere near me (still an hour away) a couple months back, I noticed three cans of the Revell chrome. I picked one up and was ready to check out, when I saw that it is $30 per spray can. I decided that this is too rich for my blood and put it back. But then again some people in comparison videos on YouTube were swearing by it. So few weeks back I had to go by the hobby shop anyway, so I decided to stop by and get me a can of "the magic stuff". Now, whether $30 for a small spray can is worth it or not is subjective and I am not the making that decision for anyone. I can only share my opinion of the product. And it is indeed magic stuff. I have played around with all of the chrome products out there, but nothing compares to the effect and ease of use of the Revell Chrome. Amazing shine, mirror reflection and perfect coverage straight from the can onto the bare white plastic. No primer, no sanding, no base coat. With perfect result. 

     I am after a certain look for this Corvette, so I wanted chrome wheels. These were the very first time using the Revell Chrome. I think they look great with the yellow brake calipers behind them. 

 

I have finished the interior too, but need to process the pictures. 

I'm in the same boat with you Michael on the Revell Chrome.  I resisted buying it for a long time, but was not always happy with the other chrome paint options, so I picked up a can.  Like you, I was very impressed with the coverage and appearance.  Your wheels look great.  Because of how easily it covers, it might not be that bad of a buy after all.  I have noticed that like other chrome paints, you have to be careful when handling it.

[mrm]

14 hours ago, Nitro330 said:

I'm in the same boat with you Michael on the Revell Chrome.  I resisted buying it for a long time, but was not always happy with the other chrome paint options, so I picked up a can.  Like you, I was very impressed with the coverage and appearance.  Your wheels look great.  Because of how easily it covers, it might not be that bad of a buy after all.  I have noticed that like other chrome paints, you have to be careful when handling it.

You are absolutely right. I was just thinking about that right after I uploaded my post. When I consider prepping and priming parts, then spraying a black coat and then chrome by Alclad for example, all the airbrush cleaning and drying times, the $30 for a can doesn't seem so bad after all. Besides, I never managed to achieve that good of a chrome effect with Alclad as I did with the Revell spray. So, until something better comes along, this is going to be my go-to solution.  

[galaxyg]

Looking good. Nice that you get seat headrest decals in the US version of this kit, as the European boxing and decal sheet has none.  As you also commented in my C8 build thread, who knows why Revell would do such a thing.

[mrm]

1 hour ago, galaxyg said:

Looking good. Nice that you get seat headrest decals in the US version of this kit, as the European boxing and decal sheet has none.  As you also commented in my C8 build thread, who knows why Revell would do such a thing.

Because of your comments I took a closer look at the two different decal sheets. And it makes less and less sense every time I look. 

So, the US decals have:

*+ a choice of two different stripes - white and black

*+ five different color choices for a center stripe for the steering wheel

*+ Choice of three different colors of headrest emblems with a spare each

+ Choice of four different dash displays and four center screen displays

+ Choice of two different brake caliper markings with two spares each

+ Choice of no less than four different stingray emblems for the rear hatch

+Choice of two different third brake lights with a spare each

+ Choice of two different center caps with a spare each

+ Choice of three different engine cover decals

The items with * are not present on the Euro decal at all.

Meanwhile, the Euro decal has:

*+ Daylight running lights 

*+ Carbon fiber roof decals

*+ Foot rest/ pedals decals

*+ Engine cover "mesh" decals

*+ Weird (and cheap) looking floor mats 

*+ all center console buttons decals

*+ airbag warning decals

All of these items are missing from the US decal sheet. At the same time the Euro decal has no spares and no multiple color options. No choice for screens, no choice for brakes, no choice for engine cover, no choice for center caps, no choice for emblems. But ten different license plate options!?! Meanwhile the US sheet has a bunch of choices for everything and spares, but it is missing essential pieces like the center console decals and the lights. The decal for the center piece between the seat shoulders is completely different between the two also. I really don't get it. 

 

[galaxyg]

6 hours ago, mrm said:

Cropped these lists for the sake of quote....

So, the US decals have:

+ Choice of two different brake caliper markings with two spares each

Meanwhile, the Euro decal has:

*+ all center console buttons decals

 

I've just got to building my brakes and I'm having Gold callipers and now I see on my decal sheets as above... I only have a choice of silver decals for them. Which will be so invisible as to be not worth the effort of putting them on.

How strange the US kit doesn't have the centre console. It's not like there's any even remote cultural reason why not to have that in both.

 

And yes, those floor mat decals in the Euro version certainly do look cheap.

[Rich Chernosky]

Michael...now you have  gone and done it.  Was at my local hobby shop a couple days ago  and this kit just managed to leap into my hands.  You are responsible for creating this monster.  All kidding aside it really is a nice kit and your WIP  will help tremendously. Mine is on the workbench and all the parts are sorted into painting bags. Paint hits plastic tomorrow. I will be working much along the same lines as you although I will be using some different techniques and materials.  Should be interesting. Yours is coming along great BTW. 

 

 

[dino246gt]

I got my kit yesterday!

Although I'm still working on my '32 Sedan, I just HAD to dive into this new Revell after seeing all the cool progress here!

I like what I see!

 

 

[John B.]

My kit arrived in the mail Friday - I'm going to spend a few days going over the parts and instructions.  This is a photo of my neighbor's C8.

[Len Woodruff]

I just painted my body yesterday. I used Torch Red over a white base. I got to get some clear order to pt on it.

[mrm]

Lately I've run into a lot of discussions about paints and materials. So I thought I can use this quick build to share some of the stuff used on it. 

My favorite for interior color has been SEM pain for a long time. This is an automotive product not intended for models. It is a very weird paint, which mimics leather/vinyl perfectly. It will not attack plastic for the most part. I use it straight from the can most of the time, altho I have decanted it and sprayed it through my airbrush. It is a little thick but most of the time I don't thin it at all. Cleaning it from air brush is a pain tho. It will however attack most other paints and I have experienced it even attacking 2K clear. But on the bright side it can handle almost anything over it. It dries super fast and it is extremely durable, as it is intended for the interior of your real car. 

 

I wanted to keep this build within Box Stock regulations, so no flocking. In these instances my go-to is Krylon texture paint from Walmart. This is also not intended for models. It will stick to anything, but it does not attack plastic. I would not recommend attempting to shoot this through an airbrush unless you want to ruin your day. Spraying it straight from the can can be tricky, as it is made to paint flower pots and things of that nature, most often found in your back yard or living room. I personally never had an issue using it. When sprayed at first, it looks like a sloppy wet mess with no texture. But once dry it creates a pretty cool effect, which in some cases imitates German square carpet better than flocking. Also it handles CA glue like a champ with no discoloration or fogging. 

When it comes to primers, I use a wide variety of them. Sometimes even the aforementioned SEM paint. My most often used primer is Tamiya Grey, but this time I wanted to try something different. I was going to use automotive paint, so I wanted some thing a little more for the purpose. In the case of this model I am not using any putty, body filler or anything like that on the body, so this should be good straight from the can. It is a Duplicolor product available in some, but not all automotive stores. This particular Primer-Sealer is not intended to be sanded. I did however sand mine because I had some imperfections in it and I forgot a mold line that needed t o be corrected. When sanded it creates this oily almost sticky feel. After all my corrections were done I took the body with me to work and just left it on my dash board under the sun the whole day. Altho bone dry, the slightly sticky feeling was still there. It was cured and rock hard, but just had a weird feel to it. I sprayed one more coat to cover everything uniformly and did not sand it anymore. It was nice and silky smooth straight from the can and perfectly dry within the hour. 

 

For chrome I tried the Revel spray. Hands down best chrome effect I have ever seen out of a paint product. Yes, it's expensive at $30 per can, but worth it in my opinion. 

 

Now more about my model itself. I am not a huge fan of the real car's design. I think that it is an amazing car and the level of technology, quality and performance GM managed to offer for the price is just short of a miracle. However, they went absolutely unnecessarily over the top with the design, making it more of a Lambo-wanna-be than it's own thing. I wanted to take some of that "edge" from it and give it a little class. That's why I opted for the mostly beige interior wrapped in a color straight out of the Ferrari color book. 

 

I know it is not a color that first pops in anyone's mind when Ferrari is mentioned, but it has been in their options list for decades. Altho it looks blue, it is actually considered grey. It is called Grigio Alloy or Alloy Grey in english. I lot of Corvettes have some of the engine bay cover panels color coded, so I decided to do the same with this one. 

 

I've had a box of this color for close to ten years, mixed by an automotive paint shop, who were official PPG vendor. I have painted few models in 1/18 scale with this paint and still have enough to paint a dozen models or more. If you like it, you can see the code on the can and you ca use it. Any reputable paint shop should be able to mix you some. It creates a great effect once clear coated and contrary to common belief the "flake" in it is not too big for scale models. 

 

One of the biggest challenges this model presents are the clear parts and lights. Masking the rear window can be testing. 

 

The biggest issues are the lights. The rears are one piece clear. On the real car you have red lenses, white lenses and orange (depending on market location). Then they are all set in black surrounds. Size aside, the issue with the model lenses is that you can not see the lines on the clear piece. My approach is to apply Tamiya clear red over everything but the white portions on top of the lights first, hoping that it will give some contrast to all the creased lines. Not a very successful approach I may add. 

 

Off to clear we go!

Stay tuned...

Edited September 5, 2024 by mrm