Revell: Stranger Things; Billy´s Chevy Camaro

[Ragtop Man]

Are we modelers or assemblers? 

Hate like hell to have to roof swap, but how hard could it really be to find a proper F body (which was kitted so frequently is was a cliche) to stab in one that is correct, or reshape the one that is already there? 

The last do-over by GM for this platform is one of the few things from the era that truly holds up in the light of history. (The ugly log bumpers, not so much.)

I take issue with the POVs from the fringe: "This [thing] is wrong, therefore it is BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH" and "Take it and like it or we have nothing else."  If you feel that way, fine. "Do, or do not," as the great philosopher said.

I think the more nuanced take is that had the  Z been truly corrrect, more get sold to serious modelers who might not otherwise have had interest in the subject, and could not care less about the series (me, especially). I think they clear the shipment with no problem, and they get shelf space in the 'craft' retailers they never would have otherwise.

And it that is the end of the planning rainbow, they made objective. But seeing the really strong entries - the Blazer, in particular - it feels like a miss, and the hobby has more than enough for one lifetime. 

[Mark C.]

35 minutes ago, Ragtop Man said:

Hate like hell to have to roof swap, but how hard could it really be to find a proper F body (which was kitted so frequently is was a cliche) to stab in one that is correct, or reshape the one that is already there? 

My take on this is that even many “fringe” builders won’t know or care about the side window shape, and for those of us who do, a little bit of careful filing, filling, and perhaps a few pieces of evergreen strip should make it right.  No big deal, IMHO, and much easier and less expensive than sacrificing another kit for a roof transplant.

We can argue all day as to whether it should have been done better, but at the end of it all it is still what it is, so deal with it and move on.  The fun in the hobby for me is taking a bare kit and making it look like the picture in my head.  If that includes some cutting and filing, then so be it.  The world won’t end if I get it wrong, so it’s just low-risk fun no matter how you slice it!

Glad to see the new iteration of this kit.  I will definitely be getting one.  🙂

[Ragtop Man]

22 hours ago, Mark C. said:

My take on this is that even many “fringe” builders won’t know or care about the side window shape, and for those of us who do, a little bit of careful filing, filling, and perhaps a few pieces of evergreen strip should make it right.  No big deal, IMHO, and much easier and less expensive than sacrificing another kit for a roof transplant.

We can argue all day as to whether it should have been done better, but at the end of it all it is still what it is, so deal with it and move on.  The fun in the hobby for me is taking a bare kit and making it look like the picture in my head.  If that includes some cutting and filing, then so be it.  The world won’t end if I get it wrong, so it’s just low-risk fun no matter how you slice it!

Glad to see the new iteration of this kit.  I will definitely be getting one.  🙂

Agree - but it makes a kit much easier to recommend, choose for a 'same subject' club build night, etc. when it's slam on the 1:1.  While we are on the subject, how great would it be to have a PE template that would lock in the opening and give a nice clean scribe guide? The GM shapes were very subtle, and replicating them can be a challenge. None of mine are ever symmetrical ...

[Hawk312]

On 1/11/2025 at 1:33 PM, Matt T. said:

Screenshot from the video. YESSS!! 

This is great! Looks like they have the “77/‘78 hood stripe in there too!

[Mark C.]

1 hour ago, Ragtop Man said:

Agree - but it makes a kit much easier to recommend, choose for a 'same subject' club build night, etc. when it's slam on the 1:1.  While we are on the subject, how great would it be to have a PE template that would lock in the opening and give a nice clean scribe guide? The GM shapes were very subtle, and replicating them can be a challenge. None of mine are ever symmetrical ...

In a parallel universe, I’d love to have all-new digitally scanned kits along the lines of the recent Revell Mustangs, but I’m not holding my breath while still in this universe.  😅

Scribe guides might be nice, but I still subscribe to the old school sculpture mindset that the proper shape is in there and it’s my job to get it out.  When it looks good to the eye it’s done (though no guarantees of symmetry… lol).

Just saying that I would rather be building a kit than complaining about it.  Whatever abomination I end up with after my “improvements” just makes for a good story!  😁

[Fat Brian]

8 hours ago, Ragtop Man said:

Agree - but it makes a kit much easier to recommend, choose for a 'same subject' club build night, etc. when it's slam on the 1:1.  While we are on the subject, how great would it be to have a PE template that would lock in the opening and give a nice clean scribe guide? The GM shapes were very subtle, and replicating them can be a challenge. None of mine are ever symmetrical ...

The tops are still on the clear tree and could be used as templates for the holes. The hardest part of doing it yourself will be getting the lip in the roof the tops sit on. If I was doing it this way I would cut completely through the roof and add the lip back with styrene strip. The headliner side of the roof still has the bottom of the lips molded in so you can use those as a guide for placement. 

[mikos]

On 1/13/2025 at 8:59 AM, Ragtop Man said:

Are we modelers or assemblers? 

Hate like hell to have to roof swap, but how hard could it really be to find a proper F body (which was kitted so frequently is was a cliche) to stab in one that is correct, or reshape the one that is already there? 

The last do-over by GM for this platform is one of the few things from the era that truly holds up in the light of history. (The ugly log bumpers, not so much.)

I take issue with the POVs from the fringe: "This [thing] is wrong, therefore it is BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH" and "Take it and like it or we have nothing else."  If you feel that way, fine. "Do, or do not," as the great philosopher said.

I think the more nuanced take is that had the  Z been truly corrrect, more get sold to serious modelers who might not otherwise have had interest in the subject, and could not care less about the series (me, especially). I think they clear the shipment with no problem, and they get shelf space in the 'craft' retailers they never would have otherwise.

And it that is the end of the planning rainbow, they made objective. But seeing the really strong entries - the Blazer, in particular - it feels like a miss, and the hobby has more than enough for one lifetime. 

Yeah, that roof looks really bad.  Also, I don’t like how the wheel well shape looks either.  They seem to be too round and not enough elliptical like on the real car.  The old MPC Camaro kit wasn’t any great prize either, but I think with a few tweaks here and there it could be made to rival the Revell kit.  That’s why I’m holding out for the ‘80-‘81 ProStreet Camaro Z28 to be reissued by Round2.  

Edited January 17 by mikos

[Jon Cole]

I would love to take a swing at fixing the sides of the roof. Cut an insert- reshape it.
Snnnooorrt! Ahh, body filler!

[stavanzer]

This Revellogram kit has been issued so many times with the T-Top body, that getting a T-Top car, is just one eBay purchase away for anybody who wants one.

For me, I'm happier to have the rood solid, as my attempt to use the clear tops and make a solid roof car, still sits on the Shelf 'O' Doom.

[Fat Brian]

18 hours ago, stavanzer said:

This Revellogram kit has been issued so many times with the T-Top body, that getting a T-Top car, is just one eBay purchase away for anybody who wants one.

For me, I'm happier to have the rood solid, as my attempt to use the clear tops and make a solid roof car, still sits on the Shelf 'O' Doom.

I did the same thing 20+ years ago with the same result.

[Junkman]

How can Revell kit a car featured in the yet unreleased ST Season 5, when the lead time to kit a kit is over one year?
Besides, the published measurements, in 1/25 scale, leave only one option.

[stitchdup]

On 1/9/2025 at 1:00 PM, Robberbaron said:

OK everyone, before you get too excited, let's actually look at Revell's handiwork on that new "hardtop" roof:

How do you like that "flat as a board" side window profile compared to the real car?

I'm taking a hard pass on this one.

a few seconds with a file will fix that

[Luc Janssens]

9 hours ago, Junkman said:

How can Revell kit a car featured in the yet unreleased ST Season 5, when the lead time to kit a kit is over one year?
Besides, the published measurements, in 1/25 scale, leave only one option.

Which is?

Curious by nature.

[niteowl7710]

12 hours ago, Junkman said:

How can Revell kit a car featured in the yet unreleased ST Season 5, when the lead time to kit a kit is over one year?
Besides, the published measurements, in 1/25 scale, leave only one option.

The original set of Stranger Things kits were first leaked out of the NY Toy Fair in the Fall of 2023. Which means those kits were in development well before that, so it's not hard to imagine as a license holder for the show they'd get information well before anyone else to develop a Season 5 vehicle that no one knows about. Revell U.S.' other releases for 2025 are modified reissues that are already tooled up so they have nothing to do but make the new S.T. kit.

Salvinos JR for example on their Next Gen kits get the entire planned sponsorship scheme art work for their licensed teams before the previous year ends for the following year. But race fans only get that information in drips and drabs before Daytona and into the Spring. 

[Junkman]

In that case we really can't tell yet, other than it's going to be a new tool.
Revell sometimes does left field surprises and 209mm long in 1/25 means it's American for sure.
Considering it can't be later than 80s, I'm really looking forward to this.

[Junkman]

5 hours ago, Luc Janssens said:

Which is?

Curious by nature.

I was unsuccessfully trying to argue it must be a car we've already seen on the programme, in which case the model length would have been pretty bang on for a 10th gen Eldorado in 1/25 scale.

[OldSkool81]

18 hours ago, Junkman said:

How can Revell kit a car featured in the yet unreleased ST Season 5, when the lead time to kit a kit is over one year?
Besides, the published measurements, in 1/25 scale, leave only one option.

Let's not forget that the filming ended in december 2024, and season 5 is now in editing, so a big company like Revell who paid big bucks for licensing must have had prime access before anybody else a while ago.

3 hours ago, Junkman said:

I was unsuccessfully trying to argue it must be a car we've already seen on the programme, in which case the model length would have been pretty bang on for a 10th gen Eldorado in 1/25 scale.

The hamster in my head has been running pretty fast in its wheel lately, also trying to figure this out. I briefly thought about the Cadillac like you, but its life pretty much ended when it got crashed at the Starcourt mall. Also, IIRC in Revell's 2025 catalog, the description underneath the mystery car's photo says that it will play a key role in season 5 by the main caracters, so I bet it's a new vehicle in the series. Here's the link:

https://revell.de/en/shop/product/077329090-car-stranger-things?srsltid=AfmBOor6VKPiJp3XkM5ZMHyOP3AKdU9HkEAe1f1GVmUf2ommw_FoboeY

[OldSkool81]

Oh and also, season 5 is supposed to be set in the fall of 1987, so it's a pre-1987 vehicle for sure.

[Luc Janssens]

5 hours ago, Junkman said:

I was unsuccessfully trying to argue it must be a car we've already seen on the programme, in which case the model length would have been pretty bang on for a 10th gen Eldorado in 1/25 scale.

Hmm...maybe cuz in another tread it said; no engine and rolling wheels. Which for a non factory convertible, makes sense, a one trick pony by default and nothing of which the tooling can be used to spawn several planned versions.

 

Edit: just learned that there were indeed factory Eldo's ragtops in 84 and 85. But anyway think beyond the show the intetest for a model of this car would be slim.

Hopefully the New York Toy Show brings us more news.

Cheers.

Edited February 22 by Luc Janssens

[Can-Con]

Humm, this is a pic from the set of season 5. 

Could it possibly be?? 

212inches ,, math works out to 215 MM, 6mm difference? [someone check my math please] would that be close enough to the expected length?

I think my money'd be on this.

Edited February 22 by Can-Con

[OldSkool81]

I agree with Luc; Revell being ran by Germans means they do things rationally and won't throw money out the window, so they usually won't tool up a brand new model just for a one-shot deal. They milk the heck out of their tools, so the model has to have a broad appeal and be able to be used for many future variations. That squarebody that Can-Con suggested would fit the bill nicely, using part of the new Blazer tool, but if that's the case, why a curbside when you could use the Blazer's engine? That's the only part that gives me doubts about that squarebody.

Edited February 23 by OldSkool81

[niteowl7710]

9 hours ago, OldSkool81 said:

I agree with Luc; Revell being ran by Germans means they do things rationally and won't throw money out the window, so they usually won't tool up a brand new model just for a one-shot deal. They milk the heck out of their tools, so the model has to have a broad appeal and be able to be used for many future variations. That squarebody that Can-Con suggested would fit the bill nicely, using part of the new Blazer tool, but if that's the case, why a curbside when you could use the Blazer's engine? That's the only part that gives me doubts about that squarebody.

Revell has been tooling up multiple kits out a single tool since the late 80s when the '69 Camaro and '32 Ford series of kits were started. If anything the AG (or GMbH) side of Revell is the one that does one-off kits. There's never been a follow up to the AMG SLS, AMG GT, McLaren 570S, Porsche Panamera, or any of the three Vintage tractors, etc, et al.

Really the only single use kits that come to mind from the U.S. side of things are the very custom Foose kits (Ford P/U & Eldorod) as they managed to recycle the Rat Roaster into a different '32 Hot Rod concept.

[Can-Con]

13 hours ago, OldSkool81 said:

I agree with Luc; Revell being ran by Germans means they do things rationally and won't throw money out the window, so they usually won't tool up a brand new model just for a one-shot deal. They milk the heck out of their tools, so the model has to have a broad appeal and be able to be used for many future variations. That squarebody that Can-Con suggested would fit the bill nicely, using part of the new Blazer tool, but if that's the case, why a curbside when you could use the Blazer's engine? That's the only part that gives me doubts about that squarebody.

Yea, I forgot about the parts count. 

Too bad as the could easily just put the grille and suspension from the upcoming Jimmy in there and market it as Jethro Gibb's GMC 4X4 truck from the new NCIS spinoff. 😁

[Ron Hamilton]

The 79 Camaro is a must have for me. As a young car salesman, I had one for a demonstrator,  which was medium red metallic,  with a camel vinyl standard interior,  whitewall tires and color matched Rally Wheels and sport mirrors. The company let me pin stripe the car with gold and white stripe tape. I drove the car a short time before a local business owner bought the car. 

I'm going to do that car to the best of my ability.  I'll have to remove the fender vents and the spoilers, as well as fix the side window profile.  I don't forsee a problem  with the Rally Wheels,  as Canuck 3D does Avery nice set. I built this kit in the early 90s, and I still have a street machine version  moulded in black.

[stitchdup]

6 hours ago, niteowl7710 said:

Revell has been tooling up multiple kits out a single tool since the late 80s when the '69 Camaro and '32 Ford series of kits were started. If anything the AG (or GMbH) side of Revell is the one that does one-off kits. There's never been a follow up to the AMG SLS, AMG GT, McLaren 570S, Porsche Panamera, or any of the three Vintage tractors, etc, et al.

Really the only single use kits that come to mind from the U.S. side of things are the very custom Foose kits (Ford P/U & Eldorod) as they managed to recycle the Rat Roaster into a different '32 Hot Rod concept.

there are more tractors coming