Testors "Full Detail" Chezoom custom 1957 Chevy.
While the Cadzilla and Eliminator got his rods on the air (in ZZ Top music videos no less), it was the Chezoom that put Boyd Coddington on the map as one of America's premier hot rod artists. Commisioned by the owner of the aftermarket giant Mr. Gasket, Joe Hrudka (a confessed '57 Chevy freak), the car's long low lines, full independent suspension (swiped from a C4 Corvette), plush custom leather interior, potent LT-1 Vette V8, and Boyd's trademark billet wheels made the car not only a gorgeous hot rod, but a timeless automobile. Even as hot rod trends come and go, the Chezoom remains simply beautiful.
With Boyd's shop being thrust back into the public's eye, thanks to the Discovery Channel series "American Hot Rodder" which followed the build-up of a 1956 Chevy. I thought it was time to take a critical look at one of the few representations of Boyd's work in plastic.
Oh boy.....
First off, be aware that there are two versions of this kit available; a "quick builder" version with no interior detail, a plate chassis, plastic tires, and blacked out windows and a "full detail" version. I'll be reviewing the Full Detail, but I took a look inside a "quick builder" and found out that the comments I'll make about the "full detail" body and wheels apply to it as well.
The kit's engine, is, well, underwhelming at best. It's a total of nine pieces, and that's thanks to a separately molded alternator and exhaust manifolds. The valve covers are molded to the cylinder heads, and the EFI unit, that wonderful TPI setup with Boyd's custom shrouding, is represented by one, single piece with no throttle body detail, very poor engraving, and an unsightly gap where it doesn't rest between the cylinder heads. It's meant to bridge the gap between the heads and just be there.
The engine block halves are unrealistically smooth and have an undersized, woefully inaccurate oil pan molded to them. There's no water pump on the engine, and the automatic transmission behind it is a pretty poor rendition of a GM unit, with no real engraved detail to be found.
The only salvageable parts from this kit's engine are its well engraved serpentine belt and pulleys piece, and the unique air cleaner molded onto the EFI unit. Your best bet is to swap in a new engine entirely.
In order to do an accurate Chezoom powerplant, you can use the engine and transmission from the Revell 1994 Impala SS with a Revell/Monogram Corvette Grand Sport EFI setup to which you can add the Testors kit serpentine belt and air cleaner. But be sure to smooth the EFI unit's panels and add the decalized Chezoom graphics from the Testors kit, too.
The chassis is a nice replica of the square tube frame that Boyd placed that famous body onto. It has all the right braces and curves, as well as a smartly engraved oil cooler right where Boyd put it: beneath the passenger side footwell.
It's a shame that a real joke of a suspension attaches to this frame.
The front suspension is molded in such a way that you really can't tell that it's supposed to be a bunch of separate pieces. It's a total of three pieces; a lower piece which is the lower control arms/engine mounts/front crossmember, and two spindle/upper control arm pieces. Both of the spindle/upper control arm pieces are solid which is funny since these are supposed to be A arms.
The rear suspension fares no better. Again, three pieces, this one is supposed to be a C4 Corvette IRS. It's blocky and cartoony. It lacks shocks. The differential is shaped completely wrong. The rear spindle links are practically two dimensional.....
The four piece exhaust system is undersized and solid. They didn't even dimple the tips to give the illusion of hollow tubing. You could keep the mufflers, but use the kit exhaust as a guide for fashioning your own.
Oh, I might add that there are NO BRAKE DISCS at any of the corners. It's a shame, because they're highly visible through these wheels. By the way, the wheels are great, even though they're wrapped in some hideously blocky rubber that has a tendency to split. Luckily I've found that the Michelin rubber from one of Tamiya's Nissan 300ZX kits fits quite nicely.
Remember that Corvette Grand Sport you swiped the EFI from? Grab its suspension, too. There's nothing of value here. Oh, wait, the driveshaft is pretty good.
The interior is the sole shining star in the kit. It's a bit odd that it is, though, because the Chezoom has some pretty short gunslit windows. The seats are three piece affairs with separate seat adjustment parts. They certainly look plush and are heavily sculpted, just like in the real Chezoom. There's separate pedals which hang from the firewall, although they seem a little undersized. For details sake, you'll probably want to trade them for photoetched pieces. The B&M shifter is good and crisp, and the separate gauge cluster boasts well registered gauge decals. A big let down, though, is the steering wheel. Chezoom had a great billet wheel. This kit's representation of that part has no engraving beyond the horn button and rim separation points. Ugh. Get a wheel from Machined Aluminum Specialties to rectify this. At least the steering column is right.
The engine bay is okay. It looks plain, but that's more a byproduct of the prototype's smooth style than the tool cutter's laziness. The inner fenders, radiator core, and firewall are all separate pieces that are to be glued to the interior and frame. They're a little frustrating to get lined up, I guarantee you that. The radiator and electric fan are molded onto the core. Bleah. I'm sure there's something better than this in your parts box. The only other separate piece in the engine bay is the master cylinder. Okay. Thanks Testors.
The body is molded in the car's trademark teal color. I'm not kidding. The color is called Chezoom Teal and is a trademark of Hot Rods by Boyd. Testors' Model Master line carries this color, and it's a good one. But it's a bad choice for a plastic color, so be sure to use a good primer before spraying anything else down on this body.
Surprise! Testors didn't mold the hood separate. Bust out the razor saw to open up that hood. It's pretty deeply scored, so it won't take too long. But talk about an added headache. They added fixed hood hinges in case you want to display the model with its hood up al the time. How sweet.
The front valance is a separate piece that's actually pretty easy to get lined up. You'll still need the putty as it leaves a bit of a gap that shouldn't be there. The grille is molded into the valance, so paint it black after you've sprayed the body. There are few mold lines, but the door and trunk panel lines are rough and irregular. Wonderful on a car that's supposed to have dime thin tolerances. The headlights are molded chrome ( BOOOOOO! ), so that's a real shame. Most all of the car's chrome trim is on the chrome tree, but you'll still need the bare metal foil for the massive chrome spear that runs the length of the car. A nice touch, though, from Testors is that they included self adhesive mylar for the stainless steel area inside of the side spears. It provides some nice contrast with the chrome.
In the end, Testors' Chezoom kit is pretty muddled. It's got great subject matter, the instructions are clear, and there are some nice parts in the kit. But the whole of it is pretty poor and half baked, and since you're paying a premium for the "Full Detail" goodness, the glitches, niggles, and out and out crappy parts really show up that much more.
Testors 1:24th scale Chezoom "Full Detail" kit.
Accuracy: 1/3
Fit&Finish: 0.5/2
Detail: .5/1.5
Options: 0/1.5
Value: 0.5/2
Final Verdict: 2.5/10
Sorry Boyd. The model kit didn't turn out so good. But, hey, you're coming back for a second season.
