Revell 1999 Eclipse GSX "GS-T"
Revell labeled/gave it "GS-T" Decals, but it has AWD, making it a GSX.
If i didnt know any better, i would sware this was a metal body Tamiya kit, IMHO. This is Revells rendition of the 2G Eclipse. The Eclipse came with many options, GS, GT, Spyder, GS-T, and the top-o-de-line GSX. The GS-T and GSX versions came with the 250..give or take.. horsepower 4G63 Engine, also found in the Lancer Evolution cars. The major difference between the GSX and GS-T was that the GSX was AWD. Almost an Evolution for the States.
Having both the die-cast Revell Eclipse, and this plastic one, i'd say they were exactly the same, except which one weighs more. The body is crisply molded, no mold lines what so ever. Bodylines are engraved fairly deep. The side view mirriors have big stubs that snap into the A-Pillar so, dont worry about breaking off the little bastards. Now, heres the nicesnt thing about this kit. The body options. 2 wings, a fiber-glass/plastic style wing, quite large, and tall, or a chrome GT Style wing, but doesnt have any details in the pillars or anything at all. (hmm..had the same problem with the die cast version..). It comes with 3 front bumpers. YES..THREE. a Blitz front, the style used for the Fast And Furious Eclipse, a front that looks ALMOST stock, (dunno what kinda?!) and a Eurbuni Shogun style front. The side..is..unfortunatly molded. It appears to have a Blitz side skirts molded on. For the back it comes with 2 bumpers, one that looks stock (Once again..dont know!?), and a Blitz bumper. It should have come with a Shogun rear end too! With the Shogun front end, the vents/grilles are molded in, time to whip out the dremel, and kinfe. Once you remove that, remove the grille molded into the body. Make sure you DONT remove the holes for the chassis and for the bumper itself. Dremel or cut around it. It comes with 2 different tail lamps, ones that look like it has Supra style tail lights molded into the body, and stock ones. The front light lens snap into place, so it has stubs molded into them. Unfortunatly you can see the stubs from the other side. The stubs are too long, so once they are in the body, trim them off. oh yeah, make sure YOU PUT THE LIGHS IN BEFORE GLUEING THE BUMPER ON. But, even doing that, you need to wiggle the bumper on to fit. Atleast, with the Shogun i had too. This kit also comes with 2 hoods. a Clear stock style hood, and another hood with a ram air scoop, and a carbon fiber decal for the hood. One problem with mine, even after being trimmed, the hood still fits snug, and has to be pryed open (..scratching the paint..)
The suspension was simple, and under detailed. Once again, using parts from the die cast, The rear end alone only consisted of 5 parts, counthing the metal axle..yes, front and rear have metal axles. I had some problem with the front suspension going into place. It just seems rather awkward, and i ended up breaking a strut. Like the diecast, too the tires and wheels set too far inside the wheel wells, and the axles themselves were too long. To fix this problem, i used some Integra Type R Disc brakes, for spacers. Speaking of brakes, this kit didnt have any. Just some discs, but no calipers of the sort. It comes with 3 wheel choices. Axis 6 (or 7?) spoke wheels, the same style used for the Fast And Furious kit, stock style wheels molded in white, and some kind of 10-spoke chrome rims. Once again, this kit uses the rubber band Toyo tires. BLAH!
Interior is another story. Nice, and crisp. Easy to paint for 2 tone schemes. And yes, this uses the diecast interior too. a Sub box.. 2 12" or so Subwoofers, and 2 tweeters, and 2 Amplifiers molded into the floor. It comes with a Nitrous bottle, molded in dark..DARK blue. IMO, you should use a bottle from AMT Supra kits. It comes with 2 sparco seats, with decals for a Carbon Fiber back, and decals for the belts. The seats seem a bit small compared to my other 1:25 scale racing seats. The dashboard is nice also. Detailed. It has an aftermarket steering column, and a Sparco steering wheel. It also comes with a "MONSTAH TACH," with a shift light. It comes with a decal for center mounted gauges. The decal for the tach doesnt fit right, as it doesnt fit around the reset button. The center console is also molded seperte. Its E-Brake handle is molded into place, and has an awkward shifter.
The engine..the almight 4G63. Like the diecast version...TONS of chrome pieces. Some detail paiting has to be done. The engine comes with an aftermarket valve cover, turbo, and a big cone filter. One of the pipes from the turbo, just, literly, attaches to the frame rail. WTF? The pulleys have little to no detail, and the wastegate is molded into place. The entire assembly inclues the engine block halves, intake manifold (chrome), intake with MAF and filter (chrome), turbine with header (chrome), fusebox, wastegate, and intake pipe (chrome), 2 halves of the transmission, oil pan, and transfercase. The coil pack is molded into the intake manifold, and is quite large, so wiring it shouldnt be too difficult. The rear driveshaft is a long one unit piece, molded to the differential. The exhaust is large for a model. Must be atleast a scale 3"-3.5" inches. The muffler..wtf..looks like a cat converter, plus the tip sticks out a bit too far.
Overall, the problems in this kit are minor, and the possibilites are endless. Everything fits great. Some thoughful mods make this kit a winner. Oh yeah, if you want to try and replicate the car on the box art, thats not paint. Those are decals, and are included.
Accuracy:3/3 I'd say its pretty dead on.
Fit&Finish:2/2 It fits good, and looks good finished. lol.
Detail: 1/1.5 Some parts are molded in parts, plus the suspension is mediocore
Options: 1.5/1.5 a total of 5 bumpers, 2 hood, 2 spoilers, 3 wheel styles..uh..
Value: 2/2 $13 at Wal-Mart, cont go wrong there.
Final Verdict: 9.5/10 A damn good kit, with a few very minor woes.
(My version, features, Shogun with mesh grille front, Blitz rear end, custom GT Wing, and dual exhaust. Has 10-spoke rims, and ram air hood.)