Revell kits and parts clean up..

I'm working on a Revell kit (it's a secret project - hence no progress thread so if I mess it up, I won't feel so bad.. :naughty: ) but I will say, the parts are a right mess..!! I've gone through so much primer. I mean, the kit has bags of detail, full engine nice body and all, but the parts are just mold lines, flash (not all over, just some parts) and, the worst bit the chrome is horrific... Totally useless, I'm having to strip the chrome and I will have to Alclad II my own.

Even the tires have flash and mold lines, Tamiya do as well but I was able to pick bits of rubber off with my fingers.. Try doing that with a Tamiya kit..

Revell kits are cheap, but stock up on primer, as you will prime, sand, prime some more and sand again.. Also get some Chrome Alclad II as the kit chrome is an abortion. Tamiya certainly win with their molds, and ease of assembly, heck even Tamiya Chrome is sometimes passable, even if at times it does look a little toy like. Revell must be in cahoots with paint companies or something to get us to buy more primer and Alclad II..

However, in return you get a nicely detailed kit from what I've seen so far.. Same about the amount of time needed to clean them up.. I shall not complain about Tamiya Mold lines again… I’ve seen the over side…!! Although I’ve not tried an AMT kit yet..!!

And before someone asks what is the kit, it'll either be posted in the Completed section or in the bin..!! :rofl:

Is it me or do people seem to complain about mold lines and flash too much here. its not really a problem. any novice modeler can repair them wihout any problems.

every kit manufactuer has there issues. There is no perfect model kit, There prohibably never will be. I've had issues with every single kit manufactuer out there. like a few years ago I was working on a Tamiya Celica and got so pissed off at it I through it down the stairs. the dang thing refused to go together.

if you think Revell and AMT mold lines and flash are bad. you guys would have a heart attack if you've ever worked on a MPC or Jo-han kit. most have minimal detail and require alot of work to get decent. with that said. there my favorite manufactuer to build from. maybe I like a challenge, I just have more fun building an AMT/MPC/ Jo-han kit.

Its not the kit, its the builder guys... :-)

Its not the kit, its the builder guys... :-)

:1:

:iagree:

From what I've seen, the Revell of Germany have alot more flash than the Revell Monograms, but since I don't know what you got, I really cant help. My best advice is trim down, then sand. Soak the sprues in a lightly soaped sink with water, this will get the release residue off which is really high on Revells for some reason. Then sand down the body and paint, should make it alot easier.

The other thing you Tamiya jockeys should realize is that many Revell kits have tooling that dates back as far as the mid-50's. With Tamiya, it's usually pretty easy to spot the old 1/24th scale kits (metal axles, curbside, obviously tooled to be motorized) but as some of Revell's older kits have equal or superior detail to modern kits.

Heck, the Revell "Miss Deal" 1953 Studebaker AWB funny car kit, with its complete 392 Hemi rocker assembly under its valve covers, visible crank in its one piece block, and stellar multi-piece poseable steering front axle, in many way SURPASSES the detail of many modern kits. However, the age of the tooling means that the kit requires hours of cutting, sanding, and careful alignment to build cleanly.

modern revell (new plastic) + cilit bang = ready for primer.

I don't think Revell US kits are bad at all, certainly not to the level of the criticism being hurled at it here. Revell AG kits can be frightfully crude at times, but still they're better than nothing for the price.

Honestly the comments being made here about Revell are those which I would criticize Fujimi Enthusiast kits. I find them very fussy, a ton of sanding to remove mold lines (on hundreds of parts), fill sink marks, fix warped body parts, assemble a multitude of parts that you'll never see when the bloody model is finished, yet most people here put those models on a pedestal as high achievement in the art of model and mold making and up to the quality of Tamiya...they're nowhere close to the general part quality of Tamiya, and certainly no better than Revell. I think they're a bloody nightmare in general and not nearly worth the effort unless you are really, really enthused about the subject matter.

I think a lot of people have lost sight of the fact that modelling is more about the subject and less about the kit manufacturer.

I buy kits because the subject is something I would like on the shelf at home, not because the logo on the corner of the box says 'Tamiya' or 'Revell'.

It seems, when we start looking at the manufacturers of the kits rather than the subject, we're losing site of why we build.

Any modeler can make a glue bomb out of a Tamiya Enzo, but not every modeler can make a Tamiya Enzo look like it's a pure work of art.
A good modeller can make a kit which leaves the box looking more like a lump of plastic than a car look like it was molded to the same level as any of the best Tamiya or other high quality kits. It's the builder that makes a great model, not the model company.

Better molded kits make it easier for us to produce a great model, they aren't what makes us great modelers though.

Oh, and AMT sucks anyhow :icon16: :lol2:

:iagree:

The only part on a Revell I primer is the body. I usually build Revells because I love the cars they make, and I will tolerate AMT for the same reason. Every aspect of building a model is the reason to build them - the love of the work...Whether it's polishing out a perfect coat of paint, or doing the prep to get that perfect coat.

I think a lot of people have lost sight of the fact that modelling is more about the subject and less about the kit manufacturer.

Better molded kits make it easier for us to produce a great model, they aren't what makes us great modelers though.

Oh, and AMT sucks anyhow :icon16: :lol2:

I couldn't agree more :lol:

Freakray wins! Freakray wins!!! FREAKRAY WINS THE WORLD SERIES!!!! Or perhaps, just the internerd today.

if you think Revell and AMT mold lines and flash are bad. you guys would have a heart attack if you've ever worked on a MPC or Jo-han kit. most have minimal detail and require alot of work to get decent. with that said. there my favorite manufactuer to build from. maybe I like a challenge, I just have more fun building an AMT/MPC/ Jo-han kit.

Yes, I can finally see what you are talking about. I spent more time removing flash and mold lines from my MPC 1963 Corvette then I have worked on putting it together. I dont mind tho, when Im downstairs working on the models, hours go by without me noticing, esp when I have mold lines to take care of :)

I wasn't bashing revell.. I think the kit I'm working on is superb in detail, much higher then some of Tamiya's curbside kits..

It's just that the mold lines and flash is a little more then Tamiya. Tamiya are easy kits to build, as I'm crap at model building I think Tamiya help as it means I get more completed. Well apart from an enzo, which I'm too scared to start..!!

Whereas I've already screwed one Revell kit up, but I'm building this one to see if I can complete something other then a Tamiya.. Yes a bad workman blames tools etc..

I wasn't blaming the kit for me having next to no skill, just that it's little harder to make nice then a Tamiya.. But it's good, as I'm learning from it..

revell kits require more work, but in the end it all comes down to the builder to make it look good.

Yep, to me a Tamiya kit does not represent a modeling challenge, they fall together without any adjustment and thus you don't get to show your modeling skills and do not have the opportunity to detail the model by yourself. I consider modeling as a creative hobby, in which not two models are created the same because the modeler has to put something unique in each of them. In this respect, Revell and AMT kits are great, they provide a base from which to build a unique creation.

Yep, to me a Tamiya kit does not represent a modeling challenge, they fall together without any adjustment and thus you don't get to show your modeling skills and do not have the opportunity to detail the model by yourself.

I have to disagree with your opinion on Tamiya kits, if you don't see any area to further detail a Tamiya kit, it's you that is lacking in imagination, not Tamiya that makes kits too detailed.

Show me a Tamiya kit which can't be detailed any further, please.

Personal case study:

Monogram Lotus Esprit Turbo on workbench for 6 months now. One of my all time fav cars.

Kit has amazing detail in the engine bay but that comes together with flash, warped body, 3-foot thick chroming and bad fitting everything. What I suppose you would call a kit with "potential" :)

Net result? Love it anyway and hope that at the end of the day, I'll be able to make it look half as well as I would like :)

I'll be honest though, it would be nice of this kit were available with "Tamiya" fit and finish quality just because it would save a lot of my not-too-plentiful modelling time to spend on other stages of building it. But it ain't, so I'm making do with what I have...

Am currently doing a Nascar Chevy Monte Carlo Budweiser. Actually it is my first Revell kit.

In the end it may turn out to be an excelent kit, but there are certain aspects (such as cleaning flashes, thickness of material) that I really do not appreciate when compared, for example, with a Tamiya kit.

It is not the "garbage" you have to remove before painting and assembling that will enhance your creativity for further detailing your kit.

In fact, nowadays everyone have less and less time available, and that would take you time to think and be creative. That is why I think that, qualitiwise speaking, Tamiya are the best kits.

the thing that tends to bug me is when people insist on comparing a 20-30 year old revell kit with something like the tamiya 360 kit.

Well apart from an enzo, which I'm too scared to start..!!

Heh...I started two yesterday

And I'm scared to death of 'em

(They're my first Tamiya kits)

Heh...I started two yesterday

And I'm scared to death of 'em

(They're my first Tamiya kits)

actually. the Enzo is kinda funny. the Revell kit is excellent. but the Tamiya kit is spectacular.

What I meant is that although old Revell / AMT kits are not easy to build nice, they can clearly yield a nice model if time and effort is invested. Today we are spoiled with Tamiya kits that take a lot of time to assemble correctly but do not require a lot of work to look nice. These are extremes in the quality range, but they illustrate my point: Do not take old kits as "out-of-the-box" models, instead consider them as an opportunity to develop and work your skills (well, if you are a bit experienced, of course!).

I have nothing against Tamiya kits, they are really awesome (i have a few myself!); I just think that adding too much invisible detail like shock springs, wires and such is not for me, I focus on external appearance not mechanical stuff.

I just think that adding too much invisible detail like shock springs, wires and such is not for me, I focus on external appearance not mechanical stuff.

Then you should love Tamiya, their exterior detail is very crisp. :biggrin:

Me.....I gotta have both!!!!!

Until you've built a Heller/Airfix Peugeot 905, you have no idea just how bad a plastic kit can be...

Bill

Until you've built a Heller/Airfix Peugeot 905, you have no idea just how bad a plastic kit can be...

Bill

:lol2: ain't that the truth! :)

I forgot about that one. I bought one a couple of months ago, took a look and...chickened out and sold it on :)

Although I did find a thread here of one brave and skilled sold who "beat the beast" - maybe that was yours? If so, well done :bigthumb: