Kit Review

2000 Le MansCorvette C5-R

Revell kit # 85-2354

Review:

The box art is excellent, a yellow and white C5-R rounding a corner and in your face. When the two part box is opened, thank you for listening to us Revell, a large package of white plastic sprues is visible. Tightly packed with the parts was the 5 ½ x 8 inch decal sheet that will build LeMans 2000, #63. Comparing the sheet to several magazine articles revealed no discrepancy in the markings and detail on the sheet is crisp. Unfortunately being packed with the parts left my sheet slightly wrinkled and dimpled.

Further research shows the downside of this kit. The sprues are identical to the ProFinish C5-R kit released a few months ago. The real C5-R underwent a number of changes between 1999 and 2000 but this kit does not reflect any of these changes. While it is understandable that Revell would try to maximize the use of a mold it is unfortunate that they weren’t willing to create a new body shell for this issue which would then have allowed the creation of the 2001 Daytona winner simply by changing the decals.

The most noticeable differences between this kit and the real #63 include various ducts and openings in the hood, roof and rear deck. Revell even tried to create a few of the simpler ducts using black decal but the revised opening in the center of the hood is impossible to fake.

For those seeking further information on the building of this kit, I suggest you check out Ismael’s excellent review on the ProFinish kit.

Final Comment:

I liked the ProFinish kit when it was released and despite the inaccuracies in the body I’m still eager to build this one. Hopefully the aftermarket will provide us with markings for the 2001 car.

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Page updated  04/28/01