C6 convertible Review

2005 Corvette C6 Convertible

Revell Kit# 1930, 1/25 Scale, 50 Pieces and Stickers, New Tool

The 2005 Corvette is hot. The people who engineered this car has hit a home run with this vehicle, as a performance car, it’s in a class by itself. The C6 Corvette is available as a Coupe with a lift-off “targa” top, and hatchback, a high performance Z06 coupe with a fixed roof and hatchback, and a convertible. The kit depicted here is of a 2005 Corvette convertible, which can be built as a replica stock vehicle, or a “mild” custom (aftermarket wheels). This kit is in the “Easy Kit” series from Revell, which means that it is a curbside (no drive-line detail or opening hood) kit, which is molded in color, of simplified design, marketed to be buildable by the less experienced modeler. This kit will be the basis for the various promotional models which will be produced by this company for the manufacturer.

The box the kit arrived in was sturdy, and fairly heavy as compared with other model kits. Once I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised that not only was the kit parts in a plastic bag inside of the box, there were several plastic bags inside of the plastic bag, each containing the pieces which made up the various assemblies in the kit. Thanks Revell for listening to us, as this practice is becoming the norm, rather than the exception.

The interior assembly consists of a tub with a well engraved floorboard with the center console molded into it. Two-piece front and rear bucket seats are included which has tabs for a “press” fit. Also included are a pair of door panels, a speaker panel, and a rear wall, which are well engraved, and snap fit into place. The dashboard assembly consists of a dashboard unit, clear gage face, steering column, and steering wheel. Stickers depict the gages, and navigation system screen. This assembly attaches to the well engraved chassis plate, with a pair of chrome plated exhaust pipes that snap in and a pair of holes at each side where the builder can have either a standard, or lowered ride height, utilizing metal axles, with the balance molded in. Detail painting will bring out this assembly.

There are two sets of wheels included. The first set is the replica stock Corvette wheels, rendered in a chrome plate. While they look good, the actual factory wheels are either painted aluminum, or polished aluminum. However, chrome plated factory wheels are available from the aftermarket for the C6 Corvette. There is also a set of custom wheels, which are similar to American Racing’s “Matrix” wheel. With a little modification, they could be made to fit the glue kit. There is also a set of chromed, drilled disc brake rotors. Curiously, there are no calipers. Oh well, the aftermarket is there I guess.

The one piece, well engraved body captures the shape of the C6 Corvette Convertible perfectly. The mold lines are carefully hidden, and NO filling of voids is required in order to prepare the body for painting. Since the body is molded in a shade of red, a blocking sealer is required if you plan to paint this car any color but red. The hood is molded in as a part of the body. The windshield unit is clear, with lines indicating where flat black should be painted from the inside, and a combination of different levels of gloss black on the outside edges to represent the well engraved windshield frame and weatherstrips to make the assembly look more realistic. The windshield unit mounts from inside the body using tabs and the glass itself for alignment. There are a pair of body color mirror housings, which curiously do not have chromed mirrors. The complex projector beam headlamp assembly consists of a body color headlight bucket, with clear covers, and chromed reflector units, which mount inside the body as an assembly, trapped by the fog lamp assembly. A set of red tail-lights, which mount inside of the body complete this assembly. All emblems, license plates and custom graphics utilize stickers in lieu of decals. Personally, I hate the stickers, in that they eventually come off of the car, and they do not look realistic. I wish that the manufacturer had seen fit to issue water slide decals instead of these stickers. Not all curbside kits are built by children.

I test fitted the convertible body onto the full detail coupe’s chassis, and it fit, but in my opinion, it would be far easier for the modeler to convert the coupe into a convertible, instead of cutting up the convertible kit into a full detailed kit.

With a little research, and detail painting, this one could be a standout on any modeler’s shelf. If you are into the C6 Corvette, this kit is a must have. Personally, I’m thinking about the 2005 Indy Pace Car Corvette as the version of the car I will build.