Kit Review

1959 Chevrolet Corvette 2'n 1

Monogram kit # 85-2379

Review by Steve DeVaux

Review:

Monograms instruction sheet starts off by saying "Chevy took the new design for the 1958 Corvette and updated it for 1959 with great results". Monogram has done exactly the same thing with their Pro Modeler 1958 Corvette.

There is an 18-piece basic engine assembly with up to 9 additional parts for the intake, distributor and coil. Decals are included for the generator and horsepower rating. As with 1958 a buyer could take a base model Vette with a single Carter carb or order a Vette with dual fours or a Rochester Fuel Injection. The HP rating for the dual carbs was 245 and 270, whilst the FI unit provided 250 and 290. Monogram provides the decals and parts for the 245 dual carburetor setup as well as the 290HP Fuel Injection unit. An electronic fuel injection system is also included for the street machine version. All of these parts are well done, although the starter motor will take a bit of work to get it properly rounded. Also, the only chromed parts in a stock motor should be the air cleaner for the dual carb version and the distributor shield. Monogram has really done their homework on this kit, but missed pointing out that the cylinders moulded in as part of the exhaust manifold are actually part of the distributor shield, and should be chrome as well. This shield was there to prevent interference to the "Wonderbar" (man I miss the goofy names of stuff from back then…) AM radio caused by the distributor and wires. If you are building a radio delete car or a racing Vette, you will need to not install the chrome shield, and also grind out the radio from the dash and the shields from the exhaust manifold. Monogram has also chosen to chrome plate the FI parts as well as the fuel pump and filter, valve covers, and carb unit. The FI parts and carb intake manifold should all be varying colours of aluminum (different degrees of Model Master and/or Alclad aluminum paint work well here), whilst the valve covers should be a darker steel colour, and the fuel pump should be a goldish steel. A quick trip in the vat of Westleys Bleche White (available at many auto stores) will remove the chrome from these parts in short order.

The chassis is comprised of about 30 major components, with the frame rails even showing weld marks! The exhaust is designed to fit through holes cut in the frame; Monogram achieves this by making a separate overlay for the chassis cross member. This part does not fit quite as well as it could, but it’s not bad. Most of the chassis parts are satin black on the real thing, and Krylon semi gloss black looks pretty close to the GM black used on the Vette chassis. The wheels were either body colour or black, so an edge will need to be painted around the stock wheel covers.

The interior is also well done. The seats and door panels have been updated from Monograms ’58 to the correct pattern for ’59. These are very minor changes (different seat pattern and relocated door pull), and Monogram did them correctly. The door panels are separate and build onto the interior platform. This makes them easier to paint and detail before attaching them. The seat piece has an insert that is supposed to be body colour between them, so this will have to be masked off when painting. There are decals for all of the instrument faces and even two different tachometer decals for each horsepower version – even though it’s very difficult to tell them apart! They also added the T bar on the shifter that was new for ’59 (and not included on Monograms ’58).

The body is also just as good as the rest of the kit. The ’58 fake hood louvers and chrome trunk spears are gone. The mold lines on the body are not that bad, but it is going to be difficult to remove the one on the gas filler door without also removing the finger catch for the filler door. The fuel injection logo is moulded onto the body and should be removed for the carb version, and may also be removed and replaced with a decal from Keith Marks or photoetch part from Model Car Garage. A stock hardtop is included with the headliner moulded in. Monograms ’58 Corvette had a convertible uptop. The tyres should be stock Firestone skinnies, but are instead Goodyears. The tampo printed wide whitewalls are gone. Rub on transfers can be e purchased from Shabo.

Stock colours for 1959 were: Inca Silver metallic, Snowcrest White, Classic Cream, Frost Blue metallic, Crown Sapphire metallic, and Roman Red. Stock interior colours were black, red, blue metallic and turquoise metallic.

The decal sheet is also a work of art, and includes many engine, body and interior markings. There are also very well done flame markings (and I’m not a big fan of flames – no pun intended!), custom licence plates, and even an alternate gauge set!

Monogram also provides a handful of custom parts to make the model as it appears on the box art. There are chromed intake and valve covers, custom steering wheel, chrome 5 spoke mags and low profile radials. Chrome disks go behind the custom wheels, but Monogram seems to have forgotten the calipers, which just goes to show that there’s no stopping a Corvette!

Monogram has hit another home run with this kit. The crispness of the mouldings in still not quite up to the standards of the Tamiya kits that I usually swear by. However, the attention to the minute details that only a Corvette nut would notice are great. The inclusion of the detailing decals also adds a lot to a box stock build. The custom parts are a great addition, though I personally won’t have any use for the engine parts. I may have plans for the flames and the wheels, though. Alright…actually I don’t, but they DO look cool!

Hopefully Monogram will add another solid axle Corvette to the lineup. The major difference between the 59 and the 60 Corvette is the direction of the seat pleats, and the fuel injection air intake. There would also be differences in the decal sheet. Then, once they do the ’60, could a ’61 using the same chassis and engine be far behind? Thanks, Monogram, you get 2 X-Acto scarred thumbs up for this one!

Final comment:

Ismael - We thank Steve for a very complete review. This kit is excellent. I haven't build mine yet, but my only caution  is with the exhaust pipes, that have a "crossover" pipe below the exhaust manifolds, close to the front suspension. Only the two highest horsepower rating engines used it. Keep this in mind If you are building  a stock replica. This shouldn't be hard to fix. If you can't decide what version to build, do what many of us have done: Buy 2 kits.....

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Page updated  02/09/05