1937 | Blind Bat News

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: Cool looking kit, but fiddly construction with instructions that don’t help.

: No attachment points for the wiper blades. I didn’t notice until after painting, and assembly was 99% complete. I could’a swore earlier issues of this kit had locating holes. So, on this latest issue drill holes before painting. Also, no ‘positive’ attachment points on the “stock” headlight shells. I did drill holes in the bottoms of the shells, you’ll get frustrated if you don’t.

: I had problems with the grill shell. When I attached it to the radiator it tilted too far back and prevented the hood from fitting. I suspect the crosspiece between the front fenders is the cause. I ended up gluing the grill shell to the hood. In fact the instructions don’t show the attachment of the stock grill shell to the radiator! It is a prime example of the necessity of lots of dry fitting and modification before assembly on this kit.

: The brake lights look more like rubies. I had to drill out the end of the stock exhaust pipe. I think attaching the wheels/tires earlier than what the instructions say is a good idea, as the axle to chassis connections are a little fiddly, and it took some pressure to get the stock wheels to snap on.

: If you’re using the custom dual exhaust, these cool metal pipe tips come with this issue of the kit.

: I have lot-o-decals left over for custom builds. I decided to make this pickup a stock build, using only the decals for the stock gauges.

: The decal gauges look good. I taped them to the backside of the panel. The down side is that if you somehow screw up the decals there are no plastic gauges in the kit. Attachment of steering wheel shaft can be frustrating. Instead of a hole to slide it through, you have to somehow hold it in place as the glue dries (I turned the interior upside down and used gravity).

: No attachment points on the chassis. I used lots-o-glue where the frame meets the floor pan. Ignore the instructions and attach the bumper mounts at the beginning (especially before the gas tank is mounted), otherwise you’ll have problems clamping them in place while the glue dries. The instructions show steering linkage for the custom version, but no mention of it for stock. Also, instructions mention stock lever action (torsion) front shocks but not how to attach them (I eventually figured it out).

: Major faux pas here! The stock exhaust does not line up with the stock manifold opening on this side of the engine! What happened Revell? The instructions are totally focused on the “custom” version with little help for a “stock” build.