Now here’s a kit I’ve had my eyes on for a very, very long time and at long last it was available for a reasonable price on eBay. Granted, came with some scuffs and a very tiny bit warped body but it was worth it. Seeing as it was new in the box and still wrapped, I should consider myself lucky still.
Revell/Monogram’s done a series of these cars(and planes too) under their Pro Modeler line, which is a lot like the Special Edition line they have going but goes even deeper. To name a couple of things, they all have photo etched parts included, superbly detailed instructions with reference material printed with the instructions(which needs to be a thing on all instruction sheets, holy crap this is so useful). They’re small black and white pictures, but that doesn’t make them any less useful. And on top of that they include a secondary version of the car which was equally iconic: the NASCAR Daytona Charger.
Sadly, the entire line of the Pro Modeler series is just this ’69 Charger Daytona, the regular ’69 Charger that they re-released and re-packaged under their regular line along with the ’70 Ford Torino GT which got the same treatment, both of which I build. I have to admit I wish Revell/Monogram put more of these highly specialized kits out, cause by God they are just the best.
I build the regular stock version, which is beautiful in it’s own right but the NASCAR version deserves it’s attention; it’s not a full on clone, rather it’s a Buddy Baker inspired ’69 Daytona, same shade of blue but with a yellow Daytona wing and whatnot. It has dedicated the other half of the instructions, parts and decals to just this one. It also has bare wheels, race suspension, thicker Goodyear tires and a whole different 426 HEMI engine exclusively for that build. If I ever stagger across another one of these getting-rarer-by-the-days kits I’m definitely buying a second to build the NASCAR version.
To get down to it, the whole kit packs nearly 200 pieces, including a bunch of photo etched parts which are for the stock version; Charger side and tail logos, hood pins and front grille mesh. For the NASCAR version; fan blade, front grille mesh, dash plate, dash buttons, HEMI plates and hood pins. The stock version has equal if not more love from the designers, the interior detail is just staggering.
Along with the instructions, the build itself is fantastic. All the pieces go together perfectly, no tape or excess force necessary to keep it in place. Although my kit had some warping, probably due to it being shelved under something heavy(the box was caved in some when I got my hands on it) and even then it went together flawlessly.
Infact, there’s only two things that gave me a bit of a hassle on the build and only one is really due to Revell. Since the body and chassis had warped some, the exhaust pipes don’t want to sit alligned to the chassis so one sits a fair bit lower than the other, and the thing 
that can be pinned on Revell is that they keep making the decal for the carburetor air cleaner a simple circle shape. Try putting a flat circle ontop of a cone, you’ll soon notice the circle needs to be cut and have a extra bit to fit perfectly.
Anyway, I’m just rambling. I really need to give Revell/Monogram credit for this one, my build was largely straight from the box. The only thing I added was the paint(obviously), the wires to the engine and that is it. The rest is straight up box stock. The very nicely pad printed red line tires, the superb high quality decals, everything.
The engine options as mentioned before are the 440 Magnum and the 426 HEMI, which are both reproduced beautifully. The 426 looks proper NASCAR ready as it should be, with giant rocker covers and air filter. There’s a tiny error with the instructions, saying the wrong number decals need to be added to the battery and body, but oh well it’s a small oversight.
All in all, this ranks up there with the greatest, if not the best. Of course, it’s as great as it’s difficult, definitely not a model for the impatient. Easily the happiest I’ve ever been with the results.
’69 Dodge Charger Daytona specifications:
Kit: #85-4956
Skill Level: 5
Parts: 195
Molded in: White
Scale: 1/25