Of the few Revell’s Chip Foose designs, this one might just be the best. And that’s a tough pick, the ’67 Charger is fantastic, the ’69 Camaro in gigantic 1/12 scale is just mind-blowing and the Coronet as well as both Impala’s are great.
There’s hardly any good Firebird models of the early years, let alone anything that’s actually worth putting together without it falling apart or being too roughly molded and even kinda crappy to work with(looking at you MPC), granted there’s the Revell ’68 Firebird 400 this kit’s based on but that one’s impossible to find these days for less than 60-70 bucks.
Coming to think of it, it might be due to licensing being granted to Round 2 Models as MPC is primarily responsible for just about every generation Firebird T/A from 1970 through 1993 excluding the ’78 Smokey & the Bandit version. But alas, whatcha gonna do.
Technically a 2-in-1 kit, it doesn’t feature a factory stock ’68 Firebird or a Trans-Am alternative, it features the original Foose design with proper decals and engine specs and it features a Trans American(the race, not the Firebird T/A since the first Trans Am came through in 1969) version with an air scoop intake, raised rear suspension and bucket seating.
The whole kit is molded really well, dashboard details and branding is easily visible even without the decals attached. Personally I wanted to make a stock Firebird with the soft top but even with the Foose specs it was still very much possible, the kit’s molded in white for the most part so painting it in any color besides the black it advertises on the box is a definite possibility. That being said, it only comes with a single set of rims with the ultra thin tires that leave little to your imagination. But since it’s build in the more common 1/25 scale, scabbing some steelies from a other Revell kit should be possible, the wheels are attached to metal rods that should fit well on any of the Revell kit’s wheels.
In the end, I’d say if you’re looking for a solid Pontiac kit that comes with modern touches delivered by Chip Foose, this is easily the best one for you. It’s pretty cheap, it’s a fair challenge and the result is gorgeous. Besides, car enthusiasts generally agree that the modern touches Foose delivers are pretty damn good, for a change I’m actually digging the giant rims on a classic.
’68 FOOSE Pontiac Firebird 400 Ram Air specifications:
Kit: #85-4905
Skill Level: 2
Parts: 113
Molded in: White
Scale: 1/25