Review

Revell/Monogram 1956 Chevrolet Del Ray by Mark Melchiari

When people think about the famous tri-five Chevys, it's a good bet that an image of a 1955 or '57 BelAir enters most minds. In picking the subject matter for this kit, Revell-Monogram threw everyone a curve ball by producing the 1956 Del Ray. It was the mid-level offering by Chevy during that era, providing a little less flash than its Bel-Air counterpart.

Revell-Monogram's 1:25 kit (No. 2349, $16.05) is by no means mid-level, though. It has 127 pieces molded superbly in white plastic, with plated, clear and clear-red parts, as well. The only nit I had with the moldings was the slight mismatch on the tops of the fenders that took a little work to clean up.

The body is the star of this kit, capturing the look of the Del Ray well. Separate parts on the chrome tree represent almost all of the exterior chrome pieces, with only the side trim molded onto the body. The classic 1950s paint job is two-tone, just like the car pictured on the box; however, I wanted something different, so I painted mine ivory white, using Tamiya spray TS-7 (racing white) over Tamiya white primer. With a lot of Bare-Metal Foil on the window trim, and the bumpers and trim parts installed, the model looks like a winner. The only problem I had with the body was the hood's poor fit.

The rest of the kit is based on Revell-Monogram's earlier 1956 Chevy Nomad kit. The engine and chassis assemblies are accurate and easy to assemble. Engine accessory markings are provided on the decal sheet. The chassis went together so well that I did not have to do any fiddling to get all four tires to touch the ground.

The interior also is pain-free to build. The only problem was that the dashboard and decals both say BelAir; this is wrong and should be removed. I painted my model's interior with Testor flat-red spray, with red flocking on the carpeted areas.

All in all, this was a pleasant kit to build, and it looks right when finished. Young builders will probably turn this into a racecar or low-rider, while older modelers will want to build this car as a trip down memory lane.