GT1 is a GREAT class, and the Corvette C6-R is an awesome machine. Here's one in 1/25th scale.
Click on any image to view larger version...
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The Revell kit is typical for this series. A good number a parts which fit
reasonably well and builds into a believable replica.
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The addition of the Scale Motorsport "builder kit" contents turns this model into
something special. The machined aluminum wheels are a work of art... in fact they look so nice I couldn't bring
myself to tone them down to more accurately reflect the prototypes.
A word about the paint: I used MCW Corvette C6-R yellow, which appears to be dead-on to prototypes (as is
standard for MCW). However, when I made the switch to the BBV livery (see below), I discovered that the yellow used
on the decals is substantially lighter - I didn't notice this until it was far too late to do anything about.
Oh well - sue me. |
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Another really nice feature of the SMS kit is the rear diffuser, which completely
replaces the bulky and out-of-scale Revell part with a very nice photoetch unit. It has been designed to build
up very easily, although care should be taken when reviewing the assembly drawings for this step as I found
them a bit difficult to decipher (the perspective view is not clear in certain critical areas). |
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In addition to SMS's builder kit details, I added a set of their "Bad Boy Vette"
decals. These represent the #3 and 4 cars as run during the 2007 season, and create a very unique model.
But they don't come cheap: the extra labor involved in preparin the body with the two-tone color scheme added
a great deal of time to the project (for me, anyway). |
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The kit tires are retained, and fit very well. The SMS box includes two sheets of
Matthew's fabulous carbon fiber decals, with pre-printed templates on the back. The rear wing and lower chassis
both benefit from these great decals. |
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The SMS kit includes a nice set of windows (front windscreen and side windows)
preprinted on what appears to be acetate. Unfortunately, when I attempted to clean some fingerprints
from the windscreen, it became cloudy and would not clear up. I made a new windscreen from 0.005" styrene
and used the decals for the frame (NB: Matthew, I never did hear back from you re: a replacement windscreen :( ). |
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Another view showing off that fabulous Bad Boy vette livery (and those outstanding
SMS wheels). You can just barely see the driver's harness (red) in this photo: I found the material included
in the SMS kit to be worthless (no way will it fit thru the provided PE harness hardware without fraying into
oblivion) so I made new pieces from masking tape and painted them to match reference photos. I used the same
technique to replace the thick, out-of-scale side netting. |
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A closer view of the interior. Also visible in the lower-left corner is the
PE exhaust shield. I fabricated new exhaust dumps from Al tubing - the kit pieces are far too small and
don't protrude out thru the body far enough. |
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The SMS kit includes a very nice turned aluminum oil tank (silver piece in
this photo). I built up a new hose with correct AN fittings to add a little bling to the rear deck.
You can also see the very nice rear wing end plates. |
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Overall, this SMS builder kit is a great, rewarding project. I *highly* recommend
it to any Chevy race fan, or to someone just looking to do something different. Definitely challenging.
Save yourself some heartache and spend a fair amount of time going over each and every step in the SMS instructions -
there are a lot of little details which are seemingly buried inside larger steps. Plan your workflow carefully
and you'll wind up with a fantastic C6-R.
There are lots of things I could have done better (for examle, the windscreen and the side window frames really
gave me fits: I think there is something wrong with them, but it could just be me being dense). |