Revell 1/25
Dodge Viper SRT-10

Background

I remember back in 1989 when Dodge first announced the Viper. It was a concept car that was going into production. Like many of the concept cars, the specs on the engine and drivetrain were awesome, and these specs didn't get diluted much when the car reached the showroom floors.

The SRT-10 is a convertible model that retains the awesome performance of the Viper. The engine is a 10-cylinder, 8.3 liter, 500 horsepower work of art that generates all of that power without the aid of a supercharger or turbocharger. With a curb weight of under 3,400 pounds, the car is best described with a thrust-to-weight ratio like an F-16!

While not the daily commute car for the average motorist, the Viper will peel the paint off of Corvettes and virtually any other US-made hot rod. I can only imagine how much fun the car would be on the German autobahn trolling for Porsches...

The Kit

The Viper kit is a nice kit out of the box. The body parts are molded in white styrene and presented on two trees in addition to the body itself. The interior and engine are molded in silver and presented on four trees. The chassis and some of the details under the hood are molded in black styrene and presented on four parts trees. A single tree of chromed parts rounds out the kit with the mag wheels.

While a junior modeler could assemble this kit into a nice looking car with no paint, the faithful Viper modeler will want to head over to one of the auto supply stores for color-matched touch-up paint to render the color Viper they've wanted to own. Remember to prime the styrene before shooting lacquers or you might melt the kit.

Assembly of the kit is very straightforward and leaves the intermediate and master modelers with room for superdetailing, such as ignition wiring, plumbing and other assorted details.

Conclusion

With a showroom sticker price of over $85,000 (USD), the average modeler will have to settle for this significantly less expensive alternative to owning your own Viper. This is a beautiful kit that will please modelers of all skill levels.

My sincere thanks to Revell-Monogram for this review sample!