Background:

It took me a while to find this kit, but it was worth the wait. I've always found this second generation Viper to be the perfect combination of power and elegance: Beauty and the Beast in one car. Even before getting the kit I'd found some pictures of the metallic orange "Copperhead" version online, and it was always likely I'd build mine that way although I did consider some other colours.

Kit review:

Pros:

Mostly very well moulded with mostly a lot of detail, especially the engine and suspension. Aside from the boot lid not sitting 100% shut everything else fits together perfectly. The kit has both an opening bonnet and an opening boot. Good clear parts and nice quality comprehensive decals.

Cons:

Lots of sink marks on the body - over a dozen to be dealt with. The rear lights entirely lack any kind of depth or definition. As is often the case for Revell's American cars - no side windows and the front wheels don't steer. The European boxing of the kit's decal sheet has no USA plates in it. It would have been nice to have the bonnet vents open instead of moulded-in, and removing them looked like a lot of trouble.

Verdict:

Not perfect but very good. There are a few things that need fixing or dealing with mainly around cleaning up the body moulding, but once the kit is complete it looks as good as any other, from any angle. Generally a very good kit from Revell.

Build notes:

Built over the course of 3 weeks in September 2024. Painted in Tamiya Metallic Orange TS-92, and the carbon fibre stripes are the self-adhesive Hasegawa Trytool brand. I've scratch-built the side aero, omitted the large rear wing and changed the wheels for Aoshima Rays 57xtreme. I've also used the rear wing endplates for the small bit of aero behind the rear wheels - all based on the real-life "Copperhead" example I found photos of. By doing all this I've essentially removed the "ACR" from the car, turning it into a regular SRT10. I have kept the ACR engine however - the kit has parts for both and the ACR one looked more interesting - the top parts of the engine and air intake are different. A lot of extra detail has been scratch built into the engine bay. A strong contender for one of my top 3 builds of 2024.

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