I was rather happy to see that Testors had released an updated version of their 1/24 diecast Vic police kit. I decided to buy one, if just for the honeycomb grille.
I have to say I am rather disappointed with the kit so far. I figured it was an updated re-do of their prior kit. Alas, no... It is based on the Motor Max cars. The kit comes as three main sub-assemblies: The body, the chassis with attached bumpers, and interior. Let's look at each, shall we?
THE BODY: The old Testor's kit had a body that needed all trim added. You could easily strip the factory paint without ruining any other parts. In this kit, the windows, side view mirrors, spotlights, tail lights, headlights, front grille, pushbar, chrome trunk trim (incorrect for a '07 with honeycomb grille), and front door panels installed. There is also a black plastic engine insert installed. Each of these parts will need some care to remove without damage. The windows in my kit were far from pristine out of the box. The big no-no is the Marauder style front bumper. It has fog lights! Heh?? If you have patience and have some building skills, you will most likely be able to separate all these parts for painting.
THE CHASSIS: A typical die-cast kit chassis. The car's black rocker panels are molded into this part. The front & rear bumpers attach with small screws.
THE INTERIOR: The main assembly is the interior tub, front seats (one molding, attached to floor loosely), divider, incorrect Marauder style center console with a laptop, shotgun, and radios. The rear deck has the 3-3rd-brakelight style flashers. The dash is separate and thankfully has a column shifter. Everything is molded in black.
OTHER BITS: The wheels are rather nice, complete with chrome center caps that aren't the correct style. The lightbar is a joke. The directions imply there is some kind of insert or base to go under the clear cover, but my kit does not have one. You will need to go aftermarket or get fancy with your scratchbuilding skills!
This kit should make "custom" model sellers happy, but maybe not those who like accurate detail.
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