Revell 1/25 Corvette C6-R Kit First Look

By Stephen Sutton

First Look

The brand-new Corvette C6.R racecar debuted at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2005 after a full year of rigorous testing and development. The two-car, factory-backed Chevrolet sports car program competed in the production-based GT1 class (formerly GTS) of American Le Mans Series as well as the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans in France, a race where the Corvette has won its class for three out of the past four years. The new race car is the most technically advanced sports car ever developed by General Motors, culling years of experience from the dominant Corvette C5-R as well as the advancements brought forth from the next-generation Corvette C6 and Z06 production models.

Like the C5-R before it, the Corvette C6.R starts from production roots: the same hydroformed frame rails that roll down the assembly line at the Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky are sourced for the structure of the race car. With the new C6 production model measuring shorter in overall length (but with a longer wheelbase), race car engineers faced a new set of numbers in which to achieve their goals to make the car faster on the 180-mph Mulsanne Straight at Le Mans and other high-speed circuits.

Adding a rear wing and a front splitter enabled the team to develop a package that achieves a lift-to-drag ratio better than that of the C5-R. Through a combination of Computational Fluid Dynamic studies and on-track testing, the end result will be an aerodynamically balanced package, tunable to the low drag demands of Le Mans or the high downforce requirements of Mosport.

The phrase "technology transfer" has never been more appropriate than when used to describe the matched set of Corvette C6.R and Corvette Z06. Lessons learned on the track have benefited the Z06, just as GM's vast resources have enriched the C6.R race car. Both cars are powered by 7-liter 580 horsepower small-block V-8 engines with dry-sump lubrication systems, CNC-ported cylinder heads, titanium valves and connecting rods, forged steel crankshafts, and plate-honed cylinder bores. While the components and specifications of the street and competition engines are tailored to their specific environments, the thought process behind them is identical.

The same six drivers that piloted the C5-Rs to an historical undefeated season in 2004 will return to the track in 2005: Ron Fellows, Johnny O'Connell and Max Papis will drive the #3 Corvette C6.R and Oliver Gavin , Olivier Beretta and Jan Magnussen will drive the #4 Corvette C6.R.

The kits comes neatly packed in separate plastic bags for all the individual parts trees. It includes over 66 parts comprising of clear, white, black, silver, chrome plated and clear red plastic parts. Two metal axles and four rubber tires. It also includes decals for 4 different racecars.

The kit instructions take you through the assembly process starting with the Frame and Engine Assembly steps. The kit has the race chassis with roll bars as found in modern American LeMans Series racecars. The engine parts include The engine front with drive belt mounted to the hard mounted chassis block with an intake plenum mounted on top of the block, separate exhaust pipes are also mounted to the same block, so the engine block is built on the chassis. Composite decals are provided on the decal sheet for the intake plenum and valve covers. Nice touch Revell!

The seat and Interior are next in the instructions, a rear firewall is provided to mount the drivers’ seat, and seat belts are molded into the seat. Next the interior dash comes with all the instrumentation, switches and circuit breakers found on the real racecar. The separate oil tank and top roll cage is installed and this all looks very easy to build.

Next the chassis is mounted on a composite belly pan along with the mounting points for the disk brakes, metal axle are provided for the wheels, The larger wheels go in the rear and the smaller up front, very nice low profile racing tires are provided, a little sanding will remove the molding joint off the tires, decals are provided for the racing Michelins’.

The one-piece body is a very nice piece of engineering, and it can be removed anytime you want to show off the interior, I see lots of opportunities for some super detailing here. Separate doors and hood are provided. The top front fender louvers come molded open and are very fine, some care must be taken when painting this area, you do not want to cover the louver openings with thick paint. These louvers are very nice. The rear window supports are present in the window opening, do not remove these as these are found on the real racecar.

Overall, Revell has been pushing out some very well engineered model cars, and this one is included. I highly recommend this kit.