Revell 1/24 Ryan Newman's #12 Alltel Dodge Intrepid R/T Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

Ryan Newman got his start driving USAC racers and gaining numerous championships in the late 1990s. In 2000, he started racing ARCA stock cars and gained lots of experience and more victories through the 2001 season.

Ryan had his first full Nextel Cup season in 2002, and though technically a rookie, he won two races and stayed in the top 10 for 22 races. He won Rookie of the Year and six pole positions. Not bad for a rookie!

Revell-Monogram has released this beautifully detailed NASCAR racer based on the Dodge Intrepid design. The kit is molded in white styrene and is presented on six trees, but a body and chassis. The windows are pre-finished with the black trim and 'stripes'. Hoses and driver's window safety net are molded in black rubber, as are the four tires. A driver's figure is also provided in white.

Assembly begins with the nicely detailed V8 engine, though the AMS modeler will want to add ignition wiring. Despite the picture to the right, the hood is a separate part and is removable to reveal the work you'll be doing under the hood.

Next up is the chassis. You'll be assembling the racing safety cage that surrounds the driver as well as installing the driver's seat. The optional drivers figure is next and this needs to be painted and have all of the sponsor decals (patches) applied to the helmet and fire-protective jump suit.

With the driver safely installed inside the cage, the final portions of the safety cage are added to complete this part of the model. Then it is time to flip the chassis over and install the suspension components and power train.

The completed engine is installed on the chassis with the front end suspension. The radiator and exhaust assemblies complete the power train.

The rubber tires are mounted on the rims and disc brakes added to each of the wheel assemblies. With the wheels installed on the axles, the chassis is mounted onto the body shell, and the car is complete.

Using the decal cheat line as a template, mask off the body for the black and white paint. When the paint finish is to your liking, add the nice array of sponsor and identification decals and your Alltel racer is completed!.

This will be a nice build for NASCAR fans. The nicely detailed safety cage is quite interesting to show the current state of the art for driver safety on the NASCAR circuit. My sincere thanks to Revell for supplying this review sample!