Hawaiian Charger Funny Car 1:16 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-4082 Review
Right On Replicas, LLC Step-by-Step Review 20140519*
Hawaiian Charger Funny Car 1:16 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-4082 Review
Review and Photos by Alan Mann 
Roland Leong owned and maintained a stable of “Hawaiian†Top Fuel and Funny Car vehicles. With a succession of top drivers, his vehicles won drag races all over the country. In 1969 Leong abandoned his Top Fuel Dragster teams in favor of the burgeoning Funny Car class. The following year, with driver Larry Reyes, Leong ran a 1970 Dodge Charger AA/Funny Car that won its class at the 1970 NHRA Winter Nationals. In 1971, Leong’s “Hawaiian” Funny Car repeated at Pomona, winning Funny Car Eliminator again, this time with Butch Maas driving. In 1973 Leong teamed up with Revell as a sponsor. Throughout the 1970s and into the early 1980s, Leong campaigned a variety of “Hawaiian” Funny Cars, both in NHRA competition, as well as “match racing” at smaller, independent tracks. With so many legendary wins, Revell had to have a model of the Hawaiian Charger Funny Car. These kits took the modeling world by storm in a wave that rivaled the real car’s success.
For the modeler: This review is based on the Revell # 85-4082 Hawaiian Charger Funny Car. This kit is 1/16 Scale Skill level 3 for the Advanced builder and contains 154 parts. The kit is molded in White, Clear and Chrome and has Vinyl Tires and includes Vinyl Tubing and Wires for engine detailing. This kit has seen a few different box-art designs over the years and has had multiple re-issues: this is a 100% Reissue (Re-Pop). The original kit has had almost no changes in any releases besides decals. The copyright stamp on the chassis reads 1988 and the decals read 2014, so this is still based on the original molds. We have seen this as the Chi-Town Hustler, Gene Snow and other versions of the Hawaiian. Based on research I could find no real car that used these graphics so I would guess Revell took a tad bit of “Artistic License†with this release replicating a possible 1971-72 paint version. The motor is very detailed and includes tubing to wire and run lines it is almost a model in its own right. The rail chassis is well designed and fits together nice. The body is showing its age with some strong mold lines but it’s solid and straight. The decals look nice and are Revell’s top quality even if they are sort of “Phantom†set that probably was never seen on the real car. Revell took a collected design of the real cars to create this set. This release has both the Centerline style rims and the American Racing style rims but only the American Racing rims fit the tires. The tires are unbranded but research shows many times Leong ran plain black-walled tires so this could be considered correct. Overall dimensions of the finished build are: Length: 11-15/16″, Width: 4-3/16″, Height: 3-1/4″.
Covered in this Review: If you want to perfect your build; basic construction; preparing parts for better finishing; alternate assembly sequence suggestions for fit and ease of finishing; complete paint and adhesive selections and applications; test fitting; contest considerations are discussed throughout; sink, tab and mold seam identification; suspension construction; detailing the tires for realism; removing the molded trademark scripts; removing unwanted chrome; motor construction, wiring and detailing; effective placement point connectors; blower assembly and finishing; missing decals are identified; scratch builder some key missing arts; frame assembly construction and detailing; repairing warped parts; adding superglue to joints for strength; thorough steering linkage construction notes; highly detailed close-up photos; version considerations; detailing the tires/wheels for authenticity; detailed brake line construction; using foil for chrome accents; spraying metallic’s with the airbrush issues and corrections; setting the windows in place; extra wheel notes; correcting instruction errors; decal preparation and application; are all fully examined in this gigantic  28 page, full-color Step-by-Step review in PDF format.
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