Stone, Woods & Cook ’41 Willys Gasser 1:25 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-1287 Review
Right On Replicas, LLC Step-by-Step Review 20150728*
Stone, Woods & Cook ’41 Willys Gasser 1:25 Scale Revell Model Kit #85-1287 Review
Review and Photos by Alan Mann 
The Swindler II was the first Willys from the Stone, Woods & Cook stables. It was initially built to run in the A/Gas class with a bored, stroked, and blown 448ci Olds V-8. It was a show-quality car with blue-and-white tuck-and-roll ’58 Thunderbird seats with matching door panels and headliner and a chromed roll bar. The first Swindler II was destroyed in a towing accident returning from the ’61 Nationals at Indy and replaced with another virtually identical Willys body. With its familiar light-blue paint, this is the version that gained S-W-C’s initial fame. After an NHRA weight-break change in the A/Gas class, the team built a second, lighter Willys in 1964 with a fiberglass front end to take advantage of the new rules. They continued to run the Swindler II in B/Gas, at which time the cars were renamed Swindler A and Swindler B. At first, Swindler A was painted black; both cars were later re-sprayed in a darker candy blue. After a narrow victory against Big John Mazmanian at the ’64 Winternationals, both cars’ blown Olds engines were switched to blown Hemi motors. Today, Stone, Woods & Cook’s legendary Swindler A resides on loan from Mike Cook in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, just a few hundred yards from the famous Pomona drag strip where it earned so much glory in the heyday of the Gasser Wars.
For the Modeler: This review covers the Re-Release (Re-Pop) of the Stone, Woods & Cook 41 Willys. This is one of Revell’s SSP kits (Selected Subjects Program) and is a Limited Production, One-time offering molded in 1/25 scale. The kit has been released 
multiple times in a variety of box arts and different drag race teams. This is a direct recast of original moldings and does show some Flash on the parts. The chassis is marked 1982. You get 155 parts molded in White, Chrome, Clear Acetate and Vinyl Tires. The build is a Skill Level 3 for advanced modelers. You get a highly detailed Oldsmobile motor with plenty of Chrome. The chassis is as well detailed and includes poseable front wheels. The interior is nice and does include decals for the Blue insert color. The doors trunk and hood are able to be opened and the body can be assembled enough to allow painting as a whole. This eases color variances with a Metallic color. All the important trim work is included as add-on parts; not molded to the body. The decals are replications of the originals and give you the Swindler II or A and B options, but the majority of the decals are in the Blue for the Light Blue body Swindler II version. Overall size is: Length: 6-7/8″. Width: 3″, Height: 2-11/16″
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; abrasive choices; complete paint and adhesive selections and applications; test fitting; repairing excess flash; mold seam identification and repair; using white glue for the window glass; suspension construction; detailing the tires for realism; chassis construction and detailing; making acetate windows; mounting the body to the chassis; removing copyright script; interior/trunk color selection; engine construction and detailing; building and complete interior detailing; contest model considerations; locating the connection points; detailing the dashboard; optional parts considerations; using an aftermarket wired distributor; construction and installation of opening doors and trunk; correct wiring instruction guide; making the taillights look real; combining instruction steps for better finishing; version options; building and installing the roll cage; using floor wax to make crystal clear window glass; decal preparation and application; using decal setting solutions for that “painted on†look; are all fully examined in this 20 page, full-color Step-by-Step review in PDF format.
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