RoR Review 20100906 – Kurtis Kraft Racer Monogram 85-0012

RoR Review 20100906 – Kurtis Kraft Racer Monogram 85-0012

Review and photos by Tony Gibson

Buy This Kit!

This kit includes 49 pieces and a larger-sized piece of clear, thin sheet plastic (to be cut to size for the windshield) and a nice colorful decal sheet.

Figure 1

Looking over the parts, everything looked pretty good.  There was not a lot of flashing or die lines to clean up.  After looking over the directions, it’s obvious this was going to be a pretty simple build. 

Figure 2

In this review, the model was built it like it came out of the box.  It appears this would be great as a first time builder so it was kept simple, instead of doing a crazy over-the-top build.

Figure 3

Start with some simple clean up with an emery board and 400 grit sandpaper.  Most of the cleanup areas were on the edges.

Figure 4

Start by gluing the body together.  Testors cement for plastic models was used in this review.  Try to get only a small amount around all the edges.  If some glue squeezes out of the adjoining edges, a little sanding with the 400 grit after it’s dry will clean it up nicely.  This eliminated the need for any body putty.

Figure 5

After the body was washed with mild dish soap (and dried completely), it was primed with Krylon white primer.  After 24 hours of drying time, rub out the primer with a piece of t-shirt material. This is almost like wet sanding a finish coat, and takes out the small dirt nibs.  If there are any runs in the primer, wet sanding will be needed for a nice finish.  Tack the whole body with a tack cloth and move on to the finish color. For this model Krylon Sunglow Yellow was used to replicate the box art.  This dried 24 hours.

Figure 6

After drying, polish the whole body with Mothers® Synwax^TM and another clean piece of t-shirt material.  Any fine polish will work, this is my personal favorite.

Figure 7

When polishing, use a light touch or you could burn through the paint.

Figure 8

While everything was drying it was a good time to start the tires. It would have been nice to see some more up-to-date vinyl tires. But, remembering this is an old school design the kit supplied parts were used instead of going to an aftermarket setup.

Figure 9

After gluing the two-piece molded tires together, use an emery board to clean them up just like on the body.  The emery board gave the appearance of the tires being worn.

Figure 10

Use a piece of Evergreen (plastic stock) rod to mount the tires, add tape to the back of the wheel then paint them with semi-gloss black paint.  After they dry, paint the wheels by hand with Testors® silver.  When this was very dry, thin out a bit of Testors® flat black and brushed it over the silver area of the wheels and carefully dabbed with a paper towel (make sure none of the excess gets on the black tires).  I didn’t get a picture of the lettering on the tires, but used a very fine tip brush and flat white and painted the letters on the tire.  A small amount of paint is needed for this.  It takes a while to get the knack, but the effect is great.

Figure 11

This is a good point to move back to the body. Using Testors® flat black brush paint the inner panels of the body and dash panel. Then paint around the feature line surrounding the windshield with silver. 

Figure 12

Once again, because this is an old school kit, there were no chrome pieces.  Instead of hand painting the grill bare metal foil was used to simulate chrome. Cut the foil a little larger than needed and place it on the grill area then rub lightly with a q-tip to the mold lines. 

Figure 13

Using a new, sharp Exacto blade trim the feature line of the grill in small sections at a time being careful not to pull the foil away. Go over it again with a q-tip to smooth the edges. 

Figure 14

Lastly, thin out some flat black paint and washed it over the grill, wiping off the excess.  This gives it some depth.

Figure 15

Because this was a multi piece body, it needed to be taped together so the decals could be more accurately placed from one panel to the next.

Figure 16

When it comes to decals, it helps to use a coat of clear to give them more strength. A good choice is Duplicolor® Crystal Clear^TM.  A light, smooth coat is plenty, be careful not to get too heavy.  Let them dry at least 4 hours in a warm dry place but it can take longer, make sure they’re not tacky before trying to apply them and don’t force-dry them with heat. Due to the clear coat, you’ll need to cut as close as possible to the decal design.  This gives a better edge.  Soak the decal in warm (not hot) water for 15-20 seconds, remove and let set for 15-20 seconds.  Check to see if the decal is ready to slide off the paper, proceed when it is.  After placing the decal in the desired area, touch lightly with a paper towel or clean absorbent cloth to remove any excess water.  Then once the decal is starting to set, it can be moved a little to adjust.  Blot again with the cloth to press into place.

Figure 17

There were some air bubbles in the decals after applying.  These were caused by some of the contours in the body.  While the decal was still damp use an Exacto knife with a new blade to make very small cuts in the decals, then blot with a damp cloth or paper towel until the decal lays down.  This takes patience and a steady hand.

Figure 18

Install the motor then move on to the front suspension.  The suspension was the one place that gave me trouble.  Mock up and test fit everything before gluing it together.  The holes where parts go together may need to be cleaned out or enlarged. Do a little at a time until the parts fit. This was especially important when it came to the radius rod parts (part #11 and 12, c&d section) and the king pins (part #24, f section).  These will definitely have to be sanded to make the diameter smaller.  This will give a smoother fit into the steering knuckle.  The directions show the parts.  Take your time with this part of the model.

Figure 19

The rear suspension parts need to be test fit and mocked up also.  The parts needed the same sort of attention as the front suspension.

Figure 20

There is no precut front windshield for this kit, just a clear plastic sheet.  It’s a good thing there’s extra, cutting it out or gluing it in may not go perfectly the first time.  The direction sheet gives an excellent template.  Cut this template off the direction sheet and tape it to the clear sheet, then cut it out with sharp scissors.

Figures 21 & 22

To glue this in Gorilla Glue was used so it set up very fast.  If you’re not experienced with this glue, be careful, it’s just like Crazy Glue and sets up quickly and permanently. Patience, patience, patience! 

Figure 23 & 24

For final assembly, follow the directions.  It’s pretty straight forward. Gorilla glue was used for this also, staying clear of the hinged areas.  A little of this type of glue goes a long way.  The kit’s directions are very clear and it assembled without a problem.  Again, be patient, test fit and mock it up. The last things to put on were the tires and knock offs.  I had painted the knock offs silver like the rims then washed them with thinned black paint.  The knock offs need to be test fitted and cleaned up if needed. A little wipe off with a soft, clean cloth and the model was complete.

Figure 25

Summary:

All in all, you can have a good time with this kit. These old school kits can be taken for granted, but when you take the time to build one it’s a nice change.  There are lots of ways to add to this kit if you want to go into more detail.  As a box stock kit, it will look good in any collection.

The front suspension was the hardest part.  It’s necessary to study the direction sheet and mock up before gluing. The entire build took about 25 hours spread out over a week’s time. The driver or crewman that came with the kit weren’t used. The driver would require a lot of cutting to make him fit. If you want to use the driver, have fun, but it’s going to take a lot of work (I thought his arms and body didn’t fit right and wouldn’t match up to the steering wheel).

I like how this car looks now that it’s done. It’s true to the #2 difficulty rating and I think it would be a great first model or a father/kid project.  Just remember to not get in a hurry. Give this kit a try and have fun.

“Keep the glue off the windshield” 
Tony Gibson