Scale Autos

Although it reappeared a couple of years back, I thought I’d start with a friendly face; the return of an old favourite, namely the old ZZ Top 1933 Ford Eliminator Coupe. This kit has been around for decades, which is pretty scary, as I remember when it was first released. It was introduced by Monogram back in 1985, a couple of years after ZZ Top’s Eliminator album which, because it was more commercial in content than their previous LPs, did well in the charts.

It brought the Texas trio much worldwide recognition and audiences they had never before tapped. One reason for this was the new MTV experience ce which encouraged bands to make videos to accompany their songs, three of which featured guitarist Billy Gibbons’ bright red and custom-painted 1933 Ford three-window coupe. With a three-inch chopped roof, fabulous graphics and accompanied by some extremely leggy ladies as additional eye candy, the videos did much to promote the album. The coupe was therefore a no-brainer to replicate in kit form. Monogram produced a decent model in its usual 1:24 scale.

The range was incorporated into Revell’s some time back, and the coupe was reintroduced with box art inspired by the album cover. The kit’s held up well, with a 350cu in Chevy V8, complete with ZZ Top valve covers and air cleaner, a neat interior and detailed suspension and an updated decal sheet. It’s a good starter kit, as assembly is straightforward and the resulting model is instantly recognisable.

A full review of the kit was written by Mat Irvine, which is well worth a read: www. scalemodelnews.com/2018/03/124-scale-zztop-eliminator-ford-coupe.html

Examples can be found online, both new and older releases, but they all essentially contain the same kit for generally under £30.