Revell/Monogram and AMT/ERTL
1997 Chevrolet Corvette C5 Coupe Comparison

The modern sliding tool enables crisp details as well as openings on each side of the body without separating the body into pieces. The body of Revell/Monogram's C5 is a good example. All inlets, side vents and rear outlets are molded open, while side vents and rear outlets of AMT's three-piece body are closed . The roof of Revell/Monogram kit is molded as a part of the body; A-pillars appears to be too thick, and the triangular plates should be taller, but they can be fixed easily. AMT/ERTL replicated the window and roof as one part, and it needs a masking job. Neither kits have side windows. The front and rear windows of the Revell/Monogram kit have to be glued from outside, so clear glue will be handy. The rear window of Revell/Monogram kit features defroster lines, that do not look quite realistic, but it's better than the rear window of the AMT/ERTL kit, which does not have any defroster lines. The wiper assemblies of AMT/ERTL kit are molded at the bottom of the front window/roof part, and they look dull and unrealistic. On the other hand, Revell/Monogram's wiper arms/blades are molded on the body, which appears more convincing. I hope kit designers at Revell/Monogram incorporate a good practice of including separate arms/blades that can be found in Revell's Diablo kit. Both kits have clear turn signal lenses and transparent red stop lights, in addition, Revell/Monogram kit contains clear backup lights as well as transparent red rear maker lights. The raised door handle assemblies of the Revell/Monogram kit do not seem accurate, and it does not have a separate front license plate cover, while AMT/ERTL's C5 does. The hood of the Revell/Monogram kit is hinged, but the AMT/ERTL kit is not. The overall shape and appearance of both kits are good, but the AMT/ERTL kit does not have raised flags on the body (decals are provided), and it might also be a little more troublesome to align the separate nose and tail parts.

The engine, torque tube and transmission of the Revell/Monogram kit are molded as a two-piece assembly, and it looks good, while AMT/ERTL's engine and torque tube/transmission assemblies are separate. The bottom of the engine, transmission, and oil pan of the Revell/Monogram kit are separate, as well as cylinder heads, rocker covers and intake manifold. The Revell/Monogram kit has raised letters on the engine covers, which is incorrect. On the other hand, the AMT/ERTL has engraved letters. Both kits have a nice front engine cover, and Revell/Monogram kit has two-piece fan belt assembly. Alternator, alternator bracket, a/c compressor, power steering reservoir cap and oil filler cap of the AMT/ERTL kit are separate, and they look realistic.

The AMT/ERTL kit includes four separate shocks, front and rear suspension assemblies, as well as four separate spindles. The Revell/Monogram kit has similar construction, but it has separate steering unit, torsion bars, and anti-lock brake module. Revell/Monogram's kit features Corvette lettering on the front calipers, that can be seen through the openings of the two-piece wheels, and the suspension assembly can also be seen. AMT/ERTL has separate disks, but they're undersized and the suspensions are hidden because of the inner wheels. I wonder when AMT/ERTL will abandon this practice. Revell/Monogram features realistic soft rubber tires with correct brand, and AMT/ERTL has vinyl tires. The tires included in the Revell/Monogram's kit have a fatter aspect ratio and looks better, but the diameter is smaller than that of AMT/ERTL, which makes AMT/ERTL kit seems better because the space between tire and fender is smaller. Surprisingly, Revell/Monogram kit has Chevrolet flag decals for the wheels.

The interior of AMT/ERTL's kit is not bad at all, but Revell/Monogram also did a better job here. It has separate handles, transparent red reflectors, two-piece instrument panel with a passenger side handle and raised Corvette letters on the airbag cover, and most importantly, gauges are done by a decal. (Finally.) It has clear instrument panel window also. And the instrument gauges are the weakest part of the AMT/ERTL kit. It looks so unrealistic and poor in comparison. AMT/ERTL and Revell/Monogram have different seat styles, but I've seen the photos of both, so they should be accurate. Each of them is two-piece assembly.