Monogram 1/24 JH Racing Monte Carlo SS, previewed by Scott Van Aken

Junior Johnson & Associates (formerly Johnson Hodgdon Racing) was a NASCAR team that ran in the Winston Cup Series from 1953 to 1995. The team was run by former driver Junior Johnson and was best known for fielding cars for legendary talents such as Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, Terry Labonte, Bill Elliott, Geoffrey Bodine, and Sterling Marlin.

Johnson's best year as a car owner was 1984 when he agreed to terms with Anheuser-Busch to carry its Budweiser brand on his cars. Johnson also revived his second team, signing Neil Bonnett away from RahMoc Enterprises to pilot car #12 alongside Waltrip in the #11 The duo were a dominant force, scoring 16 wins between 1984 and 1986, with Darrell winning the 1985 championship.

THE KIT

It seems that just about all these kits have very similar chassis. The roll bar configurations and general layout seem to be identical. Of course, since these folks were using the same rule books, that is not so difficult to understand. There is a full roll cage that includes the upper sections as well as the side pieces. The instructions for assembly of this part of the kit take up almost a third of the sheet, and seam clean-up is a major building issue. Also quite similar are the engines and again for the same reason. These are actually quite nicely detailed and though perhaps not up to today's standards, are still very nicely done. Those with the will and the skill will find them easy to wire.

About the only difference in these kits is the body shell and clear bits to match as well as the required modification of the chassis to fit. The body is not a complete shell, but has a separate nose piece and the bumper section is also separate as is the rear deck spoiler. However, it does attach to the rest of the chassis as a single unit so it means that painting it will not be an issue. Note that the clear bits fit from the outside making painting even easier as there is no masking.

The kit also has a fair amount of chrome. Not like you would see on a street car, but for wheels and a few engine bits. The chrome is very nicely done, though removing the parts from the sprue and cleaning the seams may well remove chrome you do not wish removed. Thankfully, there are a variety of chrome paints available to deal with this. Frankly, a few of these bits were probably aluminum, so check photos.

Instructions are well done and provide generic color information where appropriate. There are decals for two cars that differ only by number and driver name. One glaring glitch is that the roof decals should be white as shown on the box art and they are not. You can either go with it or get aftermarket, if you can find them. Despite their age, the rather thick Monogram decals will probably still be viable.

Today, this kit, hopefully with the correct color decals, has been released by Salvinos JR. I am assuming it is the same kit as I can't see any sense in a new tooling for something that has been done well before. I am sure this one will build just as well as other NASCAR kits of the era and is worth seeking if you are so inclined.

KIT #:	2245
PRICE:	$4.10 when new
DECALS:	Two Options
REVIEWER:	Scott Van Aken
NOTES:	1984 release