Revell 1/25 '68 Firebird 400

The Pontiac Firebird is an American automobile built and produced by Pontiac from the 1967 to 2002 model years. Designed as a pony car to compete with the Ford Mustang, it was introduced on February 23, 1967, five months after GM's Chevrolet division's platform-sharing Camaro. This also coincided with the release of the 1967 Mercury Cougar, Ford's upscale, platform-sharing version of the Mustang. The name "Firebird" was also previously used by GM for the General Motors Firebird series of concept cars in the 1950s.

The first generation Firebird had characteristic Coke bottle styling shared with its cousin, the Chevrolet Camaro. Announcing a Pontiac styling trend, the Firebird's bumpers were integrated into the design of the front end, giving it a more streamlined look than the Camaro. The Firebird's rear "slit" taillights were inspired by the 1966–1967 Pontiac GTO and Pontiac Grand Prix. Both a two-door hardtop and a convertible were offered through the 1969 model year. Originally, the car was a "consolation prize" for Pontiac, which had desired to produce a two-seat sports car based on its original Banshee concept car. However, GM feared this would cut into Chevrolet Corvette sales, and gave Pontiac a piece of the "pony car" market by sharing the F-body platform with Chevrolet. The listed retail price before options for the coupe was $2,666 ($25,141 in 2024 dollars) and the convertible was $2,903 ($29,432 in 2024 dollars).

The kit is pretty standard fare for those developed in the same time frame, so no surprises for those who build US car kits. There are two engine options. One is a stock version and the other a drag racing version with a supercharger that sticks out the hood. As you'd expect, there are two exhaust options, one stock and the other for racing. The stock exhaust is well done and as convoluted around the muffler as on the real car. There are leaf spring risers for the drag version on the rear suspension. In all the front and rear suspension is quite well done and fits onto a standard chassis floorpan that includes fender interiors. An interesting feature is the different coolant hoses for the stock and drag engines.  

There are two interior options available. The stock version has a standard rear seat and front 'bucket' seats with a center console. There are also inside door panels. The instrument panel has decals for the instruments. The drag racing version has a dedicated racing seat and a roll bar with all the other seats removed. Before installing the windows in the body, it would be wise to paint it. The front and rear windows fit from the inside. Then the interior is attached and the body fit onto the nearly complete chassis.

The front and rear body parts are separaate with a number of those parts included on the well done chrome sprue. Two different hoods are provided with the drag version having an opening in it for the supercharger intake. You are also provided with different wheels for the stock and drag versions with the appropriate tires in the back for the drag racer.

Instructions are well done with all the parts named and colors for them provided in generic terms. There are different license plates for the stock version as well as some trim decals. The drag racer has two different liveries and a plethora of sponsor markings to be used on it. The sheet is well done and should still be viable as Revell and Monogram kit decals seem to last a very long time.

 In all, a very nice, standard, US car kit with two nice options.  This is the initial release and it has been reissued three more times since with the most recent in 2024. However, these are now around $25-30, so they are no longer inexpensive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_Firebird

July 2025

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