The New Old Revell Viper

I saw a buildup of the first test shot of the forthcoming Revell Colonial Viper yesterday.  There are some rough spots – but that’s why you do test shots: so you can find the rough spots and eliminate them.  The biggest changes involve the cockpit the model has one now!)  and the engines.
 
The cockpit is patterned after the full sized cockpit set, and what’s in there now is based on a slew of photographs they were able to get.  The new cockpit is a one piece tub with holes in the floor for the pilot’s legs (as on the original) and a “roll-over” pylon behind his head.   It’s spartan – just a few banks of switches and a clear screen.  There’s no separate seat for the pilot (like an ejection seat in a modern jet).  Instead, the pilot sits on a raised platform that looks for all the world like a restaurant booth … which is accurate to the original cockpit set, if not terribly sexy.  The back is non-descript now, but I’m told it will be textured to replicate the canvas-covered look of the original.
 
I was really surprised by the simplicity of the cockpit.  I have booth MMI and Moonbase Viper cockpit upgrade sets for previous issues of this kit, and they are nothing at all like what’s in plastic for the first time.  The resin sets are pretty similar, with black boxes and widgets that line the front and sides of the cockpit tub and a separate seatback. In both sets, the control stick is much smaller than what Revell have in the new issue.
 
Does the new Revell tooling accurately reflect the original cockpit?  Having only ever seen the TV show, I can’t tell you.  I’m told that Revell had access to piles of photographs from the sets (cockpit and full-sized Viper mockup) as well as photos of the  filming miniatures.  None of the three things appear to be consistent across all details.  I’ll give Revell the benefit of the doubt here.  And – if the simplicity of the kit parts isn’t your cup of tea, it’s easy to add more detail, whether by scratchbuilding or MMI’s brass set.
 
The pilot figure comes in several  pieces; body and helmeted head I know are separate, and one of the arms may be as well.  The head/helmet fits down over a post on the torso, so you have some poseability options (looking straight ahead, over the shoulder, etc).  The first iteration of the figure looks scrawny.  I’m told that this is being addressed and the next test shot should have better proportions.  Otherwise, the uniform and equipment appear correct, and the detailing is fairly nice.  I’m told the decal sheet will have patches for the figures arm as well.
 
On to the engines.

The back of the kit has been completely redone, as you can see in this picture.  Gone are the bowl-shaped exhausts.  Instead, you get “pipes” with clear and grey plastic inserts, to aid with lighting.  The greeblied rear bulkhead is all new as well.  These more closely resemble the hero filming miniature (as opposed to the full-sized mockup).
 
There are a few other tweaks as well.  The cockpit canopy is still in one piece but it’s all clear now.  The first test shot was kind of cloudy, but that’s common with test shots.  I’ve never had a Monogram/Revell kit with clear parts that weren’t crystal clear, so I have no worries about the final release.  The areas that are supposed to be painted on the piece will have a frosted texture, as an aid to painting.  The kit will have an all new base.  To facilitate this, the old triangular divot is gone, replaced with a circular hole.  And speaking of holes, the hole in the front/nose intake (where the rubber band-powered missiles shot out in the very first issue of the kit) is supposed to be filled.  Lastly, they’re doing some tweaks all around to improve fit – especially on the underside where the nose and engine sections meet.
 
I’m told the decal sheet will be all new as well.  It will provide striping and markings for the Vipers as seen in the original show – including the Silver Spar “winged sword” logo for Pegasus’ fighters.  It will also include various markings in the style of the new Galactica series so you can “backdate” the model as a Viper Mk 1 from the First Cylon War. 

 So …. all-in-all, it looks like the ‘remodelling’ of the classic 70’s kit is going to provide a winner.  I can’t wait to see the next test shots!