Revell 02165 Big Boy Locomotive 1:87 Scale Unbuilt/Unpainted Plastic Model Kit

Kit completed and a pleasure to build, instructions are old school but they do what they need to do well, there is a lot of scope for modification and the obvious one is to free up the piping that runs the trains length, this piping is as you can see is all one mould but really for the price you wouldn’t expect it not to be, after a little time, well a lot of time to be honest you can free it up. Mine when the time comes will look like the box art, rust and generally abused as the were and generally still are. The kit is very well moulded and little flash on the parts, detail is also very well defined on the moulds. Basically for the price this kit is a steal, I would prefer the scale to be 1/24 scale to give an idea how big these trains really are. That said you wouldn’t be able to store it . Enjoy it. Finished model puctured, I bought a strip of track and gravel rather than use the kits track.

This is an excellent value kit of a remarkable prototype but inevitably a number of compromises have had to be made to meet the price and the demands of a plastic construction kit particularly as this one was originally intended as a snap together model. Chief among these compromises is the longitudinal handrail running along either side of the boiler. This is represented by a plastic rib moulded on the boiler side with no gap between. This is is a user friendly solution - especially perhaps for very young modellers - but is disappointingly unsightly. The main mouldings and bogie/truck frames are very well done but the motion parts are, again perhaps inevitably, rather thick and do not move. The finished loco will not roll on the track. Sizing of decals is not quite accurate meaning that several are not a good fit on the model. Beware of a couple of errors in the instructions: the tender draw bar is shown the correct way up at first but upside down subsequently and rather oddly the compressor pumps which are actually located either side of the pilot are mysteriously given as "parts not used", the parts are well moulded as are the locating lugs, reference to photos of the real thing and a bit of common sense will show you where to put them. Otherwise I enjoyed researching and building my Big Boy although I did take the trouble to replace the handrails with machined brass knobs and nickel wire and I am pleased with the (albeit static) result.

Very good model kit. Easy to follow instructions, and precise for the most part. Only exception being that there are two pieces that are not referenced at all in the instructions. After a quick search online I found that the two pieces need to be attached onto the pilot bogey, between the wheel axles on each side.I have built model kits in the past, but this was my first kit in around 15 years. The results are fantastic. This is definitely a great model for someone who may be new to the hobby, or for someone who is returning to the hobby. It's a fun build, not too challenging but just enough to keep you occupied for a good few hours.I love building but typically hate painting models, I've always been a little slapdash. But with this model I found that it was easy to get creative with the painting and details to make it look truly unique and stunning.I definitely recommend this kit.

Was great challenge to put together over the weekend. Has definitely put me back into doing model making.Some instructions are a bit unclear at times.Like the fact that it fits on 00 scale track but is bigger than other locomotives and is slightly out of scale. But still good display.Not the biggest of some pre dyed plastic.Definitely a solid 8/10 experience for me.

I know this might sound odd, but for a detailed model this was a bit too easy??? Excellent quality and fits together well, maybe I missed something

Thoroughly enjoyed building this great detail especially the moving wheels and pistons and running gear great price

First time I choose to assemble and paint a model train, but did enjoy... 1 or 2 little issues concerned me but easily remedied.Otherwise would have given 5 starUsually use another preferred brand for other models I build, but, discovered limited brands producing these type of model locomotives.

Revell is the best model set brand. Have brought many now and have never had any problems. Instructions good and clear. Parts are good quality