Reviews : Revell-Monogram Smokey and the Bandit 1977 Pontiac Firebird

Awesome, awesome, awesome kit! This is my favorite build yet, because Smokey and the Bandit is one of my all-time favorite movies, and this model kit is a very accurate representation of BAN1. Everything goes together very nicely with this kit and comes out looking great. The build does require a bit of patience when it comes to fitting some of the body panels, but it looks great if you simply take your time. If you want to keep the theme accurate to the actual movie car, you need to de-chrome the chrome so to make the gold paint look right (pro-tip - soak the chrome plated pieces in Drano Gel for about an hour and the chrome comes right off). The only disappointment is the lack of the CB antenna...there isn't one. I'm looking for something I can use add the antenna. On the plus side of extra's, Bandit's cowboy hat is included, and looks great sitting on the passenger seat. It would be nice if this included alternate color decals (maybe Blue or Black) for those who want to build a different color themed car. There are other kits of the late 70's Firebird, but the detail on those doesn't compare with this one.

This kit comes in enough pieces for you to detail if you choose. Most parts fit with no flashing. I liked that the chassis, interior and body all assemble together with 4 metal screws (similar to a die cast model). The rear wheels are attached with a metal axle and front wheels attach with metal pins. The rear leaf springs and dashboard face/bezels are fragile so don't press too hard when fitting. The top of the rear shocks were a mystery location for me since I was looking for a non-existent mounting point. The decals were most challenging for me since the gold trim was long and thin and some tore on me while I was positioning them. Spray painting black is also a challenge for me since it is hard for me to gauge the thickness of the coat due to its dark pigment. I used Testors Metallic Gold for all the necessary trim. Overall a great looking kit when completed and the black and gold paint scheme is awesome. Note that the following items are not provided in the kit: CB antenna, front state of Georgia license plate and Trans Am logo decals.

I agree with all of the positive comments about this kit. It was a pleasure to build. Being a long time Rockford Files fan, I did my best to replicate his car including some plastic license plates I found online and Evergreen side moldings. The color is as close as I could get. I used Rustoleum Metallic Gold. I also tried to match the interior of the 1974 which had lighter colored seats and door panels than the 1977 Rockford Firebird. I added some cutouts of Rockford just for fun. I didn't take the trouble to putty in the air scoop, but other than that, I came pretty close to the original. I like that there were parts for different options. All around an excellent kit.

This was a great kit to build. The parts fit was excellent and everything went together very well. Fair warning that the decals are pretty tricky to apply and require a lot of patience and I also recommend Micro-Set and Micro-Sol decal solution for better results. In the end they do look great even though the Trans Am scripts are not included due to licensing. It does have a lower parts count, but still builds into a very accurate(minus Trans Am script) and excellent looking replica, and as I mentioned even includes the Bandit's hat.

After visiting a car show together my son fell in love with the '77 Firebird. So I thought why not grab the model for him as a Christmas present. With limited help he was able to do a really great job getting this together. All the parts seemed to fit as instructed. The decals are definitely tough for a beginner but with some patience manageable. Overall this kit was great and is now on my list of one to do.

I have three of the Revell kits for this model and 1 AMT. Revell is the best, except for the hood fit— is not good on any of them. I like the details of the Revell and the parts for the most part fit well. I love this car! I owned a 1977 6.6L T/A and I did a build to match that car. So many good memories of when I was much younger man. If you want to build a TA, get this one.

This was a awesome model! i heavily enjoyed putting it together, it all fit together very well, little flash here and there but nothing you couldn't just cut off. I painted mine black with gold interior it looked great, good for a first glue model was very simple and instructions were easy to follow

Must have. Very detailed and fun to build. Lots of trim decals that can be challenging but take your time. Well worth the time to build.

You will love this project if you like the movie or muscle cars in general. Very affordable and good kit.

Only negative parts are not numbered which made harder when looking for small parts

Great kit. Worse part are the decals. Very small. Take your time.