Review Summary
The reviews highlight a mix of positive and negative feedback about this model kit. Many appreciate the detailed interior with police-specific accessories like long guns, radios, and light bars, as well as its uniqueness as a period police cruiser. However, there are consistent complaints about poor fit, outdated molds, plain engine design, and overall quality not matching the price.
First cousin to Roscoe’s Dukes of Hazard Sheriff’s Car and Joker's car
1/25 MPC Round 2 1978 Dodge Monaco
Molded in white, this model does show it’s age. The upside is that it has a lot of cop items which make the model interesting and different. Another great note is the bottom of the interior tub fits perfectly to the top of the frame. I mean perfectly! What makes the model neat is the interior with all the long guns, radios, telex and first aid kit. It really busies up the interior and you could build a waffle cage in the back if you wanted to delete everything in the back seat or move those goodies to the front seat. The model I built was the Dukes of Hazard version that is discontinued and hard to find at an affordable price. One fell into my hands, and I had to grab it. It is the same model as the ’78 CHP version, with different pushbar, lightbar and decals. While the cars used in the TV series were a ‘77 Dodge Monaco, ’74 AMC Matador, ’70 Dodge Polara, ’78 Plymouth Fury and a ’78 Dodge Monaco – this model is the ’78 Monaco version – same as the CHP model. Now, the bad: this model has a lot downside, though. The engine is plain as water. The underside has everything molded in. My hood was warped. The decals were okay. The front wheel attachments are iffy – and don’t affix them when the instructions tell you to! Attach them on your very final step (you’ve been warned). There is no shifter on the column. The front fenders are peekaboo (you can see the tops of the front wheels). With all radar gun unit, light bar, wig wag lights and pushbar and decal decoration, this looks like a police vehicle, BUT you would have to invest untold hours into it to bring it up to standard and I think that the model is overpriced for what you get. For inspiration and good ideas – watch the New Centurions movie. And remember: most cars back then were fleet units which were checked out at the beginning of a shift and checked back in before going home in their own cars – so personal items scattered all over the place were not the norm. If you really want a police unit, then I recommend it. Otherwise, I would not.
