Reviews : Revell-Monogram 1978 GMC Big Game Country Pickup Truck

Where to start? I’ve always loved the 3RD Generation square body Chevy and GMC trucks from this era. My family have always owned General Motors trucks as long as my family has needed trucks: farming, logging and getting groceries. My Grandfather showed up mid-summer of 1972 with a Plain-Jane blue step-side and I was hooked. I waited a while to write a review of this kit, I’ve been having a hoot trying different things with my kits. My kit(s) came Molded in white. Yes, I LOVE the square body 4X4 so I bought several. It would seem this kit is just a reissue of the same tooling on the original 1978 kit and is a spitting image of the High-Roller kit from the early 80’s, except FAR LESS EXPENSIVE! The mold lines and even the flash is in the same place. The mold lines are very noticeable and so is the lack of any body badging, not even in the decals. I used photo-etch sets off eBay. The same goes for the bland interior. Photo-etch door handles and cranks. If you want to build any kind of detailed replica I think the normal enthusiast is going to find that hard: needs a lot of sculpting and a good imagination to create your own details to get that done. But coming from an optimist, isn’t that the point: creativity? The kit shows its age where the plastic is injected into the mold: ejector marks on the bed, radiator and hood, nothing that crafty painting and sanding can’t fix. Test fitting each major component before assembly is really important, you’re going to find that you’ll need to bore out the wheel retainers, partially assemble the cab for a constant paint job, and even partially assemble the bed for the same reason. Fit and Finish are definitely 1978 era modeling… a good finished product is going to take some modeling skill and patience. It’s a simple and simplified kit. I call it a blank pallet to invent something nifty. Pros: Rugged looking tires, nicely appointed decal sheet, Model looks tuff when finished Cons: Very over simplified and lacks detail, mold lines and injection marks are everywhere, poor INITIAL fit and it takes a fair amount of skill to get it to look just right.

Overall, not a bad build. I like the square bodies, so it's a no brainer. Except ..... Chrome - VERY VERY BRIGHT!! But also VERY VERY HEAVY plating - so much so that some detail is lost. Much of my build was to be blacked out instead of chrome, so ... scrape scrape scrape. (I have problems with the chemicals that can take chrome off...) Engine - fairly vague, not much detail. Instead, I used a 3D printer big block Chevy, 3 speed Saginaw, and an NP205 from VCG by Reese. Some adjustments had to be made, including lengthening the driveshaft, but the end result is MUCH more pleasing! Engine bay - is BARE. A couple of molded in batteries, washer bottle, impression of a jack, and a vague idea of wiring. I used a brake booster from VCG to make it better. I had problems with the bed - the bottom is THIN, and it warped under a light coat of primer. Because of this, the side panels didn't quite line up properly - I'd recommend assembling the bed BEFORE painting. The tailgate is designed to open; I glued it shut to help control the warp. Interior - door panels are BARE, except for molded in vagueness of arm rests. I used handles and window cranks from Iceman. I used a twin stick 4x4 shifter from VCG, instead of the chromed shifter in the kit. I also used a different steering wheel from the parts box. Dash paints up NICE. The tires are SO squishy and soft, I couldn't make them work. I had a set of resin 40 Ground Hawg tires and 8 lug Bart wheels from VCG - the tire pattern is almost identical, but the VCG tires have better detail. The wheel mounting system is a bit loose, and I was never able to get the wheels good and straight. Overall, a decent kit and a fun build. It will invite you to do your own detailing - and you'll need to, in order to make a GOOD build.

The amount of hours spent hunched over your next dream vehicle, in this case a '73-'80 Square body 4X4 model, Is time well spent. For those hours, immersed in details, options, themes, and colors schemes; I'm a 9 year old boy who just cashed in his lawn mowing money, dumped his bike in the front yard and ran in with a box of dreams. 42 years later... that same kid writes a review while waiting for two more of his boxes of dreams. I enjoy this model for it's versatility and detail. The model body comes in white, encouraging you to prep for paint and plan your dreams. there are more higher priced models, but I enjoy the ability of being able to add my own details and customize as I go. I will confess to trying to decide on a paint scheme for the adult (and very rusty '75) version sitting in my driveway. what good is a boy without a dream? thank you Hobbylinc and revell! I have uploaded pictures of two versions already built or mostly built and will add more when they arrive and take on their own attitude. Heck, for under twenty bucks. I'll probably have the makings of a decent truck(Model) show. BTW, only issue-ish is that you should clean out the drivers side hood hinge with an exacto-knife. simple fix, better hood fit. Happy dreaming!!!

As some other reviewers have noted, some of the fine details are lacking on this kit. However, this kit gives off major 1980s country boy vibes. The kit assembles easily and the lacking detail is a couple of minor things under the hood and inside the cab, so they aren't noticeable unless you're closely inspecting. Honestly the reason I gave the kit four stars instead of five is the wheels/tires. The mud tire's tread is directional. The tires can only be mounted one way on the rim. The ones on the driver's side are fine, but the tires on the passenger side mount in the opposite direction. This is easily corrected by trimming off the tire retainer lips on the two passenger side rims so that the tires mount with the tread in the correct direction. Revell really should be two driver's side tires and two passenger side tires in the kit instead of four driver's side tires. Other than having to make that minor correction, this is a nice kit. Adding details like the optional gun rack and spraying the inside of the bed with flat black to simulate a bed liner really make it pop.

My wife decided I needed an orange model in my collection. I'm not crazy about orange, but I chose this kit because if she had a real one she'd take it out and see if she could get it stuck. I created some personalized license plates on the computer to make it truly hers. If I had been given this without the box, I probably would have mistaken it for an AMT rather than a Revell. The interior has no window cranks or door handles, the firewall has no brake cylinder or other 3D parts to glue to it, and the chassis/frame/exhaust is all one molded piece. If you choose to go with a color other than the olive drab, then it is light on decals as well because most of them are camouflage. There are two little tabs that hang down underneath the front of the cab, presumably to help align the front bumper. However, the bumper aligns to one side or the other, because one of the tabs is right in the way if you try to center the bumper. I had to cut off one of the tabs to get the bumper to center up. This isn't one of Revell's better kits. The QC is more indicative of an AMT.

My wife asked me to build a farm truck for her supervisor. So we picked the 1978 GMC 4x4 model kit. This was my first 4x4 kit. The assembly of this kit is fairly easy. There was only a minimum amount of flash. The instruction sheet was well illustrated and easy to follow. I had very little trouble assembling this kit. This would be a great kit for a beginning modeler to move from level one to level two builds. The cab aligns very well with the bed. The only issue I had were with the wheel and tire fitment. The rim does not want to rest in the tire very well, but if handled carefully, it will fit. My wife's supervisor was pleased with the kit. I did include the roll bar nor the spare tire or the fuel can as I just wanted to replicate a basic 4x4 farm truck.

This is a nicely detailed kit! Wasn't much flash or sanding needed done. I did not use the camo decals as I wanted to paint the body. One word of warning or caution is the bumpers do not have solid hold points and does take some extra time and patience. The tires are not real solid hold points either. Overall this is a great kit and tons of fun to build.

This is a great kit from the Monogram days. Small parts count, but that's the beauty of these older kits. Goes together great... The only issue you will have is 2 of the tires have to be mounted backwards. No biggie... pay attention and take your time. Looks great when finished. Grab it up.

Everything goes together pretty smoothly. The engine/transmission/transfer case is a little tricky to get lined up properly and the tires are too squishy are my only complaints. At the end of the day it's a giant square body so you really can't go wrong!

Finishing up building this kit now. It has truly been a new favorite. Suspension details are really great! Interior is lacking detail but great kit and fun to build!! Already ordered 2 more.

Was easy to build and decals were very easy to place would suggest this model to everyone fun to put together turned out absolutely wonderful

nice overall kit ..did have a issue with one tire ..the rest was easy going...glad they came back out with this style of truck

Love this kit big time and like the deals to and I like the way it looks and I'm a big fan of square body trucks

one of my favorites. Great base to customize and make it your own. Love it and will be building more for sure!

Great fitment, fun to build. Everything lines up perfectly, great extras like the gun rack, cb and sun roof

Just what I was looking for. Can wait to put together and put beside other models.

this was a fun build. frame was detailed pretty good and parts fit together well.

saw the kit on a video done by hpiguy realy cant wait to build it

Loved it. Easy to put together. Decals were easy to put on.

Awesome build! I had fun building this very quality model.