Mat Irvine: This is a welcome reissue of a Revell kit first released in the 1960s, and now presented with an SSP (Selected Subjects Program) roundel. Based on the British Ford E95A Anglia body, the real cars were popular as the basis for altered drag racers. The box photo depicts the dragster in action, and is the same pic used for the first release, around half a century ago.
The box side (below) has useful reference photos of the assembled and finished model. Note the realism of the inner door panels.
This was a common procedure with kits of this era, and although, OK, it might be a bit more fiddly than using standard moulded components, the acetate is closer to the scale thickness of glass. Pleasingly, the Anglia Drag Coupe has opening doors, bonnet, and boot lid. Note that as the Anglia was a British vehicle, I have used bonnet and boot, instead of hood and trunk!
There are 119 components (below). General fit and finish is pretty good.
The new instruction leaflet is shown (below) with the supplied decal sheet, which has the same 'Skipper’s Critter' markings as the original. The acetate sheet for the windows is also in the picture. It’s to the left of the decals, but is almost invisible!
A query I sometimes hear about the Anglia Drag Coupe is, “...as the kit comes with a standard body, could I build a stock Anglia?” Well, the easy answer is “no” as it is only the kit’s body that is stock. Unless, that is, you want to undertake a heck of a lot of scratch-building. However, modellers have attempted the task, and there may have been a limited-edition garage conversion, though I’m uncertain on this.
Summation
Be prepared to take the extra time and trouble needed to make a good job of cutting and fitting the window acetate. Despite this, and its age, the Revell Ford Anglia Drag Coupe kit assembles to make a fine little model.
Scale stats
Revell: ’51 Anglia Drag Coupe
Scale: 1:25
Parts: 119
Assembled length: 170 mm (6.75 in)
Manufacturer’s ref: 1269
Thanks to Revell-Monogram for the sample kit