Monogram '87 Buick GNX "High Performance Series"- Review
When the words "turbocharger" and "Buick" are used together in a sentence, I doubt you think of the Regal or Verano sitting out in your grandmother's driveway. I'd be more willing to bet those words would conjure up images of an imposing two-door G-Body which, against all odds, transcended it's "Sunday transportation for Grandma" image by way of a black out paint scheme, scoops, special wheels, and of course a turbocharged 3.8 liter V6, and carved out its own niche in the often dysfunctional family of General Motors muscle machines. Of course, I'm talking about the Grand National, which was Superman compared to the Clark Kent Regal upon which it was based. But Buick wasn't quite finished yet...
In 1987, about 547 Grand Nationals were plucked from the Buick assembly line as fully finished cars, and then spirited away to ASC/McLaren for a little bit of weight training and an injection or ten of performance enhancing drugs. For Thomas Weber, VP and General Manager of ASC, this was to be the ultimate expression of the Grand National concept. His mission statement was simple... "Pull out all the stops, ignore the rules, and do the GNX right. If anybody gives you any crap about the rules, have them come see me." With that in mind, the standard GN was treated to a reprogrammed computer, modifications to the transmission valve body, a special turbo with ceramic turbine, and a pumped-up suspension system. More visible mods included the 16" alloy wheels wrapped in Goodyear Gatorback rubber, which poked out from beneath flared fender openings. The car also got its own fender vents, perhaps a nod to the "Ventiports" (aka Portholes) from Buicks of yore. And, each car got its own personalized serial number, forever linking owner and car. And this was pretty handy, as you couldn't just buy a regular GN and then pick up the GNX-specific parts from your local Buick dealer or Auto Zone... in order to get service and replacement parts for your GNX, you had to provide proof that you actually owned one. And what was all this hubbub good for? How about mid-13 quarter mile times right off the carrier, all in a car that, as a Buick, surrounded you in luxury and comfort? Not too shabby for the period, I'd say, and there's no doubt it could out-handle and out-brake any "classic" muscle machine. And it's no wonder that Monogram decided to do a plastic kit, to go along with their kit of the "standard" Grand National.
First seen as a 1988 release in Monogram's "High Performance" series, the kit was available in standalone form and later in a two-pack with the 1991 Corvette ZR-1 kit. This time, the kit comes molded in white. Like the recently-reissued "standard" GN, this kit is well worth having, and a timely reissue for Revell (Monogram's parent company), as it rumors seem to indicate that Buick is thinking of reviving the performance-oriented GN and GNX. Buick is seriously trying to shake its "old lady car" image, and that would seem to be a step in the right direction. Only time will tell if Buick will go the way of Oldsmobile or Mercury (two other nameplates which tried to break out of their "old lady car" images as well), but in the meantime, it's as good a reason as any to break off a piece of the performance-Buick action, even if it's only in 1:24 scale form! The kit does fall a bit short in a few areas, however. Bear in mind that none of these shortfalls cannot be overcome, but I do feel they bear mention. Let's have a lookie-loo, shall we?
Here's the Max Headroom approved box art of the original 1988 kit.
The body suffers from a few accuracy issues, both of which are downright puzzling. The driver's side quarter window is the wrong shape, and just a bit shorter than it should be- use the passenger's side opening to make a template to correct this. And you really should correct this, because the glass the misshapen opening is meant to accept IS the correct shape, and will not fit the opening unless you correct the shape and length first! The passenger's side of the car also suffers a slight malady. That side's wheel openings are located a bit too far forward (about a scale inch) on the body. You could fiddle with the suspensions to get the passenger's side wheels centered in the openings, or elongate the holes on the wheel backs a bit so that you can move the wheels forward the necessary amount. Note that much of the underhood detail is molded in place- typical for a Monogram offering of this time period.
The first two releases of the kit were done in black plastic, while the recent "Dream Rides" reissue was done in white.
The engine block has the oil pan molded to it, but the starter and oil filter are separate pieces. The engine builds up nicely and looks great with even the most basic of detail painting. Speaking of separate pieces, the radiator fan is separate as well, and not molded to the radiator core itself- something I wish Revell (Monogram's longtime parent company) would take note of! I can handle a separate fan, or a fan molded to the housing/motor assembly, but for whatever reason, molding the fan to the core just irks me. Gladly that isn't the case with this kit.
The chassis builds up well and features separate front and rear suspensions and exhaust, as well as a separate, two-piece intake scoop to fit behind the front bumper. Again, what's here looks good and appears accurate, although the completed model sits just a tad high to my eye.
The interior is a tub, with a molded rear seat but separate side panels and the two-piece front buckets we saw earlier.
The dash is two pieces, with a separate wheel and column with stalk detail. The dashboard engraving features the rare automatic climate control setup, with which very few GNs were equipped. Oddly, Monogram supplies no instrument decals (in any version of the kit) - their inclusion would have been much appreciated in the recent "Dream Rides" reissue. As with the chassis and engine, what's here does the job quite well indeed, even more so if you lavish a bit more time and effort on the details.
This sprue contains most of the GNX-specific bits, such as the fender flares, traction bar, and "Ventiport" fender ornaments. The regular Grand National kits lacked these parts.
The wheels are nicely done, but are a somewhat sloppy fit into the kit tires. Again, many of the plated parts differ from their equivalents in the "standard" Grand National kit.
Each transparent part s separate, and along with the two taillights, there is a CHMSL "third eye" stop light molded in red for the rear window package shelf.
Tires are Goodyears for the first two releases, but have had the sidewall lettering removed for the Dream Rides reissue.
Every High Performance series kit included red plug wiring and hollow vinyl tubing for making heater hoses. The recent reissue lacks these extras. The vinyl tubing has hardened a bit with age... this kit is an antique now after all!
The destruction sheet is also typical Monogram circa 1988.
Sadly, the decal sheet in my kit was ruined. I have no idea how- the kit was still factory sealed and appeared undamaged. This is the first decal sheet I've ever seen from a sealed kit that looked like this. It appears that the sheet fused itself to the instruction sheet or the plastic bag containing the parts, but I found no traces of it on either.
Other than the pesky window and wheel openings mentioned earlier, the kit builds easily and looks good when built. The only other issue might be with the scale- remember, Monogram stuck with the 'international' 1:24 scale right up until 1992, while the other domestic manufacturers had always gone with 1:25. I know a few will rule out this kit simply for that, but it's their loss. Despite the easily correctable issues with the glass, wheel openings, and tire fit, it suits its subject well, and of course there's the possibility for conversion to a lesser Regal, turbo or not.
And, here's a pic of the Dream Rides reissue, upon which the original version of this review was based when it was published on April 6 of 2015. Again, aside from being molded in white plastic and lacking the tire sidewall lettering, it is largely the same kit as the original.
