Academy Hyundai Stellar
Korean automaker Hyundai got their start producing Fords under license. So it may not be much of a surprise to find out that the new-for-1983 Stellar model was heavily based upon the fifth-generation Ford Cortina. This mid-size, rear-wheel-drive sedan was never sold in the United States due to smog laws, but a few did manage to find buyers in Canada. The Mitsubishi-powered Stellar even managed to steal some Cortina buyers in certain markets- buyers put off by the stying of the new Ford Sierra (the Cortina's replacement) often would opt for the more-conservatively styled Stellar, which was penned by legendary Italian automotive stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro. Quite a bit of international intrigue going on here, come to think of it...
Now, onto the kit. Being that Hyundai's 1:1 product line is known for being a bit, shall we say, uninspired, one might expect a model kit of same to be cut from pretty much the same cloth. And you'd be right for the most part.
The box art does a fair job depicting the car represented in the kit, though the kit lacks the bumper guards shown on the box, and the grille is more of an "egg crate" type in appearance. That mud-bogger ride height is pretty close, though... and either that embarrased-looking driver is about three feet tall, or there's a bit of artistic slight-of-hand going on to make the car appear larger. American automakers actually used that tactic in '50's advertising.
The body is cleanly molded in blue plastic, which has a slight metallic treatment.
And... here's where things get shaky. Yes inded, this is a motorized curside kit. And yes, that driver looks awfully skinny.
More sweet, sweet simplification here. If you've ever built a motorized Tamiya kit from the '80's, you will be in familiar territory. This kit has a similar "feel" about it.
The glass unit comes with a light smoke tint, which would not be so bad if the head and tail lamp lenses weren't included on the same sprue.
The kit does have some of the brightest and most cleanly-applied chrome plating I've ever seen in a kit- this is limited to wheels, mirror faces, and tailpipe. The solid vinyl tires are decent, if a bit chunky-looking for a car of the Stellar's size.
Even though this is a Korean kit, it follows many well-known Japanese curbside kit protocols.... polycaps for the wheels, a solid wire rear axle, and shorter "rivets" to locate the front wheels. The electric motor and its related witchcraft are also shown.
As you may expect, there's not much to the instruction sheet. Nor does there really need to be. There's a basic paint guide, but no decals are supplied.
And what's this thing look like when built?
Here you can see how the grille differs from the example shown on the box. The "4x4 stance" is also clearly seen here.
Sort of reminds me of an '80's Benz from the side, for some reason. It's a bity the front wheels are marred by the rivets holding them to their respective spindle, but I'm planning to add some more "beater appropriate" wheels, so I can live with it this time.
It's hard to see in the pic, but I did drill out the end of the tailpipe.
Assembly was about as drama-free as you'd expect- since kits like these are basically "build it yourself" toys of sorts, you'll likely spend more time waiting on paint to dry than you will spend on actual assembly.
While I can understand if a Hyundai of any sort doesn't exactly set your heart a'flutter, if you want something a little different than the typical muscle car or drag racer, and don't mind a little near-instant gratification, this would be a nice little kit to track down.
