http://www.ScaleAutoMag.com 59The 1965 Buick Riviera
3-in-1 customizing kit
features a stock build, a
custom version, and the George Barris
“movie car of the year” from the movie
Villa Riviera — added back into the kit
with this release! Many know Barris as
the builder of famous TV cars such as
the classic Batmobile and Munster
Coach.
For my Riv, I chose to build the
custom version. Starting with the
engine, I went with the Latham
supercharger and two four-barrel
carburetors. Assembly went quickly, but
make note to install the supercharger
and intake manifold after you’ve
attached the body to the chassis.
Round 2 No. AMT1121
Molded Colors: White, clear,
chrome plated, soft black
Scale: 1/25
MSRP: $29.99
Pros: Popular subject; custom
parts missing from past reissues
Cons: Suspension and driveshaft
molded into chassis, lack detailI pulled off the lower mask and
airbrushed a clear coat with orange
pearl powder and followed with a
clear coat.
Final assembly went smoothly. Test-
fitting parts prior to paint was
important. The custom grille and
headlights are particularly nice, and the
taillights and bumpers finish the kit
perfectly. I’m happy with the Riviera’s
overall look and think it benefits from
detail painting.- Tom Nowak
The transmission isn’t
complete, but you won’t
see it because it is mostly
hidden by the chassis.
The chassis itself has the
front and rear
suspension and
driveshaft molded in,
which doesn’t leave a lot
of detail underneath.
For me, the wire
wheels with knockoffs and triple
pinstriped tires make up for the lack of
suspension detail. I had to shorten the
center pin on the wire wheels that fits
into the wheel back and sand the part
that slips into the tire in order to get it
to fit.
The parts for the front custom roll
pan and bumper fit together well and
sat just about where I wanted them. The
rear custom roll pan needed some test-
fitting and filing. I filled gaps with
acrylic nail powder mixed with
superglue and sanded smooth.
I test-fit the windows inside the body,
followed by the interior, and then fit the
whole to the chassis. I needed to do
extra sanding to the rear roll pan and
chassis to get the fit I was looking for. I
also test-fit the engine and noticed the
booster for master cylinder was way too
large and the headers needed to be
shortened a touch.
A custom-mixed white base coat
went on the bottom half of the car.
After it dried, I masked the lower half
and airbrushed on a base coat of Testors
gold enamel. Two coats of House of
Kolor tangelo pearl went over the gold.I’M HAPPY WITH
THE RIVIERA’S
OVERALL LOOK
AND THINK IT
BENEFITS FROM
DETAIL PAINTING.AMT 1965 Buick Riviera 3-in-1