Profile Photo
Harry Brogan
31 articles

REVELL 1/8 HARLEY SPRINGER SOFTAIL SNAPTITE KIT

October 13, 2017 · in Automotive · · 9 · 2.7K

Well, some folks were looking forward to the build of a snap kit from me. So here it is. First it's necessary to let you know that the deal I made was for an incomplete kit. Which I knew going in. I made the deal because I happened to have ANOTHER Snap kit that was also missing parts. So, with the two kits, I was able to assemble one pretty decent Harley model. Needless to say there won't be a "box opening" review as there really wan't one.

Starting off with the frame. As seen in the photos this kit came molded in a terrible orange color. So I primed everything with a flat black spray. This is done to help the next coats of paint adhere better and also gets rid of that orange color. Frame is supposed to snap together, which it did do to a degree. However, I did notice that it was a little loose fitting so I did end up using Tamiya Extra Thin cement on the frame as well as on most of this model.

Engine assembly is done with a very limited amount of parts as well as limited details. A Tamiya kit it is not. But I did try to get as much detail there as I could.

The frame with the engine assembly together.

Detailing the belt drive and the lower shocks posed no issues. Attachment to the model was a simple task. Again, snapping in place but fitting loosely.

I chose a body color of Root Beer Metallic. I thought that this would make it stand out a little and is a bit of a change from my usual color schemes. This is the fuel tank before and after painting.

The "base" that came with this kit is molded with the Harley "Bar and Shield" logo. Of course it's also molded in the orange color. The same steps were taken with this. Primed in flat black and the painted in Harley Orange. The black lettering was done by using a Sharpie marker and the covered with a clear gloss coat.

These are the photo of the finished model off of it's base.

And these are the photos of the finished model mounted on to the base that was included in the kit as well as, for stability, a wood base that has been painted.

What I did take note of was the fact that there are no brake, throttle, or speedometer lines included. However, there are the small attachment pegs for their addition. That's why you do see them on the finished model. Also, I went with a brown leather color for the seat to go along with the Root Beer color of the bike.

I would NOT recommend this kit for a beginner. Just because it says "snap" does not make for an easy assembly.

Stay tuned! I just made an AMAZING deal on what I consider to be the "holy grail" of motorcycle kits.

Reader reactions:
7  Awesome

9 responses

  1. What IS root beer ? we don't have it in the U.K. .We do have Dandelion and Burdock though, nice job on the Harley by the way ,I like the slightly rustic base as well,really sets her off.
    N.

  2. THAT'S a "Snap-Tite" kit...? I never woulda believed it. Genius... 🙂

    • Yes it is. It took a bit of work to get it to NOT look like one. But then I don't just toss them together. Even if it's a "Snap-Tite" model. It was a pretty fun build.

  3. Looks great Harry ! Nice choice of color and contrasting leather seat.

    This one reminds me of the 100 Year Anniversary 883 Sportster I tweaked a little for the misses about 10 years ago. Among other things I installed a tan leather Corbin seat and Chrome Werks slip on mufflers.

    Nice job... I like it and never would have believed it was a snap tight kit... Looking forward to seeing the "Holy Grail"...

  4. Nice work, Harry, as always, looking to finding out what the "Holy Grail" is, a Tamiya 1/6 Harley perhaps?

    • The "Holy Grail" of motorcycles, to me anyway, is the 1/6 Tamiya with sidecar. The 1/6 Harley isn't too hard to locate. But that one with the sidecar can be quite a task. The first one I ever managed to get was after an almost two year wait.

Leave a Reply