Model kit complaint department..Starting with AMT 1972 Nova SS (rant)

[Hawk312]

After working on the AMT Nova SS kit, I am wondering if it`s time to start a "buyer beware" type thread. I have just about given up on this thing! In fact, even though I am 75% done, I am putting it back in the box. At first glance, this kit wasn`t that bad looking. The details were pretty cheesy, but it had some interesting build options, and better proportions that what I am used to with AMT. I wanted to build a Nova like this in factory stock form (don`t ask why) and this kit comes with the race and factory stock parts. But, and I have no idea why they did this, the front fenders come seperate from the rest of the body! It was a *major* hassle trying to get the fenders straight (there is nothing to guide placement out front), an getting the hood to line up at the same time made me wish I had 4 hands. To top it off, once everything was lined up, there were gaps the size of about 3 or 4 scale inches in between the fender and doors. Everything in general looks "hokey" on the front end without major modification. Not to mention all the body work to get out seems, bubbles, divets, you name it. I know this can all be fixed, but it would be alot of work, and you would really have to like the subject to want to complete it. I could go on, but I`ll leave it at that. This ranks pretty closely with their 55 Ford pickup custom I built a while back. I think I am going to avoid AMT whenever possible from now on.
Anyone else want to share experiences? Let me know I`m not alone. I feel like such a quitter...

[tonioseven]

Thanks for the tip! I'm gonna scrap mine for parts. You're not a quitter!

[larrygre]

Originally Posted by Hawk312

After working on the AMT Nova SS kit, I am wondering if it`s time to start a "buyer beware" type thread. I have just about given up on this thing! In fact, even though I am 75% done, I am putting it back in the box. At first glance, this kit wasn`t that bad looking. The details were pretty cheesy, but it had some interesting build options, and better proportions that what I am used to with AMT. I wanted to build a Nova like this in factory stock form (don`t ask why) and this kit comes with the race and factory stock parts. But, and I have no idea why they did this, the front fenders come seperate from the rest of the body! It was a *major* hassle trying to get the fenders straight (there is nothing to guide placement out front), an getting the hood to line up at the same time made me wish I had 4 hands. To top it off, once everything was lined up, there were gaps the size of about 3 or 4 scale inches in between the fender and doors. Everything in general looks "hokey" on the front end without major modification. Not to mention all the body work to get out seems, bubbles, divets, you name it. I know this can all be fixed, but it would be alot of work, and you would really have to like the subject to want to complete it. I could go on, but I`ll leave it at that. This ranks pretty closely with their 55 Ford pickup custom I built a while back. I think I am going to avoid AMT whenever possible from now on.
Anyone else want to share experiences? Let me know I`m not alone. I feel like such a quitter...

One thing I learned in all the years I've been at it is every manufacturer has their jewels and their turkeys. Keep in mind that the Nova kit first saw the light of day in 1972. The reason it has separate fenders is so AMT could get two kits from the same body tool - the Nova, and a '72 Pontiac Ventura. The experiment worked sooo well that AMT never did a car with separate fenders like that again.

The only sure cure is to use Jimmy Flintstone's Nova resin body.

Best regards,

[sugarcaddy]

Why on gods green earth did revell do what they did to the Civic. Why would anyone figure that putting on the front bumper LAST would be an awsome thing??? You cant put it on before you put the body on, and you cant put it on till the bottom is in place?
You have to paint it to match the rest of the body and pray to the glue gods that you dont f$%k it up when glueing it into place.
Revell

Scott

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by sugarcaddy

Why on gods green earth did revell do what they did to the Civic. Why would anyone figure that putting on the front bumper LAST would be an awsome thing??? You cant put it on before you put the body on, and you cant put it on till the bottom is in place?
You have to paint it to match the rest of the body and pray to the glue gods that you dont f$%k it up when glueing it into place.
Revell

Scott

Not only that, but they went back to '60's technology by the use of screws to hold the chassis?

The window glass is damned near impossible to fit correctly..

Sink marks in the trunk lid and fenders...

Front and rear track far too narrow...

Revell's Civics are not in the same league as their Integra. Close, but their Civic is like a "Fujimi" and their Integra is like a "Tamiya". Which would you rather have?

[NortherntoucH]

all amt kits are horrible...

the undercarriages are one piece...sink marks all over the body.

thats all i have to say.

[willimo]

I have an AMT '49 Ford that's excellent.

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Originally Posted by NortherntoucH

all amt kits are horrible...

the undercarriages are one piece...sink marks all over the body.

thats all i have to say.

Not true. Some of their kits are quite good, many have full detail chassis. However, a lot of the kits in the lineup are from very old tooling that is outdated in terms of construction and part fidelity. Most of us old farts know which ones are good and which ones suck.

Rather than go through the whole list of their good kits vs. their crappy kits, any time someone wants to know if a particular AMT kit is any good, ask here first

[Honoturtle]

Damn, I got the 72 Nova but I'm doing a 1974 conversion to it, I noticed the problem, but we'll see if I can cope with it.

[CamaroSSBoy346]

ive had this kit. It came in the vintage box, and i got dimples in the fender. If you put putty on it, it would mess up the lines. I primed it and gave up. Best AMT kit is their 1970 Camaro Z28 IMO.

[Layla's Keeper]

My biggest kit complaint comes from a kit so truly unspeakable that I don't even know why anyone would bother discussing it. I speak of the Minicraft 1/20th scale Mako Shark. Dear god is it horrible. It's not accurate. Has no detail to speak of, and is nearly impossible to put together.

Luckily, I wasn't the one who paid for the thing.

[Purpura Delujo]

I think I know the kit you are talking about Hawk, is it "The Old Pro" Dragster? That thing is a piece of shit, Detroit Locker has the old version of it. We got it thinking it would be a good kit, and it was a "collectors item" and the seperate fenders is a stupid idea, Why did they do it? Not even the dragster has a one piece front end. Maybe leave the fenders off with the 454 pro stock engine in there poking out of a garage diorama so it looks like a drag car in progress, otherwise I can't think of a use for that kit.

[SirWelshy]

has never ever had any problem with AMT, in fact i'm doing AMT's Dodge Viper RT/10 right now n its going together like clockwork

if u realy want bad kits go Airfix i have the 2001 rally Pug n the body is so out of scale that the front part of the wheel arch sits like 6" in scale to far forward

[Martbee]

Never had any luck with AMT's kit... even the F&F supra is bought only for spare parts. If I have to built a car and only AMT is doing it, it take me a lot of extra patience. Here's my trick to build AMT:

Whenever I start a AMT kit, I start 2 Tamiya's kit in the same time... so when I had enough with the crappy one, I stop before I airborn it and I go for one Tamiya for a couple of steps. Habitually, I finish the two Tam before I finish the AMT but by then, the AMT is so advance that it's only a matter of time before it's completed.

[freakray]

Wow, all the bitching about AMT and Revell kits......and it doesn't surprise me either

Revell and AMT are 2 manufacturers I avoid as best I can, for obvious reasons.