Finally after a couple of months of working on it here and there this one is put up. This is AMT’s kit and the nicest review that I could give of this kit would not be appropriate for this site [censored].I have never wanted to trash a kit so bad in my life but since it’s for a buddy I went on with it. There was not much that fit right.[banghead] All the body pieces had to be filled, the exhaust manifold had to be taken back off and modified to get the motor to go in,there is no where on the front of the chasis to attach it to the body so it is still loose. The decals were a nightmare all on thier own There was a big thick sticker on the back of them with the instructions that would hardly cut good and would not let water get through to the back of the decal. I tried out carpet flocking for the first time on this one which you can kind of see , pic is a little blurry though. If anyone is wanting to do this one , start out looking at it as a challenge.
Sounds like a typical AMT kit to me…they have some major issues with certain cars of thiers take the 67 Mustang Fastback as an example…Built one or 2 YRS ago…Im building one now…still the same flaws and problems as there were back then they just stuffed it in a different box!
For all the trouble you had with it Chris it looks good! Those decals look like they were a BEAR pun intended!
Thanks Chris, yea my wife got tired of hearing me complain about those decals. i’ll leave decals off sometimes if they are to much of a pain but those are what makes the car with this one.
I’m sorry. I gotta defend AMT here, but only to clarify something. This kit is a re-release of the kit originally done by MPC. When Ertl aquired both companies, the MPC name pretty much dissapeared, but the tooling for their kits lives on, and is re-released usually under the AMT name.
Yes, the kit is ----primitive. Most of MPC’s kits were. Other MPC kits you can find under the AMT name are the Original “Night Rider” '82 Trans Am, and the '78 Dodge Li’l Red Express pickup.
But overall, you’ve done a remarkable job. I’d display it proudly![:D]
It sounds as if building that kit was about as enjoyable as trying to change the spark plugs on a real '79 Trans Am!!! [banghead]
I applaud your persistance however, as it seems to have paid off… (here’s a picture of the LAST Polar Lights car that wouldn’t stop giving me trouble)… [:-^]
Nice build, though I am surprised to see you didn’t blacken the grill [but hey you were building it for someone else, right?lol]
Anyway i am currently building the knight rider car in fact two of them. One will be KITT and the other his evil twin KARR. I’m gojng to run lights and I drilled holes in on eof the dashes for fiber optics. It’s actually not a bad kit. it comes with extra bits like chrome side pipes, extra chrome wheels, tubo and regular air cleaner, two diff hoods and two different rear spoilers. It’s molded in grey.
The original relee was molded in black and included parts to make either one of three versions, standard T/A, turbo T/A, or KITT. i once built the original kit for my little brother about 20 yrs ago [man I’m gettin old!LOL]. Any way this rerelease does not include a standard nose or dash to build the regular T/As. this kit isn’t perfect but it is worth picking up for the price. Less than $12 bucks at Hobby Lobby when not on sale. I just found the second one on clearance for $5.75 at hobby lobby. Can’t beat that price. Sine the car is solid black and the interior solid tan [ecept the dash which is of course black] it is simple to paint.
I was considering doing the Lil Red Express, maybe not [xx(].
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I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dissuade you in any way from building the kit. MPC’s kits can be a challenge, and with patience and persistence, the payoff can be pretty good as with lizardqing2’s Bandit.
I have the Lil Red. The main thing to watch for is the chassis/frame absolutely does not fit, and will not fit together with the cab assembly without carefull modification,and the rear springs are about WAY out of scale. This will make the truck sit really high in the rear without some mods here as well.
The Night Rider T/A doesnt turn out too bad either, if you use a never say die attitude. Just gotta watch out for the T-top, and widshield frame. It’s difficult to get the windshield to fit properly.
I had noticed from the picture on the front of the box that the truck looked like it sat high in the rear. After I fiish my current project, if I’m looking for a real challenge maybe I’ll pick the Lil’ Red Express.
Martian- I suppose the grill would have looked better blackened out. I did’nt even think about that. Guess that’s what is good about keeping models around, always can go back and improve something.
Ron- The flocking was the biggest suprise for me. Before I put it all together it looked like crap but somehow when it was complete it actually looked good inside it. DOn;t know why just glad it worked. I’d say this one was about as much of a challenge as the ones I sent you are going to be. Just keep all sources of heat out of reach as oldhooker showed!
Thanks for the heads up Kustommodeler1 on those t-tops and windsheild fitting I haven’t gotten that far along yet. i have only just finished both chasis and painted one of the bodies. I beleive have lost one of my dashes, the one I had painted and drilled for the fiber optics. [I guess that’s what happens when you take a kit to work with you.]
As for you lizardqing2, you are a bigger man than I because those pinstripes alone would have sent me running from that bugger! it’s strange that i can sit an cut plastic and drill wholes for sci-fi kits and the like all day long but i dread decals!LOL i suppose each modeler has his own gifts. Great job!
Martian- Don’t be fooled. I hate decals for the most part to. Never put any on a kit until recently. I just took a deep breath and dove into these and kept with it till they were on it. Probally safe to say thats the last pinstriping I’ll do if I can help it.
Nice one Chris. Despite the problems you came up with a very good looking model. Your friend will be pleased!
By the way, when do you find the time to build models and talk to your wife (other than on the forum!??)… You seem to be permanently here! LOL That’s what the little X at the top right corner of your screen is for… LOL
Thanks Domi. It’s not that hard to find the time. Computer sits in the living room , build in the kitchen and everybody hangs out in between so it’s pretty easy. PLus other than work and some fire calls, never go anywhere else.
I never built an AMT auto kit can’t help you there. I did build the MPC “Blackbird” Trans Am and it was flawless, one great kit I must say. Not to rain on your parade but there is one small detail I should mention if you are interested. I fell in love with this car ever since the movie came out, I have been lucky enough to able to own one after all those years. Any how, a little info for you regarding the car in question. The TA is actually a '77 and not a '78 not that you can tell the difference really, the Bandit edition car that was sold as was the car in the film was triple black ( the interior was black not tan) the wheels were also 8" deep optiion wheels not the standard 7" honeycombs you see everywhere. The decals were also special as just about all of the late model cars have 5 color decals the Bandit was 3 color, there are also minor decal alteration from the familliar marking on standard TA’s we’ve all seen. This is not a critique just a little info for interested modelers who might want to build up one
Now from what i recollect, the interior of the car in the movie was tan. Now if I understand you, you are saying that the production version of the “bandit car” based on the car from the movie was triple black correct? I would also assume that this “production car” is the later '78 model you are refering to as i assume that the production car would have come out sometime after the movie. Am I understanding you correctly?
