Has anyone compared the two AMT '57 Chrysler 300C kits?

[JollySipper]

Amt's '57 Chrysler 300C to it's custom counterpart? I like the stock trim and engine parts, but I want to be able to lower the car like the custom version allows. I'm at an end as to which kit to purchase. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.....

[Chuck Most]

If you want the stock trim and engine parts, start with the stock kit. Lowering it would be easy with some modifications to the steering knuckles and rear springs. Shorter tires would do the trick as well, depending on what look you're going for.

I believe the stock versions (at least the most recent reissues) had both sets of taillamp lenses too. But Steve pretty well summed up the differences.

[JollySipper]

Thanks for the responses..... I wonder why they wouldn't put the custom options in with the stock parts and make it a 2-n-1 kit?

Edited April 15, 2012 by JollySipper

[Joe Handley]

Thanks for the responses..... I wonder why they wouldn't put the custom options in with the stock parts and make it a 2-n-1 kit?

If we're lucky, Round 2 will do that at some point!

[Chuck Most]

If we're lucky, Round 2 will do that at some point!

They probably will- they reissued the stock and custom '60 Starliner with both versions in one kit, and they brought out the parts from the aborted separate custom version for the T-Bird with the latest reissue. I'd be suprised if they did not bring back the '57 Chrysler with both versions in one kit.

[fun9c1]

Overall I thought this was a good quality kit, but there were (like most kits) a couple issues I had:

• the interior door panels and the back seat were way too high such that the back dash stuck out the back window and you saw close to 1/8" of the inside door panels from outside. I shaved that off from the bottom of the panels, bottom of the back seat and I needed to open up some clearance between the driveshaft hump and the bottom of the back seat and shaved material off both of those areas.
• The license plate decal was too big for the plate, but you can trim enough off to make it fit and still look good which is what I did.
• The back window is not a great fit. I ended up with a very small gap between the roof and the top of the window on the pass side.
• The frame was warped the long way such that with the car upside down, pushing on the front and back of the frame would rock it back and forth. Pushing down on one end would make the other end about 1/4" off the body. I glued the front, let that dry, then glued the middle and back "clamping" as shown.
• The tailight lenses were a little too big for the bezels. I shaved the front (the "glue" side) a little bit, keeping the same profile, to make them fit right.
• The rear bumper was on the tree on the top of the bumper instead of the bottom. Luckily there is a lip that runs the length of the top of the bumper, so I foiled that lip to cover the bare spots left from breaking it off the tree after sanding it smooth.
• Same deal with both mirrors. I had to sand the faces smooth and foil them.
• The hubcaps were very loose in the tires and have to be positioned. It would have been nice if they snapped in or at least fit snug.
• The wheels were very loose on the spindles and will all have a wicked camber if you don't do something about it. I put a few coats of paint on the spindles to make them fit snug and straight.

I think that's about all the "bad" stuff. Overall though most things fit together very nicely and I'm happy with it! Actually other than what I mentioned, I was amazed at how well everything fit together, and the detail was excellent.

[Casey]

A peek at what's inside the stock 1/25 AMT '57 Chrysler 300C kit here: http://modelkitreviews.proboards.com/thread/609/25-amt-57-chrysler-300c

 

Edited December 22, 2017 by Casey