20 replies to this topic

[busmechanic87]

Went to a local car show/swap meet this morning and picked up a few kits. I was hoping some of you could give me some background on two of them. I got all three kits for 25 bucks!

The first kit is an old AMT 32 Ford Roadster 25th Anniversary Kit # A132-225. Anyone know anything about this kit? How old it is, how it builds up, how rare? The box is open but all the parts trees are still sealed in plastic and its complete.

The second kit is a newer AMT/Ertl. It's the 39 Wagon Rod, a two door wagon street rod. I've never seen this one before. Anyone know anything about it? I'm guessing it wasn't made very long. It is still sealed in the box.

The last kit is an AMT/Ertl 34 Ford Nostalgic Series 2 n1 Kit. I know this is a newer kit, this one was still sealed in the box.

So, what do you guys think? Decent find for 25 bucks? Do these kits build up well? Any insight is appreciated.

[gpugh1976]

I can't really say on the other two but this is my AMT '34 that I built about ten years ago. You be the judge.

[38 Crush]

Make it alot easyer with pics !

[cobraman]

Ya, what he said.

[mspeanut]

The 39 Rod Wagon, is really nice, it has Air Ride on it and looks like a L-6 engine, real wild Dash Board, it's a neat Kit!!

[george 53]

The Wagon Rod has an LT-5 Corvette engine.

[Casey]

Went to a local car show/swap meet this morning and picked up a few kits. The first kit is an old AMT 32 Ford Roadster 25th Anniversary Kit # A132-225. Anyone know anything about this kit? How old it is, how it builds up, how rare?

It's not a great kit IMHO. I built the '80s release which was molded in brown, and I recall the body lines being off, the optional early Hemi being not very well done, and the resat of the kit was unimpressive. Granted, it's '60s era mold technology, but the Revell '32 Ford Roadster is far, far better. Not rare at all.

The second kit is a newer AMT/Ertl. It's the 39 Wagon Rod

Lots of more modern street rod parts in this kit, but that body is a love it or hate it deal it seems, and my opinion falls under the latter.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I think you got a sweet deal. While there are some issues with the '32 (like the body being a little not-tall-enough, and the front of the frame rails being shortened to fit under the fenders, and also lacking frame side-stamping detail (which is a trademark of the '32), and having a molded-in rear axle and exhaust system, you CAN build a very nice model with some effort.

The Wagon Rod I've always seen as a source of parts for street-rods, as Casey pointed out. As George52 mentioned, it DOES have an LT-5 (the 4-cam Lotus-built smallblock Chevy that was a Corvette option), and a nice custom grille and fenders for a '39 Chevy, which is what it's based on. It could make a cool mashup with the Monogram '39 sedan delivery to build a chopped custom.

The '34, if it's the 5-window coupe, I think is a very nice kit. I've actually measured it against a 1:1 we currently have in the shop, and it's close, not perfect, but the general proportions are good and far FAR better than AMT's '34 3-window. Greg's pix above speak for the good proportions. This is one I've had in progress for a while. All in all, I'd say you did good for $25.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 18 August 2012 - 09:16 AM.

[ZTony8]

FYI-the LT5 was built by Mercury Marine,not Lotus.

[Ace-Garageguy]

FYI-the LT5 was built by Mercury Marine,not Lotus.

Yes, I know.....manufactured and assembled under contract by Mercury Marine..........BUT designed and engineered by Group Lotus, which was purchased by GM during the course of the program. I should have been more specific. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 13 August 2012 - 01:27 PM.

[Mark]

The '32 Ford roadster is a good nostalgia exercise, goes together easily and looks okay when finished. Some proportions are off when compared to one of the newer '32 kits, but it is now a fifty year old kit. I've got one in the works, to match the box art. Modifications are limited to a new firewall (kit instructions tell you to merely cut away the bottom half of the kit piece) and extending the front and rear frame horns to meet up with the bumper brackets (which is where they belong). Trying to do anything with the body proportions is an exercise in frustration; change one thing and everything else looks off. Enjoy it for what it is, just don't get too cerebral with it.
The '39 Wagonrod, out of the box, is one of those love-it-or-hate-it things. Parts-wise, it has a nice Corvette engine, an up-to-the-minute Art Morrison chassis that can be used for other projects, and some neat wheels. Tires are shared with the '32 Phantom Vickie which came out around the same time (they originated with the Plymouth Prowler).
The '34 Ford might just be the best '34 kit out there...better than the Aurora five-window, certainly better than AMT's first two attemps at a '34 passenger car (three-window coupe, two-door sedan). Monogram's three-window coupe might be as good, but is a lot harder to find since it was altered away from a stock version long ago. I'm told Revell's snap three-window isn't bad, but I haven't looked at that one long enough to form an opinion of it.

[Ace-Garageguy]

I like the simplicity of the old AMT '32 kit, which I think gives it a great deal of versatility. Here are 3 of my in-progress takes on it......

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 18 August 2012 - 09:22 AM.

[38 Crush]

This is my 39 wagon Rod. nice kit, lots of options once you get rid of the headlights. Trailer doesn't come with the kit. It was mostly scratchbuilt

[38 Crush]

[Junkman]

I like the simplicity of the old AMT '32 kit, which I think gives it a great deal of versatility. Here are 3 of my in-progress takes on it......

Nice looking Deuces there. I think it's marvellous that at least you are still holding onto the old AMT tool that served modellers for almost half a century, but seems to be totally forgotten since the Revell release.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice looking Deuces there. I think it's marvellous that at least you are still holding onto the old AMT tool that served modellers for almost half a century, but seems to be totally forgotten since the Revell release.

Thanks Junkman. I'm not absolutely sold on the accuracy of the scaling on the Revell '32s. I look at 1:1s every day, and the Revell cars don't look quite right somehow. There are proportion issues mentioned frequently about the AMT version, but I like the looks of the finished models better, frankly. Also, if you compare the old Monogram 1/24 '32 roadster with the Revell 1/25 version, there are some interesting anomalies....like the doors are the same length. Clearly from just that alone, there is evidence of incorrect scaling somewhere.

We currently have 2 virgin steel '32 roadsters in the shop, and I'm going to thoroughly measure the body shells very soon. I'd like to have my own first-hand knowledge, once and for all, as to what the actual proportions should be....exactly.

I've already measured a virgin steel '34 5-window and compared it to AMT's and the vintage Aurora offering, as well as the hood and grille dimensions of the car to all the other available '34s, and NONE of them are right. This answers why I rarely see a '34 Ford model that has quite the same visual feel as a well done 1:1 '34, and it's something I'm trying to correct in my own builds.

[Junkman]

Thanks Junkman. I'm not absolutely sold on the accuracy of the scaling on the Revell '32s. I look at 1:1s every day, and the Revell cars don't look quite right somehow. There are proportion issues mentioned frequently about the AMT version, but I like the looks of the finished models better, frankly. Also, if you compare the old Monogram 1/24 '32 roadster with the Revell 1/25 version, there are some interesting anomalies....like the doors are the same length. Clearly from just that alone, there is evidence of incorrect scaling somewhere.

We currently have 2 virgin steel '32 roadsters in the shop, and I'm going to thoroughly measure the body shells very soon. I'd like to have my own first-hand knowledge, once and for all, as to what the actual proportions should be....exactly.

I've already measured a virgin steel '34 5-window and compared it to AMT's and the vintage Aurora offering, as well as the hood and grille dimensions of the car to all the other available '34s, and NONE of them are right. This answers why I rarely see a '34 Ford model that has quite the same visual feel as a well done 1:1 '34, and it's something I'm trying to correct in my own builds.

It's funny that you say this, since I had similar - how shall I say this? - 'emotions'. The Revell just didn't 'feel' right when I started making a roadster. I cannot pinpoint where they got it wrong, if they did at all, but I find the Revell bodies oddly soulless, whereas the AMT has some good old-timey character. The best of both worlds would probably be to use the body from the AMT and the oily bits from the Revell?

Keep in mind, a slavish reduction of 1:1 dimensions by the factor 25 will never yield a model that looks 'right'. Your perspective is completely different when you look at a model. With the reduction in size must go an artistic 'distorting' or 'skewing' to make it look right to the eye.

Edited by Junkman, 22 August 2012 - 06:32 AM.

[Greg Myers]

The 39 Rod Wagon, is really nice, it has Air Ride on it and looks like a L-6 engine, real wild Dash Board, it's a neat Kit!!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yup, LT-5.

[rmvw guy]

The AMT '32 roadster dates back to the early '60s but, has been reissued several times. Mine is a 1998 version of the kit. Here are two versions on my shelf.