2
The box top- which displays the custom building verison.
The side panel, which outlines some of the kit's features and the 'custom' engine- more on that in a minute...
End panel, which shows off the factory stock building version-
Overall, it's exactly what you'd expect from a typical annual kit of the period- chassis has all the underside detail molded in place, interior is a tub with faint but believable side panel engraving, and there are metal axles fore and aft.
One thing the old annuals always got perfect (or at least very good) was the body proportions- other than a grille insert that's just a bit too short (mostly due to the way it installs- you slip it up into the bumper/grille from underneath) and headlamps that look just a touch underscale (not to mention molded to the chromed bezels), the kit most clearly looks right.
About that 'custom' engine. Unlike the familiar '65, the MEL in this kit is stock-only, but completely chrome plated. This isn't the correct engine for a '69 Continental- the MEL began being phased out in early 1968 in favor of the new 385-series (429/460) big block. While some early '68 models did have the MEL, by 1969 the 385-series was the only available engine. So to be completely correct you'd need to rob the engine from a Revell '70 Torino and make a few minor detail changes, as well as graft the automatic from the Lincoln onto the 385, as Lincolns were not available with manual transmissions in 1969. That being said, the engine in this kit is a very good representation of a 462 MEL, and though it does have a hole in the block for the metal axle, it isn't the huge notch you're accustomed to seeing and is easily filled in. I believe at one point Missing Link sold a resin repop of this engine, which is a much better looking (and somwhat more detailed) engine than the one in the '65 reissues, and would be a good swap into one of those.
Other highlights are the printed narrow whites, the decals (which still worked, 43 years later) which are printed on one big sheet of carrier film, so you'll need to trim around the decals otherwise you'll have a LOT of visible carrier film when you apply them, and I have to say I really dig that '69 vintage AMT box art!
This was the last Lincoln kit produced by AMT (as an annual or otherwise), and I kind of wonder if the tooling for it still exists. The '65 tooling obviously survives- it was last reissued about five years ago. This kit, on the other hand, hasn't resurfaced since the year of its introduction. If it does I hope that Round 2 sees fit to bring it back- bonus points if they tool up a correct 385-series engine with automatic. EXTRA bonus points if they do that and still include the very nice MEL.
