32 replies to this topic

[Casey]

This'll be more of a "What's Inside the Box" review, since I don't ever plan to build this kit, but plenty of other members have and will hopefully provide some comments and suggestions regarding how this kit goes together.

 

Let's get on with the pics...

 

Here's the "Checkerboard" box from the circa-2006 RC-era reissue:

 

 

 

And an overall shot of nearly all the included parts:

 

 

 

Two body shell pics, front and rear:

 

 

 

 

Though I'm no '71 Charger expert, I can't see anything wrong with the body, and it appears to be very faithful to the very curvy 1:1 body. AMT added the rather obvious hood latch support brace, and though the inner fenderwells look a bit simplified to me, I think it's slightly preferable to the overly sharp edges of the '68-'70 AMT B-body's (GTX, Road Runner, Coronet R/T) engine compartments. A minor gripe are the holes in the trunk lid for mounting the Go Wing, but the are easily filled and sanded smooth if you're building a less flashy version.

 

Since we're on the topic of spoilers, let's take a close-up look at the front valance panel-mounted front "chin" spoiler, noting how it has a very fine grain/surface texture. I don't recall if this is correct or not, but this texture is used extensively on many parts in this kit, so this won't be the last time you'll notice it:

 

 

 

The louvered insert for the Power Bulge hood is very nicely engraved, and for once, the underside of a kit's hood may be even more impressive that the topside:

 

 

 

Molding the louvers open would've taken the hood to a full-on "awesome" rating, but the "440 Magnum" nameplate on the side of the bulge more than makes up for that omission:

 

 

 

Next we'll take a look at the chromed front and rear bumpers, which, thankfully, the folks at AMT didn't decide to cheap out on and go the elastaomeric (un-plated) route. Both bumpers are very nicely molded, and the "DODGE" grille nameplate is very crisp and clear, as seen in the middel detail shot below. I didn't take a close up picture of the upside-down stacked chevron nameplate detail on the bumper's peak, but you can definitely make it out. Detail painting that area will be a challenge, but kudos to AMT for including that detail:

 

 

 

 

The decal sheet includes what you see below, and they are typical of 2000's AMT decals, which is to say very nice:

 

 

 

The last body-related pic transitions us into the interior, but the image below shows one of the nicest, well-thought out details found in the entire kit-- full headliner detail. Not just a few lines running across the underside of the roof, but the segments between each headliner bow/seam have depth, and there are sunvisors, shoulder belts, clothes hooks, and and dome light details molded in, too. You could upgrade the headliner by kitbashing with the Revell '68/9 Dart's separately molded sunvisors, carving some three-dimensional clothes hooks, and I think Revell's '67 GTX/Coronet R/T kits include a separate, clear molded dome light, too, but this is a very nice effort from AMT, especially in an area which is an afterthought for most model kits:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Casey]

Looking inside the car, we find a very nicely engraved dash with the Rallye gauge package including the faux woodgrained plastic bezels, as well as a cloth and vinyl bench seat with folding armrest, which I think is a first for a Mopar musclecar kit?:

 

 

 

The door panels are also nicely done, with the armrest pads, window cranks, door handles, and nameplates done as molded-in engraved details. I like that AMT included the sail panels, another "bonus" which I don't think I've seen before:

 

 

 

The steering wheel is the most disappointing part in the kit, as the center hub's three spokes have an incorrect taper, and the spokes look much too thick. It's nice that they tired to go the non-Rim Blow or Tuff steering wheel route, but I'm not even sure this part could be reworked to make it accurate, as there is a lot of fine detail on each spoke:

 

 

 

Turing back to correct parts/details, we find the shift quadrant housing and turn signal switch lever (a little thick, but easily fixed):

 

 

 

Finally, an overhead shot of the platform-style interior floor:

 

 

 

I suppose this should've been bundled with the body parts, but here's a shot of the clear parts ("glass" if you prefer). Unfortunately my clear parts were bagged and/or packaged before they were fully cured, causing some serious sprue bending. Luckily, none of the actual parts touched nor were damaged:

 

 

I really like the way the windshield and rear window were designed with two tabs-with-a-hole at the bottom of each, allowing for (what I think should be) almost near perfect installation inside the body shell. Someone who has built the kit can comment on whether or not the tabs are an improvement or not.

 

The kit includes a set of chrome plated Rallye wheels, which definitely look the part, with the exception of the trim ring area, which don't have enough of a bevel, and look a bit too vertical. This is important because the reflection of the open holes in the trim rings "completes" the (now) circular holes on the real wheels, but the effect is totally lost on the Charger's wheels. Monogram got it right on their 1/24 '70 Challenger T/A kit's wheels, and maybe the AMT '71 Duster 340's Rallye wheels are more accurate? I'll have to look at my kit and find out:

 

 

 

The kit's chassis and suspension parts looks good, with nothing obviously "off" to my eyes, but I do recall there is an issue with the positioning of the K-member. Hopefully someone can explain the issue and how to correct it.

 

I took some detail pics of the 8-3/4" rearend:

 

 

...the K-memmber with attached lower control arms, strut rods, steering linkage, and torsion bars:

 

 

...and the drum brake backing plates:

 

 

 

The leaf springs, shocks, and shock plates are all separate parts, and the chassis/floorpan underside has molded in brake, fuel, parking brake cable, body/framerail drain holes and drain plugs, as well as seat stud nut details. Even the pinion snubber bracket is present, a detail rarely (if ever) seen on a 1/25 scale kit.

[Casey]

Here are most of the engine parts:

 

 

 

 

The engine and transmission (an A727 3-speed automatic, with separate drain pan) are well done, with that previously mentioned texture present on both engine block/transmission halves. It effectively replicates the engine block's cast texture, but is a little heavy for the aluminum body of the transmission's main case and tailhousing, but a light sanding should knock it down enough to be believable. This engine may be a very slight upgrade over the 383 and 440 RB-series big blocks included with Revell's '68/9 Dart and '68/9 Charger R/T kits, but the '71 Charger includes an air conditioning compressor, drier and accumulator, and the associated lines, as well as molded heater hoses. All of the separately molded engine bits we've come to expect from a modern kit are present- oil filter, starter motor and solenoid, distributor, alternator, water pump/timing cover, and so on. The carburetor, which appears to be a Carter AFB is molded in two pieces and looks decent to my eyes:

 

 

 

The dual snorkel air cleaner housing will certainly be prime kitbash material, too:

 

 

My one engine part-related complaint is related to that seemingly ever-present texture, this time found on the valve covers. I can buy the texture on the air cleaner housing and lid, especially if it's supposed to replicate a black "wrinkle" or textured finish, but the real valve cover are stamped steel and should be smooth:

 

 

It's a minor gripe in the grand scheme of the kit, but it does detract from the look of an otherwise stellar engine.

 

The tail lights are done as one transparent red piece, which makes assembly and detailing the bezels/bumper easy, and the included tired are some decent, but average, solid vinyl Goodyear Polyglas GT tires with no size on the sidewalls. Now that Round2 has released two (with hopefully more to follow) sizes of Polyglas GT tires with pad-printed sidewall details, upgrading this kit's tires is almost too easy.

 

Overall, I would rate this kit as one of AMT's best ever, at least based on similar era ('71 Duster 340) AMT kits, and this kit certainly can stand toe-to-toe with Revell's '68/9 Dodge Charger R/T kits in terms of detail and accuracy. It's a great parts donor kit, and from the few completed models I've seen here on the forum in the Model Cars: Under Glass section, it looks pretty darn good when built box stock, too.

 

If anyone wants to add the new/different parts included in the Street Machine version of this kit, that would be good info for others to see, too.

[azers]

Question. Are the kits currently in the hobby shops the same as this release?

[tim boyd]

Casey..that's a highly comprehensive and really well written kit review. I agree with your conclusions and overall comments....I have built two of these and have two more partially completed, and I found them to enjoyable, highly accurate builds with just a few modifications/corrections as noted below:

 

1. The hood in this kit is the standard R/T hood which did not have functional air scoops in the hood (the hood insert was decorative only). One had to order the optional Air Grabber hood to get a functional scoop. The Air Grabber hood is in the "Street Machine" variant of this AMT/Ertl tool.

 

2) The seat included in this kit was available on the Super Bee, but not on the R/T version replicated in this kit. The R/T was only available with bucket seats, either with a console or a separate center pad/armrest unit. To be an accurate R/T, you should separate out the bucket portion of the seat (the upholstery pattern for this area is correct for the buckets), build new seat edges (easy to do), and then add the '70/'71 console from some of the other Mopar kits on the market.

 

3) The outside rearview mirror in this kit is the manual adjustable version. I have never in my life seen a '71 R/T with this mirror (though I do believe - without checking my resources - it was technically available on the R/T). It is very seldom seen even on the less expensive Super Bee. Instead, most R/T's and 'Bee's had Chrysler's new "Dual Racing Mirrors" - either plated or in painted when ordered in certain exterior colors. I would recommend everyone do this swap when they build this kit.

 

4) Finally, the original decal sheet had a hood blackout panel that did not cover the entire hood surrounding the fake louver vent insert; I don't know if this was corrected in the Checkerboard edition. The side stripes shown, though, remain incorrect - they have a "hump" over the rear wheels that is not correct for the 1/1 car which had a smooth, continuous curve over this area.

 

This was one of a number of outstanding newly-tooled kits from a second "golden age" at AMT, just before Racing Champions took over the company. Casey your review does a great job of documenting (and for me, reminding me of some feature oft his kit that I had forgotten about) an example of this second "golden age" kit series

 

Thanks and Best regards...TIM

Edited by tim boyd, 10 January 2013 - 02:41 PM.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

Yup.  There weren't many of these late '80s-'00 AMT kits that fully rose to the level of crispness you'd see in a typical Revell/Monogram, but this is one of 'em.  Unlike the '67 Chevelle or the '70 Corvette which pale in comparison to their R/M counterparts, this kit doesn't have to run and hide in the presence of a Revell '69 Charger.

[Casey]

Question. Are the kits currently in the hobby shops the same as this release?

 

Yes, the current issue is the same as the stock version in this review:

 

[80mirada]

the texture on the spoilers is correct to the real parts, they are lightly textured.  This kit builds nicely, but I was disapointed that it was based on an oddly option car.  Console delete, manual mirror, Air Conditioning, Font and rear spoiler, Longitudinal stripe, 14"rally wheels, and High Impact paint.  It is also a California emissions car?  The bench seat was a rare option, and most R/Ts had dual "race" mirrors, but having the A/C is nice.

[Nick Winter]

Casey the older release that I have two of ('00 I think) doesn't have the texture on the engine parts if I remember correctly from building it.

 

Nick

[Edsel-Dan]

I had several of these that I traded away.

Lost my built W-M Checkerboard box Painted kit when it jumped under my feet as I walked past. 

Was Sublime/sassygrass green too!!

Hope to eventually find another of it to replace the dead one.

I used the tires from this kit on my 66 El Camno & wagon builds.

Used OLD MPC G70's on the Charger.

I did find that one interior panel was too tall to allow the body to fit the chassis correctly.

Not sure now if it was the left or right one.

Replaced the rear window with .01 clear evergreen to help get around that.

Will check on the next one and shave it from the bottom to get a better fit

(That is IF I can replace the the painted kit)

[1972coronet]

Thanks for the review and beautiful photos , Casey !

 

Few things to watch for during assembly :

 

1.) Driveshaft-to-differential : trim driveshaft's U-Joint surface ;

 

2.) The tabs for mounting the windshield interfere with the dashboard ; I just completely remove --or even just file-down-- the cowl-area of the windshield ;

 

3.) There's a minor sinkmark on the roof directly adjacent to the interior dome lamp , and ;

 

4.) The air conditioning "hard" lines are a bit "trying" in the core support area .

 

- The "Ramcharger" hood (colloq : "Air Grabber") wasn't available with air conditioning , hence the standard "louvered" R/T hood.

- The single O/S L.H. (Driver's Side) mirror was standard . Racing Mirrors --body colour available with select colours-- were optional .

- Column-shift was standard unless the console was ordered .

- This kit doesn't necessarily represent a California Emissions Package ; however , the lack of Brite Exhaust Tips would indicate a car built with the Noise Reduction Package .

 

I truly wish that Round2 ---- let me preface by stating that I'm beyond grateful that they're re-releasing and upgrading these kits ... I really wish that this kit was further upgraded with an non-A/C option , a Six Pack option , a Ramcharger hood option (vis-a-vis the otherwise barfy "Street Machine" version) , and the correct bucket seats .

Edited by 1972coronet, 10 January 2013 - 06:03 PM.

[azers]

Is the street machine version the same kit with just street machine parts added or is a totally different kit?

[1972coronet]

Is the street machine version the same kit with just street machine parts added or is a totally different kit?

The "Street Machine" version had :

 

- Hemi cylinder heads in place of the 440's wedge heads (think : "Stage V" Hemi head conversion) ;

- H.P. 440 exhaust manifolds to mate-up to the Hemi heads (?!?) ;

- Ugly aftermarket wheels with rubberband tyres ;

- "Ramcharger" hood ;

- "Bright" (e.g. , bare metal foil 'em) tips on the tailpipes;

- So-so decals .

[gtx6970]

http://www.71chargerrtregistry.com/

[johnbuzzed]

I have one of the original issue kits and I do like it, but if I remember correctly, a few of the parts are molded with a lot of... reinforcements?  Namely, the door panels and block halves.  I am curious about the nature of those molded in ribs.  And I do think that the tires and wheels looked a bit undersized.  It's been a long time since I looked at the kit, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

[azers]

So basically all the s.m. version has going for it is parts. If you want to build a nice one get the r.t. kit.

[Casey]

So basically all the s.m. version has going for it is parts. If you want to build a nice one get the r.t. kit.

 

Yes. The appeal of the Street Machine kit seems to be the Air Grabber-type hood, and I'm 99% sure Missing Link offers all three pieces (hood, scoop, and air cleaner assembly) in resin, so there's little to no need to buy the Street Machine version.

 

 

 

I have one of the original issue kits and I do like it, but if I remember correctly, a few of the parts are molded with a lot of... reinforcements?  Namely, the door panels and block halves.  I am curious about the nature of those molded in ribs.  And I do think that the tires and wheels looked a bit undersized.  It's been a long time since I looked at the kit, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I noticed that, too, John. Maybe the "ribs" on the backsides of the door panels and sets were an experiment of sorts, maybe to prevent warping. maybe to make the parts easier to mold, to save material, maybe to...who knows. I did notice the engine block/trans halves have an aligning rib almost all the way around the perimeter, making alignment of the two halves very easy. I almost got the feeling this kit was look into what was to come for AMT, with great engineering and design throughout, but once RC2 entered the equation, it seems the brakes were applied and that was the end of that. 

[Ron Hamilton]

I built this one from the original version of the kit.

 

 

 

 

 

I painted the front bumper,  massaged the stripes to better conform to the body, and added Cragar SS mags and Goodyear Polyglas GT Tires. This is one nice kit. I am going to use it to update this MPC '72.

 

 

 

 

[Erik Smith]

Great review and additional contributions. I have never been that interested in this kit, but when I see a review like this, it makes me consider it. Looks like a nicely done kit from the heights of AMT's "era".

Edited by Erik Smith, 11 January 2013 - 11:19 AM.

[azers]

Looks like missing link is on vacation till the 16th. Ill have to wait to see if he still has these items available. Thanks for the info.