1/25 AMT 1964 Olds Cutlass F85 Convertible

[charlie8575]

8 hours ago, Bob Ellis said:

 

I started to fit this kit before painting and found the following issues;

The wheelbacks are too small and the tires flop off

The chassis screws are too small and only 2 fasten end to the body

There are tabs for the hood clip but there is no clip

All fixable items, but i makes me think that nobody at Round2 assembled this kit before shipping. Maybe the did but said "oh ####!" and thought nobody will notice?

 

The tire issue seems to be surfacing a lot with the AMT tires. Makes me wonder if the inner diameter on the newer tires was monkeyed with slightly.

Charlie Larkin

[Dave Darby]

9 hours ago, charlie8575 said:

The tire issue seems to be surfacing a lot with the AMT tires. Makes me wonder if the inner diameter on the newer tires was monkeyed with slightly.

Charlie Larkin

AMT wheel and inner tire diameter has varied quite a bit through the years, even in the same kits, at times. In the case of the 64 F85, I think it's a matter of not matching the tire to the inner wheel. I think the Firestone Supremes were tooled in 1965, replacing the annual tires that were used from 60-64. It's hard to say. Either way, somebody dropped the ball.

[Casey]

18 hours ago, Bob Ellis said:

The wheelbacks are too small and the tires flop off

Out of curiosity, are the recesses on both sides (where the wheel covers and/or wheel backs fit into) identical? In other words, if the wheel backs don't fit on one side, do they fit better when placed inside the opposite side's recess? Not sure if there are any raised characters on the sidewalls or not, but perhaps the tires have specific inside and outside faces, and the whitewall bands were printed on the incorrect side.

18 hours ago, Bob Ellis said:

There are tabs for the hood clip but there is no clip

IIRC, the reissued '59 El Camino in the Original Art Series box was the last to include a hood clip, so perhaps Round2 decided it wasn't worth the trouble this time? All that clip is goin to do is hep ensure the paint on the rear corners of the hood will chip and/or wear off way too soon, anyway. 😔

[tim boyd]

There is a full kit review and buildup (36 images and captions) of the new Round 2 1964 Olds Cutlass kit posted at the FineScale.com website.  As I (and others) have pointed out many times in the past, the only way to get a true and complete read on a model kit is to actually build it and look at the finished result.....

The online article includes info on factory correct exterior/interior colors, filling the axle holes in the engine block/oil pan, tweaking the minor sink marks (at least they were very minor in my kit), finding and addressing the mold parting lines, detailing the interior, bringing life to the one-piece chassis plate, specific hints on adding visual realism to the front and rear grille inserts, etc.  It's the equivalent of what would have been an "expanded kit review/buildup" 4-5 page article in Kalmbach's old model car magazine or today's Model Cars mag.   Virtually all the content would also apply for Round 2's upcoming Cutlass hardtop kit.  

Yes, there are indeed some minor areas of the new kit that can be legitimately criticized (some which are addressed in the thread comments above, and others in the expanded kit review content), but overall, this was a very fun kit to build and it yields a very sharp 1960's type annual kit type replica of the real car.  Not to mention it sells for about $170 LESS than an original issue 1964 annual that has essentially the same minor annoyances found in the new kit.    

If you are a FineScale Subscriber (it's posted behind their subscriber firewall) and are thinking about buying or building the kit, recommend you check out the review posted here...  Build review of the AMT 1964 Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass Convertible Customizing Kit scale model car | FineScale Modeler Magazine

Best regards all....TIM 

[Tom Geiger]

Tis a funny thing.. Round 2 is damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

There’s a lot of Facebook  whining going on from guys who don’t understand what it is and why. Comments like the manufacturer doesn’t care or is scamming them with a low detail kit.  Unbelievable!

Edited May 11, 2021 by Tom Geiger

[blizzy63]

On 5/7/2021 at 6:38 PM, Phirewriter said:

Interesting that the custom wheels included in the kit are near matches for the magnesium wheels on the Lola GT MK6 although the knock offs are different. I've used resin cast copies of these for slot car restorations (inserts on aluminum rims) but nice to have an excuse to pick up a few kits. Also, I've never been able to find the manufacturer for these so perhaps they were a Lola designed wheel?  It seems odd the design would end up in a mid sized GM kit.

Thanks for pointing out the origins of the kit's "Custom Aluminum Wheels".

When I first saw the custom wheels for this 1964 AMT annual kit, I wondered what they were as I didn't recognize them from this period. All I knew was that Dean Jeffries was credited for designing the custom parts.

Since your post, I've learned that the above car is a Lola GT Mk. 6 which debuted in January 1963 which sported one-off, custom-made magnesium knock-off wheels.

It is odd that these particular wheels would turn up on a 1964 GM intermediate, custom or not. Oh, well. That's the spirit of the '60s for ya!

(Here's a look at the Lola GT Mk.6 on "Jay Leno's Garage": 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by blizzy63

[blizzy63]

2 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

Tis a funny thing.. Round 2 is damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

There’s a lot of Facebook  whining going on from guys who don’t understand what it is and why. Comments like the manufacturer doesn’t care or is scamming them with a low detail kit.  Unbelievable!

AMT/Round2 has put into my hands an AMT annual kit that has not existed in this form in the last 57 YEARS!

To me, that's dang-near MIRACULOUS!

Decades ago, I used to look at the annual kits in the 1964 AMT catalog and just sigh...

Now I say: Round2! Gimme MORE!!

[Bob Ellis]

2 hours ago, Tom Geiger said:

Tis a funny thing.. Round 2 is damned if they do and damned if they don’t.

There’s a lot of Facebook  whining going on from guys who don’t understand what it is and why. Comments like the manufacturer doesn’t care or is scamming them with a low detail kit.  Unbelievable!

I general, I'm happy with the kit. Kudos to Round2.

[1972coronet]

1 hour ago, blizzy63 said:

AMT/Round2 has put into my hands an AMT annual kit that has not existed in this form in the last 57 YEARS!

To me, that's dang-near MIRACULOUS!

Decades ago, I used to look at the annual kits in the 1964 AMT catalog and just sigh...

Now I say: Round2! Gimme MORE!!

We're their target audience with their restored offerings and their Retro Deluxe offerings . 

I , too , am beyond pleased that some of these 'never-to-be-seen-ever-again' kits are finding a revitilised life !

Keep 'em coming , Round2 !

[Dave Darby]

10 hours ago, Casey said:

Out of curiosity, are the recesses on both sides (where the wheel covers and/or wheel backs fit into) identical? In other words, if the wheel backs don't fit on one side, do they fit better when placed inside the opposite side's recess? Not sure if there are any raised characters on the sidewalls or not, but perhaps the tires have specific inside and outside faces, and the whitewall bands were printed on the incorrect side.

IIRC, the reissued '59 El Camino in the Original Art Series box was the last to include a hood clip, so perhaps Round2 decided it wasn't worth the trouble this time? All that clip is goin to do is hep ensure the paint on the rear corners of the hood will chip and/or wear off way too soon, anyway. 😔

I got to the bottom of the loose tire situation. Round 2 recently retooled their Firestone Supreme tires. They are in the 60 Chevy truck as well as the 64 F85. You can identify them by the lack of raised lettering, and a flatter sidewall crown. These new Firestone Supreme tires have a larger inner diameter than do the older tires by roughly .040". If you have some of the older ones floating around, give them a try.

Edited May 12, 2021 by Dave Darby

[Muncie]

2 hours ago, blizzy63 said:

AMT/Round2 has put into my hands an AMT annual kit that has not existed in this form in the last 57 YEARS!

To me, that's dang-near MIRACULOUS!

Decades ago, I used to look at the annual kits in the 1964 AMT catalog and just sigh...

Now I say: Round2! Gimme MORE!!

Absolutely agree. 

I have one on the way.  A couple of years ago, I picked up a Streaker AWB kit at a local show for decent a price, built, roughly painted, dull chrome but rebuildable - except for the painted and split in two windscreen for the hard tonneau cover... Something that I believed to be near unobtainable.  Now, I can replace the windscreen plus have a convertible to build.

[Casey]

4 hours ago, blizzy63 said:

It is odd that these particular wheels would turn up on a 1964 GM intermediate, custom or not. 

Consider that AMT was about to get very deep into slot car racing right around then, so there's at least some possibility they had already designed the wheels for a Lola kit which never saw the light of day, and decided to put the design/wheel to use, no matter how unlikely the pairing seems.

 

2 hours ago, Dave Darby said:

I got to the bottom of the loose tire situation. Round 2 recently retooled their Firestone Supreme tires. These new Firestone Supreme tires have a larger inner diameter than do the older tires by roughly .040".

Thanks for the info, Dave. Hopefully Round2 is aware of the newly created misfit issue, too.

[Bob Ellis]

18 hours ago, Casey said:

Consider that AMT was about to get very deep into slot car racing right around then, so there's at least some possibility they had already designed the wheels for a Lola kit which never saw the light of day, and decided to put the design/wheel to use, no matter how unlikely the pairing seems.

 

Thanks for the info, Dave. Hopefully Round2 is aware of the newly created misfit issue, too.

I can just increase the wheelbacks with Evergreen styrene. Problem solved I never realized that these are the original tires

[charlie8575]

On 5/11/2021 at 8:23 PM, Dave Darby said:

I got to the bottom of the loose tire situation. Round 2 recently retooled their Firestone Supreme tires. They are in the 60 Chevy truck as well as the 64 F85. You can identify them by the lack of raised lettering, and a flatter sidewall crown. These new Firestone Supreme tires have a larger inner diameter than do the older tires by roughly .040". If you have some of the older ones floating around, give them a try.

So more or less what I was thinking.

File that redesign under "oops."

Charlie Larkin

[tim boyd]

Another easy solution to the slight tire/wheel misfit is to wrap one or two rotations of a thin strip of masking tape around the wheel rim before placing it into the tire....on my build, I didn't discover this until I had already started final assembly so I finished the model without making any changes.  The tires are a little loose on the finished model, but the model still appears presentable.  Not a big deal and easily fixed as described above...  TIM 

[Snake45]

1 hour ago, tim boyd said:

Another easy solution to the slight tire/wheel misfit is to wrap one or two rotations of a thin strip of masking tape around the wheel rim before placing it into the tire....  TIM 

This is a trick I've had to use several times in the last few months when trying to mate parts-box mongrel wheels with parts-box mongrel tires. On the most recent, it took four or five or maybe six layers of wrap to gitter done, but gitter done I did, and it doesn't show at all on the finished model. 

[Motor City]

Just use some Elmer's white glue along the perimeter of the wheel back where it meets the tire.  It will dry clear.  No need to build up with Evergreen.

[Jonathan]

As others have noted, I'm thrilled this kit is back.  I never had a chance to get one - I went to my localish hobby shop earlier this week and grabbed one.

[1972coronet]

Perhaps this subject has already been broached ; however , I feel that it's worth mentioning again : Is there an impetus for one ( or more ) of the resin casters / masters to create an 'up-top' for this kit ? Maybe the pending hardtop 4-4-2 hardtop doesn't present an 'urgency' to create an up-top ? 

[GMP440]

35 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

Perhaps this subject has already been broached ; however , I feel that it's worth mentioning again : Is there an impetus for one ( or more ) of the resin casters / masters to create an 'up-top' for this kit ? Maybe the pending hardtop 4-4-2 hardtop doesn't present an 'urgency' to create an up-top ? 

I agree.  No need in casting an up top, if a few months down the road the hardtop is coming out. Easier to just do that than body working a roof on.

[Curt]

3 hours ago, GMP440 said:

I agree.  No need in casting an up top, if a few months down the road the hardtop is coming out. Easier to just do that than body working a roof on.

I think he meant a raised convertible top.  

[GMP440]

52 minutes ago, Curt said:

I think he meant a raised convertible top.  

Oops, my bad.  I thought he was referring to a regular roof.   

[GMP440]

Here are pics from another message forum site in which someone is building the drag version of the kit.

http://wwwboard2.spotlighthobbies.com/cgi-bin/bbs62x/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=321611

[1972coronet]

On 5/14/2021 at 1:38 PM, GMP440 said:

Oops, my bad.  I thought that [ 1972 Coronet ]  was referring to a [ hardtop ]  roof.   

It's all good . My original proposition was my (shared) uncertainty about a closed-top ( up-top , etc. ) for the convertible  . Perhaps Missing Link will offer one ? 

[charlie8575]

On 5/13/2021 at 10:26 AM, tim boyd said:

Another easy solution to the slight tire/wheel misfit is to wrap one or two rotations of a thin strip of masking tape around the wheel rim before placing it into the tire....on my build, I didn't discover this until I had already started final assembly so I finished the model without making any changes.  The tires are a little loose on the finished model, but the model still appears presentable.  Not a big deal and easily fixed as described above...  TIM 

Definitely a good tip.

Charlie Larkin