AMT Hideout Truck

[DRIPTROIT 71]

I have been building AMT kits since the 70s. I’m used to seeing a little warpage. The worst that I had seen was an old race trailer kit. That was until I opened the newest version of the Hideout truck. The frame rails are warped, the stacks are warped, the interior bucket is warped. The bed was warped, but after an hour of tweaking, I was able to get it straight. The frame rails seem to be more brittle than the white AMT plastic. I actually broke one trying to get it straight. This was a new sealed kit. Has anyone else had this with this kit? I have a Papa truck kit that I haven’t opened yet. Are they the same?

Here is the frame rails straight out of the box. Notice the sharp bend at the spring on the lower one.

[Fat Brian]

I have a new Bandit molded in black and yes, the black plastic seems more brittle than the standard white but mine isn't warped like that.

[iamsuperdan]

Disappointing to be sure.

I have a Papa Truck started and i haven't come across any issues so far.

[37 caddy]

I have one i bought at a hobby lobby,havent opened it yet,i didnt realize it was molded in black,I absolutely despise any "colored" plastic.I propably would not have bought it if i knew that then.The stuff is so hard to change the color on,i wasnt planning to make it the papa truck anyway. harvey

[leafsprings]

Bought just the frame only on ebay for a future long wheelbase project ( thought it would be easier than stretching) and yes, once removed from the tree it started to warp severely also. Staying away from the Hideout version!

[Mustang fan]

same for me with my kit (recent issue), frame rails, interior, bed, all severely warped.

[ranma]

Gee I must have gotten lucky when I bought mine from Hobby Lobby. No parts were warped, But I did shorten the frame some, I also changed the front bumper, and put a front axle from a AMT International Harvester under it as well. I didn't build it as the hide out rig either.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

On 2/26/2023 at 12:09 PM, leafsprings said:

Bought just the frame only on ebay for a future long wheelbase project ( thought it would be easier than stretching) and yes, once removed from the tree it started to warp severely also. Staying away from the Hideout version!

Mine even starts to warp back several days after I have straightened it. The bed was pretty straight, now after a week or so, it is slightly warped again. I’m interested to see how my Papa truck kit looks. I’ll never buy another Hideout though.

[Fat Brian]

2 hours ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

Mine even starts to warp back several days after I have straightened it. The bed was pretty straight, now after a week or so, it is slightly warped again. I’m interested to see how my Papa truck kit looks. I’ll never buy another Hideout though.

It's so weird because it's literally the same mold, the only difference is the plastic and how it was treated during the manufacturing process.