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AMT Ford C-600 Stake Truck


Chuck Most

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Ever since a I was a kid, I've been fascinated by Ford C-cab trucks. Blame it on my grandfather, I guess... I remember spending hours and hours with his '59, crawling in and on and around that gigantic white and red box on wheels. That early exposure left an impression on me- twenty years later, and I still love these big, beautiful, bucktooth behemoths.

Of course, this fascination carries over into my modeling habits, so any C-cab kit would be a winner. Fortunately, the old AMT kit is actually pretty good. And Round 2 has brought back the stake bed version-

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I really have to say I like the new decal sheet...

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Check out the "Atom Trashers Radioactive Disposal Service" markings,and radiation symbols. Imagine a fleet of C-600s rumbling through your town wearing THAT company's livery! :)

The kit is very good- though the multipiece chassis can be a bit fussy- I suggest building it up on a sheet of glass over some grid paper, to help ensure what you're building is a straight, true frame and not a wet-noodle jungle gym. The kit could stand some thinner mirror brackets, too- as with most truck kits, the mirror brackets are molded way too thick to look in scale. These aren't gripes specifically aimed at this kit- they're pretty much shared with the majority of AMT's big rig kits.

There are two minor hiccups with the kit. The first is a discrepancy with what's on the box and what's on the cab- the box reads "C-600" but look closely (very closely) and you'll see the door emblems actually say "800". Only the fussiest contest judge would even notice- just refer to it as a "C-800" in that case! B) The other gripe is that the air intake vents behind the door handles, just below the rear 1/4 windows, are not in the kit- this area is totally smooth on the kit cab. My guess is AMT did this because it was easier to mold.

And no, the extra framerails from the semi-tractor are no longer included, though all the other tractor-specific parts are still on the sprues. It was nice of AMT to include them as 'bonus' parts in previous issues, just because they opted not to make a return trip for this reissue isn't something I'd knock the kit for.

But those are really minor nits- the rest of the kit is great. AMT's new white plastic seems less prone to sink marks than the grey stuff used in the last reissue, and AMT's new decals are always nicely printed and apply well. Sure- there's still some flash and a few molding blemishes, but they're easily dealt with. And the resulting model looks and sits just like the real truck.

Like I said, I'd love any C-cab in kit form, but the fact this one is so good makes it that much better. You can build a very cool '71-'74 model stake bed, and with some kitbashing and a little scratchbuilding you can build one in just about any configuration ever made from 1975 to 1990.

As an aside, I sure hope AMT reissues the tractor version soon, at THEIR price, not Stevens International's price! I could sure use one of those as a donor for that resin Mack N-series transkit I've been hearing about... B)

Edited by Chuck Most
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OOOO I LIKE the chromie wheels!!! I got the Postal Semi Tractor, the City delivery, and the snoplow/dumptruck, but ain't never even opened 'em yet. If they come with those chromie wheels, I just may hafta make me a CUSTOM truck, of some sort. I LIKESES them wheels!!!!;):D;):o;)

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  • 4 weeks later...

As an aside, I sure hope AMT reissues the tractor version soon, at THEIR price, not Stevens International's price! I could sure use one of those as a donor for that resin Mack N-series transkit I've been hearing about... ;)

If you wish to build the tractor version I recommend buying the RC-2 release (see photo below) from a couple years ago, cuz it includes all the parts.

And...you can use the spare stake bed to make a trailer, pulled by the new round-2 release you show here, now wouldn't that be a great modeling project?

;)

Ford%20C-600%20Stake%20Truck%20AMT%20ERTL%2038165.jpg

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EXCEPT for the short framerails, that is.


Thanks for the review, Chuck. Now I REALLY want to get one and build it as a nuclear waste hauler!


Same here! Hey, Ken... know any casters who make a figure of a three headed guy in coveralls? No, forget it- I don't think they make glow-in-the-dark resin... :lol:

I think they make glow-in-the-dark paint though and even tattoo ink :huh: could apply some of that to those barrels in the bed for a little nuclear waste spillage!



Hmmmm. I like it. THAT would be a cool tutorial... DIY nuclear waste!

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Does that older release come with the broom, barrels and others? Can someone tell me the difference between the white one and the yellow one?

The yellow version is stake-bed only, with some leftover parts from the tractor version like the 5th wheel.

The white version is more like a 2'n 1 kit, yet it's not mentioned anywhere on the box or instruction sheet.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The re-issue with the white truck has drums, some crates and the push broom.

Not to be too nit-picky, but the white truck has 'drums, one crate, and the push broom'. :lol: Come to think of it, though, that bed looks a bit naked with only one crate, kind of wonder why they only supplied one in the kit.

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  • 6 months later...

i some how love flat bed trucks too weather its a big rig or p/u styile. i just love building them. and the dodge L700 truck n flat bed trailer was a complet junk of both the 1.1 and model. with lots diffacult and tough promblems. with fit issues to have it fall apart and brake. when built.

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Oh, yeah- the Dodge L-700 can be a fussy kit to put together. First one I ever built I stretched the frame, and used the trailer platform on the truck itself.

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I did manage to get the cab to tilt and the doors to open, though!

The other one I did was box stock and built as a beater

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Certainly buildable, but the AMT C-600 is a bit more pleasant in the building process!

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

It's really a neat model. I have quite a few. What is often overlooked by modelers is the little grille right behind the door. It's supposed to be there, but there's no hint of it on the model except the spot where it should be. Here's examples of my efforts to add this detail.

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