Matt Bacon Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Sorry, guys, but I have to ask... Why is everyone so enthusiastic about the Gremlin, and a re-released kit of it? Does this car have a special place in your hearts for some reason? I have to say, speaking as someone from the other side of the pond, it looks like a car with all the charisma of an Austin Allegro or Morris Marina: a lot of my parents friends may have had one when I was a kid, but I wouldn't care if I never saw one again, and I certainly wouldn't give house room to a model of one! Please enlighten a confused Brit... bestest, M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 What's with the '57 Chevy? Or the first gen Camaro? Or any other car I personally don't care for? It's a kit of a unique subject that hasn't been reissued in a very long time. A breath of fresh air after years of nothing but endless reissues of Muscle cars and '50's/'60's car kits. THAT's where the enthusiasm is coming from. And what's wrong with a Morris Marina... other than the fact they're piano magnets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPflug Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Seems to be more nostalgia and just the fact its something different- an odd orphan from a dark period of American automobiles and a kit that hadnt been easily available for many years Probably more interest in the kit now than when it was first released I think many see it as the "Anti- '32 Ford, '57 Chevy, etc." as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Matt, I kind of agree with you . Gremlins were , well, "Cult cars ". American Motors was scrapping the market trying to do what they could with what they had in a market that they thought wanted a cheap reliable economy car with no frills. At the time Ford had given us the Maverick, actually a rebodied Falcon . Chevrolet would give us the Vega . I dunno, I was driving a 1970 Ford van then . I wanted a 67 Chevrolet Impala , go figgure .............. Ed Shaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 One other thing that might be a factor- quite a few of the guys buying this kit weren't around when they were new. Guys like me in the under-30 (for three more months, anyway) crowd. For us, the 'dork car' factor they had when they were new cars is lost, and we see the car without that bias. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm on a 70s kick now, Ed. I'm currently working on the VANTASY that just came out. I don't know what it is about the Gremlin other than it's still a butt ugly car, but like Chuck says it's a subject that is once again available. That simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disabled modeler Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Who never wanted to get a real Gremlin,Maverick,Falcon,Vega and squeeze a big bad engine into one??? I have always been a 60s,mid 70s body style guy...but for me the Gremlin gives me an opportunity to build my late uncles car(the first car I ever drove too). Its nice to have something besides muscle cars to build and in your collection....not every car on the streets are all muscle cars most are more mundane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psychographic Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) Gremlins were very popular race cars here in America, both on dragstrips and on dirt tracks. I remember going to the races and more than half the cars were gremlin bodies on the modifiieds and sportsman. This could add to the appeal. Edited January 19, 2012 by Psychographic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony T Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm thrilled to be able to build the stock version of the Gremlin X again! I built it back around 76 or so. It succumbed to a fall from the display shelf a long time ago. It is a car you can pick out of a line up, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coreyh29645 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 i wasnt born till after AMC was already dying if not dead already. that being said, i fell in love with that car the first time i saw it. it was the early 90's and cars were already looking the same as each other and then i saw the gremlin. i instantly fell in love with that car. it was the oddest thing i had ever seen and i loved it then. still do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coreyh29645 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 how could ya not love it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darin Bastedo Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Ok I have to admit, that I love Gremlins. Yes they were shoddy in quality, started rusting on the assembly line, and were't exactly fast, (come to think of it, as a Brit you should be right at home in one of these ) , but they were distinctive, looked sportier than the vegas, pintos and other small cars Detroit was pumping out in the mid-seventies. As a model kit there are many things you can do with one, you can build a hot rod, a drag car or even a custom, and best of all styrene doesn't rust! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Matt, American's are kinda weird when it comes to their cars. We sometimes tend to "Humanize" them. We'll reffer to them as"She's" an Girls'll reffer to them as "He's". We tend to do ALOT in our cars. Live in them. start families in them, and MISS them when they are no longer ours. Cars are a PART of the American way of life. WE may have INVENTED "HotRods" but the rest of the world sure picked up on our GREAT idea PRETTY GOOD!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Basher Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Huh? i know you were there Ed, but i get the impression from your statements above that maybe you really werent 8 years of production and 600k+ cars built. cult car? maybe now, but it's arguable that the Pacer may have even more of a "cult" following than the Gremlin. You know what they say, "If you remember the '70s, you weren't there." It's true that the Gremlin looked like any other AMC car with the back end cut off, but the Pacer was one of the strangest car designs ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Thanks Hugh, I just was never able to get a "handle " on the Dodge Monaco, the Ford's with "Pimp " windows , or the faux luxury Detroit was pawning off then ........... Everything was just ............ a blur to me . Ed Shaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Basher Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 for the "little guy", it looks like AMC didn't do too bad Heck yeah! They did come up with the AMX. Now that was a nice looking car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Ed, the WHOLE 70's waz just a blur to you!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Basher Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Ed, the WHOLE 70's waz just a blur to you!!! :lol: If so, he's not the only one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Personally, I want one mainly to build a replica of my brother's friend's Gremlin. He had a '70s style "sleeper" that he had built. He bought it with a blown engine and swapped in a built 360 or 401 (can't remember exactly) with a 4 speed. Of course, it had the obligitory set of Cragar wheels with tens and M50's on the rear. No one took it seriously because it was a Gremlin,but that little car was fast for the time and surprised a lot of people around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshaver Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I think I'll just go to my local hobby shop an buy me a Chevrolet van ......... Ed Shaver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cranky Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Ed, and those are good too. Look what I'm doing to the VANTASY . . . clearly an abomination, but SO MUCH FUN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bartster Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 What? It's NOT '77? What year is this? Have I really lost that much time? I must have puffed, puffed & forgot to pass!!!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkman Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Sorry, guys, but I have to ask... Why is everyone so enthusiastic about the Gremlin, and a re-released kit of it? Does this car have a special place in your hearts for some reason? I have to say, speaking as someone from the other side of the pond, it looks like a car with all the charisma of an Austin Allegro or Morris Marina: a lot of my parents friends may have had one when I was a kid, but I wouldn't care if I never saw one again, and I certainly wouldn't give house room to a model of one! Please enlighten a confused Brit... bestest, M. The Gremlin most certainly has a special place in my heart, so does the Allegro and Marina. So much in fact, that I do own an Allegro and a Marina. I also wouldn't hesitate for a second, if a real Gremlin came up for sale. One man's meat is another man's poison I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancheroSteve Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 In my case, I'll always have an affectionate spot for the Gremlin - when I met my wife in 1975 she had a Gremlin (green, of course) that her parents had bought her when she went off to college. We've been happily married for 30 years now. Your mileage may vary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gray07 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 10 years ago when i lived down in indianapolis, my daily driver was a blue Levi edition gremlin with 6cld. stick, i loved that car, i had it for 2 years and my girfreind at the time now my wife wanted a newer car so we sold it and bought a 1991 cavalier Z24, nice car but not like the gremlin. I would love to own another gremlin, very easy car to work on. So yeh iam glad they brought it back out instead of another 57 chevy or a 32 ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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