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1975 Dodge Dart Sport by MPC


Austin T

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Everyone,

Just a little confused but is this basically the same kit as the last 1975 Plymouth Duster by AMT, which was actually a 1976 Dodge Dart? Any help would be great, thanks.

The only 1/25 scale differences between a 1975 and 1976 Dart would be the ambre-coloured parking lamps / turn signals in the grille .

In "1:1" scale , there are a host of differences . To name but two :

1.) Interior Rear View Mirror was mlounted to the windshield

2.) Parking Brake was a pedal versus the pull-out-to-apply e-brake of 1960-1975 .

This recent issue features restored parts from the 1975 annual (and its virtual twin , the 1976 annual) which was originally an MPC kit .

It was first retooled in 1983-ish (moulded in red) and couldn't be built "stock" (the stock Rallye Wheels and matching tyres were absent) . Then in ca.2004 , the same kit was reissued , this time under the {{dreaded}} RC2 banner . Other than the change in the plastic's colour , it was a direct-reissue (and had clear glass as opposed to the heavily-tinted glass which MPC employed in the early 80's).

In other words : this is the one to get ! Round2 restored all of the original parts :)

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Dusters and Darts are fairly similar, so the chassis parts and majority of the body parts are the same, but the frontend of the two is noticeably different... Flatter Grille & Header Panel for the Duster, as opposed to the peaked & pointed Dart frontend... There are afew other changes here and there throughout the cars...

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  • 2 weeks later...

I picked up mine at Pegasus hobbies today, great decals and it looks pretty much like my original kit,the chrome was not great and had crud in it and had soft detail in spots, like the original the drive shaft is molded into the chassis and too bad they left the rear seat molded in..LOL. I see a lot of pro stock builds coming from people with this kit.

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Anyone got pics of this revitillised gem's contents yet ???

I'm going to build one as a 1976 : the Car & Driver test car from its March '76 issue ; the 360-powered model !

Here's what made the 1976 Dart Sport with the 360 so special :

- The 360 was no longer a separate model . It was available in any trim level of the "29" bodystyle ;

- It was rated at 220hp , which was stellar in 1976 ! ;

- True dual exhaust without a catalytic converter to be found !

1976-only items which have no baring on the 1/25 scale replica :

- Foot-operated parking / emergency brake ;

- Interior rear view mirror was attached directly to the windshield .

Only exterior difference was the parking lamps ; the lenses themselves were now ambre-coloured , whereas the 1975 & earlier models had clear lenses with "1157-A *" bulbs .

* "1157-A" superceded to "1157-NA" ( Natural Ambre versus Ambre-coloured coating over a clear bulb ).

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My kits arrived today. I'll be doing an in-depth review over at slot blog.

First glance looks good, confused about the 360 air cleaner decal and the 340 side stripes for the stock engine. Hemi looks like a weak attempt, I imagine there will be a few motor swaps to get a better looking drag engine.

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[C]onfused about the 360 air cleaner decal and the 340 side stripes for the stock engine.

Just to be certain ; "340 side stripes for the stock engine" ?

Hemi looks like a weak attempt, I imagine there will be a few motor swaps to get a better looking drag engine.

That 426 Hemi dates-back to the 1973 Duster annual , which was the first 'annual' kit to feature the Pro Stock-type Hemi as an option to the kit's 'generic' Chrysler small block .

You're right ; that Hemi does lack detail !

I was hoping that better custom wheels would've been included ( :mellow: ) , as those 1975-1976 Dart Sport annuals' "dart board" *inspired* wheels are , shall we say , "gross" . I'd have preferred the Ansen-type wheels that were in the "Smokey Chaser" version ... or the Motor Wheels 'Spyders' from the 1974 Duster annual ...

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Re: decal sheet comment.... Look here:

11842465653_71ec1a8112_z.jpg

As far as I know, the 1975 Dart Sport was equipped with a 360 V8 rather than a 340. How much effort would it have taken to provide the correct stripe?

The stripes aren't correct for a stock Dart anyway, so what's the difference?

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Re: decal sheet comment.... Look here:

11842465653_71ec1a8112_z.jpg

As far as I know, the 1975 Dart Sport was equipped with a 360 V8 rather than a 340. How much effort would it have taken to provide the correct stripe?

Okay , now I see what you mean . 1974 was the first year for the 360 in High-Perf vocation ; 1973 was the 340's last year .

Either way , and as Mark pointed out , those style of stripes are not of 1974-1976 vintage anyhow .

What I do recognise that's (potentially) good is the Calif license plates ! The "L" = 1974/ 1975 issue plates . Hopefully they're to-scale .

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The stripes aren't correct for a stock Dart anyway, so what's the difference?

Wow this kinda sounds like something Hillary Clinton would say.

The stripes were commonly seen on Darts as a custom add-on at least when I was growing up- I can't imagine someone putting "340" logos on a "360" car though. In any event it's a waste of decal space that could have been used for something the kit needs- like instrument or interior decals for example.

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  • 2 months later...

I used the MPC Dart kit to build a Dodge Dart Hang Ten about three years ago. I used Keith Mark's decals. It came out pretty well

I was just think about this. I remember the Dart Hang Tens new on the show floor back in the day. I really like the looks of them. I believe came only with the 225 six or 318 V8. Never with the 360. I do know they were offered both in '74 and '75.

So Keith Marks makes Dart Hang Ten decals? Does he include decals for the interior striping too? Whether he does or not I may have order a set. I had little interest in this kit until I read your posting. I mainly like the early Dusters and Demons better. And have an original '75 Dart Sport promo. But knowing I can build a Hang Ten version puts a new light on this kit!

Now do I keep the 360 from the kit? Even though this is incorrect. Or do I find a slant six for under the hood? I wonder what it would take to put in the slant six from Lindberg's '64 Dodge kit in? And how it would look in there? Has anybody tried this? And how did it turn out?

I'm thinking I may have to do this.

Uncle Scott

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After a little more research, I was wrong about the Hang Ten not being available on the Dart 360 Sport. At least in 1974 you could get any Dart Sport model, 225 slant six, 318 V8, or 360 V8 with the Hang Ten package. I'm not so sure for '75. The '75 Dart brochure talks about both the Hang Ten and the 360 on the same page, but doesn't make clear if the two can be combined. One can assume it was this was still true for '75. But at this time I'm not 100% sure.

Uncle Scott

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The "E58" 360 was available with the Hang 10 model . The only limiting factor was that all Hang 10's were console-shift automatics , regardless of engine ; however , I wouldn't be surprised to find that Chrysler built one or two special order 4 speed models (which would naturally execute the console , as no console / manual trans A-bodies were built after 1969 for U.S. or

Canada consumption).

For 1975 there was a similar interior option for the Duster . Actually , it may be the exact interior trim / colour combo as the Hang 10 ... "Custom" , was its name , IIRC .

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