Nova-ss Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 hi all, I have a question about AMT's version of the corvette.how many years did they make the corvette between 68 and 78.I have a buildup that I want to know more about.like the parts inside,box art,instructions and decals....thamk you for any help.
Snake45 Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 I think they originally made roadsters for all those years, or most of them. You can see many of the original kit boxes and instructions here: http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/amt-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/chevrolet/ More recently, I think they did a '72 roadster on new (and nice) tooling.
mikemodeler Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 I believe the convertible was offered up to 1975. They brought it back around 1986 as an Indy Pace Car.
Longbox55 Posted July 11, 2015 Posted July 11, 2015 If it's a vintage Corvette convertible, I would think it would more likely be an MPC, rather than an AMT.http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/mpc-instructions/automotive-cars--pi/chevrolet/1971-1980/ As far as I know the only AMT Corvette convertible from the era is the one they did off the new tool '70-72 Corvette in the early '90s. They did a stock and a street machine version. mikemodeler is correct, '75 was the last year for a factory Corvette convertible until the '86 model year.
Nova-ss Posted July 12, 2015 Author Posted July 12, 2015 I found out through your help..its a AMTconvertible with a big block and two tops a rag and hardtop.manual trans and stock or factory wheels.the original body plastic color is red.anyone with box art? and thank you all for the help....Chris
ChrisPflug Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Molded in red with a big block and both hard and soft tops sounds more like a Revell '68 The new tool AMT came with an LT-1 small block and I've only seen it in light blue/gray or tan plastic
BIGTRUCK Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 I dont have the kit just an uncut box top of the kit Chris spoke of.
Mark Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Both AMT and MPC made Corvette kits every year '68 through '77. Both companies' kits had big-block engines (except for the AMT '68, which I'll get into in further detail). AMT's had manual transmissions, MPC's had automatics. If you turn a built one over and look underneath, that's one way to tell them apart provided they are built out of the box. The AMT '68 is something you'd be interested in only from a collecting standpoint. MPC made the promotional model that year so AMT was not provided with advance information about the '68. They apparently wanted to get a kit out so they basically guessed at the body, and made one to fit the chassis from the '67 kit. It is a convertible with a separate glue-on roof (not the removable convertible hard top). The AMT '68 Corvette kit body is not accurate (fenders rise up too high among other issues) leaving the built model looking like a Palmer kit. AMT did a few other kits like that, without accurate information ('68 "Chevrolet SS 427", basically a bizarre custom '67 Impala, and a Camaro and Firebird that were basically the same kit with different engines and exterior trim). The "Chevrolet SS", Firebird, and Camaro (and Corvair?) are marked "for 1968" on the boxes as opposed to "1968" on the normal annual kits which can be built as correct stock 1968 cars. I don't think the Corvette kit was marked "for 1968" though. As bad as the '68 was, they issued it two more times: as a promotional item for AC spark plugs, and again in the early Seventies as a John Greenwood GT racing version. Great box art, not so great box contents. AMT did a better Corvette kit for '69, and issued it as separate hardtop and convertible kits through '76 even though there was no 1:1 '76 convertible. For '70 and '71 only one box was used for the coupe, and one for the convertible. The boxes were not marked with either model year, and didn't match up with the annual kit boxes. AMT did the one-box deal with their Camaro kit for '70/'71 also. For '77, only the coupe was issued, with no optional parts. The only extra in AMT '77 annual kits was a CB radio and a couple of overly thick CB aerials. The '77 annuals were AMT's last until the late Eighties, when Ertl repackaged the MPC annual kits as AMT. All of the AMT Corvette annual kits still had the big-block engine even though 1:1 Corvettes no longer had it after '74. The chassis and interior got recycled into the Eckler custom hatchback kit not long after the '77 kit left the catalog. MPC had the promotional model contracts for Corvettes in most of these years, so the AMT annual kit bodies don't look quite as good as MPC's. If you are really into Corvettes, you'll probably want both anyway. I'm not positive but I think the AMT convertible kits included separate hard tops. MPC issued their Corvettes as separate hardtop and convertible kits '68 through '76 (again with the phantom '76 convertible), and coupe only for '77. All have big-block engines. Kits through '75 have the working front suspension with metal coil springs. '76 and '77 annual kits lost the metal springs but still had poseable steering. The '78-82 annual kits were retooled (different from '68-'77) with a small-block engine, catalytic converter exhaust, and so on. The '78-'82 kit chassis will fit the '75-'77 body/interior and is an easy fix for the wrong engine/exhaust deal in those kits. MPC sprinkled in a couple of customs over the years (Astro-Vette concept, 'Vette Van) with annual kit chassis and interiors. The Mako Shark variations are not based on the annual kits; the chassis is entirely different. The AMT/Ertl '70-'72 Corvette kits are all-new (nothing shared with any of the AMT or MPC annual kits). These have small-block engines. AMT/Ertl issued a '70 LT-1 coupe, '72 convertible, and '72 coupe street machine with an altered chassis. Racing Champions or RC2 later issued a '71 convertible, but I don't know if anything about it is any different from the earlier '72 convertible kit. They also did a '70 coupe snap kit and assembled retro promotional model.
ChrisPflug Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Another neat feature of the early 70s through '75 MPC are a set of "bare" rally wheels- these are also included in the "50th Anniversary" reissue version of the '75- nicer than the ones included in the 90s AMT version
ChrisPflug Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 I think the Revell "429" Vette coupe was actually more common than the "427" version
mikemodeler Posted July 12, 2015 Posted July 12, 2015 Are you aware of this very rare version? I had a couple of them thinking they could be a part of my retirement plans...........until I saw them at swap meets for $15 !
Nova-ss Posted July 15, 2015 Author Posted July 15, 2015 (edited) Thank you all.this talk and pictures have been very helpfull.here is the body and chassis. body is just gotten out of the purple pond. the chassis still struggling on getting off the psint.I think its the Revell kit...Chris Edited July 15, 2015 by Nova-ss
Nova-ss Posted July 16, 2015 Author Posted July 16, 2015 Does anyone have instructions for this kit..I believe its a Revell 1969 Corvette. ..thank you for any help.
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