Original AMT BRAT done - with custom decals!

[Faust]

I think this might redefine “labour of love” for me; the BRAT is finally done! It took a lot, and there were so many big and little things that had to be done to get the darned thing together, but I have to say it was all worthwhile.

Since turning one down at the dawn of my interest in car kits, I’ve always wanted a chance to build one of these lovably oddball machines. I got my chance when I picked one up about a year ago, and now it’s done and on my shelf.

Check out my original AMT BRAT, with custom-resized decals in all its chicken-tax-evading glory at the link below, and let me know what you think. Who out there is building the resissue? I’m interested to know if it has the same issues!

https://adamrehorn.wordpress.com/amt-matchbox-1-25-1978-subaru-brat/

 

Edited September 25, 2019 by Faust

[cobraman]

Good looking Brat !

[Spruslayer]

Fine little brat there

I likely said the same thing to my kids back in the day

?

[tbill]

Good looking build , I love your zest for the mutts?

[slusher]

Looks great!! Real nice work! Didn’t Subaru cars have the spare tire behind the breather under the hood??

 

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[randyc]

Nice!  I often think about your "losers" when looking at kits now.   This is defintiely NOT a loser.  Quirky little car that remembers the days when it was ok, even FUN to be relegated to the bed of a truck.  And we weren't worried about everything like we do today.  Sadly, my kids will probably never know the joy of riding in the bed.

[ewetwo]

Nicely done. I had a friend who owned one and I was pretty cool. Has 2 rear facing seats in the bed which would most likely be illegal now. LOL

[PappyD340]

Nice!!

[ChrisBcritter]

A fight to the finish, and you won! 

[Faust]

Thanks guys!

I do agree that the BRAT,. while weird, isn't really a loser. The kit is, but that's a different story! (As you all know by now!)

I agree that it was a simpler, likely better time, and I'm sure there's no way in heck those seats are legal now.

You're right, too, that I do love the "mutts"; everybody likes to build the good kits of the good cars... can't forget the dogs! That's true for the real cars and their styrene equivalents!

I've always liked BRATS in real life, though. I think they're pretty hot looking little trucks. 

Yes, there should be a tire under the hood. I do mention it in my article; the firewall isn't even contoured right for it. Oh AMT...

[randyc]

11 hours ago, Faust said:

Thanks guys!

I do agree that the BRAT,. while weird, isn't really a loser. The kit is, but that's a different story! (As you all know by now!)

I agree that it was a simpler, likely better time, and I'm sure there's no way in heck those seats are legal now.

You're right, too, that I do love the "mutts"; everybody likes to build the good kits of the good cars... can't forget the dogs! That's true for the real cars and their styrene equivalents!

I've always liked BRATS in real life, though. I think they're pretty hot looking little trucks. 

Yes, there should be a tire under the hood. I do mention it in my article; the firewall isn't even contoured right for it. Oh AMT...

Ok, I didn't mean to offend with the "loser" comment.  Just that your main focus is that type of car and you make it so much fun to read the articles.  Mutt is a much better term for these.  

Thanks again, Adam, for what you do.

[Faust]

8 hours ago, randyc said:

Ok, I didn't mean to offend with the "loser" comment.  Just that your main focus is that type of car and you make it so much fun to read the articles.  Mutt is a much better term for these.  

Thanks again, Adam, for what you do.

Oh, no offense taken! I just wanted to let people know that the BRAT isn't quite a loser, but it is an oddball! You're darned tootin' I love my losermobiles! Nothing too much more fun than flogging a very dead horse (or Citation)!

You're welcome, and there's still lots more to come. Imagine the fun I can have with a Trabby Wagon, that MPC '79 Cobra and some of my Monzas... Of course, I have a lot of non-loser weirdos too. Oh, then there's my Corvette America... It's all just too much fun, and I'm thrilled you guys are along for the ride!

[randyc]

16 hours ago, Faust said:

Oh, no offense taken! I just wanted to let people know that the BRAT isn't quite a loser, but it is an oddball! You're darned tootin' I love my losermobiles! Nothing too much more fun than flogging a very dead horse (or Citation)!

You're welcome, and there's still lots more to come. Imagine the fun I can have with a Trabby Wagon, that MPC '79 Cobra and some of my Monzas... Of course, I have a lot of non-loser weirdos too. Oh, then there's my Corvette America... It's all just too much fun, and I'm thrilled you guys are along for the ride!

I owned not one, but TWO Vegas.  A 73 hatchback and a73 GT wagon.  So I love following your builds.  I thought the Mustang II was a great looking car.  I was 10 them but still think it's a pretty good looking car from that era.  Keep em coming

[Faust]

On 9/28/2019 at 9:22 AM, randyc said:

I owned not one, but TWO Vegas.  A 73 hatchback and a73 GT wagon.  So I love following your builds.  I thought the Mustang II was a great looking car.  I was 10 them but still think it's a pretty good looking car from that era.  Keep em coming

Randy! You survived  owning two Vegas!? Nice work! I personally have always liked Mustang IIs, especially the notchbacks. For some reason "Mustang guys" hate them. However, stylistically, they use all kinds of cues from the '64.5 Stang, like the side coves, general proportioning and even grille shape (although that's from a bit later model year). I mean, they really ARE Mustang 2.0. They were even gutless secretary cars, just like the originals! There's nothing there for purists to hate on. 

I personally hate four-eyed Fox-Stangs, though. That '79 Cobra is just SOOOO weak-looking compared to a '79 T/A. I mean, turbo four vs. 400  four-speed? Yeah... not even close.

[randyc]

9 hours ago, Faust said:

Randy! You survived  owning two Vegas!? Nice work! I personally have always liked Mustang IIs, especially the notchbacks. For some reason "Mustang guys" hate them. However, stylistically, they use all kinds of cues from the '64.5 Stang, like the side coves, general proportioning and even grille shape (although that's from a bit later model year). I mean, they really ARE Mustang 2.0. They were even gutless secretary cars, just like the originals! There's nothing there for purists to hate on. 

I personally hate four-eyed Fox-Stangs, though. That '79 Cobra is just SOOOO weak-looking compared to a '79 T/A. I mean, turbo four vs. 400  four-speed? Yeah... not even close.

I also had an Audi Fox after the Vegas.   Looking back, the Vegas were easier to own/operate.  THe Fox should have been a wonderful car.  But it was not.  

[Cpt Tuttle]

Nice build, I don't know if my aunt has some kind of love for the unloved, because in the 90s she had a BRAT (though we never got the weird jump seats in Sweden) and a bustleback Seville diesel at the same time. I remember the BRAT was reliable in a very strange kind of way, parts kept breaking all the time but it was like the BRAT didn't care, it just kept on running anyway when it was in such a condition that most other cars and trucks would have been rendered useless in.... I wonder if anything was left that wasn't broken when it went to the junkyard about 10 years ago.....

I have some plans to get the reissue and build a replica of that one.....

[Faust]

20 hours ago, Cpt Tuttle said:

Nice build, I don't know if my aunt has some kind of love for the unloved, because in the 90s she had a BRAT (though we never got the weird jump seats in Sweden) and a bustleback Seville diesel at the same time. I remember the BRAT was reliable in a very strange kind of way, parts kept breaking all the time but it was like the BRAT didn't care, it just kept on running anyway when it was in such a condition that most other cars and trucks would have been rendered useless in.... I wonder if anything was left that wasn't broken when it went to the junkyard about 10 years ago.....

I have some plans to get the reissue and build a replica of that one.....

Man,  a BRAT and a bustle-back? Those are the two ends of the weird extreme, that's for sure, especially in Sweden!! 

That's hilarious about how the BRAT could just shrug off the failures. It's like the A-10 of cars! 

It would be nice to have a replica of a family car like that! I hope you can get a copy of the reissue!