AMT 69 Firebird Trans Am

[2zwudz]

1 hour ago, Snake45 said:

Okay, here's a pic that shows right vs wrong. 

On the left is the MPC '69 Camaro, which was poorly and incorrectly converted from their rather nice '68 in exactly the same way they poorly and incorrectly converted their '69 Firebird from their rather nice '68. On the right is the Revell '69 Camaro, which is just about universally regarded as having a nearly perfect body shape. 

See the difference in the crease lines on the side of the body? That's where they were in '67 and '68 (on the MPC body); GM moved them up a couple inches for 1969 and MPC did not. The Revell body has these lines in the right place, where they should be. 

The MPC (now AMT) '69 Firebird has the same problem. But there's no '69 Firebird kit where these lines are in the right place. 

What paint did you use on the Revell Camaro?? That’s nice???

[Mark]

45 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

Dunno, have never seen it, but with a completely different roof, it could well have been a new tool. If so, I wonder if it's still around? I'd buy and build one. 

If I remember right, that custom roof is all separate pieces tacked onto a convertible body.  MPC didn't make Firebird convertible annual kits, but they did make promotional models so apparently they could have made a stock convertible kit had they desired to do so.

[Motor City]

8 hours ago, Snake45 said:

The original kit was NOT a Trans Am. The TA parts were added later. The original was a Firebird 400, with extra OHC6 engine. 

And it is the same basic kit reissued many times over the years (under both MPC and AMT labels) and commonly available today. It's bad. It's always been bad. And unless they fix it (which I don't see happening), it'll always BE bad.

The only thing of special interest in the original, first issue kit is that the hood was clear, which was kinda cool, but not really of that much actual use.  

Snake,

I wasn't suggesting that the MPC '69 Trans Am was the original or only version of the '69 Firebird kit for that model year.  I was wondering whether or not the first version of the T/A kit was the only one that was decent, but from what you're saying, all versions are identical.   I never noticed the body crease issue before. 

I believe the '69 and '71 Trans Am kits came some time after the regular Firebird kits were released in those respective years.