AMT Porsche 928

[unclescott58]

Wow! This one is a disappointment. They say a picture can speak a thousand words. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. 

 

[unclescott58]

The question is, what to do with it? I mean I will build it. But, how? I'm just thinking about basically getting a can of cheap gloss black, and basically shooting eveything in that one color. With a few exceptions. Wheels, etc. silver. And call it good. 

[jaymcminn]

The scale tells the story here. I'm guessing AMT reboxed one of the motorized Japanese kits or possibly even an Airfix kit. I'd go with the whole gutted interior theme and do a LeMons racer or something. Have some fun with it.

[Rbray47]

Looks like some of the junk that Testor's reboxed in the 80s.

[Dave Van]

Yep......rebox of a Japanese motorized kit......May make a decent curbside. 

[Rob Hall]

Italian, not Japanese.  It was a rebox of an old Esci kit, like the Countach and Ferrari 250 SWB kits released at the same time (around 89-90 IIRC).  I built it back then, a very simple kit. 

Edited April 16, 2020 by Rob Hall

[unclescott58]

On 4/16/2020 at 5:27 PM, Rob Hall said:

Italian, not Japanese.  It was a rebox of an old Esci kit, like the Countach and Ferrari 250 SWB kits released at the same time (around 89-90 IIRC).  I built it back then, a very simple kit. 

Your right about it being Italian Rob. At least that's what it says on the box. In the last couple of hours I've been doing some subassembly work in preparation before painting. The kit is a mixed bag. If one doesn't look at the kit too close, it doesn't look too bad. In fact the body proportions don't look bad at all. But, the engine compartment, the interior, and the chassis are a joke. Parts fit. But, details are weak. The rear seat on a real 928 is a joke. But, the kit's is a joke of that joke. And a joke that doesn't work. And seems to the best explanation for all of the "details" of this kit. 

Even though I'm sure it will continue to go together with no problems. I have to rank this as maybe the worst kit I have ever seen in an AMT labeled box. It's just not right. It was obviously engineered to pass as something barely acceptable. Easy enough for a kid to build. But, not acceptable to someone who appreciates a good scale represention of an automobile. And that's coming from me, who willing to overlook a lot of flaws and inaccuracies in a lot of other kits. Including other AMT kits. 

Edited April 18, 2020 by unclescott58

[Rob Hall]

Of those Esci reboxes, the 928 is probably the best.  The Ferrari was really bad—body shape was way off.   
 

As far as 928 kits go, the Fujimi is better. Revell made one also, but I don’t have it.  

Edited April 17, 2020 by Rob Hall

[Dave Van]

2 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

Italian, not Japanese.  It was a rebox of an old Esci kit, like the Countach and Ferrari 250 SWB kits released at the same time (around 89-90 IIRC).  I built it back then, a very simple kit. 

I don't know much about the history of the AMT P 928 kit. I have done some work on the AMT Porsche 935 racer. It looks a lot like the 928 but I do not know if related. The AMT 935 started life as a Japanese kit under the NITTO brand. ARII issued it and then it went to ESCI. The molds traveled to the USA when Ertl bought ESCI. Now  Ertl did some slight modifications to the tool and ran it here. Later somehow the tooling for the 935 was returned to Italy under Ertl/ESCI ownership. The tooling was run there but sold under AMT brand with a stick on label saying 'Made in Italy' 

This week Italeri has reissued the former AMT kit under the their label but I have not seen inside to see if they made any modifications, 

The history of the 928 COULD be the same......the design makes sense......but I have not facts. 

[Rob Hall]

I have the 935 kit, it’s nothing like the 928 kit.  The 928 is very simplified, almost a snap kit. 

Here is the original Esci box art 
 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/esci-3057-porsche-928--537515

digging deeper, though, I found this chart linking the AMT 928 back to Nitto.  
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/nitto-633-porsche-928--537499

So maybe it originated w/ Nitto. I’d read in multiple places it was an ex-Esci tool.  But who knows, the origins being over 40 years ago....I have few Esci kits and ex-Esci RoG kits, and they are all curbside kits.  The 928 has a partial engine IIRC.  

Edited April 17, 2020 by Rob Hall

[Snake45]

3 hours ago, Rob Hall said:

Italian, not Japanese.  It was a rebox of an old Esci kit, like the Countach and Ferrari 250 SWB kits released at the same time (around 89-90 IIRC).  I built it back then, a very simple kit. 

I thought it reminded me of that backbirth 250 SWB. 

[slusher]

i am surprised, I believed there would be more.

[unclescott58]

This is going to be weird statement. As I noted, this my least favorite product ever sold in an AMT box. Now if I had found this in a Monogram box, pre Revell/Monogram merger, I would not have been as disappointed. That's the quality of kit. It's just not what I expect from AMT. Shame on Ertl for putting this under the AMT banner. 

[Fat Brian]

Just for informational purposes the Revell 928 is a full detail kit and looks pretty good though I haven't built it. It comes in three variants, a rally version, stock early 928, and a T or targa top version with a non stock nose. Most versions come with tinted glass which also tints the turn signals and headlight lenses so be mindful when you're browsing the 'bay. The tires are split plasticky type in both versions I have.

[Motor City]

Sorry, Scott, the most disappointing kits from AMT have to be the Rabbit and other econoboxes of the late 1970s.  But, on the bright side, with the flat chassis, you could probably float the finished Porsche in your bathtub!

[Can-Con]

12 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

Just for informational purposes the Revell 928 is a full detail kit and looks pretty good though I haven't built it. It comes in three variants, a rally version, stock early 928, and a T or targa top version with a non stock nose. Most versions come with tinted glass which also tints the turn signals and headlight lenses so be mindful when you're browsing the 'bay. The tires are split plasticky type in both versions I have.

I had what I think is the first version of that kit.

Molded in red, almost snapped together but lots of details for Revell at the time. Yes, dark tinted glass though, which was in a lot of Revell kits back then, late '70s/early '80s.

The tires on mine were a rubbery vinyl though, not solid plastic but they'd only fit the kits wheels.  they did look good though. Wide Pirelli P-Zeros.

Here's a link to the instructions on the Drastic Plastic's site,,

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/instruction_sheetsh/instruction_sheets/revell-3/revell-porsche-928/#media

[unclescott58]

16 hours ago, Fat Brian said:

Just for informational purposes the Revell 928 is a full detail kit and looks pretty good though I haven't built it. It comes in three variants, a rally version, stock early 928, and a T or targa top version with a non stock nose. Most versions come with tinted glass which also tints the turn signals and headlight lenses so be mindful when you're browsing the 'bay. The tires are split plasticky type in both versions I have.

A 928 with a T top or Targa set up? With the way the 928s were designed, I don't know configuration be done on the real car. Are you sure your not thinking of the Porsche 930, Brian? 

[unclescott58]

3 hours ago, Can-Con said:

I had what I think is the first version of that kit.

Molded in red, almost snapped together but lots of details for Revell at the time. Yes, dark tinted glass though, which was in a lot of Revell kits back then, late '70s/early '80s.

The tires on mine were a rubbery vinyl though, not solid plastic but they'd only fit the kits wheels.  they did look good though. Wide Pirelli P-Zeros.

Here's a link to the instructions on the Drastic Plastic's site,,

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/mkiba-build-under-c/instruction_sheetsh/instruction_sheets/revell-3/revell-porsche-928/#media

Looking at the instruction for the Revell, it's looks great compared to the AMT version. I may someday want to hunt one down. But, I'd love to see what a finished version looks like first. 

[niteowl7710]

On 4/17/2020 at 12:12 AM, unclescott58 said:

This is going to be weird statement. As I noted, this my least favorite product ever sold in an AMT box. Now if I had found this in a Monogram box, pre Revell/Monogram merger, I would not have been as disappointed. That's the quality of kit. It's just not what I expect from AMT. Shame on Ertl for putting this under the AMT banner. 

At the time Ertl owned ESCI and there was some tool sharing in both directions. We got this 928, along with the worst Diablo kit possible, the Italian market got a few American kits boxed as ESCI/Ertl.

For other 928s out there Fujimi has a couple of variants all based on curbside tooling, and Italeri offers a full detail 928 S4 which is a '87-'91 model.

Edited April 19, 2020 by niteowl7710

[Fat Brian]

6 hours ago, unclescott58 said:

A 928 with a T top or Targa set up? With the way the 928s were designed, I don't know configuration be done on the real car. Are you sure your not thinking of the Porsche 930, Brian? 

It's a 928, here is the box art.

[Dave Van]

16 minutes ago, Fat Brian said:

It's a 928, here is the box art.

I got two of those kits.....how long ago???? My hobby shop had them on close out for $1!!

[Fat Brian]

4 minutes ago, Dave Van said:

I got two of those kits.....how long ago???? My hobby shop had them on close out for $1!!

Wow, evidently they weren't popular in real life or kit form.

[unclescott58]

Interesting. b&b did the car in real life? Learn something new everyday.

Interesting also. Note the box art car. It has modifications that obviously had to be made to the doors to accommodate the top setup. The box art car shows a vent like window in the front door that one does not see on a normal 928. I also do not see it on the kit itself in the pictures above. Are they in the kit? 

Lastly, I wonder what happened to b&b? I only remember seeing them around in the 1980's. About the same time as AMG was coming on big for Mercedes Benz. I know what happened to AMG. But not with b&b. 

[Can-Con]

10 minutes ago, unclescott58 said:

Interesting. b&b did the car in real life? Learn something new everyday.

Interesting also. Note the box art car. It has modifications that obviously had to be made to the doors to accommodate the top setup. The box art car shows a vent like window in the front door that one does not see on a normal 928. I also do not see it on the kit itself in the pictures above. Are they in the kit? 

Lastly, I wonder what happened to b&b? I only remember seeing them around in the 1980's. About the same time as AMG was coming on big for Mercedes Benz. I know what happened to AMG. But not with b&b. 

They're still around. The cars just don't stand out as much as in the "Miami Vice" era.

http://www.bb-automobiltechnik.de/deutsch/startseite.html

[Fat Brian]

1 hour ago, unclescott58 said:

Interesting. b&b did the car in real life? Learn something new everyday.

Interesting also. Note the box art car. It has modifications that obviously had to be made to the doors to accommodate the top setup. The box art car shows a vent like window in the front door that one does not see on a normal 928. I also do not see it on the kit itself in the pictures above. Are they in the kit? 

Lastly, I wonder what happened to b&b? I only remember seeing them around in the 1980's. About the same time as AMG was coming on big for Mercedes Benz. I know what happened to AMG. But not with b&b. 

I don't know about the vent window situation, those were just pics I snagged off the interwebs. I don't have the kit myself, I just saw it when I was researching the Revell 928s to see what was available. I bought the rally version for some of the racey body parts and a stock one for the clear glass.