anyone have build issues with the amt 71 dusters

[michelle]

i have encountered  these problem with two different issues  of the 71 duster kit s
the current round 2 amt  71 duster 340  and the older amt/ertl 71 duster street machine  kit  
the dash seems to be to wide for the interior side panels and the rear axel/drive train  bows when you  glue the two halves together and the suspension bars do not fit right once you trim and sand  the one  half down   so it fits the other half without bowing  
also on just the current  issue amt 71 duster 340 kit  the engine front plate fan and fan belt  do not fit right  with the radiator  

i do wish the 71 duster has the same type of  interior pan and chassis as the  round 2 mpc  80  volare  kit and the 75 and 76 dart sport kits have 

Edited August 9, 2020 by michelle

[Mark]

I built one some time ago and do not recall any issues with it.  As with any car kit with an interior that has separate side panels, test fitting is a must.  Some of these kits, regardless of the manufacturer, fit together quite tightly even without paint.  And those are first issue early production kits.  Reissues will be even tighter as the mold was likely polished before production, making the fit of the parts even tighter.

If the rear axle halves are bowed, straighten them, don't remove material to make them fit.  Altering one part often affects the fit of adjacent parts.

[michelle]

3 minutes ago, Mark said:

I built one some time ago and do not recall any issues with it.  As with any car kit with an interior that has separate side panels, test fitting is a must.  Some of these kits, regardless of the manufacturer, fit together quite tightly even without paint.  And those are first issue early production kits.  Reissues will be even tighter as the mold was likely polished before production, making the fit of the parts even tighter.

If the rear axle halves are bowed, straighten them, don't remove material to make them fit.  Altering one part often affects the fit of adjacent parts.

it bowed when  you joined the other half together and i broke the  one from the  amt/ertl 71 street machine duster  trying to un bow  it after i glued it together  
thats why when i was putting together the curree=nt issue of the 71 duster 340 i tested it first and it bowed again   so i sanded and trimed a little bit down on both sides but did not remove to much it was just enough to make it fit without bowing  but the suspension amrs did not fit the pre made slots for them  
as for the dash it was to wide for the  side panels and bowed  were it  fits in it's slots  i made it fit by sanding  down the sides  

i have built one of the current issueed ones before and i did not have the issues  i had with these two except for the side widows did not fit in  with the interior 

[oldscool]

I built one of the prepainted ones several years ago and I had to remove a lot of material from the top forward edge of the dash and also the flange on the bottom of the windshield to get the interior to go all the way up into the body. One of the few times I have actually used my Dremel tool. Don't recall any other issues. Hope this helps. I didn't attempt tp use the side windows as I don't like the way they obscure the view of the interior.

Edited August 10, 2020 by oldscool
added content

[slusher]

I have built a few 71 amt dusters and the dash was a problem in all I remember sanding and test fitting until I got it right.

[michelle]

9 hours ago, slusher said:

I have built a few 71 amt dusters and the dash was a problem in all I remember sanding and test fitting until I got it right.

yeah it is like they did not even test build it   or were not told about that by who even built the  first version of it that would be used on the box art  before amt/ertl released it
 was this kit like this in the original 1971 mpc release or did it have  the one piece  chassie and seperate interior tub  like most  mpc models did back then and a few still do  have  

[Mark]

This Duster is a newer kit, created in the late Nineties.  There was an MPC '71 Duster kit back in '71, but through yearly changes it now exists as the '75/'76 Dart Sport.

[michelle]

37 minutes ago, Mark said:

This Duster is a newer kit, created in the late Nineties.  There was an MPC '71 Duster kit back in '71, but through yearly changes it now exists as the '75/'76 Dart Sport.

 ok so the original version had the same type of one piece  chassis and seperate interior pan    then  why did they just not use the same   chassis instead and just make a new body and new interior pan and clear parts   which i would assume would be cheaper and easier to make   then   the overly complicated redesigned full  kit  which i would assume would cost alot more alot harder to make 

 

[Deuces ll]

The newer '90s version has allot more detail... Plus they got away from using those metal axles....

[michelle]

4 hours ago, Deuces ll said:

The newer '90s version has allot more detail... Plus they got away from using those metal axles....

i like the  round 2 simple chassies with a few parts  and seperate  interior pans    and metal  axles  they are more sturdier then round 2's plastic pegs  i tend to look at the parts  list on the back now befor i buy  new round 2 car kits  to see how the chassis and interior  is  the only 2 reasons  why i have bought these 71 dusters is cause i wanted to build and add two to my plymouth shelve and cause  the vintage ones or promos are to expensive  and i bough another two to buld two other cars not dusters  but i moded the one with a 75/76 dart  chassis and interior pan or i used the ones from a  80 volare with the 71 duster  front seats and dash and the recent one i am working on that caused me to make this post   which is going to be a mexican 71 valiant superbee 
 

[Tom Geiger]

4 hours ago, michelle said:

 ok so the original version had the same type of one piece  chassis and seperate interior pan    then  why did they just not use the same   chassis instead and just make a new body and new interior pan and clear parts   which i would assume would be cheaper and easier to make   then   the overly complicated redesigned full  kit  which i would assume would cost alot more alot harder to make 

 

Buyer expectations by era!  

Back when the original Duster kit was tooled up for 1970, it started out as a promo ordered by Chrysler.  That meant a minimal parts count since they needed to be factory assembled as toys that would hold up to play wear.

Once the tooling was paid for with the promo order, MPC was free to modify the tool to open the hood and include an engine and associated detail. I believe the simple chassis also had more parts than the promo.

That was state of the art for kits back then. The primary market was kids, and we simply didn’t know more detail was possible! 

As mentioned, that Duster promo and kit was updated every year until 1975 or 1976 when the tool was modified into the Dodge.  And that tool is still existing and serviceable today.

Why did AMT/ Ertl cut a whole new tool?  The same reason Revell has recently given  us 1957, 1929 and 1932 Fords as well as a Barracuda, Nova and others that original old tooling still exists for all of those.. to give builders a state of the art kit to today’s tooling and molding possibilities of timeless subjects they hope to sell for a very long time!

Personally, I’m pleased with the newer more detail kits as I want my models to be as good as they can be.  I probably own a dozen of that Duster, but have yet to actually build the kit, for the full detail chassis to use under older bodies.  The chassis under my 1963 Valiant stock car, and the entire line of old Valiants I’m planning in the future.

 

[Deuces ll]

I also have a few of the newer (90's) tool '71 Duster kits... I plan on doing one up as 440 car with the motor from the AMT '71 Charger.... And maybe one with a Hemi from the Street Machine AMT '71 Charger kit.... Those chargers have some great under hood detail..... ??