Seldom seen AMT "NitroCharger" (F/C kit from 1971) buildup

[tim boyd]

During 1971-72, AMT introduced several all-new funny car kits.  They included the NitroCharger with an all-new AMT-designed, radically narrowed "mini-charger" type simulated fiberglass F/C body with styling cues adapted to the third generation (1971-72) Charger design cues, two kit releases that used modified bodies based on AMT's annual kits of the 1970/71 Torino and 1971/72 Nova, and a fourth release that used a somewhat butchered 1969 Camaro body adapted from the earlier AMT "Funny Hugger' kit.  

The chassis design was all-new and was AMT's first attempt at the "digger" style funny car chassis that were replacing the earlier 'Logghe" tube style chassis that dominated the drag strips from 1966-69.  While the engines were adapted to each body (Ford in a Ford, Chevy ratmotor in the Chevies), the 426 Hemi in the NitroCharger was new and featured the first-ever 1/25th scale rendition of the Hamilton supercharger blower case that was seeing widespread use in the 1/1 scale funny car ranks at the time.  It also showed the new Crower "8-Holer" induction system atop the blower (my entry in the 1972 MPC National Championship, which included a scratchbuilt rendition of this same induction system, was criticized as being unauthentic by the contest judges who apparently were more than a little behind the times in their knowledge of 1/1 scale drag racing trends - but I digress....)  

As the NitroCharger kit did not have a licensed driver/team tie-in, and the box art (in my opinion) did not fully sell the merits of the kit, it was not a good seller and has never been reissued to the best of my knowledge.

The model below was built mostly box stock just over ten years ago (summer of 2011), pieced together from several glue bombs and using the chassis from the Model King riessue of the Funny Hugger II kit (the only one of the series that has ever been reissued).  The paint scheme uses the "spray can paint fade" technique I developed for my 1968 Dodge/MPC/Car Model 4th place nationwide winner, and later demonstrated about ten years ago in a two-part now-to article in Scale Auto. 

Here are some images of the completed model for your viewing.  You can read more about the above kit series, and all of AMT's funny car kits, in my 2020 book "Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits", published by CarTech Books and available from all the usual book selling sources. 

Thanks for taking a look and best regards!   TIM 

 

 

   

Edited March 18, 2022 by tim boyd

[ZTony8]

With the long nose it resembles a current Nostalgia Funny Car.

[slusher]

Looks great!

[ChrisR]

Looking great!

[Ian McLaren]

Love the paint, a really good looking model!

[tim boyd]

20 hours ago, ZTony8 said:

With the long nose it resembles a current Nostalgia Funny Car.

Tony, when looking at these photos again as I posted them, I didn't remember how strangely proportioned this AMT Charger body really was.  Long nose as you say, truly wasp waisted in overhead view, unrealistically narrow, etc. etc.  An interesting interpretation by the AMT design team, for sure.

All....thanks for the comments....TIM 

[THarrison351]

I had this kit and the Torino el Toro funny car when I was a kid. I still have the engine in my parts stash and probably the wheels and tires too. Wish I had kept all those kits...

[sflam123]

Certainly a very unique take on an early era funny car.  The proportions on the body are truly strange.  A beautiful build, and maybe the first one I've ever seen of this car.  Thank you for posting this!!

[PappyD340]

Very nice!

[boss 302 mustang]

Had that kit when it first came out and wish Round 2 would reissue!  It was the only kit I ever saw that included a Jim Davis starter, too!

[TransAmMike]

Very cool Tim, love that blue fade to silver paint job?

[tim boyd]

On 3/19/2022 at 11:37 AM, boss 302 mustang said:

Had that kit when it first came out and wish Round 2 would reissue!  It was the only kit I ever saw that included a Jim Davis starter, too!

Really good point....I should have mentioned that for sure.  Now....I wonder where mine went???   tB

[Dave Armstrong]

Another nice build, Tim! Looks great!

I have this kit in my stash, now I know what it should look like...

[Dennis Lacy]

Count me as one who had never heard of this kit before. Definitely a funky body but I like it. Looks tuff! Really like the fade paint job you did! 

[MADmodelDOCTOR]

I had one of these. Too much purple metalflake.  I thought the body was cool for an F/C back then.

[tim boyd]

Thanks, guys, for the feedback.  

Interesting....I guess I need to ask the Round 2 guys if this body is lurking somewhere in their tooling bank.  We know (or at least think we know) that the chassis tooling still exists because of the Model King release of the Funny Hugger II Camaro kit...but perhaps the rest of the inserts (particularly the engine and wheels/tires) got robbed for some other use and was/is MIA...

Best....TIM