'70 Grande Posted April 14, 2022 Share Posted April 14, 2022 (edited) For many years I have looked hard at the reissued 1/25 AMT/Round2 1972 Chevrolet Blazer and GMC Jimmy kits, but paused when it came time to actually purchase one. I finally gave-in, and just recently started the Jimmy kit. This post will show you what I have done so far. First pics are of my completed engine inside the nearly-completed chassis. One thing that immediately troubled me regarding the engine was the overall length of the engine block; it seemed several scale-inches too long to my eyes. So I modified it, the oil pan and intake manifold to shorten its overall length. I also replaced some of the kit's engine parts with pieces I liked better from my parts box. In my attempt to make my build appear 5-10 years old, both engine and chassis have some weathering applied. Your comments, suggestions and/or criticisms are welcome. Edited April 14, 2022 by '70 Grande 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 Two other characteristics of these kits that troubled me were the enormous opening in the firewall for the transmission and the large gaps underneath between the interior bottom and the inner door/inner body panels. The following two pics show my added-modifications for those two issues 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 14, 2022 Author Share Posted April 14, 2022 I have found 6-lug rear wheels in my parts box to correctly match the kit-supplied front wheels. One challenge will be dealing with the horribly warped roof piece. Paint color for this build was recommended by my wife; it will be a strong Navy Blue replicating 1:1 Chevy/GMC #2366 Commercial Dark Blue with a Tan interior. I have purchased a set of BF Goodrich All-Terrain tires for this project from Fireball Modelworks, (awesome products), and am now waiting for the outside weather to warm up enough so I can spray some Navy Blue paint... updates to come. Any comments and/or criticisms welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 (edited) [snip] Edited April 15, 2022 by Fabrux Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 Realistically, if you don't plan to remove the roof for display I've found it is best to glue it on to get it straight. Also worth noting is that the hinges for the rear hatch aren't the greatest. I find them oversized and fragile. I've done the same firewall modifications and completely swapped out the engines. The kits block is just too funny to make look right and the SM465 looks better with a 1:24 engine, IMO. https://public.fotki.com/fabrux/blazerjimmy/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 Chris, I appreciate your input and link to your photos; along with your suggestions I see some things in your pics that will be helpful to me on my build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 I have one of these kits in the stash. Thanks for the heads up on the issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 Nice work correcting the issues so far Mark! You weathering looks great too.👍 I have the Crew Chief kit with the same issues. I have put it back on the shelf a couple times because of them, so I’ll be watching.🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 I like the weathering on the drive train. Gives a very realistic appearance. I also have been interested in this kit to build a 2wd version. I'll appreciate your insight on the body issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
herbertb Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 What I have Always wonder is will the AMT pickup fit this frame or be modified to fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted April 18, 2022 Share Posted April 18, 2022 The frame would need to be stretched for a pickup wheelbase. The Blazer is shorter then the short bed trucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldcarfan27 Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 On 4/17/2022 at 6:55 PM, herbertb said: What I have Always wonder is will the AMT pickup fit this frame or be modified to fit? Ask Terry Jessee, he did it 35 years ago! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted April 20, 2022 Share Posted April 20, 2022 Hi Mark, great progress on this project. I have built 3 Blazers, (about to start a 4th) and have the Jimmy kit for a future build. All 5 kits have the same warp issue with the top, very unfortunate. Your insights on the kit are spot on. I had seen someone else on this forum correct the HUGE firewall opening as well. The engine block is oddly long, I had never noticed that before. Thanks for sharing your fixes! Hope you don’t mind, I will be starting a WIP soon, but I’m a slow builder…. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 20, 2022 Author Share Posted April 20, 2022 Steve, I'm always looking forward to seeing other builder's projects in-the-works, so absolutely go ahead and post your's; it'll be great to watch both our projects progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldmopars Posted April 21, 2022 Share Posted April 21, 2022 Is this current version of the "Jimmy" the same or different than the "Crew Chief" version? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabrux Posted April 21, 2022 Share Posted April 21, 2022 https://www.sprue.xyz/articles/amt_mpc_action_line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 23, 2022 Author Share Posted April 23, 2022 Getting the major parts in this project ready for the paint booth. Because this Jimmy kit comes with no outside rear view mirrors, it means digging thru the parts box. Sadly, my parts box didn't have any good choices, so the next step means scratch building these mirrors. Seen below is my method of making rear view mirror mounting brackets from those plastic-covered paper clips you probably have dozens of in a kitchen drawer somewhere... results seen in my pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'70 Grande Posted April 23, 2022 Author Share Posted April 23, 2022 Another quirk of this kit, the kit-supplied metal axles are too long for the kit's front/rear molded axles meaning even if you push those metal axles as deep as possible into the wheel backs, once mounted to your build, there will be a noticeable gap between the ends of the molded axles and your wheel backs. My simple solution, cut one metal axle into 4 equal-length pieces and mount each wheel individually on the build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted April 25, 2022 Share Posted April 25, 2022 Hi Mark, nice start on the mirrors, looking forward to seeing how those come together. Good thinking for the easy fix on axle width! Hoping I can get a bit done on mine later this week. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.