AMT Rat Fink trailer the wrong type

[ranma]

I have the Rat Fink trailer,but boy AMT should have used a more logical type of trailer for show cars. I believe the former Mayflower/allied/ north American/ Bill Elliott/ Kodak/ kraco race hauler/ moving van trailers would have been a better choice. Where as the insides retain the latter racing interior items which even the two show cars could maybe fit in it...

[Gary Chastain]

Good info, how has the trailer been building up? I was thinking of picking up a couple of those kits. 

[Mr. Metallic]

I don't think it was intended to sell as a car hauler. Just a nice trailer to slap Big Daddy Roths name on to sell to collectors.

[ranma]

On 10/6/2023 at 12:06 PM, Gary Chastain said:

how has the trailer been building up

So far not to bad. I started from the roof (upside down)) added the front then side walls. Just got done adding the floor... Skipping around the instructions here though! I'm also changing a few thing's to update the trailer, adding non five spoke wheel's , changing the landing gear to flat skids, and the tail light panel to a 9 light system ( 6 round and three small bar lights)

Edited October 8, 2023 by ranma

[ranma]

2 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

intended to sell as a car hauler

Really ??? The decals say Rat Fink Road Show! Which would imply that it's supposed to be hauling at least two of the cars shown on the decals. Photo of a built one that I found a photo of on the net.  The north American trailer I built and which AMT should have used. Guess I'll have to find another van Trailer so I can use the Rat Fink Decals!

Edited October 6, 2023 by ranma

[Force]

The moving van trailer would for sure have been a better choise based on the decals, but I'm sure Ed "Big Daddy" Roth never had a semi to haul his cars around...so it's a "what if" anyway.
Another thing, Revell did the Mysterion and the Outlaw, not AMT, and the Orbitron was only available as a resin kit as far as I know, so it's a bit strange that Round 2/AMT chose to include them on the trailer sides.

[ranma]

Thanks I already knew that.  But then Atlantis may have gotten the molds??? It would be a nice display having a AMT van Trailer with the Rat Fink decals on it along with the Outlaw and Mysterion. Then also switch rigs to the Ford Coe that is made by amt..

Edited October 8, 2023 by ranma

[Mr. Metallic]

On 10/6/2023 at 4:16 PM, ranma said:

Really ??? The decals say Rat Fink Road Show! Which would imply that it's supposed to be hauling at least two of the cars shown on the decals. Photo of a built one that I found a photo of on the net.  The north American trailer I built and which AMT should have used. Guess I'll have to find another van Trailer so I can use the Rat Fink Decals!

 

This trailer would probably would make more sense as a merch trailer or something (that's a LOT of mech, even for someone as famous as Roth). I'm not disputing the fact that this trailer doesn't make much sense as a car transport. But I think it's more of a instance of it being a recently used tool that Round2 are just trying to squeeze more dollars out of by slapping the Roth Logo on the box. Just like the Coke themed boxings.

When was the last time that race car hauler was ever released, the early 90's? It's a shame that one hasn't made a return.

[37 caddy]

I always thought the AMT car hauler trailer would be a neat Rat Fink hauler,I would use the Ford C-800 for the truck and load the trailer with some of the Fink cars.Would look pretty neat all painted in the lime green and purple.That way you could justify the chrome spoke wheels that comes in the kit,im sure Big Daddy would of used them on his truck?.. Harvey

[Force]

On 10/9/2023 at 1:21 AM, ranma said:

Thanks I already knew that.  But then Atlantis may have gotten the molds??? It would be a nice display having a AMT van Trailer with the Rat Fink decals on it along with the Outlaw and Mysterion. Then also switch rigs to the Ford Coe that is made by amt..

I think the two axle Ford C800 with a gasoline engine is way too small for the AMT Trailmobile moving van/race transporter trailer...but that's my opinion.
The reason I thought the car choice was a bit odd was that AMT didn't have these kits but the competing company Revell did, even if the molds are with Atlantis now it's still kind of odd, but that doesn't matter much as one can use them for a display anyway.

On 10/9/2023 at 4:38 PM, Mr. Metallic said:

This trailer would probably would make more sense as a merch trailer or something (that's a LOT of mech, even for someone as famous as Roth). I'm not disputing the fact that this trailer doesn't make much sense as a car transport. But I think it's more of a instance of it being a recently used tool that Round2 are just trying to squeeze more dollars out of by slapping the Roth Logo on the box. Just like the Coke themed boxings.

When was the last time that race car hauler was ever released, the early 90's? It's a shame that one hasn't made a return.

The AMT race transporter trailers came 1990 at the same time as the Kenworth T600A and T600A Canepa.
It's not a big loss if the AMT race transporter hasn't been reissued since then, it's wrong for a post 80's race car transporter anyway. The trailer is originally the old Trailmobile moving van trailer from 1972 with an added kind of a racing car transporter interior with very long folded ramps for a race car to get access to the upper floor, and the racing teams stopped using old moving van trailers a long time ago.
I do have a couple of them (one customized to fit a 90's 300 inch wheelbase Top Fuel Dragster built a long time ago) but they are quite short at 40 feet and are better as a moving van trailer than a race car transporter, and if I want to do another race transporter trailer I will probably build a more accurate 53 foot Featherlite style 2 story trailer with a rear lift gate from scratch.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Force