When did the AMT 49 Ford kit come out

[junkyardjeff]

Picked up this started but not all glued together 49 molded in black,it does have some gray parts in it so I am wanting to know if it was first or was it the gray one.  Miss Daisy gives her approval.

[THarrison351]

1962?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yup, '62. And I'm pretty sure the first release was gray.

Googlie's idiot AI, when asked the question, doesn't bother to give a year, but says:

"The AMT 1949 Ford was one of the first plastic models produced by AMT, and was released along with the 1950 Ford and Plymouth sedans."

Okayyyyyyy. If anybody has one of those alternate-universe '50 Plymouth sedans, I'll pay a lot for it.  

[Mark]

Some of the original issue kits were molded in black, some in light blue, but most were gray.  The late Seventies Barris Cruisin' USA issue was also molded in black.

[JollySipper]

Yet another subject we need a modern tool of! This and the '57 Thunderbird as a Moebius level kit would suit me fine.........

[Ace-Garageguy]

15 minutes ago, JollySipper said:

Yet another subject we need a modern tool of! This and the '57 Thunderbird as a Moebius level kit would suit me fine.........

I agree with you on the '57 Bird with its blobular chassis, nose issues, interior and windshield fit, etc, but I've always found the '49-'50 Ford to be a pretty decent kit, very well proportioned, with a decent undercarriage.

[Robberbaron]

4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Yup, '62. And I'm pretty sure the first release was gray.

Googlie's idiot AI, when asked the question, doesn't bother to give a year, but says:

"The AMT 1949 Ford was one of the first plastic models produced by AMT, and was released along with the 1950 Ford and Plymouth sedans."

Okayyyyyyy. If anybody has one of those alternate-universe '50 Plymouth sedans, I'll pay a lot for it.  

While I hate to give AI credit for anything, it is correct that AMT produced a 1949 Ford 4-door sedan promo:

And they also did produce a 1950 Plymouth sedan promo:

I know, neither one is really a "model kit", and they're both pretty crude by today's standards.

Seems like AI is no different from the general human population, which commonly considers any miniature automotive replica a "model car" (or even worse, a "toy car").

[Robberbaron]

3 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I agree with you on the '57 Bird with its blobular chassis, nose issues, interior and windshield fit, etc, but I've always found the '49-'50 Ford to be a pretty decent kit, very well proportioned, with a decent undercarriage.

I also agree that the "Trophy Series" AMT '49 and '50 Fords are good, no need for an all new version.  I built the '49 in the late '80s, and seem to recall no major problems.  In more recent versions, I believe they modified the tooling to eliminate the front metal axle through the engine.  I have a pair of the "Gas Man" reissues, but haven't built them.

I really wish that AMT had completed the trilogy and given us a '51.  If we're talking new tooling, I think that year would make more sense.

 

[junkyardjeff]

I agree a 51 is needed.

[Ace-Garageguy]

5 hours ago, Robberbaron said:

...If we're talking new tooling, I think that year would make more sense.

 

4 hours ago, junkyardjeff said:

I agree a 51 is needed.

The '51 is nothing but a minor facelift on the '49-'50 sheetmetal.

Some enterprising scratchbuilder could relatively easily make '51 grille, bumpers, etc., and it's easy to fill the cutout in the hood for the earlier grille hump. Then copy the parts in resin.

OR...same thing but 3D modeled and printed.

I don't see a major manufacturer tooling an entirely new kit just to do a minor facelift on an existing kit.

Maybe, just maybe, a modification of the existing tool into a '51, possibly as a Victoria, but I still don't see it happening.

[espo]

There are several '51 ford resin bodies from more than one caster out there. The bonus, at least to me, is that they are of the tudoor sedan for the most part. 

[Robberbaron]

30 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

 

The '51 is nothing but a minor facelift on the '49-'50 sheetmetal.

Some enterprising scratchbuilder could relatively easily make '51 grille, bumpers, etc., and it's easy to fill the cutout in the hood for the earlier grille hump. Then copy the parts in resin.

OR...same thing but 3D modeled and printed.

I don't see a major manufacturer tooling an entirely new kit just to do a minor facelift on an existing kit.

Maybe, just maybe, a modification of the existing tool into a '51, possibly as a Victoria, but I still don't see it happening.

Agreed on all counts.  I'm under no illusion that there's any realistic chance of seeing this in styrene.  That window of chance was probably 20-30 years ago.

Like it or not, there's now a pretty small fraction of the general public who even knows the variations between these different model years, much less cares.  And that percentage gets smaller every year.

As the fidelity of 3D printing keeps improving, I think that's where the future lies for stuff like this.

[junkyardjeff]

If I am not mistaken the 51 Victoria body is a convertible with the hard top bolted on so the 50 convertible would be the easiest to convert.

[bobss396]

22 hours ago, junkyardjeff said:

I agree a 51 is needed.

And a 51 Mercury.

[bobss396]

My 1st was molded in gray and it was around 1963. I had another that was molded in light blue.

[espo]

18 hours ago, junkyardjeff said:

If I am not mistaken the 51 Victoria body is a convertible with the hard top bolted on so the 50 convertible would be the easiest to convert.

The hardtop you're thinking of was an option, along with a chopped version, in the original AMT '50 Ford Convertible kit. 

[stitchdup]

contents of the 50 kit, just the grey and chrome, the white bits are 57 chevy

 

[Ulf]

One of the absolute best kits ever, an equal in terms of correct shape, the right feeling of the scale model, accessories, fit etc etc. In some cases it feels like the development has gone in the wrong direction after this kit. My ongoing project, unfortunately it was not an old kit that I bought but probably someone who built several 49 Fords and sorted out the bad parts and collected these in the box that I bought. Despite that it is a fun project.

Edited October 29, 2024 by Ulf

[stitchdup]

On 10/27/2024 at 9:39 PM, junkyardjeff said:

If I am not mistaken the 51 Victoria body is a convertible with the hard top bolted on so the 50 convertible would be the easiest to convert.

for sure its going to be the easiest. one of the custom parts is a filler piece for the front of the hood

[Ace-Garageguy]

15 minutes ago, stitchdup said:

...one of the custom parts is a filler piece for the front of the hood

I'd forgotten all about that. Good call.   

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 hours ago, espo said:

The hardtop you're thinking of was an option, along with a chopped version, in the original AMT '50 Ford Convertible kit. 

I'd also forgotten about the chopped Victoria roof in that kit.

I have a Vic in progress using a roof from one of the Lindberg '53 kits.

[Ulf]

There are small but noticeable differences between the AMT 49 business coupe and 50 convertible kits, separate signal ring, red rear lenses etc.
 

Edited October 29, 2024 by Ulf

[stitchdup]

5 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

I'd forgotten all about that. Good call.   

tbh, i only noticed it in my pics,

[Richard Bartrop]

Something I wouldn't mind seeing is the inclusion of a Meteor grille, like on the '57 Ford kit.

[Mark]

For the '49, a Meteor grille could be converted from a Mercury grille, and the grille surround could be trimmed from the kit's custom front pan.