1967ish Chevrolet Camaro, AMT, 1/25

[Matt Bacon]

I developed hankering to build something different and straight out of the box (ish) after the NSX. The much-missed Richard Messner  posted a comprehensive guide to a few simple changes you can make to the body of this kit to make it more accurate and capture the really quite lovely shape of the real thing back in 2015, which I had folded into the box in my stash. So thank you Snake45, may you RIP in your better place.

https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/98126-amt-67-68-camaro-review-improvements/

First job is to remove the wedge of trim at the bottom of the window to reveal the curve of the rear fenders

Then scribe round the overscale raised trim around the rear screen and sand it off to a more scale appearance, followed by scribing the panel lines down from the window sides to the boot line.

Extend the front shutline of the door down to the bottom the body to mark the separation of the front fender, and the bottom edge of the door line back to the rear wheel arch where there is a weld seam.

The front of the nose tapers to a knife edge rather than the thick and blunt ledge as molded. I have a full set of etched brass Model Car Garage badges and scripts, so I could sand the plastic to taper gently from about 1cm behind the edge and worry about replacing the molded relief later.

What exactly is a 67 vs 68 1st gen Camaro is a bit of a mystery to me, made more confusing by the various SS, RS and Z28 specs, and the modifications applied by restorers and collectors over the years. So I'm just going  to a build a car that I like the look of with features that appeal rather than try to match any factory-fresh period spec. There are plenty to look at, for sale and previously sold, at RK Motors.

What I will say, as someone who hadn't really looked closely at a Camaro before starting this, is that I hadn't realized how petite, shapely and well-proportioned it really is. Not so keen on the later generations, but this is a really good-looking car and a design classic. And Snake's legacy of fine-tuning modifications really helps the kit show it at its best.

Best,

M.

 

[lordairgtar]

Whoa!! I did not know he passed. When? I liked his builds and his unique way of writing. Loved the term "Snake fu" when speaking of mods he did.

[bytownshaker]

Off the top of my head

67 had door vent windows the 68 didn't  

68 had side marker lights the 67 didn't

67 had round front turn signal lamps the 68's were more rectangular shaped

the 68 rear turn/brake reverse lamps had a chrome bar between the red lenses and reverse lenses the 67 didn't

on top of that you could order a Camaro with RS SS Z28 options, you could even get a front bench seat

[DJMar]

On 8/19/2025 at 3:31 PM, lordairgtar said:

Whoa!! I did not know he passed. When? 

Late April 2024.

 

[Quiet Eric]

Pretty amazing what a few modifications can do to significantly improve this one. Makes me want to build one for myself. Nice work! I agree with you on early Camaro's, '68 for me is the best year.

One note on the rocker trim. It looks like you have scribed the fender separation line through it. That trim is one piece front to back, overlapping the rocker and fender.

Edited Saturday at 01:00 AM by Quiet Eric

[Matt Bacon]

With thanks to @Quiet Eric for advice, I have filled the cut through the lower chrome trim line:

That lower strip is actually a single piece which is covers the panel seams. I've decided on a '68, which means I've also softened the higher character line on the door and lower body. On the 67, it's the top edge of the separate chrome trim, but on the 68 it's a raised fold in the door panel, and much less clearly delineated.

That looks much more like my reference images from RK Motors, and the hood fits after a bit of slimming down to allow for paint.

I've started work on the engine. Thinned the belt (L) vs the out of the box part.

It's not the most finely-molded or sophisticated engine, but it looks OK OOB.

The seats are accurate for a specific set of options - DeLuxe seats with headrests.

There's only one color for a '68 Camaro. (Obviously, there are lots of colors for a 68 Camaro and its stripes, but there was only ever one combo in my mind...)

And finally...

I've been thinking that I was going to need to scratch build _some_ firewall detail, because OOB it's very unimpressive. But then I noticed these parts on one of the sprues. I checked, and they aren't mentioned in the instructions of either the AMT 67 kit I have or the Round2 reissue I'm building which is described as a 68 Z/28. But these look very like a brake booster/master and the heater blower fairing, and... something else. So I'm going to use them! It seems odd that they are lurking there and no one has noticed them, but I'm not complaining!

best,

M.

Edited Saturday at 08:41 PM by Matt Bacon

[Quiet Eric]

That looks like a wiper motor to me

[Matt Bacon]

I've stripped all the heavy chrome (mostly because the bumpers have really bad mold lines OOB, so they have to be cleaned up)

These have been repainted with SMS Hyperchrome over GS Ueno Black gloss, and the light lenses made with crystal clear 2-part epoxy.

Proscale Le Mans Blue with their own 2K clear coat. I need to get used to it some more, but the color is accurate, and the 2K is thinner and more period-appropriate-looking than Zero Paints 2K "Diamond"finish, although it's not as easy to get a 
glass-smooth finish with...

Distributor drilled and wired with Tamiya detailing wire...

...and after some online research into 1969 Chevrolet 302 firing sequence, the "plugs" are connected...

best,

M.

 

[NOBLNG]

That is looking very nice Matt!😎 And thanks to you and Edgar for pointing out all the differences between the ‘67 and ‘68. The front park lights is how I always distinguished them.

[Mark W]

The build so for is very impressive Matt.

But your work on improving the body by thinning and re-scribing is really making the difference.

[gtx6970]

On 8/23/2025 at 11:29 AM, Matt Bacon said:

With thanks to @Quiet Eric for advice, I have filled the cut through the lower chrome trim line:

That lower strip is actually a single piece which is covers the panel seams. I've decided on a '68, which means I've also softened the higher character line on the door and lower body. On the 67, it's the top edge of the separate chrome trim, but on the 68 it's a raised fold in the door panel, and much less clearly delineated.

That looks much more like my reference images from RK Motors, and the hood fits after a bit of slimming down to allow for paint.

I've started work on the engine. Thinned the belt (L) vs the out of the box part.

It's not the most finely-molded or sophisticated engine, but it looks OK OOB.

The seats are accurate for a specific set of options - DeLuxe seats with headrests.

There's only one color for a '68 Camaro. (Obviously, there are lots of colors for a 68 Camaro and its stripes, but there was only ever one combo in my mind...)

And finally...

I've been thinking that I was going to need to scratch build _some_ firewall detail, because OOB it's very unimpressive. But then I noticed these parts on one of the sprues. I checked, and they aren't mentioned in the instructions of either the AMT 67 kit I have or the Round2 reissue I'm building which is described as a 68 Z/28. But these look very like a brake booster/master and the heater blower fairing, and... something else. So I'm going to use them! It seems odd that they are lurking there and no one has noticed them, but I'm not complaining!

best,

M.

Power brake booster on right

Wiper motor on center

Master cylinder on left