AMT 1976 Gremlin

[Dr. Cranky]

Nice engine, Dave. Stock and simple, a beauty.

[mikemodeler]

AMC's were 'different' for sure....and the reason I like them. Ugly, homely or whatever they were not copies of the other big 3. If you read about AMC they did some amazing stuff. They invented the mini van but had no money to build it. Think it they did....it might be AMC bought Chrysler and we'd still have AMC's today!

Dave, I grew up just across the Wisconsin border in Northern Illinois from the AMC factory in Kenosha WI. The folks there supported the factory and at one time there were probably more AMC vehicles registered in Kenosha county than any other county in the US! While the cars were not stylish compared to the Big 3, they had unique features. I go back to the area during the summer to visit family and if there is a cruise night in Kenosha, you can bet there will be some nice AMC cars there!

[Dr. Cranky]

By the way, Dave, the rust is subtle and perfect on that vehicle. And he faded paint too is a thing of beauty.

[Dave Van]

Here is my 73 Javelin......I hope the Matador will look this good by next Winter!!!

[Dr. Cranky]

Very cool. I like the color. It's also keeping very nice company at the show!

[Aaronw]

The Javelin reminds me of the black interceptor from Mad Max and the Road Warrior. I've always thought it was a good looking car.

As for the Gremlin, I'm going to have to get at least one. I want to build a Hurst Rescue Gremlin. In the 70s someone got the idea that combining hydraulic Hurst recue tools with a Gremlin would be a great rescue vehicle for fire departments. I've got a copy of an ad around here somewhere.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Aaronw

[Aaronw]

Here is a website with some info on the rescue Gremlin

http://www.gremlinx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=87&Itemid=155

[mikemodeler]

that is cool Aaron, never knew that about the Gremlins being rescue vehicles. That lightbar is wider than the car! LOL!

[Dave Van]

The Rescue Gremlin would be a cool build!

Does anyone do decals????

Edited January 15, 2012 by Dave Van

[Aaronw]

I've been pecking away at a decal how to for about 6 months off and on (more off than on), the Rescue 1 Gremlin would give me a subject to focus on the ALPS vs Ink / Laserjet for the demos.

I'm thinking the orange and white striping would be better done by masking and painting, so the actual decals would be fairly simple.

Edited January 15, 2012 by Aaronw

[Casey]

front suspension? i think it's missing

I suspect more than one person will end up tossing it, not realizing that's all there is.

Is there a similar era AMC model which could donate accurate front suspension pieces? Ideally something without a axle rod, but AFAIK only AMT, MPC and JoHan produced AMC car models of the '70s.

[Dave Van]

The front suspension is partly there.....The inner half of the lower control arms are engraved but the outer half is missing as are the strut rods that would run from the lower control to the front of the chassis. Look at a 65-66 Mustang for something kinda like the Gremlin although the upper part is different.....some say old fashion! This kit was tooled much like a promo and that may be were it stated although a promo was never made.

[62rebel]

AMC used rather old technology even in the late '70s; then again, it was bought and paid for and it WORKED, so why go changing?

nobody has ever kitted a realistic AMC front suspension, but it's not too difficult to replicate if you've got some junked GT500 kits or the like. IIRC the Pacer kit had a one-piece front crossmember that had the rack and pinion molded into it.... now, THAT's simplistic.

[Dave Van]

A buddy has a 62 American with 'trundle' front suspension that goes back to buggy days! But even almost completely worn out after almost 50 years of use it still worked and was safe as far as it was driving....just a little wild in the rain!

[jbwelda]

that javelin is a nice looking car and looks like yours is among the best. those wheels look sharp too.

[Joe Handley]

Trundle front suspension?

[Dave Van]

Sorry...........trunnion......I'm staying up too late!!!!....but it is based on buggy suspension!

[Chuck Most]

http://www.wps.com/AMC/Front-suspension/index.html

[Joe Handley]

Looks heavy, but pretty sturdy.

[Dave Van]

Thanks Chuck...I had lost the link to that page!!

[62rebel]

the design may look fussy but it's strong as battleship armor and easy to work on... two strong selling points for frugal owners.

[Casey]

The steep angle of the inner fenders/shock towers looks odd but considering there really is no front suspension, it makes sense for the model.

Ah well, you take what you can get from '70s AMT kits.

Something about 10" wide Cragar S/S wheels and N50s just works on a Gremlin.

Edited January 16, 2012 by Casey

[Casey]

Has anyone built the AMC V8 from this kit yet? How does it look, convincing?

I didn't see this answered yet, but looking at the pics of Dave's built engine, it's hard to say since his has a tunnel ram intake. It would be nice to have an accurate AMC V8, but the cynic in me says there probably has never been one made in scale from either AMT, MPC, nor JoHan.

[Dave Van]

The AMC engine in the Matador is better....not a lot but some. Having worked on a number of AMC modern V-8's the Gremlin motor is not bad....the axle hole in the block is the worst thing. The chrome valve covers are strange....stock pretty good. The oil pan from the Gremlin and the rest Matador would make a decent AMC.

[Chuck Most]

What I don't like about the Matador V8 is the soft engraving and overall lack of detail, though to be fair, it wasn't to bad compared to what else was avaialble at the time. The Monogram CJ-7 engine is a bit simplified, but very nice, trouble is it's 1:24, not 1:25 like the Gremlin.