AMT 1/25 Shelby Cobra 289 Roadster

[Casey]

Due in late November, with retro box art like so:

Edited February 10, 2022 by Casey

[jbwelda]

whats with that goofy looking top on the box art car? is that a lemans top or something? maybe some "kustom" styling?

what are the good points of this kit vs what seems like an endless supply of similar kits?

i take it it has full motor detail and maybe various motors?

[cobraman]

That's the same top that been in almost all the different versions of that model. I have the original kit but welcome the re-release. I will get a couple for sure to add to my Cobra collection.

[beeRS]

Nice to see this one again. I agree - there has been a lot of Cobra kits, but very few of the narrow bodied 289.

[Chuck Most]

whats with that goofy looking top on the box art car? is that a lemans top or something? maybe some "kustom" styling?

what are the good points of this kit vs what seems like an endless supply of similar kits?

i take it it has full motor detail and maybe various motors?

Ray pointed out the top, so...

Not sure what the good points would be compared to the most recent reissue, which seemed to have most of the optional custom parts. The kit does have an opening hood and trunk. Hopefully they cleaned up the tooling a little bit for this one, it was just starting to look a little bit haggard on the last reissue in spots.

It does have full engine detail. Just one engine- the 289, but if I recall it can be built with Weber carbs or a single carb. The kit also has a separate chassis with decent front and rear suspension detail- there's a metal axle at both ends, but each end has its own transverse leaf spring. Compared to the 1:24 Monogram Cobra, I think this one has better interior detail. It also lacks the wide fender flares Monogram's 427 has, so you could even convert it back to an AC Ace if you wanted.

My only serious gripe with any of these I've built is the windshield frame- sometimes it fits the cowl pretty well, other times it doesn't. The hinged hood and trunk have always worked well for me.

[Erik Smith]

whats with that goofy looking top on the box art car? is that a lemans top or something? maybe some "kustom" styling?

I have an old (maybe original issue?) box and the top is listed as a "Fastback Top".

[jbwelda]

stupid "browser" problem again trying to post this...my browser is auto updated weekly, so its up to date from last friday. personally i think a recent update bug may have caused the problem we (some of us) are experiencing.

original reply:

thanks for the details folks, i think i had this model when i was a kid but havent since mostly because i think the cobra is just overdone, in scale as in real life (all those 1:1 kits). i do now remember this is one of the few original cobra/ace body styles with a minimum of mods done to it so that is nice. that roof though...there is just no accounting for tastes i guess. there was a LeMans top that was used on some 1:1 cars to, i guess, use them in GT class, but it looked a lot better than what i see on the box art. but maybe i will need to pick up one of these for old times sake.

[Chuck Most]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but doesn't that top have engraved vinyl texture on the front 2/3 or so? Or am I thinking of some other kit with a similar optional top?

[Cato]

My only serious gripe with any of these I've built is the windshield frame- sometimes it fits the cowl pretty well, other times it doesn't.

The horrible part for all these Cobra models (small block/big block) is the thickness of the windshield frames. The fit to the cowl can be easily fixed but clunky, cheesy chrome frames require complete scratchbuilding and thin acetate glass to get close to 1:1 appearance.

Other horrors are the fender contours, roll bar, hood scoop, sidepipes, dashboards, engines and hinges. Tires are generally too thick or thin and wire wheels are a joke. Virtually all of these are toy-like OOB and require major modifying for accuracy.

Many die-casts are better up to the 1/12 Kyosho 427 which has most all the shapes right.

The BEST kit ever for a Cobra in any scale is the '80's Climax 427SC. A resin, PE and white metal curbside with perfect scale thicknesses and w'shield frames like fine flat wire and jewel-like Halibrands. Mine is still un-built.

[torinobradley]

I'm working on this kit now and find the engine, though fairly well detailed for it's age, is a bit too thin. I glued both sides to a sheet of plastic about 2mm in thickness and it looks much more accurate. The only other mods I had to do for the engine is file down a bit on the trans tunnel and the insides of the motor mounts. The custom top they have is not a LeMans top they used in racing. I do welcome the kidney bean halibrands though. I wonder if the wheel widths and tires are going to be more accurate.

[walterbog]

i only wish that they would have included a hardtop for the 289 cobra body style[the revell king cobra top does not fit]so i could replicate the drag cobras that were raced in the 60s,which were required by rule to have a hardtop.as far as diecasts are concerned few 289 body styles were ever made and the only one with a hardtop was a 1/43 marsh diecast.

[zenrat]

(partsbox tyres & aftermarket velocity stacks shown)

I found it a pleasure to build (AMT/ERTL badged release - blue striped white car on box art) but lets hope that this time AMT clean up the moulds a bit (especially the chrome sprue) and use tyres sized so that the rims stay put and don't just drop through.

Edited September 20, 2012 by zenrat

[64Comet404]

It will be nice to have the kit back, especially if the molds get cleaned up. The Halibrands will be great to have back, too. The only issues I have had (apart from broken windshield frames) is the thickness of some of the chrome parts. The headlight bezels need to be replaced with less prominent pieces, and the grille surround needs some massaging.

IIRC, the fastback roof was based on the unit from the Cougar II show car (Cobra chassis with new body).

[IMSANUT]

Interesting thread here. I have several vintages of the AMT kit, and never knew it had Halibrand's as an option! I've always thought it was a great kit, though I thought it had a 260, but they look alike.

As to the Revell 427, what makes it bad? I think the shape is pretty spot on.....

I managed toi score an old Revell FIA roadster body on evilbay that needs some restoration, but it'll make a great looking car when done.

[Greg Myers]

First issue had the Halibrand Kidneybean mags. Later kits had five spoke Cragars.

[cobraman]

I just happen to have one of the first Cobra's in my collection. I have included the box photo as well as the wheels.

[Cato]

As to the Revell 427, what makes it bad? I think the shape is pretty spot on.....

Everything I wrote in post #10.

[Rob Hall]

IIRC, Fujimi put out a 427 Cobra about 10 years ago and took a lot of flak over a thick windshield frame...

[bigphoto]

IIRC, Fujimi put out a 427 Cobra about 10 years ago and took a lot of flak over a thick windshield frame...

The Fujimi kit IMHO is good for the body maybe the wheels but I will take a Revell kit over it anyday!

[Lownslow]

i passed on making the sunbursts i found some wheels that will go with the color i picked out, im going to strip the chrome and hit them with model masters magnesium and on the inners gunmetal, they came off the Arii Toyota 2000gt

[Art Anderson]

Ray pointed out the top, so...

Not sure what the good points would be compared to the most recent reissue, which seemed to have most of the optional custom parts. The kit does have an opening hood and trunk. Hopefully they cleaned up the tooling a little bit for this one, it was just starting to look a little bit haggard on the last reissue in spots.

It does have full engine detail. Just one engine- the 289, but if I recall it can be built with Weber carbs or a single carb. The kit also has a separate chassis with decent front and rear suspension detail- there's a metal axle at both ends, but each end has its own transverse leaf spring. Compared to the 1:24 Monogram Cobra, I think this one has better interior detail. It also lacks the wide fender flares Monogram's 427 has, so you could even convert it back to an AC Ace if you wanted.

My only serious gripe with any of these I've built is the windshield frame- sometimes it fits the cowl pretty well, other times it doesn't. The hinged hood and trunk have always worked well for me.

It is my understanding from John Mueller (long time AMT, Lesney/AMT and AMT/Ertl kit designer) that the AMT Cobra was actually modeled off the ORIGINAL Shelby AC Cobra, s/n CX0001. If so, that is an AC Ace chassis, AC Ace bodywork, and a 260cid Ford small block. As such, it is a completely different Cobra than the 427 as kitted by Revell. AC Ace and the 260/289 AC Cobra's used the Tojiero transverse leaf spring suspension as produced by FIAT from the early 1950's onward for several years, while the 427 used a completely new coil-over suspension system.

Round2's box art isn't the same as the original issue kit though, the artwork on that kit box was much more artistic, certainly not the cartoon-like image shown above.

Art

[Phildaupho]

The AMT kit was most certainly based on the first run of Cobras but not CSX2000 which was distinctive in a number of ways from subsequent Cobras as I described in the posting of my CSX2000 build

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=65165&hl=

[topher5150]

Those are Toyota rims??? Those look more Shelby than the rims from the Shelby kit.

[Fat Brian]

The 66 Mustang that is out now used to have a nice set of those Shelby style wheels in it, I haven't seen that latest issue to see if it still does.

[Lownslow]

Those are Toyota rims??? Those look more Shelby than the rims from the Shelby kit.

yup toyota 2000gt, i think so too even more so once i get the chrome off them.