Who Made The 'worst Kit Ever' ? My Vote Goes To...

[Harry P.]

I guess you guys must have missed this...

[Dave Van]

Then there are the kits that were executed well but were conceptually the "Worst Kit Idea Ever". My vote goes to most of the early 70s AMT Showrods. Royal Rail, Depth Charger, Stogie something or other. Man, those were turds! How about MPC's Elegant Farmer and Jolly Roger? AMTs Quarter Mile Smile, the Jimmy Carter Funny car? MPC's Gridiron Grabber and Hardhat Hauler do not have one useful part on them!

I agree!! I am now allowing all these kits to be sent to me for disposal!! I will see that they get 'taken care of'!!

The AMT F&F Nissan wheels are bad but the rest was OK....and built well.....With the correct whaeels it was a decent model of the car in the movie!

The EVO was not a model of the movie car and was a little off in a number of areas.

[FactoryStock54]

I guess you guys must have missed this...

LMAO!!!!

[Junkman]

Don't forget anything made by Pyro or Palmer...

I can't agree with the 'anything made by Pyro' bit. Their 1/32 classics are orderly and their 1/16 scale rods are true jewels. Their 1/8th scale 'curlers' surfer kits get my vote for most psychedelic kits ever made. I love them.

[lordairgtar]

The Pyro Triumph GT6 2+2 is actually a nice model. I would vote for the former Hubley Rolls Royce now done by Mini-Craft. Those molds don't even line up.

[outsider]

hmmm personally the amt? 57 gasser vette and the stance of the 67-68 mustangs.....i mean are they suppose to look like their getting ready for lift off? and the amt 88-89 mustang gt could it have hurt to have a decent interior for this car?? or the zz top 33 ford......shouln't the top be molded on a coupe??

[modeler]

lindberg l700 that kit sucks

[HotRodaSaurus]

I guess you guys must have missed this...

Loved it, that Camaro is a must for my friends collection

[carsntrucks4you]

Worse kit? There's a lot

1. Trabant 601 from Revell/Germany for its kind of car type and the huge trademark sign on the chassis pan. Its a piece of junk!

2. Kenworth T600 from Revell/Germany for its different hight of the frame rails and for the mill marking of the mold on the outside of the cab. More than junk!

3. Lindberg Shelby Daytona Coupe for its scale. I think it is something between 1/22 to 1/32

4. amt's Chrysler 300 C a great model but wrong size appx. 1/23 instead of 1/25

5. Tug Boat Annie resin kit from R&R.

6. All bodies from JAYMAR.

7. These bricks or should I say bodies from TKM

These are only a few kits that are worse

Edited February 14, 2008 by carsntrucks4you

[Clay]

I guess you guys must have missed this...

I thought those palmers kits were pretty bad so i sentenced them to one of my friends kids and then to be crushed by my monster trucks

[Modellpularn]

I'd say the Palmer kits have to be some of the worst; generic chassis with a silly looking V8, include it with the Volvo P 1800, Porsche something....Front mounted V8 in a Porsche???? Had those kits a brief moment in the mid 80's. Have to agree with Olle F about the 69 Camaro and 57 Bel Air, but I think the 56 Chevy HT is even worse. How can they still produce this piece of junk??

[Dave Van]

4. amt's Chrysler 300 C a great model but wrong size appx. 1/23 instead of 1/25

Are you sure about that?? I have built two of them, really like it. But if it is out of scale so is the Revell Dodge Magnum as it scales out EXACTLY the same. Strange two different compaines would scale a all new kit in 1/23 scale?? I think I'll check the model out with a 1/1 today and see.......

UPDATED....Per specifications by Road & Track magazine, my two AMT built Chrysler 300's and a digital caliper....the model scales out to within .003 actual inches for all external dimentions. 1/25 scale in my book.........just a FYI

Edited February 14, 2008 by Dave Van

[outsider]

what makes it sad is palmer is the only one who made a 80 model camaro Z28.

[Rob Hall]

what makes it sad is palmer is the only one who made a 80 model camaro Z28.

MPC made a nice one.

[sjordan]

My vote goes to the 1/12 Ferrari 275 GTB introduced by Renwal and reissued by Revell in the 70s. This kit regularly sells for over $100 on eBay, but it makes a Barbie car look like a Pocher.

The body evidently was designed by rumor: There's a hump on the hood that resembles nothing ever made by Ferrari; the rear spoiler is just a small lip, sort of like the Lusso; the roof is too low; the Campagnolo wheel centers are set too deep inside the rims and when assembled the wheels sit way too far inboard. On top of that, although this is a 1/12 kit, the underside of the chassis is molded in one piece from front to back like an old AMT annual.

The engine is another issue; suffice to say that it doesn't even include the signature orange dual oil filters.

When I sat down to itemize the corrections and additions that had to be made, I tallied over 50 problems. And I am definitely far from being a picky rivet counter.

Not far behind is the Revell 1/12 Mercedes Gullwing, with similar problems out of the box, but it's a lot easier to get right and make a terrific build with adaptations and some scratchbuilding. At least the body shell, sink marks notwithstanding, is extremely accurate.

[Chuck Kourouklis]

I think the Trumpeter '60 Pontiac and '78 Monte Carlo should both be considered candidates for the not-so-coveted "WKE" crown, especially when price is taken into consideration. Remember, those kits carried sticker prices that were more than double those of most domestic 1/24-1/25 scale offerings. And, what we got for that extra money was ... a couple of crappy kits.

The Monte Carlo, I think, could also be a candidate for "Worst Kit Idea Ever." Trumpeter spent a fortune to bring to market a kit of one of the blandest, most uninspiring vehicles ever produced by GM. And, to make matters worse, nothing about it was an improvement over its old MPC predecessor ... in fact, in several areas, the Trumpeter kit was significantly worse than MPC's.

I'm on record as being a little more forgiving with the Monte Carlo, Ken - I just have a soft spot for kits that respond well to some extra attention, and this one is like the new-tool AMT '66 Fairlane in that regard, at least to me - but worst idea? Oh, you bet. At least the early eighties produced the Pontiac STE and a renewed Mustang/Camaro rivalry; there wasn't anything worth a cold, wet loaf in the mid to late '70's.

I have to echo Bob Paeth's sentiments; I'd rather have some fit problems in a kit with the potential to look like its prototype than a nice builder that doesn't cut it at all - the JADA-inspired Evo caricature from AMT is the most vivid recent example I can think of. Fujimi's recent Cobra is another; it's agreeable enough to build, and the body's in the general zip code - but NOTHING ELSE in that kit looks right, or even completely developed. Why bother when you can get a 20-year-old Monogram kit or a 45-year-old AMT kit that totally trounces it?

That Airfix/MPC Bentley, on the other hand - I did mine without any trouble as a 14-year-old, and the only questionable aspect of the texture on the parts was resolved for me when I realized that the body of the actual car was covered in canvas, or leather, or something other than sheet metal. And some of you list kits and only mention one aspect of them that's not satisfactory - remember, the thread's about the "worst kit ever".

Polar Lights had a decent start with their funny cars, but hit a rough patch pretty quickly with their early '70's stock cars. You could beat the Talladega into some kind of shape, but the Cyclone was rough. And the Charger, oh man - crude, inaccurate, nearly unbuildable, and totally beyond excuse as a 2002 release. In pointing this out, my conscience is balmed somewhat by the fact that at least Polar Lights didn't end this way; their Ford GT in particular was fully the measure of most any other domestic release.

I like the idea of "Biggest Letdown" that was brought up earlier, and I'd have to say that most AMT releases after 2000 fall under that category. What a cruel twist of fate after all the steam they'd gathered up till then. Only the '56 Thunderbird and F&F Supra kits approach that pre-millennium standard, and the concept Camaro is close enough to sneak in the back door. Every other AMT release since 2000 is a testament to what happens when a company fails to appreciate its assets in product development.

But the question was about the worst kit ever; and I'm sorry, but I don't see what could surpass the Pyro Auburn that yet cowers in the deepest recesses of Lindberg's reissues.

Come on. Just look at it.

More than any other kit in history, this one transcends that pet pretext of all those insufferable pontificators who prattle so piously about "modeling" - even a "kit assembler" could do better with a bar of soap and a swiss army knife.

Edited February 14, 2008 by Chuck Kourouklis

[Kenny]

I hated and still hate the MPC '69 Mustang. I built that kit in 1985 and I have no fond memories of it whatsoever.

[HotRodaSaurus]

The Pyro Auburn seems to come in for a right bashing here(Not kit bashing ). Funny thing, I thought I would start this thread after reading both replys to my Trumpeter Pontiac question and a recent Auburn thread. My opinions on those Premier kits came from looking at the Cadillacs parts in the box and thinking someone had put a decent kit in the oven on a slow heat to soften all those edges

John

[HotRodaSaurus]

Thought I would add this; Worst realistic tyres? Revells Mickey Thompsons 'Revellazer' Rear slicks THAT wide? anyone remember that one?

John

[Junkman]

There is (was) a 1951 Buick LeSabre kit that is so bad that I forgot who the manufacturer was, which is the best thing you can do, trust me on this.

Next are the Ideal Mercedes, Rolls and Pegaso kits, despite they look like Tamiya compared with the LeSabre.

Also on my bad kit list:

The General Lee Charger - for not resembling the General Lee Charger at all - just plain rubbish.

All Japanese kits with a shallow interior to allow for 'motorizing' - but I love them in a strange way.

The Fujimi Toyota Crown MS110 - for not being a MS110 Crown at all. It still builds into a nice fantasy car though.

The Revell AG Trabant - their first effort in CAD designing a kit and it went all wrong.

The Monogram '56 and '57 Chevies - they look more like a Trabant than Revell AG's Trabant kit.

The AMT 50 Chevy PU snap kit - just plain dreadful.

The annual '61-'63 Imperial kits - Oh. My. God. Too bad, because the real things are my favorite cars, what a pitty.

The AMT new tool 58 Edsel and 60 Starliner kits - ok, actually quite good kits, but compared with the originals they are oddly soulless. Dunno, I just don't like them. Got a repop of the original Starliner in resin now and hope to find a leftover Holthaus '58 Edsel.

All AMT '34 Ford kits. They just don't look like '34 Fords to me.

The Arii Eldorados. Not all bad, but rather 1/20th scale. They just don't blend in next to the Monogram '59, which I don't find too good either but not bad enough to put it on this list.

Every VW Beetle ever rendered as a kit, with the IMC one being the sole exception. OK, the Airfix one is good, but as usual with Airfix it is in the wrong scale. Why is it so difficult to get the proportions of this car right?

The new realease Aoshima Mitsubishi Galant. Again, too bad, because I quite like the looks of the real car. Steer clear of this kit. Don't just avoid it - boycott it! It's too late for me, but all I'll ever do to it is build it into a banger racer.

[Junkman]

I hated and still hate the MPC '69 Mustang. I built that kit in 1985 and I have no fond memories of it whatsoever.

Yes, it's rubbish. And it was molded in red. Red plastic is made by the devil.

Edited February 18, 2008 by Junkman

[Junkman]

My vote goes to the 1/12 Ferrari 275 GTB introduced by Renwal and reissued by Revell in the 70s. This kit regularly sells for over $100 on eBay, but it makes a Barbie car look like a Pocher.

The body evidently was designed by rumor: There's a hump on the hood that resembles nothing ever made by Ferrari; the rear spoiler is just a small lip, sort of like the Lusso; the roof is too low; the Campagnolo wheel centers are set too deep inside the rims and when assembled the wheels sit way too far inboard. On top of that, although this is a 1/12 kit, the underside of the chassis is molded in one piece from front to back like an old AMT annual.

The engine is another issue; suffice to say that it doesn't even include the signature orange dual oil filters.

When I sat down to itemize the corrections and additions that had to be made, I tallied over 50 problems. And I am definitely far from being a picky rivet counter.

Not far behind is the Revell 1/12 Mercedes Gullwing, with similar problems out of the box, but it's a lot easier to get right and make a terrific build with adaptations and some scratchbuilding. At least the body shell, sink marks notwithstanding, is extremely accurate.

Yes, they are really really dreadful. How do you mean the Gullwing being a lot easier to get right? I think in order to get it right, you need to scratchbuild each and every part new. OK, the bodyshell is halfways there, but the entire front is all wrong. Fit is atrocious to say the least. All the innards are just plain rubbish. I'd say melt it and inject the plastic into better molds.

It's hard to believe that this rubbish was stoically reissued time and again over the past five decades in disturbingly regular intervals. If I was a kit manufacturer and had this kind of skeletons in the closet, I'd do everything I can to avoid them reentering people's memories. And that my fellow modellers is done by releasing newly tooled kits of them. Or don't you think nicely made Gullwings and 275s in 1/12 would be hot sellers? Hotter than a Neoplan bus, that's for sure. Wakey, wakey, Revell!

Edited February 18, 2008 by Junkman

[John Goschke]

While I've owned and built some truly horrible kits in my time, the worst ones were not only poorly molded and engineered, they were also lousy replicas of the original. For consistently useless kits you just can't beat the flock of turkeys released under the Palmer brand!

As an example, I submit the following built-up Porsche that was part of a small collection I purchased to get a '58 Ford convertible. As I recall this kit has the same chassis, reversed, that was in the Palmer '60 Olds convertible I had when I was a little kid. At the tender age of seven years old, the Palmer Olds was my first experience with scale modeling disappointment. At least the "Porsche" has a one piece body!

Is this goofy, or what?

[dodgefever]

I just thought of another: Revell's '34 Ford Coupe, which is horribly squished up to fit the Buttera T chassis. What a let down.

[sjordan]

While I've owned and built some truly horrible kits in my time, the worst ones were not only poorly molded and engineered, they were also lousy replicas of the original. For consistently useless kits you just can't beat the flock of turkeys released under the Palmer brand!

As an example, I submit the following built-up Porsche that was part of a small collection I purchased to get a '58 Ford convertible. As I recall this kit has the same chassis, reversed, that was in the Palmer '60 Olds convertible I had when I was a little kid. At the tender age of seven years old, the Palmer Olds was my first experience with scale modeling disappointment. At least the "Porsche" has a one piece body!

Is this goofy, or what?

Goofy is right. Looks like something he and Donald Duck would drive.