I really wasn't going to write anything on this, but as the week went on, I thought I needed to. This kit was a bear. I did all the test fitting before any primer was laid down and things seem to be good. I found the areas I needed to fix, areas that I could build upon, etc.
But I should have known what would become of an very old kit that was re-popped and never retooled.
I was able to finish off the engine bay. It was a monster, well out of my wheel house. But I had to do it to say I've done it. There's got to be better way to accomplish what I did without all the mess, and if I attempt it again, I'll find those ways.
I really need to find a better way to apply CA glue because the toothpick method doesn't really work for all aspects. Regardless, this is the third kit I've done plug wires on and the first for cables and hose replacement. I remember prefitting the radiator hose, drilling out the holes in the block for it to fit. after paint and assembly, the hose was a tad to long. Go figure.
What has always got me and I never really understood was body to chassis fitment issues. You can do all the prefittment you want, with the interior tub, chassis, the whole nine. But once you add paint, forget it. The body doesn't want to sit flush anymore.
These old AMT kits kill me with their dashboards. The interior tub is too wide where it's supposed to sit, and the dashboards never look flush when the entire thing is together. It always looks tilted.
The paint really pissed me off this time around. The process didn't change. Sand the plastic, wash the plastic to get residue off, prime, dry, paint, dry. And yet this go around with the Createx paint, even with 8 coats of color and 6 coats of their clear, paint rubbed off like oil on water. So most of the very highest ridges the paint and primer rubbed off. Few spots on the roll pans rubbed off.
Even the Micro Set/Sol had a reaction to the paint in a few places that it's never done before. Not sure if Createx hanged formulas or what.
The kit didn't come with the tail lights. I bought this kit last October with intent to build it for the '26 model show. Glad it didn't get that far to be honest. However, I don't have the receipt, so it will cost me eight bucks for two tiny lights. Honestly, not worrying about it.
Technically, I could fill in the pre-drilled holes in the bumper, worry about sanding the chrome off when the putty is dry then just paint in the lights with the Testors tail light paint. But it's not worth it at this time.
Then I have always questioned the need for these companies to mold things like bumpers into multiple pieces to piss us off. This also includes roll pans. Usually in order to get the body onto the frame, you have to leave such pieces off the kit. Then add them after the body fitment. Which in turn sometimes leads to accidents no matter how careful you try to be.
I was able to fix the rear on this on to where glue wasn't everywhere, but it wasn't easy. Then trying to attach it to the kit with nothing more than a few spots as thin as paper to use glue, looking back, I probably should have used some bluetac.
In the end, the kit is done. I was well outside my wheel house with all the extra. I'm not going to get started on PE, and I only added a little bit. I did what I set out to do and that was to build this kit with all of the extra engine bay add ons, the extra PE and in a custom color.
