AMT 1929 Ford A Roadster "Mod Rod"

Ace-Garageguy · January 31, 2016

Bill, I'm loving this (what looks like) old build you posted. Did you build it, or is it an acquisition? We have Facebook page called Scale Survivors, where we share new and vintage photos of old builds. I'd like to share it there. Anyone else here who is interested, feel free to check it out. https://www.facebook.com/groups/scalesurvivors/

Thanks. I got the little car as a semi-gluebomb a few years back. The paint was decent, looked like an el-cheapo job on a period hot rod, so I did a quickie rebuild with a chopped windshield, dropped suspension, zeed frame, a quick-change rear end, new interior, etc., but left the paint as-was. The wheels are from another Ala Kart I got in as a GB too. This '29 is still waiting for an engine....and to get some things cleaned up...like the sprue attachment points on the wheels.

It's a pretty good illustration of one of the possible looks you can get from this kit.

1972coronet · January 31, 2016

This kit certainly appears to be a "Win-Win" for all ! While I don't typically build subject matter which predates c.1955 , I will most-likely be buying one of these Mod Rod reissues if for nothing else , the sum of its custom parts . When was the last time any-one has seen a Dodge Red Ram Hemi ??? That harkens to the days of each division having its own , exclusive engines .

Who knows ? Maybe I'll break my "1955 & later" directive and build a stock '29 Roadster ... or maybe I'll sell it to Tulio !

Snake45 · February 1, 2016

I took a look at the instruction sheets of some previous issues and like what I saw. I'd always assumed this kit just had a one-piece simplified chassis like the '32 Ford. Not so! I'm gonna get at least one and think I can do SOMETHING interesting with it.

Has anyone checked to see if this hood fits the Revell body/grille?

tim boyd · February 1, 2016

Besides the other points mentioned, and I hope Tim Boyd and my good friend John Mueller will forgive me for this, but I think the AMT 29 A body has it all over the Revell version. It is closer to stock, much more graceful, and doesn't have that clunky made in China look about it. It has finesse. Look at the post above mine for an example. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to like about the new Revell kit (I have one), but If I'm building a 29 A, that body will be coming from the AMT kit. .

Dave...hear ya on this. That was certainly my initial impression as well.

But having painted and built several of these now....I no longer have the feeling that the Revell body lacks finesse. Maybe it's the paint thickness on top of the body moldings, which appear a bit overwrought to me when looking at just the unpainted styrene.

Clearly i would have done the stock rear wheel wells/Quarter panels if I had led the kit development, but in almost every other consideration I now prefer the new body. Plus as one of our esteemed/respected hot rod builders have pointed out here (sorry guys, I can't remember exactly which one of you highlighted this), the drop off of the rear deck area (when viewed from the side) is more accurate in the Revell body.

And you don't have to mess with the cowl/windshield area (the AMT kit really should have the lower part of the windshield/IP part cut away and molded to the front cowl, and then again you have to deal with plating the windshield on the AMT kit. All this is done correctly, right from the box, in the Revell kit.

Cheers...TIM

Ace-Garageguy · February 1, 2016

Has anyone checked to see if this hood fits the Revell body/grille?

Yes. It does. The rest of the parts swap around pretty well too. Top, interior insert...pretty close, not too difficult to swap, especially considering the tooling for the two kits was done over 50 years apart.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

Ace-Garageguy · February 1, 2016

Plus as one of our esteemed/respected hot rod builders have pointed out here (sorry guys, I can't remember exactly which one of you highlighted this), the drop off of the rear deck area (when viewed from the side) is more accurate in the Revell body.

That's the reason i elected to use the Revell body for the Eddie Dye car rather than the AMT body I'd started with. It's a subtle difference, but if you look at the 1:1 cars all the time, it is noticeable.

I DO think the old AMT body is a little nicer in the lighter-weight and thickness of the molded-in character lines, and the coach-line on the cowl side. But if the slight heaviness of the Revell version bothers you, it's very easily corrected.

The rear wheel arches on the Revell body are easy to correct too, if you should want to put it on the AMT fenders.

Jairus · February 1, 2016

I agree with Tim on the Cowl.
The Revell kit is more correct.
Overall profile is right on and even tho the rear wheel well recesses are too deep and maybe the arch slightly too high. It still doesn't detract from a nice hot rod.
(It's a hot rod afterall.)

Just wish the '32 Ford frame was more stock appearing with a banjo rear end. But maybe that's just me.
We are modelers after all....

Edited February 1, 2016 by Jairus

Harry P. · February 1, 2016

Call me crazy, but I prefer the stock version.

Junkman · February 1, 2016

Nothing wrong with that. A lot of people appreciate classics in original condition.
For those who like their hot rods, a combination of this and the Revell kit should open up endless possibilities.
I'm keen on the original Ala Kart body parts, because I never liked the shape of the n00 t00l.

afx · February 1, 2016

Can someone post some side-by-side pictures of the Revell and AMT bodies?

Snake45 · February 1, 2016

Can someone post some side-by-side pictures of the Revell and AMT bodies?

That sounds like a job for...Boyd-Man!

Jairus · February 1, 2016

I have only one unbuilt AMT kit and it has thus far eluded the search of my storage unit. I wanted to do that very thing Richard.
A "Compario" if you will.

I also wanted a stock grill and radiator so I didn't have to sand off the stupid electric fan molded in by Revell.

Still sanding btw.

Ace-Garageguy · February 1, 2016

Can someone post some side-by-side pictures of the Revell and AMT bodies?

I've got virgins of each in stock, can put them up later today...if nobody beats me to it.

Dave Darby · February 1, 2016

Dave...hear ya on this. That was certainly my initial impression as well.

But having painted and built several of these now....I no longer have the feeling that the Revell body lacks finesse. Maybe it's the paint thickness on top of the body moldings, which appear a bit overwrought to me when looking at just the unpainted styrene.

Clearly i would have done the stock rear wheel wells/Quarter panels if I had led the kit development, but in almost every other consideration I now prefer the new body. Plus as one of our esteemed/respected hot rod builders have pointed out here (sorry guys, I can't remember exactly which one of you highlighted this), the drop off of the rear deck area (when viewed from the side) is more accurate in the Revell body.

And you don't have to mess with the cowl/windshield area (the AMT kit really should have the lower part of the windshield/IP part cut away and molded to the front cowl, and then again you have to deal with plating the windshield on the AMT kit. All this is done correctly, right from the box, in the Revell kit.

Cheers...TIM

Hi Tim, actually, I did a little research on the cowl thing. That portion that Revell has molded to body isn't really molded one piece with the body. So Revell isn't totally accurate either. That windshield and cowl section is actually several pieces. If your windshield posts are the same color as the car, the AMT kit is perfect as is. If you want a chrome windshield, then you might want to do some masking of the center section. BTW, you're my friend, too, Tim. I've met John in person several times over the years. I hope day our paths will cross as well. The roadster cowl below will break down into about 7 pieces. The cowl top doubles as the gas tank. (One piece). I actually dragged one of those home from an abandoned farm when I was a teen.

And it further breaks down like this...

So I wouldn't go molding that center part to the gas tank/cowl top. AMT and Revell are both generally correct. They are just broken down differently.

unclescott58 · February 1, 2016

Are there not two different '29 Model A roadster kits that have been put out by AMT over the years? I'd like to know more about the differences between those two. Besides a comparison to the Revell version. Does Tim or anybody else know the complete history of AMT's Model A roadsters?

Im still wondering, in the past reissues, before 1973, the Mod Rod was shown using the Ala Kart fenders and running boards. The '73, 25th anniversary version the box art looks like it was using the regular fenders and running boards. Was the Ala Kart fenders and running boards still in that kit? Was one able to build the two A's both with fenders in that kit? And will one be able to build two fendered cars with the version they plan on releasing next?

Ace-Garageguy · February 1, 2016

Are there not two different '29 Model A roadster kits that have been put out by AMT over the years? I'd like to know more about the differences between those two. Besides a comparison to the Revell version. Does Tim or anybody else know the complete history of AMT's Model A roadsters?

Im still wondering, in the past reissues, before 1973, the Mod Rod was shown using the Ala Kart fenders and running boards. The '73, 25th anniversary version the box art looks like it was using the regular fenders and running boards. Was the Ala Kart fenders and running boards still in that kit? Was one able to build the two A's both with fenders in that kit? And will one be able to build two fendered cars with the version they plan on releasing next?

Every release of the '29 Model A roadster ever done by AMT uses the same basic tooling. The roadster bodies are all identical except for color and exact styrene composition.

The history of the kit is all referenced in the above posts, but to recap, the FIRST appearance of the AMT '29 roadster was in the ORIGINAL Ala Kart double-kit.

Subsequent releases of that double kit were boxed as "Mod Rod", and included ALL the original Ala-Kart parts, plus a '32 grille shell that's not in the original release...at least, it's not in any of them that I have.

Later releases of the AMT '29 roadster had SOME pieces of the Ala Kart still in the box; some issues had the fender unit (with the louvers removed), the hood, the top, the bed cover, a modified firewall, the grille INSERT, the body tub, the seat insert, most of the Red Ram engine (the Ala Kart fuel-injection was replaced by a blower on a separate sprue), the frame and most of the suspension. Some issues, far as I can tell, lacked the Ala Kart fenders, frame and body parts. The Ala Kart chrome-reversed rims with bullet centers were replaced by chrome steel rims with baby moons. You COULD get damm close to 2 cars from some kits...like this one...#38073

EVERYTHING to build a stock '29 was in EVERY release, with some extra Ala Kart-derived parts as well.

The coming release will have many of the previously-deleted original Ala Kart parts returned, and you should be able to get two cars from it.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

Ace-Garageguy · February 1, 2016

Well guys, I shot and edited a bunch of pix of the Revell and AMT parts side-by-side, but our old friend Photobucket seems to be having a nervous breakdown. Soon as it's functioning again, I'll post.

And a BIG thanks to Dave Darby for the excellent 1:1 photos. It's always a huge help to be able to see what the things are SUPPOSED to look like.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

Ace-Garageguy · February 1, 2016

The Revell body is on the left in the top 3 shots, on the right in the 4th shot.

And these are the frames, body shells and fender units that come in some of the AMT '29 releases. BOTH SETS. The white body shell is from the first Ala Kart double kit, but it's exactly what you get in the later-issue '29, except for color. As you see, the upper body shell, hood and fenders are Ala Kart parts, sans louvers on the fender unit, and with the notch in the running boards (for the side pipes) filled in.

Edited February 1, 2016 by Ace-Garageguy

tim boyd · February 1, 2016

Hi Tim, actually, I did a little research on the cowl thing. That portion that Revell has molded to body isn't really molded one piece with the body. So Revell isn't totally accurate either. That windshield and cowl section is actually several pieces. If your windshield posts are the same color as the car, the AMT kit is perfect as is. If you want a chrome windshield, then you might want to do some masking of the center section. BTW, you're my friend, too, Tim. I've met John in person several times over the years. I hope day our paths will cross as well. The roadster cowl below will break down into about 7 pieces. The cowl top doubles as the gas tank. (One piece). I actually dragged one of those home from an abandoned farm when I was a teen.
So I wouldn't go molding that center part to the gas tank/cowl top. AMT and Revell are both generally correct. They are just broken down differently.

Dave....same here on considering you a friend...for sure!!!

Great reference pictures, too.

As far as molding the windshield unit to the body on the AMT kit....guys this is why I am always ragging on about the need to actually build model kits before critiquing them. The AMT windshield/IP unit does not match up to the AMT main body cowl at all. Not even close. If you are painting your AMT '29 a dark color, it will hide the gaps fairly well, but if you are painting a light color (white, yellow, orange) you are going to cringe at the result - a ditch all along the joint, with even larger gaps at the outside edges of the joint. I sure cringed did the first time I built one. That is why I consider it to be absolutely essential to, yes, cut the windshield frame apart from IP/cowl continuation and...yes....mold the IP/cowl configuration to the cowl of the body. The result won't be 100% accurate - as proven by Dave's 1/1 pix above...but it will look one heckuva lot better than doing nothing at all.

Cheers..TIM

tim boyd · February 1, 2016

I agree with Tim on the Cowl.
The Revell kit is more correct.
Overall profile is right on and even tho the rear wheel well recesses are too deep and maybe the arch slightly too high. It still doesn't detract from a nice hot rod.
(It's a hot rod afterall.)

Just wish the '32 Ford frame was more stock appearing with a banjo rear end. But maybe that's just me.
We are modelers after all....

Jairus...I'm loving what you are doing to this one so far...particularly the Z'ed frame up front...please keep us in the loop as you make progress! TIM

stavanzer · February 2, 2016

I just looked. I have eight copies of this kit. Four are in the Yellow box 19703(?) Street Rods boxing, with the others being Two Checkerboard Wal-Mart specials, and the Other two an Original (minty) Ala-Kart, and the other the ratty 1990's version with the brown A on the box. Two of the Street Rods kits are molded in Black, and two in White. Not sure why. All of my versions (except the Original), of course are missing the Ala-Kart Nose and Bed, as well as the many detail parts. The Red Ram Hemi is present in all kits, and has either the later Blower or the early Twin Carb option. This looks to be a great kit to re-release. I sincerely hope that Tom L. and John G. can make the case for giving us at least the Grille Shell, and Bed from the Ala-Kart, even if we don't get the rest. I have at least three of these kits with the Hood, Body Tub, and Fenders, that lack only a Shell, in order the make a semi complete car. I hope also that enough parts will be restored to allow two complete cars to be made from the kit. This would be great. I have great trust in what Round2 has done and is doing, (despite my grousing elsewhere), so I eagerly await this kit to see what turns up in it. This is the First Kit that I built with out help (age 12), and even now there are still a few stray parts in my parts boxes. I built the 1973 Street Rods version, which explains why I bought 4 of them unbuilt on ebay. This kit, is for me, a Must Have!

Dave Darby · February 2, 2016

I just looked. I have eight copies of this kit. Four are in the Yellow box 19703(?) Street Rods boxing, with the others being Two Checkerboard Wal-Mart specials, and the Other two an Original (minty) Ala-Kart, and the other the ratty 1990's version with the brown A on the box. Two of the Street Rods kits are molded in Black, and two in White. Not sure why. All of my versions (except the Original), of course are missing the Ala-Kart Nose and Bed, as well as the many detail parts. The Red Ram Hemi is present in all kits, and has either the later Blower or the early Twin Carb option. This looks to be a great kit to re-release. I sincerely hope that Tom L. and John G. can make the case for giving us at least the Grille Shell, and Bed from the Ala-Kart, even if we don't get the rest. I have at least three of these kits with the Hood, Body Tub, and Fenders, that lack only a Shell, in order the make a semi complete car. I hope also that enough parts will be restored to allow two complete cars to be made from the kit. This would be great. I have great trust in what Round2 has done and is doing, (despite my grousing elsewhere), so I eagerly await this kit to see what turns up in it. This is the First Kit that I built with out help (age 12), and even now there are still a few stray parts in my parts boxes. I built the 1973 Street Rods version, which explains why I bought 4 of them unbuilt on ebay. This kit, is for me, a Must Have!

Here are the contents of the most recent iteration of the 1929 Model A Kit, circa 2002.

As compared to... (Boy I wish I had this one back! This was my first Ala Kart model. My first Model A kit was the Street Rods issue back in 1973, when I was in 6th grade.