Amt vs R/M Nascar kits

[Michael in Illinois]

Haven't built any nascar kits in a very long time. They were all from R/M. I know one of the differences is that AMT kits are 1/25 and R/M are 1/24. What else? Is one more detailed? More accurate? I want to build the Days of Thunder cars and I know they were issued by R/M. But I don't like that they were molded in color. Too hard to cover using lacquer, Lots of bleed through. So I was looking for alternatives.

[bbowser]

In my NASCAR days I preferred the Monogram kits, I felt they had better looking wheel/tire combinations.  Built my share of AMTs as well.  Which was more accurate?  I don't know.  I only cared that they looked good on the shelf.  To me, NASCAR race cars are all about the body/decal/paint work.

Don't know if you could make 1/24 decals for DOT work on a 1/25 body?

Edited August 29, 2016 by bbowser

[kurth]

The AMT kits are 1/25 so decals designed for the Revell/monogram kits do not quite fit. The only problem otherwise with the AMT kits was with the thunderbird, the body just looks odd, the nose is totally different from the R/M kit.  I built one  a few years ago and it was a pretty easy build.  I do not recall any  issues other than trying to re work the body.  I know I have heard other criticisms but I can not recall the details.  

What kind of paint where you using that you got bleed through? there are a few ways to avoid that.  I know there were a few Revell Thunderbirds molded in white, but other cars may never have been.  PowerSlide decals released decal sheets for the Days of thunder cars a few years ago, it looks like they are still in stock at mikes decals.

 

 

[MarkJ]

Haven't built any nascar kits in a very long time. They were all from R/M. I know one of the differences is that AMT kits are 1/25 and R/M are 1/24. What else? Is one more detailed? More accurate? I want to build the Days of Thunder cars and I know they were issued by R/M. But I don't like that they were molded in color. Too hard to cover using lacquer, Lots of bleed through. So I was looking for alternatives.

Michael, if you paint the body a duplicolor silver metallic after the first primer coat, then prime again before the final color, it will block the bleeding. You have to use a couple of good coats of the silver or it will still bleed. Check my wip on Dale Earnhardt's first win Monte Carlo in this Nascar section and you will see what I'm talking about.  I prefer the monogram kits but the only 77 Monte carlo kit for the body I could find was 1/25 scale and I did not want to use a 1/24 scale chassis under it so I used the amt 1991 thunderbird kit for the chassis. If I  had use the monogram chassis I believe the tires would have looked way too big under the 1/25 scale body. I used 1/24 scale wheels and tires on a 1/25 scale Pontiac Grand Prix and you could see they looked way too big for the car. The picture of the real car shows the tires weren't that big. 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2016 by MarkJ

[Fat Brian]

If you want to build the Days of Thunder cars without worrying about bleed through buy the 1991 Darrel Waltrip Western Auto Lumina #2949 that's molded in white and pick up the decals separately.

[martinfan5]

The AMT kits werent bad, but they werent great either, I too always preferred Monogram NASCAR kits. 

[Old Coyote]

I prefer the Revell/Monogram kits over the AMT kits for a trio of reasons. As mentioned, the tires and wheels were more in line with the Bassett and Aero wheels which were being used in Nascar at the time. Second, I felt the Monogram engines were much more representative. And third, AMT never refined its chassis/roll cage to reflect the changes that the cars were going through.

There's nothing really wrong with the AMT kits, they build up rather nicely (with the exception of the rear window on the Olds Cutlass }. I just feel the Monogram kits built up into a better looking representation of a time period Nascar.

MarkJ has a good idea on blocking paint and color bleed through. I'd give that a try if I were you.

 

Monogram

AMT

Just my opinion, I think the Monogram looks more realistic 

Edited August 31, 2016 by Old Coyote

[LVZ2881]

The Monogram kits are pretty much considered the industry standard. Aftermarket decals are generally sized for the Monogram/Revell kits.

the AMT kits are good parts donors for updating the 70's MPC Stock

Cars to more correct chassis and engines, as well as just adding better details.

Im using an AMT Country Time Grand Prix to update an MPC Laguna to build Cales Holly FArms Laguna

[horsepower]

Revell released a version of the early '90s Lumina that was used for the Days of Thunder cars that was plain white without decals, it was one of the last releases of stock cars from them, and isn't hard to find, I think I still have one or two in hiding, just not sure how deep I'd have to dig to find them, lol.

I liked the AMT kits as parts donors for either short track cars, or street rods, their rear axles are clean and easily adapted to just about any model without doing major surgery, and the front clips are easily adapted to early pickups or cars to put modern front suspension under them.

[Toast]

The Monogram Lumina kits were literally modeled after Hendricks cars, which were used for Days of Thunder.

Many versions of the kit were released, plenty molded in white. I bought a Western Auto Lumina and an aftermarket set of Days of Thunder decals to do the Mello Yello car.

The only thing to note though is they did eventually update them for the '94 cars having smoother front and rear bumpers. So just stick to the earlier releases and you'll have a great base for your replica.