AMT 1963 Chevy Impala question......

[Mr Stock]

Hi all

I'm looking to buy one of these oldies again , I remember the last issue I had with the blue car on the box top (AMT/ERTL) had the firewall missing from the kit, I asked at the time and someone mentioned it went missing from the tooling over the years.

Can anybody tell me when the kit last got issued with the firewall in, maybe the 1980s Prestige issue, or would I have to go down the vintage kit route. 

[Can-Con]

Vintage kit route. IIRC, that kit and any after it were reissues of the "Craftsman" curbside kit with the hood cut open and engine added. 

BUT, the firewall and everything else needed is in the AMT '64.

OR, you could just get the new tool Revell kit.

[espo]

I think if you compare the AMT and the Revell '63 Impala kits there are strengths and weakness on both. The AMT body and interior while proportioned correctly to the eye don't fit together as well as the Revell. The Revell engine is ok but very simplified. It can be built and detailed and turn out very nice, but I feel that the 409 in the AMT is a better engine. The AMT has the chassis that was considered standard at that time and not as detailed as any later kits you may have been building. It would be nice to put both of them together in a blender for about ten minutes and then build what comes out.      

[Edsel-Dan]

This Kit, not seen sine before 1970, has Always had the Missing Engine bay parts,

Not Just the Firewall, but Radiator too!

Also the tail lights are cast in the Bezels On the body!!

Lastly, this has axles more like the Old 58 & 59 Annuals & Promos

Very Thick (Approx 1/8 inch) versus the Wire rod axles in the 64 Impala

Luckily the ones I have do have Smooth axles and not the Heavy

Fluting/gears of the Originals!!

 

Still a nice kit

[Mr Stock]

Thanks guys, you've definitely answered my question there. To be honest the one piece 60s style chassis doesn't bother me at all, I have a soft spot for those old annual kits, time to search for an original 63 rebuilder maybe.

The Revell kit is not really for me, I had one once and it just didn't have the charm of the original AMT if that makes sense. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks guys, you've definitely answered my question there. To be honest the one piece 60s style chassis doesn't bother me at all, I have a soft spot for those old annual kits, time to search for an original 63 rebuilder maybe.

The Revell kit is not really for me, I had one once and it just didn't have the charm of the original AMT if that makes sense. 

The Revell kit body never looked right to me.

I'm not real good at these comparison photo things, but I'll try.

Tell me if I'm wrong.

 

Both the front & rear fenders look way too "blocky" & "stumpy".

The AMT fenders come to more of a point, which looks much more correct to me.

The one molded in white is the Revell kit.

The tan is the AMT example.

 

In this photo you can see how the rear quarter on the AMT kit "tapers" to the rear.

The Revell kit seems to have no shape at all.

 

The roof looks strange to me as well.

The C-pillar looks too thick on the Revell kit & the top looks too rounded.

In this photo you can see how much "thinner" the top looks on the AMT kit.

Likewise, the "creases" in the Revell top seem too pronounced making it look more like a convertible top than a hardtop.

 

 

Overall the AMT kit just looks "sleeker" & true to form.

The Revell kit looks weird to me.

I don't see '63 Impala when I look at it.

 

I started messing around with this AMT '63 quite a while ago & started the process of using the newer AMT '62 Belair Chassis & engine compartment.

If I ever resume work on it, I have a head start.

 

I doubt very highly that I would ever build the Revell kit due to it's short comings.

 

Steve

 

Edited April 5, 2017 by StevenGuthmiller

[Art Anderson]

Steve, have you compared both to the real car though?  Just wondering...

Art

[StevenGuthmiller]

Steve, have you compared both to the real car though?  Just wondering...

Art

Not so much.

More just my sense of aesthetics.

That plus the fact that the track record of modern kits being accurate representations is not very good compared to most of the old annuals has me relatively confident that the AMT kit is probably closer to the real thing.

I haven't done a comparison, but regardless, the AMT kit is the one that looks good to me.

That's the one that I will build when the time comes.

 

To me this looks much closer to the AMT kit.

The point on the front & rear fender, the taper of the rear quarter panel, the thinner top, all seem evident.

 

Steve

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2017 by StevenGuthmiller

[gtx6970]

Great timing.  a 63 Impala is on my radar at the moment. As I just picked up a really clean 62 convertible annual. And what's one more. 

 

Looking at the pics Steve posted I think I'll look for an AMT. Preferably a convertible. 

I have a 62 Bel air I can use for parts, although I'm not against just gluing  the hood shut and live with it either

Edited April 6, 2017 by gtx6970

[Art Anderson]

Steve, I agree with you, the older AMT body is more accurately done in both of those areas (I replied to your post from work,  and didn't have the time to go do the compare myself)

Art

[stavanzer]

I'm glad to see the revised kit coming now from Round2. I'll br waiting to see how the Taillight, Firewall, Radiator, and other parts are done. Iy would be nice to see the 409 F.I Manifold back as well. 

[Bucky]

I built this version several years ago:

No firewall, radiator. Big axles. Molded in taillights. It still looks very much like the '63 one of my uncles owned back in '63. A beautiful car! He had the '63, another uncle had a '62, and a cousin had a '61. All nice cars.

[moparfarmer]

I was able to take parts I needed from a 64 that the guys in our model club were passing around in a 64 Impala box..Got the radiator,firewall and rad hoses..Axles were thin like they used to be..Didn't like the molded in tail lights..Did some body work,removed mold marks and tried to sand the sides but they look like someone did bad body work right from the box..Paint came out good considering it was Krylon clear coated with Duplicolor Acrylic Enamen(tall black can) polished with 2000 then 4000 and finished with Meguiar's Scratch X2.0 and Meguiar's Gold Class Paste..Rod Maskiw did some white wall tire and going to use stock hub caps..Now to finish it..Chrome foil done by the King..