AMT '71 Plymouth Duster 340

[62rebel]

this is a nicely molded kit, lots of parts, crisply detailed. The front suspension is molded as a separate subframe and lower k frame with torsion bars, and is also crisply molded. the spindles are intended to be straight ahead but could be posed.

the engine is cleanly molded and build up nicely; the exhaust manifolds look very authentic compared to most chrysler small block representations. two intakes are offered; a single 4bbl and a six-pack; the six-pack requires trimming which is outlined in the instructions. no other performance options are offered. the transmission is molded into the engine halves and represents the four speed manual; no option for automatic is provided.

the interior builds up in current AMT fashion onto the chassis plate; positive locating for seats is provided. good carpet impression is present. the seats are vintage '70's mopar plain front buckets and rear bench, and the side panels are well detailed for a rather low-line base car. the dashboard has an odd separate molding for hang-on AC, a neat touch.
there are also AC lines and a compressor under the hood.

the body is a nicely proportioned representation of the duster, the bumpers and grille are all separate moldings and crisply done. detail paintingthe grille and washing will bring out nice detail.

the rear suspension builds up well and has many separate parts which will benefit from careful painting. the exhaust pipes are well made and look accurate and proportional.
the tires are the old (but well done)POLYGLAS GT's; correct for the period if not the actual car; i don't have research material to cover tires.

the wheels are mopar rallyes and well done, needing detail painting to bring it out.

two sets of "340" stripes, in black and white, are included as well as air cleaner decals.
i missed the GTX style pair of hood scoops; the locating holes for which are molded closed on the hood, as well as the three piece trunk spoiler, whose locating holes are also molded closed.
all in all, this is a welcome kit for replica stock builders and those wishing to build era pro stockers. i could see this kit in mopar missile trim easily.

[62rebel]

UPDATE: i robbed the small block out of this kit (it is EXCELLENT, btw) for my satellite sebring conversion and played with the idea of doing a pro stock, but then it occurred to me that my great-uncle george had a duster when i was a kid, and it was a slant-six econo-coupe. so i've dug up an engine from a modified Deora kit....and those rallye wheels have to be replaced with steels and hubcaps. otherwise, it's the same car!

the satellite sebring was also his car; my great-aunt gave me the car after uncle george died. problem is, i don't have a picture of the duster for the color, and my memory is not that good on colors....

[Rob Hall]

The Duster is a great donor kit for the engine, I think I've probably bought 1/2 dozen just for the engine to use in other Mopars.

[mrglubaum]

This kit is an all-around nice kit! I built one of the pre-painted ones. I build pre-painted kits sometimes because I do a lot of building in the sleeper of my truck, where I can't really do any painting. The drawback of these kits is that you can't do much modifying if things don't fit right. I was pleased that everything fit the way it was supposed to, and no repairs or fitting was necessary. There was a mold line on the rear roof pillar, but the paint was thick enough that I was able to carefully sand it away without going through the paint!

The final result was a decent model that may not be show quality, but it looks good on the shelf!

[62rebel]

lee, i couldn't imagine a less hobby friendly environment! i'm glad you can manage it, though. i tried keeping the hobby alive while i was on the ship in the Navy but recreational facilities onboard were tight. you had to work in a shop environment to get any working space; even in my office i didn't have room to keep anything non-Navy issue. on shore duty it was another thing entirely! i never saw so much unused available space until i was posted to Great Lakes!

[Mr. Can Am Garage]

It sure does build up nice.

This is from an original issue from some years ago.

[Guest roadkill2525]

The only thing I don't like about the kits is that people sell these on e-Bay and say that they're rare. I've seen them be released about 3 or 4 times sence I got mine in 1999.

The kit is great but haven't gotten around to building it.

With this kit you can make Al Bundy's Dodge from Married With Children, the Dodge was really a 71 Duster. Put in a Slant-6 and paint it red, then weather it.

[LVZ2881]

only problem with the duster kit is some people have noticed a problem with the dash to interior tub fit being off, and needed to sand the sides of the dash off that fit into the notches in the tub...

I didnt know about it until after i built mine, and i had problems, but otherwise its a great kit, and i have 3 more unbuilt in my stash.

[darquewanderer]

Excellent review Curt. The Duster was snubbed for years by the performance people, but now it's finding new allies. Got a half dozen myself. Looking for more. Especially the '72 (Marketed as a '71).

[Rob Hall]

One thing I've noticed about this kit is so many of the builtups I've seen are lacking the quarter windows, which is incorrect since they don't roll down on the 1:1. I guess many of these builders are too young to have seen them in 1:1 back in the day. The quarter window is a fiddy fitting piece, though...

[62rebel]

the quarters were either fixed-in-place or flipout, weren't they... i should have remembered that from uncle George's car. one other thing i noticed about this kit is the thickness of the bodyshell; it seems app. 1/3 thicker than "normal" kits. this is not a gripe, however; the added material seems to strengthen the "A" pillars greatly and keep warpage down. i've often bemoaned weak "A" pillars on kits; especially older issue AMT/MPC annual kits like camaros and mustangs.

i'm still working through my duster yet; scrounged the 426 hemi from AMT 68 roadrunner reissue, and haven't decided what wheels to use yet; the interior is done in white simu-vinyl with black "carpet" a la pure '70's, so a set of cragar S/S mags may get the nod.

[towguy76]

Here is my collection of 71 Dusters. I built them a few years ago and they arent my best work.

The blue one has a 440 with B1 type heads and a lenco trans. The yellow one has a 426 Hemi and an automatic. The red with white stripes has the 340-6 pack and a 4 speed. the red with black stripes has a 340 4 barrel and a 4 speed. The orange one has a resin cast slant 6 and a manual trans, split bench seat, and single exhaust.

[Tuffy's Garage]

Here are a few that I have built. I got about 12 more to finish

This Purple one is from when the kit came out about 10 or so years ago. It has been dropped and rebuilt many times

Here is the last Duster that I built

Here it is under construction

This is a great kit that seems to get over looked. Now after looking at pic I need to do another one

[Casey]

The kit contains some very nice parts, like the base three-spoke steering wheel, the chromed plated Sport side view mirrors, and the "cheese grater" grille.

The transmission appears to be a bit undersized, especially when compared to other 1/25 scale A-833s, but this is definitely the best 1/25 scale LA-series small block Mopar engine done to date. I think the intake manifold still looks a tad bit "flat", but otherwise it's top notch. The inclusion of the A/C compressor and lines was as nice touch, too, and that compressor has no doubt found its way onto other Mopars, too.

The rearend looks a bit funky, too, as the transition between the axle tubes and centersection of the housing appear to be incorrect, and like the transmission, the rearend looks a bit underscaled to me.

[gui_tarzan]

I had a ball building this kit, you can see pictures here: http://jimolson.us/models/71duster/71duster.html

I built mine as a replica of a real Duster that was in our area back in the late 70s.

[Nxr]

Here is a Duster i built back in September of 2012.

[Drake69]

Here's mine in "Halloween Orange"...

My only gripe with this kit is you REALLY HAVE to trim down the interior lip by the back glass or it will destroy the rear pillar, as evidenced in a lot of these kits built missing the back pillar. Otherwise, it's a dream build.

[fastram]

I thought it's a wonderful kit as it is. It does lend itself to alot of possibilities.

[caine440]

I thought it was a nice kit overall.

Edited May 10, 2013 by caine440

[fastram]

Nice Sox Duster!

[Mark72JPS]

Cool Sox & Martin Duster!