# How good a kit???



## CarCrazyDiecast (Jan 11, 2007)

Picked up an AMT "Johnny Lightning" 1955 Chevy Nomad 1/25 scale kit (#38461) Skill 2 today for five bills which included a diecast 1/64 scale model of the same. The little model has white wall tires as opposed to the 1/25 having black walls though.

Even though the box doesn't say anything about this, I read where the model could be constructed either stock, custom or drag. What kind of parts are included?

How is the plastic kit in terms of quality of molded parts, ease of build, authenticity of looks, stance, etc.. In other words, is it a pretty decent kit?

Thanks!


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## farmersamm (Sep 12, 2007)

Suppose you'll find out when the package arrives. The kit is probably fine. Only problem with a station wagon is that sometimes the bucket is glued to the bottom of the window insert, and not the body. Use Formula 560 Canopy glue for the glass and the bucket. It dries clear, and is very strong. Don't use regular plastic cement, it'll craze the glass.

Ebay is kinda funny when it comes to descriptions. I bought an Autocar that was "box open, parts sealed". Turned out the parts were sealed allright-------------IN A ZIPLOC BAGGIE. I still don't have the guts to dive into that kit yet.

Kinda like buyin' a bred Angus heiffer, only to find out a few months later that the ol' girl was bred to a Holstien Bull. Ain't one that ya brag about to yer buddies.


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

If it's the AMT Chevy Nomad kit that was originally tooled back in the '60s, it's fairly typical of car kits of that time. Reasonably accurate but not a wealth of chassis or engine detail. I'm not sure, but I think it has an option where you can slice off the rear two-thirds of the roof to make a custom pickup.


farmersamm said:


> Kinda like buyin' a bred Angus heiffer, only to find out a few months later that the ol' girl was bred to a Holstien Bull. Ain't one that ya brag about to yer buddies.


Now, that definitely ain't kosher!


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## Nosferatu (Dec 16, 2007)

Big Lots had some for $5, I bought 3, a '50 Ford, '59 El Camino & a '60 GTO. Hobby Lobby has some Minicraft planes & armor, reduced 50% & better company wide.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I thought this kit deserved a good review because, for the era, it's excellent and the level of detail it has is phenominal, even by today's standards. Here's what it is : 

Amt's 1955 Chevy Nomad kit. 31740-1HD 



> From http://www.lastsummer.com/wagon/list50.html
> 
> AMT has a long history of producing this model. So long in fact that it is a little confusing on when versions were created and what molds were used. I do know that all versions included parts to build as stock or racing custom (street or drag). Most if not all the kits included options such as opening tailgate, bucket seats, fuel injection, Moon gas tank, chromed front suspension, custom hood scoop, and chrome 5 spoke mags. This kit can also be built as pick-up conversion, very cool. There is no reason to list pros or cons on this kit as no wagon collection would be complete without it.


Here's a shot from 1968 : 










From 1979 : 

















From 1986 : (When I first built mine.)










And from 2002 (Kit 31740-1HD and the basis of this review) :










From the 4 kits pictured above, the mold used and pieces included are the same.

The kit has a 20 piece stock Chevrolet 265 V8 with the 2 bbl Carter carburator with an optional chrome injection tube manifold with 4 velocity stacks for Drag Racing. The Stock Headers lead out to a crossover pipe with an extension piece that links up the exhaust system to the single muffler molded to the chassis pan. The Drag race version of the motor also comes with 2 two piece angular headers that sweep out at a 45% angle from the engine to the outside of the car just before the front doors.

Wheels and tires consist of 2 piece stock hubcap wheels on classic Firestone 15 inch narrow tires, the same tires AMT uses on all car kits from the earily 1930's up to the 1962 era. You can paint the whitewals on the tires using acrylic paints. As an option, there are 4 "Crager" style mag wheels, the front 2 mounting on the classic Firestone tires, and the rear two mounting on Goodyear Nylon 9.00-15 Blue Streak Dragway Special "Slick" tires (Having no tread pattern).

The interior consistes of 8 pieces for the stock variation with an additional 8 parts to make a custom/drag racing interior. The "Common" parts between the two variations are the interior tub, dashboard and steering column. Stock parts consits of a rear bench seat, a front bench seat, stock steering wheel and seatbelts. Custom and Drag parts consist of 2 racing seats with molded in 4 point seat belts, a gear shift console with a chrome insert and shifter, custom steering wheel, tachometer, "EELCO" gauges and a 1963 era racing helmet.

Onto the chassis......

A 2 piece chrome rear axel with individually molded shock absorbers and drum brake covers mounts to a chassis pan with a molded in exhaust pipe. The 11 piece steerable stock front suspension mounts to two "Horns" sticking out the front of the chassis. The front spindles have three holes in them for mounting the "Pin" style front axels. The top hole isn't used, the middle hole is used for the stock ride height and the bottom pin is used for the custom ride height. If you used the top hole, the nose of the car would sit up high, as if there was no engine in the engine bay on a real 1:1 car. There is also a driveshaft which mounts to the transmission.

For the Drag Racing version, AMT included a fully chromed front axel, Ford Model T style, with molded on shock absorbers, a seporate transverse spring, seporate chrome radius rods, a unique crossmember to mount the engine, and front drum brake backing plates. A special hubcap holds the front cragar wheels to the axel. Out back, the same rear drum backing plates are used on the chrome axel and the same driveshaft is used but two chrome plated traction bars are included for the rear axel. This suspension is prototypical and was highly used on vintage "Gasser" class dragsters of the late 1950's and earily 1960's.

Onto the body:

The one piece body has an opening hood and opening rear tailgate. Doors are molded shut. There is an opening rear window that swings upward and a rear tailgate that swings downward. The rear window has a seporate hinge and chrome window frame. The "other" windows are a single piece consisting of the front windshield, no draft windows, and rear side glass. (You can cut these appart and glue them in seporatly for more realism.) There is a seporatly molded battery, firewall insert, and front radiator.

For Stock trim pieces, there are 22 pieces which include a chrome "Jet Aircraft" hood ordament, Chrome front and rear bumper with seporate chrome bumper guards and 2 liscence plates, chrome parking light bezels with clear glass inserts, chrome headlights with seporate clear lenses, chrome tail light bezels with seporate red clear lenses and a chrome grill. 

For Custom trim pieces, there are 2 solid red clear plastic tail lights, the stock chrome bumpers without the bumper guards, a grill insert with a smaller chrome grill, Chrome "Lucas" headlight bezels with clear lenses and a hood scoop. 

There is also the option of turning the Nomad into a "predecessor" of an El Camino by cutting off the roof just back of the no-draft windows and swapping on the custom roof with partial floor deck to the now exposed interior tub and roof of the car. There is a seporate rear window for the conversion piece. Also, AMT included 2 chrome bed rails for the El Camino variant. Chevrolet built the real El Camino in 1959, so this option would be a predicessor to the real car.

For the final Drag Racing version of the car, the stock 2 piece tail lights are used as well as the front and rear bumpers with the bumper guards, stock headlights and a 4 piece "Moon" gas tank goes into the grill opening. The hood for the drag race version is essentially the stock hood with a hole cut out of it to clear the velocity stacks. The guidelines to cutting this hole are molded into the underside of the hood. The rear wheel arches have to be radiused for the larger Goodyear tires and AMT has a "Ring" molded to the inside rear fenders that's used as a guideline to opening up the arches.

The beauty of these "3 in 1" kits is that you can use any of the extra parts to build whatever version of this car that you want. Use the custom hood scoop and tail lights on the drag racer. Use the drag suspension on the custom to make a "street legal" boulivard terror. Build a "What if" 1955 stock El Camino. Build a Drag Racing El Camino. Mount the custom tires and drag rear suspension on the stock Nomad and use the stock rear bench seat with the custom front seats and console to build a mild street racer. 

The possibilities are endless!

HAVE FUN! :woohoo: 

Trevor Ursulescu
Monster Hobbies

www.freewebs.com/monsterhobbies


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## scotpens (Sep 6, 2003)

Well, Trevor, you certainly know your model kits! I was probably mixing up the AMT Nomad wagon with the Revell kit of the same subject, which doesn't have an opening tailgate or quite the detail level of the AMT version. One thing, though: If you compare the two side-by-side, there's a noticeable difference in the rear roof curvature and the distance from the rearmost roof groove to the upper tailgate window frame. I don't know which kit body is the more accurate.


MadCap Romanian said:


> . . . The "other" windows are a single piece consisting of the front windshield, no draft windows, and rear side glass. . . There is also the option of turning the Nomad into a "predecessor" of an El Camino by cutting off the roof just back of the no-draft windows and swapping on the custom roof with partial floor deck to the now exposed interior tub and roof of the car.


You know, you're the first person I've heard in decades who refers to vent windows or vent wings as "no-draft" windows! That's what my mother used to call them. I believe "No-Draft" was originally a tradename, though I can't recall which car company used it.


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## Hunch (Apr 6, 2003)

Now... I built one Years ago that HAD opening doors (tailgate etc). Was that Not Revell? I'm confused.


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## farmersamm (Sep 12, 2007)

Hey Guys, Speakin' of wing vents.

Who was the idiot who started making cars and trucks with those lousy one piece windows. I suppose they figure all cars have airconditioning, and who wants fresh air anyhoo? A/C breaks down once in a while. Then whaddaya got??

Open the window and ya got a face full of hot cigarette ashes, or at the very least it blows the lettuce right outta yer Big Mac.

That's right up there with leather seats. Sit on those babies when the A/C goes on a 104 degree day. Ya look kinda silly steppin' out of the PU, and marchin' into Wally World with a soaking wet hind end.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

The one piece windows came in 1969 and were designed to make the side profile of the cars look more "Uninhibited" by removing the vertical line left by the no-drafts. 

My 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass has the one piece glass side windows and no A/C. Doesn't matter though, as there are two large fresh air vents per side on the inside of the car. Open both of those up on a hot day and cruise at 45 Mph and you're laughing!


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

I actually stumbled across this current Johnny Lightning kit at Wal-Mart in a 4-pack and it is the same kit as I had previously, the one I was looking at for the review. The little Die-cast car is cute and has an opening hood. 

As for the Revell kit, there was a 1957 Chevy Nomad AND a Bel Air with poseable steering, and opening hood, doors and trunk (on the Bel Air). It was known as "The Unbuildable 1957 Chevrolet" because the parts were brittle and the gaps in the doors were horrible.


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## CarCrazyDiecast (Jan 11, 2007)

Really appreciate all the excellent information, guys! 

Thank you!!!


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Found a missing part. It's the insert for the back seat. I don't know how RC2 lost this piece, but it's been missing since a few kits ago.


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## farmersamm (Sep 12, 2007)

My 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass has the one piece glass side windows and no A/C. Doesn't matter though, as there are two large fresh air vents per side on the inside of the car. Open both of those up on a hot day and cruise at 45 Mph and you're laughing![/QUOTE]


But it never gets hot in Canada!!!!!!!  :hat:


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Come to Alberta and say that....in August.


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## accobra64 (Aug 10, 2003)

MadCap Romanian, thanks for the review.
I bought this kit with the JL diecast Nomad when it first hit the shelves in 2006.
I am a serious collector of 3" JL diecast and needed that casting for my collection.
And what a wonderful surprise that I found in the kit.
I had originally built it as a youth way back when.
The actual kit that I built was the yellow "Wompin Wagon" version that I built as a gasser and even painted it yellow just like the picture on the box.
To me then it was one of the best AMT kits on the market at that time.
And I did build a lot of AMT model car kits back in that time frame.
Well, I rediscovered 1/25 scale plastic model kits with that purchase.
I liked the kit so much that I bought a second one.
After that, I kept watching for and ultimately buying some of the other 1/25 scale kits with the 3" JL diecast cars.
Since then I have bought several other AMT kits and have started building model kits again.
And I still have the passion.
So once again, thanks for the review on this wonderful kit.

For those that don't know, I have been around HT for some time but just not over on this forum.
This is my chance to say hello to everyone here.
"Hi"!!

Cheers. Cobra


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## Drac Blau (May 12, 2008)

I just started on this kit last week, and I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality, especially considering its' age. I am building it as a gasser of the early 60s and having fun with it.

DB


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Hunch said:


> Now... I built one Years ago that HAD opening doors (tailgate etc). Was that Not Revell? I'm confused.


Revells own Nomad (different year) had opening doors, hood, and rear hatch. It was a monster to build. The old Revell kits were pretty detailed but very tricky to assemble. It was last out in the 80s or so in some car magazine packaging. Now they sell the Monogram kit instead.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

Yes. HOT ROD MAGAZINE, and it came with a HRM sticker to put on your car.


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## MadCap Romanian (Oct 29, 2005)

You're all welcome for my review and I'm glad it helped people out!


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