21 replies to this topic

[TeamHRW]

My kits arrived today and thought some would like a closer look.
 
Veteran modelers already know it is just an older release brought back, so nothing new. Except I did not have to pay the ridiculous price collectors have been wanting for one of the originals For most of us, these kits are not for staring at or trading, they are going to built & RACED. So, regular releases like this one is pretty special when they arrive.
 

 
Box art is pretty well done.
 

 

 

 
Decals sheet is normal. You get the extra "0" to do a different version of the car.
 

 
Looking forward to building it. Since I am not a model kit expert, my opinion will be different from others I have seen.
 
I like it. In fact it is one of the smartest things Round2 (AMT) has done in quite awhile. The slot car kits are horrible quality aside from the bodies and are nothing more than display boxes for the collector. I think concentrating on nice kits like this is what they should do instead. AMT has made a lot of great kits over the years that us slotheads can easily turn into slot cars if we want to, and when we do...we build the chassis to our own liking. That is what I am going to do
 
I hope AMT brings back more of these cool cars. 
 
Here is a great page about the Petty Kit Car: Kit Car History & Photo Link
 


WHEEL OPTION for slot car racing.
 
These tires Paul Gage makes for the BRM Porsche are literally perfect size to use.
 
LINK FOR PGT 28160 Tires
 

These would fit the Pro-Track as well as H&R
 

Comparison of kit tire to PGT.
 

Insert from the kit drops in.
 

 
This will race
 
Of course, there are plenty of other options based on your taste. Standard foams, etc.
 
On our home track the urethane based tires (H&R/PGT/Homemade) are very good. Just glue them on the wheel and you are set. We don't use high torque/rpm motors in our series though.
 

[Bruce Wayne]

 I have to admit I never knew of such a kit but am very pleased that Round2 (AMT) has chosen to bring it back. It's looks perfect for an easy Hardbody slot car conversion due to the large wheel wells. 

 

Thanks for sharing the tips on tires and the excellent review Harry, well done 

 

Please show us some pics of the finished project.

[TeamHRW]

Thanks, glad it helped you.

 

I did not think I would get started on it this quickly, but I am hammering out an old chassis.

 

Grabbing some paint tomorrow and will see how badly I can mess up a perfectly good kit

[Hworth08]

The 1:1 version of the kit car was a fairly decent race car. There were two of these that ran the whole season at the Fairgrounds at Nashville in probably 1975. IIRC someone from Texas owned both of them and I don't remember who the drivers were. They probably averaged finishing 10th to 12th against some fine Sportsman cars.

I believe all the parts could be bought from Petty including the cage and frame pieces. They made pretty cheap cars but couldn't compete with the Mike Lofton built cars.

Can't remember his first name but Hamilton was his last and worked for Chrysler through Petty to develop the kit car. His car was fast and he could stay with the best at Nashville in the National Sportsman (Nationwide) races. Pretty sure he won a Daytona 500 in a Petty Cup car.

[Mopar Rob]

Pete Hamilton

[MG Brown]

Pete Hamilton bio on Legends of NASCAR
 

[TeamHRW]

Well it is finished. Not a fine scale replica, but it will race. I tried to model it with a balance of scale accuracy and performance. No chin spoiler as it would not last long anyway. The side exhaust was made from styrene tubing I drilled out larger. The molded exhaust on the chassis kit was pretty poor.

 

Rust Oleum Sail Blue with RO gray primer. Decals from the kit and a H&R base chassis. Paul Gage tires and MT5 motor.

 

 

 

I am just not that good at bare metal foil. Not that I am any good with paint either, but more comfortable.

 

Interior is a half tray design using Plastruct diamond plate embossed sheet. I trimmed the original roll cage to fit. Driver is a MT Resin shoulder bust with a Champion driver head. For my eyes it does the job of adding scale appeal. The Parma lexan type trays just look bad to me, but I also don't spend a lot of time making a full interior. I respect those that do, it is just not my style. So I sort of aim somewhere in the middle

 

 

 

 

This was a lot of FUN. This kit is a great one for slot car model racing. AMT should bring back more of these as a great series could be built upon them. I plan on building at least one more kit to have has a running mate.

[MG Brown]

Your replica looks great Harry... but can I make a suggestion for next time?

 

Some people do find BMF hard to work with, no argument there. What I discovered for slot cars is to instead use 1-Shot 193L Metallic Silver lettering enamel.

 

1-Shot paints have a longer drying time than hobby enamels so you have more time to correct or clean up mistakes. When dry (usually overnight), the paint is very durable and should easily survive the sometimes rough slot racing environment.

 

The thing that is the most difficult is to plan your painting so you don't get your fingers in the wet paint when painting another area. As I said, this paint does take a long time to dry relatively speaking, so take some extra care for best results.

 

Some people have said 1-Shot is pricey, but I find a 1-pint jar can last many years if you properly reseal the can after each use (a rubber mallet helps here).

 

PS: I mentioned it on HRW and I will mention it here- I sure like how you modeled the tire rub on the right side of the car. Very nice detail that adds realism.

[Tex]

That's a GREAT lookin' car, Harry! LOVE the wheelmark on the right side!

[TeamHRW]

Thanks guys.

 

And yes, Mick..thanks for the info. I am always looking to try new things.

[NY Nick]

Nice car, did not know they raced Darts.

 

Thanks for posting

[boxerdog]

This is something I built several years back. Being as I crewed on a 1/1 Kit Car, I had to do it....but the Dart kit is more similar to what we ran back then. We got the necessary pieces from Petty, and JYD'ed the rest of the body parts.

 

I really like the looks of the new kit, and i like what you've done with it. I will have to get one to park next to the Duster.

 

I built the car originally, then George Russell made it work considerably better!! It has seen a few races.....

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[Tex]

Whoa! Dig them front fenders!

[boxerdog]

I don't recall where I got the kit, but the Chrysler ads back then featured those humps and flares. Our car looked very much like the Dart kit. I will look to see if I can find a pic to scan.

[Hworth08]

Tex,

 

The fenders were controversial.  Sportsman cars cut out the wheel wells but re-shaping the fender was illegal. Since Chrysler was behind the Kit Car NASCAR allowed them.

 

The Kits were running against the Chevelles and Novas. Mike Lofton had perfected the art of lowering the engine by using a Fiat transmission that was turned to a 45 degree angle. Using a few thousand dollars of other parts he had the center of gravity down to unbelievable heights.

 

Mike's cars were used by Harry Gant, Butch Lindy, L.D. Ottinger, Jack Ingram, Earnhardt Sr., anyone who could afford them. These car were breaking track records by a full second all around the Southeast.

 

Due to the expense of the chassis NASCAR instated a rule that the center line of the crankshaft had to be 12 inches high, about twice what those cars had.

[MG Brown]

I don't recall where I got the kit, but the Chrysler ads back then featured those humps and flares. Our car looked very much like the Dart kit. I will look to see if I can find a pic to scan.

 

 

AMT offered 4 Chrysler "Kit Car" kits back in the day- hope with the success and sell out of the Dart, that we will see the others re-issued soon.

 

Side note- I am VERY surprised that we see the "Winston" decal on the door of the Petty model. The government nannies will have KITtens when they discover it.

[boxerdog]

It's pleasantly surprising to run into folks that know something about these cars. Ours was in some of the Chrysler ads at the time, as was the Cushman car as I remember. Although we had the W-2 heads, aluminum heads would have been a real plus. Those came a little later. That car was a tremendous learning experience for all of us, as was all of the exposure to factory engineers.

[Joe Mig]

It looks great nice job. Can we see a picture of the chassis and or underside of the car?

[MG Brown]

It looks great nice job. Can we see a picture of the chassis and or underside of the car?

 

IIRC, the original article on HRW has helpful chassis and running gear pix.

[TeamHRW]

 

Just a modded H&R. had seen better days so I made a "slider" type bulkhead to set the wheelbase easily.

[Pete L.]

Harry,

 

 Great job on the car !!!

[Mayberryman]

Thanks for the walk down memory lane with the Petty Kit Car. I built a few of the or the original models and remember one of the 1-1 kit cars that was the beginning of a career for a future NASCAR Cup racer.

 

Rick Mast ran at Southside Speedway and other tracks in the Virginia Carolina area with one of the original Petty Kit Cars. His baby blue #22 was always competitive against the likes of Ray Hendrick and Sonny Hutchins in local racing. Rick was from Rockbridge Bath, near Lexington Va. and his parents ran the old Natural Bridge Speedway. Rick drove for many years ending his career in the #90 Junie Donleavy Ford when he developed medical problems from years of breathing the exhaust from race cars.

 

Rick is still alive and doing well today and has a nice river house in Rockbridge and enjoys being on the water.