Review:

Model King AMT/Ertl 1971 Thunderbird



This a straight reissue of the original AMT tooling.


The kit features the old style metal axles. It would have been nice if the tires had either been whitewalls, or offered a whitewall option.

The chassis is screw mount, and as is typical of that era, the interior is a fairly simple unit.

The kit includes both a complete engine as well as a promo style engine chassis insert.

The clear window unit is packaged separately and there is very little overall flash throughout.

The chrome tree offers a few custom options.

The new decal sheet has some great graphics as well as emblems, dash decals, etc. which makes detailing much easier.

Model King has led the way in limited production reissues of a number of very desirable kits, and this one is no exception. With the pending demise of the AMT/Ertl kit line, we can only hope that Model King will continue to make the old kits available.

I had previously built both the hardtop and convertible versions of their 1959 Imperial, also reissued from the original AMT tooling, and it was a real pleasure to take a trip back to yesteryear with them. Because the usual run of these reissued kits is fairly small, they frequently sell out quickly, so if you see one you want, better order it quickly. One of the best places to find these is Fantastic Plastics.

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