AMT/Ertl 1/25th Shelby GT 350
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Introduction
The 1967 Shelby GT-350 was not your average Mustang. It was powered
by a Shelby tuned 289 cubic inch Ford V-8 with a four barrel Holley carburetor
and it produced 306 horsepower. The body had many special features to
distinguish it from the stock Mustang, among them Mercury Cougar taillights,
a custom hood with air scoop and hood pins, and fiberglass air scoops
mounted on the body aft of the doors. A four speed manual transmission
was standard equipment, and options included an automatic transmission,
Kelsey-Hayes Magstar wheels, Paxton supercharger, and air conditioning.
The Shelby GT-350 had the performance to match its appearance, with a
0-60 time of 7.1 seconds, a 15.3 second quarter mile run @ 91 MPH, and
a top speed of 129 MPH. Not bad for 1967!
The Kit
The kit is well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box. The model consists
of 123 parts-84 gray, 25 chrome, 8 clear, 4 rubber tires, and 2 clear
red parts. The parts are all separately bagged, with the exception of
the clear parts, which were slightly scratched. These parts come on 7
sprues, with the exception of the body and the inner door detail. The
body is very well executed with crisp detail, and minimal mold lines.
The hood has molded on hood pins and these are only fair. The chrome parts
include the bumpers, wheels, air cleaner, front disc brakes, etc. The
quality of the chrome is good, and there is also an optional pair of ribbed
valve covers with “Cobra” script. The soft rubber “Firestone”
tires have good detail. The chassis is nicely done and the interior parts-especially
the dashboard-are quite impressive. The engine detail is also well executed,
albeit slightly soft. The fold out instructions feature good drawings
and a logical build sequence, but the color recommendations are generic;
for example suggesting “Blue” for the engine block rather
than Ford Engine Blue, which is more accurate. The decals are screen-printed,
include a pair of license plates, and the quality is mediocre. My overall
impression of this kit is positive.
Accuracy
The website The Car Source lists
the following dimensions for the Shelby GT-350: a wheelbase of 108 inches,
overall height of 51.6 inches, overall width of 70.9 inches, and an overall
length of 186.6 inches. I have not checked the kit against these measurements
but I feel that kit accurately depicts the car so I will defer to the
Mustang experts on that subject. No kit is perfect and this one is no
exception. The carburetor and battery are generic in their detail and
the “Cobra” valve covers should be black crinkle finished
rather than chrome plated. The Kelsey-Hayes Magstar wheels, although nice,
are not quite right in their proportions: the centers should be smaller
and the rims should be bigger.
Conclusion
I have always liked Mustangs, and I really like this kit. I think that
a competent builder can produce a nice model from this model kit, and
that a little aftermarket “help” in the form of seatbelts,
a set of photo-etched hood pins, etc. can result in a highly detailed
model anyone would be pleased with. Information on the AMT/Ertl
website indicates that this kit is not currently in production but
it should be easy enough to find. I purchased my kit from Skyway
Model Shop.
Highly recommended!
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