AMT 1/25 'Taz' 57 Plymouth Belvedere
| KIT #: | 30317 |
| PRICE: | $ |
| DECALS: | None |
| REVIEWER: | Scott Van Aken |
| NOTES: | Looney Toons snap kit |
| HISTORY |
The 1957 model year had high sales for the Chrysler Corporation, and for the Plymouth line. Plymouth's design was so revolutionary that Chrysler used the slogan "Suddenly, it's 1960!" to promote the new car.
Standard on all body styles except the convertible was the "Powerflow 6" L-head engine. The convertible was only V8 powered and V8s were available in other Belvederes with an optional "Fury" 301 cu in (4.9 L) version as well as a "High-Performance PowerPAC" at extra cost. A manual transmission was standard with the push-button two-speed PowerFlite optional and the push-button three-speed TorqueFlite automatic also optional on V8 cars.
The Belvedere would once again return as a top level trim for 1958 for the last time. Styling was a continuation from the 1957 models. A big block "B" engine of 350 in3 V8 with dual four-barrel carburetors dubbed "Golden Commando" was optional on all models. For 1959, the Fury became the top range with a full array of sedans and coupes, and the Belvedere became the middle range. The Savoy became the least expensive model, and the Plaza was discontinued.
The convertible was only available in the Belvedere model between 1956 and 1958.
The 1957-58 Belvedere two-door hardtop gained notoriety from the Stephen King movie Christine (1983). In the opening of the movie, it is indicated that Christine is a 1957 Fury, though the standard color of the 1957 Fury was not red. 1957 Fury had standard Sandstone White with gold anodized aluminum trim. For the movie Christine is painted "toreador red" with an "iceberg white" top.
| THE KIT |
I
bought this kit in order to use the body on a slot car and never really got
around to doing that. Kit parts are well molded and the body is pre-painted, as
you'd expect on most snap kits. All of the mounting areas are quite large and as
you'd expect, the amount of detail provided with regards to the interior and
chassis is minimal.
There are around a dozen parts and one starts with the body by attaching the tail light pieces, the blower and the velocity stacks. A single piece and the blackened window piece fits into the body. There is no interior. Then the four 'bling' wheels and tires are assembled and, using the provided metal axles, are attached to the chassis.
With that done, the front bumper is attached to the grill and the exhaust tips attached to the chassis. Finally, the body is snapped into place and that is it.
Instructions are four construction steps and are on a folded piece of paper. Not much is needed as there isn't much there.
| CONCLUSIONS |
Not surprisingly, this kit is not really designed for adults, but is the perfect way to get kids interested in building models. The combination of a Looney Tunes character adds to that appeal. The parts appear to be quite rugged so will undoubtedly hold up to some major play time.
| REFERENCES |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Belvedere
April 2019
Copyright ModelingMadness.com. All rights reserved.
If you would like your product reviewed fairly and fairly quickly, please contact the editor or see other details in the Note to Contributors.
Back to the Main Page Back to the Previews Index Page Back to the Review Index Page