AMT 1/32 Purolator Lumina, previewed by Scott Van Aken

AMT 1/32 Purolator Lumina

KIT#:	8722
PRICE:	$8.00 from a vendor
DECALS:	One option
REVIEWER:	Scott Van Aken
NOTES:	1992 release

Cope progressed through the short-track ranks in the Northwest, and later made his Winston Cup Series debut at Riverside International Raceway in 1982. Cope's No. 95 car finished 36th there after developing an oil leak, and he won $625.

He ran part-time in the Winston Cup Series after that, making an attempt at Rookie of the Year in 1987. In 1989, he signed with Bob Whitcomb to drive the No. 10 Purolator Pontiac and later Chevrolet, posting four top-10 finishes.

During the last lap of the 1990 Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt ran over a piece of debris and cut a tire in turn three. After narrowly avoiding most of the resulting debris, Cope assumed the lead and earned his first win, as well as his first Top 5 (his best finish prior to the 1990 Daytona 500 was sixth) in NASCAR competition. He became an overnight sensation as a result of the win, appearing on Late Night with David Letterman that week. At Dover later in the 1990 season, Cope rallied for another win after running out of fuel and falling off the lead lap. At year's end, he wound up 18th in points.

Following the 1992 season, the Whitcomb team closed down, and Cope drove an originally unsponsored No. 66 Ford for Cale Yarborough. After Daytona, the car was sponsored by Bojangles, and the number changed to No. 98 starting the next race at Rockingham, reflecting the restaurant's 98 cent value menu.

Despite only having a couple of wins in the Cup series and one or two in the lesser NASCAR series, Cope is one of those people who just loves to race, even if he isn't particularly competitive. He races at cup level now and then and was a participant in the 2021 Daytona 500, finishing dead last due to an accident that took out 1/3 of the field.

This kit is of Cope's 1990 ride when he won the Daytona 500. It is a snap kit so the so the mounting surfaces are fairly large and the detailing isn't the same as a standard glue kit. It is also in 1/32 scale rather than 1/24th or 1/25th. However, the kit is not a curbside. There is a 12 piece engine and nicely molded suspension. Vinyl tires attach to chrome wheels and are pressed in place of suspension axle stubs.

These suspension bits and then attached to the chassis pan along with the engine. and exhaust. On the upper portion of the chassis one builds the interior which includes a seat, stick, roll cage instrument pane and steering. There is a decal for the instrument. Once the chassis/interior is completed, the body is attached. The kit has a separate hood and rear bumper along with clear bits for the windows. In order to have this kit look good when done, there is quite a bit of painting that needs to happen. Biggest is the body which has a red interior and white exterior so get plenty of masking material for this.

Instruction sheet is large and provides not only color info in generic terms, but also several tips on construction. Most of this car, including the chassis/interior is white with only the front part of the body in red so some masking is required. Frankly, looking at photos of the actual car, it seems that the forward section of the roll cage and the dash are black, as is the rear spoiler. AMT suggests using the side decals to make a masking template. The decal sheet is nicely done and includes all the different color trim. The sheet is glossy and a bit thick, but past experience with AMT sheets shows that it will work just fine, especially if one uses hot water.

I have to admit that I purchased this kit from the seller (along with a few others), because I wanted the body for a slot car. However, it does look like it will build into a nice model and I may well forego the robbing of it for the body and build it as intended. It does look like it will be a pleasant experience. Another thing I noticed is that it seems as if everything under the body is the same in all these kits. Since the distributor is in the back of the engine, all these cars (even the Fords), have Chevrolet engines!