AMT model company history

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
  • The story of the AMT kit model company. This is episode 3 on the AMT, MPC, ERTL history series. Corrections: It was the USS CONSTELLATION in "The Doomsday Machine", not the USS Constitution.. They also gave it the registry number NCC-1017 by rearranging the decals used in the Enterprise kit. Also the Spock molds were actually made by Aurora with AMT's permission for European distribution as AMT did not want to make figures. The molds were sent to Aurora UK for production and distribution in Europe. Once AMT saw the sales numbers they decided to make it after all and the molds (either copies or the originals) were sent to AMT for domestic US production.
    Special thanks to boxartden.com and oldmodelkits.com for permission to use their images and a shout out to scalemates.com which is a wonderful resource for information on kit model histories.

ความคิดเห็น • 628

  • @tuberworksjones
    @tuberworksjones 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    Once you have made a model you never forget that kit

    • @roysheaks1261
      @roysheaks1261 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      So true! I retired in 2020 and proceeded to buy several plastic model kits that I remember building in the 60s and early 70s. Some are rare, hard to get. I will begin building them this year, around 30 of them. Fond memories!

  • @richardbarnhart7302
    @richardbarnhart7302 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    My greatest memory of my youth in the 60's was listening to WABC and spending hours in my basement work shop creating models, they were the best

    • @deandemarest4438
      @deandemarest4438 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Im 64 years old, originally from Long Island, NY and I have the exact same memories.

  • @bigbama34
    @bigbama34 19 วันที่ผ่านมา +1

    I started building the model cars in the 70's and still build them today. My Grandkids love them. Excellent video.

  • @MarkWG
    @MarkWG 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    I'm 63 years old and I still build and collect many different scale models from several model companies. My collection of pre-built and self-built car and truck models has become so large, that it fills a room 12' x 20'. Yes, I am very proud to say that I still play with cars. I have been building model cars since I was 4 years old in 1965.

  • @bernie472
    @bernie472 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

    Love AMT, Revell, and Monogram kits to this day. Started building them in the mid 80's as a kid, and today I still love the hobby. I spend up to a month or longer building kits, mostly car kits. Great Documentery!

  • @jimbower9268
    @jimbower9268 11 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Thanks for this documentary. I got heavy into car models in the early 60s, and AMT was the gold standard. I remember how AMT would come out with an array of cars every fall, just about the same time Detroit did. Those kits kept me busy for years.

  • @scottouellette9411
    @scottouellette9411 4 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    My next door neighbor passed away in 1975. His wife gave me over 400 AMT models still in the originaj boxes unopened.I still have everyone of them 45yrs. later.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      They have value

    • @scottouellette9411
      @scottouellette9411 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@maxsmodels It's the art work on the boxes that are cool.You know at my age physical items don't mean much to me.

    • @nismojukerich2994
      @nismojukerich2994 5 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@scottouellette9411 Of course they're yours to do with as you wish, hopefully they'll end up in someone else's hands that appreciate them as well before you go. Hear too many stories of families being left with pieces like these that end up in the garbage because they don't know, or care, what they're worth or the burden of having to try to get rid of them.

  • @marklogan9849
    @marklogan9849 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thanks for information. I would look forward to Friday when the family would go out to dinner and my Dad and I would chose a model car to build. Great memories of 60 years ago.

  • @johnharris7751
    @johnharris7751 4 ปีที่แล้ว +42

    AMT and M.P. C. We're my favorites, makes me feel my age when I remember buying them for $2.00. One time I got a kit with a bad body, I wrote a letter to AMT and within a few weeks the sent me a replacement along with a huge decal and a letter of apology.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I just posted the MPC video.

  • @gtxmag
    @gtxmag 4 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    I was a draftsman for AMT in the late 60's. I did a lot of the Star Trek plans.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      You are an American treasure. Thank you

    • @gtxmag
      @gtxmag 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@maxsmodels I don't know about that but it was fun to work there. I could not believe the work that went into making a model.

    • @JohnFourtyTwo
      @JohnFourtyTwo 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I had the Enterprise and the phaser, communicator, & tricorder kits. I noticed the Star Trek utility belt toy's accessories were the same scale as the model's and the communicator in both were basically the same thing and at one time I repaired my toy communicator with the same model glue I used to build the model communicator.

    • @gtxmag
      @gtxmag 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@JohnFourtyTwo There were wood model makers who made the parts out of wood first to make sure the parts fit before they made the dies. When they were done they said I could have them but I was young and did not want them. Was I stupid. It would be worth bucks today.

    • @raymondszumski1335
      @raymondszumski1335 ปีที่แล้ว

      Was there ever a factory in New Jersey ???

  • @KenDrPH
    @KenDrPH 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Great walk down memory lane! Grew up building so many of these in the ‘50’s and early 60’s…brilliant, thanks!!! 🙏🏼 ❤

  • @2098elk
    @2098elk 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Spent many hours and $ on these model kits! Great memories. Thanks.

  • @NHL633
    @NHL633 4 ปีที่แล้ว +38

    In the first half of the sixties I was into AMT model cars. I liked the 3 in 1 kits because I could choose the way I wanted the car to look. I seem to recall the AMTs were a bit easier to work with - I've never been good with extreamly small bits and pieces. By the time I left home to go in the service I had a sizable collection that ended up in cardboard storage barrels and then went away in the house fire. In my era the kits averaged about $2.50 or so each - a hefty sum for a kid making $0.35/hour, almost a full day's wages, but a price I gladly paid to feed my car passion. My collection is somewhat smaller today (6) but my models are 1:1 scale - full size collector cars. Thanks for the background of a company that was a big part of my preteen years.

    • @rickj1983
      @rickj1983 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      They were $2.50 for me as well. AMT built some good stuff. I remember after watching this video that I had a model of the Star Trek ship and a Klingon Battle Cruiser. I remember those tractor trailer kits were $5 which was a ton of money for a kid. I remember how disappointed my dad was after he found out I spent my hard earned $5 on a truck. I thought about it for a long time after that and realized that purchase was not a good one.

  • @justpassinthruonR66
    @justpassinthruonR66 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    thanks... I enjoy this! I built over 350 kits all through my childhood. The 'doing' of it kept me on the right track and encouraged my love of vehicles. Eventually, I got a job with GM, enjoyed my time there and got a family & pension. Sadly, now I don't have the eyesight or steadyness to build kits anymore but I LOVE my diecast. It's still a 'good' life!

  • @TheLukaCeeChannel
    @TheLukaCeeChannel 3 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    Your documentaries are so well done and SO needed for our hobby. Thanks for making these, Max.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks. I need to do some more.

  • @treadhead1945
    @treadhead1945 4 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    This was amazing. My grandmother was one of the people who did the chrome plating for AMT.

    • @rsstrazz6261
      @rsstrazz6261 3 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Well, I must have put together many models with her work inside. Always perfect, I loved opening the boxes & seeing all the chrome parts "Trees" - the best part! Like works of art, sometimes I felt bad separating the pieces -

    • @robertmoore3496
      @robertmoore3496 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@rsstrazz6261 llllllll
      Hey how are you

    • @alexxbaudwhyn7572
      @alexxbaudwhyn7572 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      And if she had wheels she'd be a wagon 😀

    • @rsstrazz6261
      @rsstrazz6261 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      If she had wheels she'd be a '57 Belair 2-dr hardtop, 283/283 fuelie, 3-speed O/D in Dusk Pearl -"Sweet, Smooth & Sassy"

  • @512bb
    @512bb 3 ปีที่แล้ว +19

    Wow, this was a terrific effort. I built so many when I was a kid growing up in the 60s & 70s but had no clue as to all this great history. Man do I miss those simpler days. Much thanks to you Sir!

  • @rsstrazz6261
    @rsstrazz6261 3 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Built many AMT cars in the early 60's, sometimes bought several kits of the same car to make, stock & custom. Also did a slew of Revell ships & planes. Started out collecting Matchbox cars & trucks in the 1950s - 50c apiece!

  • @georgeh.7238
    @georgeh.7238 4 ปีที่แล้ว +30

    Oh yes, AMT has played a role in my life. I was in second grade in 1974 and we played Star Trek at recess using imaginary phasers. I will never forget the total excitement the first time I found the AMT Star Trek Exploration Kit at a local Drug store in Littleton Colorado. It was the greatest thing ever. I now had the actual Phaser, Communicator, and Tricorder. I could now truly go where no kid had gone before!

    • @k.g._szymczak
      @k.g._szymczak 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That is exactly like me! Except I was in 3rd grade! Awesome!

    • @rickycollins4633
      @rickycollins4633 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That Exploration kit was one of the hardest to find I don't think the stores had any idea how much we wanted to have copies of the tools they used on the show. Me and my friends and cousins did this same thing.

    • @georgeh.7238
      @georgeh.7238 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@rickycollins4633 Your right! They were very hard to find and there weren't that many on the shelf. In fact if I remember that first time there were only 2-3 kits on the shelf. A year or two later I bought another kit and that was it after that. Always waited for them to re-release it but that is the only kit I think they never did. Don't know why. I have an Art Asylum Phaser I bought years ago somewhere. Always gotta have a Phaser.

    • @MrMousekillaz
      @MrMousekillaz 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I still pretend my finger is a phaser...pew pew!
      Ugh
      my grandkids got me again!

    • @worldoftone
      @worldoftone 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Which drug store? We probably went to the same one LOL

  • @scottm.franklinnc7942
    @scottm.franklinnc7942 4 ปีที่แล้ว +39

    Endless hours of building cars as a kid in 60's and 70's .. wish I had all the NASCAR models un-opened ..
    Thanks amt you got that young boy through some ruff times at home.

    • @muskokamike127
      @muskokamike127 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      we've talked about the un-opened/assembled kits on here. Sure, they'd be worth a fortune now but as a kid, we wouldn't have had the enjoyment and skill building of the process.
      Same as dinky, corgi and matchbox. I have some that would be worth thousands if they were pristine. But I literally spent hundreds of hours playing with them and that in and of itself is worth more than the dollars I'd get today.

  • @gijoeimmortal1868
    @gijoeimmortal1868 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    Growing up in the 60s and 70s was awesome. Toys were just better , and creativity was the norm. I still build AMT models, when I find them.

  • @tomcarrington572
    @tomcarrington572 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    as many, thanks for the memories. you have a very cool and fine style in the presentation, clear and easy to follow.

  • @fargknob
    @fargknob 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Brings back fond memories of the late 50's - 60's....thanks for the vid.

  • @Jedimax01
    @Jedimax01 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Those videos about the histories of model kit manufacturers are fascinating. A real treat. Thank you, good sir.

  • @centralparocker8886
    @centralparocker8886 4 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I remember AMT and Revell quite well...My Dad would buy me at two a month...Remember the Testors glue that put it all together...

  • @reason2463
    @reason2463 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I was the last employee at AMT's James St. injection molding plant in Baltimore. The molding machines had been disassembled and shipped to ERTL when I happened upon some test shots that had been thrown in a dumpster. These were special "glow in the dark" shots of the star ship Enterprise that were an experiment by our industrial engineer, Tom Gooding. These were never available as a finished product from AMT. I still have them around here somewhere.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      FIND THEM...they are probably worth a small fortune...

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I would like to mention that in a later video if it is OK with you.

    • @reason2463
      @reason2463 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@maxsmodels I don't mind. If you're serious I will look for those Enterprise shots.

  • @rogerhinman5427
    @rogerhinman5427 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    AMT car kits got me into modeling back in the mid-1960's. I started washing my neighbor's cars so I could fund my model building habit. I still remember the Klingon Battle Cruiser model I built.

    • @mikethebike2456
      @mikethebike2456 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That model got me excited too. This i used two shades of PollyS green. Around '81.

  • @walidkhier
    @walidkhier 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    A rollercoaster history of a great company.

  • @marchaney
    @marchaney 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Very interesting. I never knew what AMT stood for, other than a lot of the hours (and fun) of my childhood. Thanks!

  • @FlorentinoRebuildingCo.5644
    @FlorentinoRebuildingCo.5644 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I literally walked into Brookhurst Hobbies to buy some German armor kits....then saw these AMT Peterbilt big rig kits up on s high shelf...took home the Freightliner Cab Over kit and haven't looked back. Been buying about 2 a month since.
    This happened during the Quarantine 2020.
    I didn't know these 1/25 kits existed...wow. Thank you Round2.

  • @adventuresofabbott4374
    @adventuresofabbott4374 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    I always loved the fact they seemed to lead the pack on semi truck kits for cost, range, and volume

  • @williambeasley3521
    @williambeasley3521 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This brings back so many memories. I loved working models when I was a kid.

  • @williamporter7596
    @williamporter7596 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Being a Star Trek modeller rather than a car modeller I still found this an excellent short doco on the history of AMT. Thanks for making it.

    • @trappenweisseguy27
      @trappenweisseguy27 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I still remember the hard white plastic AMT used.

  • @rickbachman993
    @rickbachman993 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Thanks, I turned 60 this year. Ha, I've built many many model cars when I was a kid. Thanks for the memories ✌️. Actually, I have a big box in the attic. Ok, good time to dig them out,and build 😁✌️🙏

  • @JAAB9296
    @JAAB9296 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Loved those days as a kid. Bought every single tractor, fire engine and trailer at least twice. They were great kits back in the day.

  • @engleharddinglefester4285
    @engleharddinglefester4285 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My dad and I built a lot of Ford Model A 3 in 1 kits in the mid-60's. He had had two real roadsters when he was a young man and they were his favorite kit. He built the stock ones and I built the custom ones. Fond memories of my dad spending time with me.

  • @llqvz116
    @llqvz116 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I must say these company histories are really interesting, Thanks for all your hard work Max, and I greatly enjoy your humorous comments in the closing titles.

  • @Anthony-qj7qe
    @Anthony-qj7qe 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    loved building those AMT 3 in one car kits in the 70's, the detail was great.... they we're awesome and still are 👍

  • @garfieldsmith332
    @garfieldsmith332 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Thanks for the nice walk thru memory lane. Aurora in 1968 also licensed to produce the Enterprise at their Canadian plant for the Canadian market. They created the exact same box and box art (now called the reissue retro box), except the AMT logo was replaces by a red square and the word Aurora in big letters across the box. I remember I had purchased and built both. The AMT kit sold for 2 dollars in the USA. The AMT kit and then the Aurora kit sold for $ 3.20 in Canada, even though the exchange was only about 10 cents. I purchased a lot of AMT kits in those days and always felt we were being ripped off as we paid 60% more for a kit rather than only 10% more. Still we saved, bought them, and built them. And we had to have every TV model AMT came out with.

  • @Siren851
    @Siren851 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    What a cool presentation! As many model cars as I've built, I didn't realize how complicated AMT history was.

  • @cliffwood4610
    @cliffwood4610 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Oh boy! I spent a fortune on lots of those kits in the 60s ,enjoyed every one of them,I am sitting her whimpering for the love of the Kenworth rig and the Surf Woody...At 70 I don't have the eyesight to make them ,but love them just the same..don't make too many of these videos,I am crying already...

    • @dusseau13
      @dusseau13 8 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I have a desktop magnifier that works for my eyes, my shaking is another matter. I do the best I can.

  • @jeffking291
    @jeffking291 4 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    AMT was my favorite company when building models, because of the metal axels. They rolled really great, especially down my driveway, which sloped 1 whole story from the front of the apartment to the back .
    MPC was OK, as I remember, Monagram was a different size, and another had plastic pins for axels.
    Cool video.
    📻🙂

    • @michaelmaddy278
      @michaelmaddy278 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I'm glad someone else liked those metal axel AMT cars. When I was in high school jacked up cars like Nova's, Chevelle's an others it was easy to jack those AMT models I just glued that 3 hole little block where the metal axel would go two hole downs with the 3rd hole to put those axels through, looked real good jacket up, an for Red line tires I used a red ink pen to color the white walls.

    • @thomasjordan5578
      @thomasjordan5578 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      When I got tired of looking at them I would stuff firecrackers in them squirt lighter fluid in also, ignite them and roll them down the driveway. 🤣

  • @glennspace1091
    @glennspace1091 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Thanks for this trip back to my childhood model building days! Brought back a lot of memories of kits I built. Also thank you for the video on Revell, Aurora & Monogram history

  • @Donleecartoons
    @Donleecartoons 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Those AMT 1/25 semi trucks! Memories of building them with Dad in the 1970s (OK, mostly watching as Dad built them). What I remember, though, is the pre-symbol instructions, with parts labeled as they corresponded to the part on the real truck.I won't say I became a master mechanic or anything, but I fancy I learned a few things about what was what on a diesel engine just from putting the engines together on a couple AMT truck models. Thanks for the trip.

  • @irvlennert3674
    @irvlennert3674 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I really love your videos! I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s. I built every kit manufacturer that you have put videos out about. I wish I still had ANY of the models that I have build way back then...

  • @montigobear
    @montigobear 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I so enjoy your historical look-backs on where our beloved kits came from. Great stuff, sir.

  • @evocatiranch7624
    @evocatiranch7624 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Great video dude. I grew up in the 90s building old model kits and as an adult I'm determined to help keep hobby stores alive. This history series you're producing makes me appreciate my dad's huge collection even more.

  • @aleks1939
    @aleks1939 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Minor correction, it was the USS Constellation in the Doomsday Machine episode and not the Constitution.

  • @sweenep86
    @sweenep86 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    it was AMTs kits which got me into American cars and then ultimately drag racing over here in the 🇬🇧 it was a great way for a boy to be involved in an adult pursuit and kept me out of trouble throughout my teenage years. I rarely finished a kit as i literally roof chopped everything with varying degrees of success (an the occasional injury), but that being said, i had lots of parts and could build up any style of hot rod or street machine from parts. From painting models i got into airbrushing and full size custom painting. Those little models have a lot to answer for.

    • @CycolacFan
      @CycolacFan 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Phils Obsession did you keep any of them?

    • @sweenep86
      @sweenep86 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      CycolacFan yeah lots of half built stuff, will go back to it one day

  • @dansotelo228
    @dansotelo228 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Wow, that's really neat that you got your first Corvette ride in a Split Window 63. My experience with a 63 was on my way to my elementary school as I walked by the RAMSEY steel company where the president had a private parking spot and always some kind of cool new car. But this morning there was the most outrageous, most beautiful car I ever saw, a brand new red 63 split-window Corvette. I was so blown away by it that I was late for school.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Mine was about 1969. The son of the store owner next to our family store had one with a little Playboy bunny rabbit on the back (even then I knew what that was). I passed it for weeks before I asked about it. My dad was concerned about a teenager in a Corvette taking his 9 year old (because no teenager ever did anything stupid in a sports car to show off in front of kids). So my dad curled up in the area behind the seats to chaperone us. It was still a huge thrill. It might have been a 64 because I seem to recall the bunny was in the back window. Oh the details fade but the memory is bright.

  • @deliveryguyrx
    @deliveryguyrx 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wow, this brings back some memories!I built a shitload of AMT model cars.I did some Monograms as well, but AMT was my favorite.Started in '67 when I was 9 years old, and continued until I was about 16.I liked the stock/custom/drag thing,and I'd sometimes combine the best of several models to make a 'one-off'.Thank you for this vid!

  • @Kevin_Kennelly
    @Kevin_Kennelly 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thank you for such a well produced video.
    I was born in '56, so yeah, I grew up with AMT.
    Of course, I watched every original broadcast of Trek.
    I didn't know about the AMT connection to that show.
    Thank you for that also.
    Dad bought a '63 Falcon...and the model.

  • @MrDejast
    @MrDejast 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for the video, brings me back to 66, the first. And now I enjoy it even more!

  • @davidstoyanoff
    @davidstoyanoff 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I love the three in one kits. You have leftover parts that you could use to customize other models.

    • @lancerevell5979
      @lancerevell5979 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep, I am finishing AMT's '53 Studebaker now. Built it as a kid, now I can enjoy it again decades later in retirement.
      It provides two complete motors and lots of optional parts. I am building the stock version. AMT still rocks!

    • @davidstoyanoff
      @davidstoyanoff 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@lancerevell5979 53 stude with twin blowers! I think that engine ended up in three or four different models before I was done

    • @outlaw5094
      @outlaw5094 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@davidstoyanoff ..Yep..the big engine with 2 blowers sittin at 45* angle's...in the 1953 Studebaker Hawk " The Salty Dog"...I bought one around 1968 at the Five & Dime store ,cost $ 2.00...and Ive still got it in almost perfect condition, I took it apart and rebuilt it a time or two..LOL...Im sure you remember doin that too..Heck it was just as much fun to redo em it was to build em the first time..those are precious memories brother...Ive still got most all of my old models from 60s..70s..80s...about 200 of em...Im glad you still have that passion and the time now to enjoy it again...I feel your inspiration,.feels good..thank you man..

    • @davidstoyanoff
      @davidstoyanoff 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@outlaw5094 I had the same Studie!

  • @davidward9487
    @davidward9487 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    AMT was another one of my favorite models kits. I built a ton of those star trek kits!

  • @RWSBaden
    @RWSBaden 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Thanks Max for the history on AMT. My passion back in the 1970's was 1/24 and 1/25 scale model trucks. I think I built every model truck offered by AMT and ERTL except the fire trucks. Yep, I also built all the trailers to go along with the model truck tractors. Sadly, after joining the USAF in 1979, my parents decided my bedroom was going to become a new den and all my models went into the trash, Oh the humanity. Thank God Round 2 has been re-releasing the truck models, I'll show them 👍 Cheers, Rich S.

    • @maxsmodels
      @maxsmodels  4 ปีที่แล้ว

      I am building their AMT and MPC GTOs right now

    • @lancemichaletz7248
      @lancemichaletz7248 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Trash???, my parents would never see me again, I have a truck hobby that is a perfect mind set, I can be creative without owning the real thing, sorry for your loss,

  • @chrislj2890
    @chrislj2890 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Back in the '50s and early '60s I built model planes, but in my teens it was mostly cars and usually AMT. I haven't been into it since then, but this video reminded me of something. Back in the '90s when Ford restyled the F-150 I really liked them, and a friend at work gave me an AMT kit of the 1997 Ford F-150 Styleside pickup. I got to digging around and found it in a closet, still untouched. I don't think I have the knack for building models anymore so it will probably stay unbuilt. I really enjoyed this video travel back in time.

  • @Mr19thcenturyman
    @Mr19thcenturyman 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Spent The 1970"s building all those Star Trek models and many more. Thanks for the great stories of modeling history.

  • @MileyonDisney
    @MileyonDisney 4 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    I'm an old man and I built many cars in the mid-60's. It seems that most of mine may have been AMT. Good times that young kids today won't know.

    • @muskokamike127
      @muskokamike127 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I was more a revell guy but I saw a few AMTs I built too.
      I think back to the kits I made: glue finger prints on the glass, stuff glued on crooked, paint slapped on. Back then I was more about the finish line than the process. It took me until my 20's when I started in design that I became more process oriented than finish line. I actually had a boss complain to me that I was too fixated on the process lol....
      To tell you how bad I got: I was working on a wooden ship model and I didn't like the way the kit made straps to hold the mast stays in place. So I got some 10 gauge copper wire and hammered it flat and shaped it to produce better looking straps haha. Took me about a year to finish that one.

    • @SSGTA440
      @SSGTA440 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'm 63, still building kits....I built a ton back in the 60's and believe it, I kept almost all of them, but they have fallen apart. in the storage boxes...creating the largest 3d puzzle ever...but I like to build still, keeps my fine motor skills in tune.
      The shops that sell them claim that about roughly 25% of the buyers are people under 20....I thought it would be less, but these kits are really for the boomers, trying to re-capture their youth....kinda cool

  • @bobmcdonald2905
    @bobmcdonald2905 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    My first model was the AMT Double Dragster .You could build 2 out of 3 different models. Got for Christmas in 61 or 62. Built alot of AMT 3 in one kits as they seemed a better value with the extra parts

    • @bobmcdonald2905
      @bobmcdonald2905 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Most of the cars were $1.65. Some were $2.00 I thought they were an easier build than Revell or Monogram.

  • @alwayslearningthefacts5881
    @alwayslearningthefacts5881 4 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    As a modeler in my childhood, amt and mpc were the best kits back then.

  • @MattLeger
    @MattLeger 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I owned and built several of the AMT Star Trek kits as a teen, including at least two copies of the USS Enterprise model, the shuttlecraft Galileo, the 3-ship micro-set, the Exploration Kit and the Enterprise Bridge set. Thanks for going to all this trouble to share with us the story behind them!

  • @dennislarsson815
    @dennislarsson815 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great video. Eric Eriksson is a cousin on my mothers' side of the family. Eric sponsored Mom and Dad to come to the USA back in 1947 from Sweden. Eric also owned Detroit Plastic Products where most of the models were molded. They were located on Groesbeck Hwy and 15 mile Rd. There are still a few Erikssons around the Detroit area. I remember the late 50's and early 60's all the model cars that were available. Plus Lionel Trains.
    I still have many AMT and JoHan model kits in unopened boxes from back then.
    Thanks for shaking up my memories of a long gone era.

  • @iamthefatstig
    @iamthefatstig 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I could listen to you all day Max. That was superb.

  • @Winterchylde
    @Winterchylde 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I built the reissued Spock model kit some years ago... 35 years after buidling it as a kid in the 70s. Wonderful times...

  • @jetsons101
    @jetsons101 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This was a great watch, if I had a dollar for every AMT model kit I built, well lets just say "I would have a lot of dollars" Thanks for your time and hard work.........

  • @phoenixblack1220
    @phoenixblack1220 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Nearing 50 and I still build. Great video, Maximum Overdrive!

    • @CarsandCats
      @CarsandCats 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I switched to real cars in my late teens but as I near retirement, switching back to models! Way easier on my body. I still have more than 20 new kits I bought many years ago.

    • @phoenixblack1220
      @phoenixblack1220 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@CarsandCats same here. Restored many a car and it is very hard on the body. I had a hard time concentrating as a kid, so my dad would have me build scale cars with him. It improved my concentration and sharpened my eye sight as well as steady my hands. I think that is why I never gave it up. It is a lot of fun and very rewarding because you can put them on display and track your progress over the years by comparing newer finished kits to your previous ones.

  • @polycarphunter2257
    @polycarphunter2257 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I grew up in troy mich in the 60s. I used to build those models all the time. we were either blowing them up with cheery bombs or put them on our slot cars. one of my first summer job was driving a fork lift at the AMT factory here in troy. stacking pallets to the ceiling with model car kits.

    • @brianbarrett6879
      @brianbarrett6879 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep fire crackers and the BB gun. Models made great targets.

  • @robertthomas583
    @robertthomas583 6 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Here we go, I have had a ton of and still have AMT and MPC kits, including several of those semis and trailers. I was also an Auto World customer and I just saw the catalog page and I remember it.

  • @markfortin421
    @markfortin421 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    BRAVO!! Very nicely done documentary. Still remember cutting lawns all summer to get the money for the latest AMT kit, every week it seemed there were different ones that showed up at the hardware store down the street. When it was hot in the summer, I'd go down the basement and work on a model...(after all the neighbors lawns were done) ✌😂

  • @tyrssen1
    @tyrssen1 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I was a nut on car models in the 60s, and AMT was always my favorite. Many years later, I was on a bus (don't remember where I was going) and the gent next to me turned out to be Bud Anderson, the Kat. There were Revell and Monogram kits I liked, but AMT was always the king, for me.

  • @steverudder3321
    @steverudder3321 7 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I was 9 years old in 1969 and fell in love with the AMT models of Semis and trailers! My local Hobby Shop in Burien WA (Seattle) was selling these big box models for $5.00! I just recently found their 40' Fruehauf refer trailer online for $42.99!
    Now, at 64 years old, I can still remember the pleasant fragrance of Testors Plastic Model Cement and the HUGE color selection of Testors Model Paints displays. I recently retired after 26 years of trucking. My career choice may have been different if Santa had brought me construction equipment from Tonka instead. 😂

  • @theodoreskaff1209
    @theodoreskaff1209 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I had alot of AMT kits of large semi trucks. Since my family was in the trucking business, I thought this was really cool!

  • @MH-kc1eu
    @MH-kc1eu ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is my very favorite model kit company ever! I wish Walmart still had a wall full of AMT models.

  • @roberthill3207
    @roberthill3207 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great video thumbs up stay awesome everyone.

  • @melvinhunt6976
    @melvinhunt6976 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    In the 60s, a bunch of us boy's not only bought a.m.t, but there were no NASCAR models! We made our own, and raced them down driveways! Amt sold extra inner wheels, axles,had soft rubber wider tires and wheels. In one subdivision we had 4 different race tracks. Each one about 60 ft long, and different grades. Some a little steep, and 1 really steep one. We painted our numbers on ,and painted the car's accordingly. 3 or 4 of the Best years of my young life . If you can remember there was even a magazine showing other kids driveway racing their a.m.t. models ! 28 ,Fred Lorenzen was my favorite!

  • @bobbertthebuilder4856
    @bobbertthebuilder4856 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This is amazing most of my collectin is of the late 60s early 70s semi trucks from peterbults along with a mack and auctocar along with a few atm cars as well

  • @ZomBSnatcher4671
    @ZomBSnatcher4671 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is an excellent and interesting video. AMT is and will always be my favorite model company. I've been building models on and off for 44 years now. I learned a lot of history from your video, thank you

  • @silentotto5099
    @silentotto5099 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I've watched a number of these videos detailing the history of the model makers of my youth. Many have a similar, but sad, arc, a long run of success before slowly petering out and finally failing as companies. It was very refreshing to see one where the company is still going strong and still making great kits. Way to go AMC.

  • @bobbova8708
    @bobbova8708 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Another excellently done video! I built all of the trek kits and have still the original Enterprise with the light bulbs in the upper and lower saucer domes.The AMT kit appeared as the wrecked U.S.S.Constellation and as the wrecked U.S.S. Excalibur as well as the Enterprise herself as seen outside space station K-7 in the tribbles episode.The AMT Enterprise kit was built and modified by Matt Jeffries brother John D.Jeffries. If I recall that kit was a part of the Christies auction that Paramount had in the early or mid 2000's.Thanks for another great video!

  • @frankdenardo8261
    @frankdenardo8261 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I built a few of the AMT model kits. A Chevy K5 Blazer, GMC Jimmy, Chevy pickup truck, GMC Sierra truck, 1969 Ford XL coupe, 1970 Thunderbird, 1974 AMC Matador, 1972 Chevy Passenger Van, 1970 Ford Torino Cobra, 1975 AMC Gremlin, 1977 AMC Pacer station wagon, 1976 Ford F Series truck.

  • @gs547
    @gs547 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Great report. I am glad there is one modeling company in the USA that is still chugging along.

  • @christopherjames7233
    @christopherjames7233 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I honestly mean this, that was the best video I've ever seen on TH-cam that was really fun thank you. CRJ

  • @robc.5745
    @robc.5745 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I remember as a young child we gad an amt slot car set and any 1/25 scale body you could put on the frames, That was soo cool.

  • @terrykrall
    @terrykrall 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    One of the best on TH-cam!

  • @duanearcher7576
    @duanearcher7576 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Wonderful video, thank you from a boomer. I built and customized AMT kits from around 1959-1963 - then slot cars called. Standard kits were $1.49 and the 3-in-1 kits were $2.00. Customizing could raise the price of your model quite a bit - paint, putty, tools, interior materials, etc. You could also buy accessory packs with engines and such. I eventually had several parts bins with extra grills, tires/wheels, engines, etc. Great hobby. I probably did 25-30 of them over those three years. 'Speak, memory!'

  • @billg7205
    @billg7205 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Used to love these models with the solid metal axles. As a kid I had the large 56 Chevy with an electric motor and bevel gear drive. A 6v lantern battery with a 3 position switch and about 10 feet of light weight speaker wire did the job. Used to light up posi and then drag race down the hallway.

  • @kenshores9900
    @kenshores9900 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for producing this video. I built my share of AMT models growing up including the Ford Leva Car. Thanks again.

  • @fastdadgarage-northsouthch4418
    @fastdadgarage-northsouthch4418 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I have two of the LaFrance fire trucks. I need to finish those some day. yes mini vans are cool and comfortable. These days I’ve been building full size models... Jeeps and I build them just like the kits as a kid, take each part paint assemble it’s all about little details. Great video

  • @rickzinck9326
    @rickzinck9326 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Excellent video Max. Thanks for your time & effort in presenting & sharing this with us.

  • @DayTwo-w8n
    @DayTwo-w8n 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    AMT kits were great. Their 1960 Model T kit was the grestest and is still attainable today! Their 3 in 1 kits were fanatic.

  • @rockingtr1
    @rockingtr1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Tanx for this series Max! Great memories & info. Trek details! Munsters, Akron/Macon - never thought I would see them again. Music versions are all fine by me! Rock & Roll on...

  • @JackFlemingFan1
    @JackFlemingFan1 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Excellent video and thanks for bringing back a lot of fond model car building memories for me too!

  • @vtrials9577
    @vtrials9577 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video Max.
    We were all lucky to grow up in this period of time.
    Building models was one of my passions for many years and going and buying a $2 car model kit was like Christmas.

  • @charliebowman785
    @charliebowman785 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Great video. I love AMT kits, are so sweet ! thank you for such a present to all scale model lovers.

  • @JohnHill-qo3hb
    @JohnHill-qo3hb 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Well done, really enjoying your videos, thank you for taking the time to do them.

  • @chrisstannard1415
    @chrisstannard1415 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Well done, I loved building model cars as a kid. I really liked the 3 in 1. I had a small crafting cabinet with all the extra parts. If I received a stock model from another company I would customize with extra parts. Wonderful memories. I loved the small spray cans with candy apple colors.
    Great to learn about the companies that gave me so much fun. The revell, monogram etc vids are great too.

  • @roree13
    @roree13 6 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thanks for this video and thanks for using a page from the Auto World catalog. It brings back great memories.

  • @Tunelover55
    @Tunelover55 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Max, Excellent history recap. I had the privilege of working for Ertl, Racing Champions Ertl, RC2, TOMY from ‘86 until retirement in ‘17. In ‘86 Ertl had just acquired MPC a year or 2 earlier as well as Esci (out of Italy) Even TOMY had plastic kits as I was with them from ‘78-‘86. All those years in Sales with those companies and my favorite products were the model kits and the hobby industry in general. I built as a kid as did most of us in the ‘60’s. I remember it all fondly.

  • @devindell427
    @devindell427 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I built a great many AMT and revell models as a teenager, a few mpc kits and 1 tamiya kit.
    Lots of nascar kits with many hundreds of hours in painting the multi color paint schemes
    To this day my favorite model kit that i built was a 66 chevy 2, that i spent over 300 hours on and won many model car contest for 3 years running, the only part of the car that was stock plastic was the body and glass.
    Every thing else i made from alluminum in the machine shop i worked in, in my spare time and on weekends when we were not using the machines for work.
    That was the last model i built, it was in early 2001.