There isn’t a more quintessential ’50s American car than the 1959 Cadillac. With its well-pronounced tail fins and bullet-style taillights, it cut a memorable profile in automotive history.
Originally released following the Ghostbusters movie franchise, AMT’s Etco 1 and 1A were based on a 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance. Now, Round 2 has engineered its new AMT 1/25 scale 1959 Cadillac ambulance (with gurney) plastic model kit from the Ecto 1 molds. It comes in an all-new box and includes an expanded decal sheet and other ambulance accessories. The instruction sheet is short and to the point, with large illustrations for each subassembly.
A curbside kit with a promo-style chassis means no engine to assemble. Inside, the re-tooled rear replaces the Ghostbuster equipment with a Miller-Meteor ambulance rear deck. The kit also provides a gurney and medicine cabinet. Be careful when removing the gurney frame parts from the chrome tree, or you might break or bend the fragile pieces.
Up front, the clear partition is new, as are the dashboard decals. On the passenger side, the dash decals are printed in two parts, and I found the upper decal fit well, even with the molded-in radio details. The bottom decal was too wide and wouldn’t settle neatly into place. I ended up scrapping the decal and replaced it with Bare-Metal Foil.
You will need to remove the positive locator pins left on the center of the transmission tunnel in the driver’s cabin from the Ecto 1A version before painting.
The well-molded body requires minimal cleanup, aside from slight flash along the front fender line and a little seam at the rear. Also, you’ll need to fill a hole in the driver’s side windshield frame left from the Ecto 1A’s spotlight.
Up top, you can add a center beacon gumball light. Relief holes molded inside the roof are easy to punch out if you do. You can also attach a siren or siren light via similar locator points. The speaker horn looks out of scale, but with the light option, it looks a little more accurate. I chose the Superior bullet style with separate clear red bulbs; the streamlined chrome options do not have the separate bulbs.
I held the rear bumper in place while gluing on the separate tail-fin parts to help them fit better.
Be cautious when removing the single window part from the tree or risk a crack. It fits with ease into the body.
Both the rear bumper and front bumper/grille are retooled and corrected for the stock 1959 Cadillac look and fit perfectly. I was pleased to see both stock updates, but it would have been nice to see separate light lenses instead of molded chrome.
For the wheels, wide whitewall tires with separate inserts are completed with stock 1959 Cadillac wheel covers. The wheel backs fit into the tires, but only with a bit of force. Young modelers might need help to get them in. The rolling stock attaches to the promo-style chassis via metal axles, and the promo-style chassis fits under the body with no hiccups.
The kit greets you with an abundance of marking options, many of them focused on the Troy Fire Department. Although there is a vague decal diagram in the instructions, decal placement is pretty much left up to you. There are some cool-looking simulated-etched window glass markings. However, I didn’t use them. The carrier film for the other decals was pretty thick, and I wanted to be able to see the interior details.
Overall, the AMT 1/25 scale 1959 Cadillac ambulance plastic model kit is simple enough for a beginner, but more experienced builders shouldn’t count it out because it offers plenty of detailing opportunities. Round 2 has hit the mark with the properly equipped AMT Cadillac Ambulance kit. It may be an easy build, but it is an enjoyable subject project with plenty of options in the box.