AMT 1/25 scale 1965 Pontiac GTO Hardtop ‘Craftsman Plus’ plastic model kit review
Round 2 adds an all-new curbside G.O.A.T. to the family
Kit:A1410M
//
Scale:1/25
//
Price:$31.99
Pros:
All-new tool; Pad-printed, redline tires; wheel options
Cons:
Some simplified details; curbside may be a turnoff for some
Comments:
Injection-molded plastic (white, clear, red-clear, chrome); 54 parts (1 metal axle; 4 vinyl tires); decals
Let’s confront the elephant in the room: Yes, AMT produced a 1/25 scale 1965 Pontiac GTO hardtop scale model, but this is not a re-pop. Instead, Round 2, in keeping with revitalizing the Craftsman lineup, has produced an all-new ’65 Pontiac GTO hardtop for the AMT Craftsman Plus series. What does that mean? A brand-new, curbside (no motor) kit with minimal parts that’s easy to assemble.
I did say curbside, and while that may annoy some of you, the body does come with a separate hood. So, if you have a parts box and the skills, you can install the engine, firewall, and under-hood details. The body in my sample had a mold seam on the driver-side rear quarter panel and across the rear deck lid—you’ll want to clean that up before applying paint.
The chrome parts looked sharp and bright, and the remastered front headlights looked great with the kit’s clear lenses. You can choose between chrome Rally wheels or stock wheels with chrome dog-dish hubcaps. If you choose the stock wheels (parts 14 and 15) with the hub caps (Part P7), make sure to read the instructions. You’ll have to drill the blind locator holes on the backs of the wheels.
The Rally wheels (Part P4) had protrusions that needed to be filed to fit into the backs of the wheels (parts 16 and 17). The appropriately narrow, pad-printed, redline tires fit both styles of wheels perfectly.
The rear wheels are held in place by a metal axle. Unlike the promo kits of yore, AMT’s new design provides spindles for the front wheels.
The new AMT 1/25 scale 1965 Pontiac GTO hardtop plastic model kit fits together nicely. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that simple means without details. When built and painted, the model looks every bit like the car it’s meant to replicate. Could there be things that were done better? Sure. I would have liked the exhaust tips to be visible beneath the body rather than molded to the frame. But this is a good kit with correct shapes, and it corrects issues that have accumulated over time with the vintage molds.