1986 Chevrolet El Camino SS – AMT Ertl

I always had a big affinity for late eighties cars, I don’t really know why. Even though it might be the worst time for cars since the 1973 Oil Crisis, the late eighties had boxy unimaginative designs across the board and giant engines that produced so little horse power that it was bordering insanity. But still, something about that era grabs me. Despite those things, it was a era of overblown luxury just like the fifties.

And the ’86 El Camino was no different.

The kit itself is from the era that AMT Ertl made superb kits, really well detailed but often used recycled molds for say the engine bits and wheels. But this one is a custom version on all but the engine, the ’86 SS rims are there with the proper Goodyear Polyglas GT L60-15 tires, the 305 cubic inch V8, SS trim interior with optional CB radio(which is neat and odd at the same time, I like it!), the bed cover and the SS of course had the unique aerodynamic front end from the Monte Carlo which made it look pretty damn radical.

And suffice to say AMT delivered back in 1991 with this kit, basing it off the Choo Choo Customs version of the El Camino SS with silver stripe trim and the huge SS logos. And like I said the kit does come with Polyglas GT tires but not the ones pictured, the ones I got
on there are also from AMT, though from a separate set they sell with L60-15 and F60-15 tires with padprinted logos on ’em, the ones in the kit are kinda rugged and haven’t aged well.

The only downsides to this kit are that the engine’s lacking the entire A/C system and that attaching the front wheels to the frame with the tiny prongs was a nightmare, but that’s it. Age warped the nose a bit so its slightly out of place on the right side but that’s no fault of AMT, and knowing this kit is 24 years old(came out in ’91) makes it all the more impressive and also makes me sort of sad. The kits AMT puts out these days are great but lack… the quality if not detail of their older ones.

I absolutely love this kit, it was a joy painting it and putting together. Everything just fit too, which is really nice of a older kit too. Maybe I’m getting biased but both Revell and AMT seemed to do really, really well in the 1990s!