This is a review of the Testors 1969 AMC AMX Pro Street (Testors #7403)

I really like AMC muscle, and I’m kinda bummed about the lack of good car kits out there. This is one of the only AMX/Javelin kits you can buy, and it is not only horrifying, but VERY expensive. WHY. With 4 years and many looks/engines to choose from, this should be on the drawing board for cool-a$$ cars to manufacture. It is a shame ,and annoys me to no end.

The Jo-Han kit to the left is a good choice; however, do NOT think this is a hefty-parted kit OR that it’s as complete as a car-buff would want. Looking below at the X-Ray, there are about 40 pieces and ZERO custom ones. No second set of rims, no slicks, and no “speed” parts of any kind. This will make a good-looking AMX, but don’t expect it to be a 3-weeker to work on… there is just no meat on these bones.

CAR BACKGROUND :: AMC was in its prime this year and offered the AMX, Javelin, Rebel Machine, and the SC Rambler for muscle options. I have reviewed the SC Rambler by Jo-Han, and it is even worse than this kit (by a factor of TEN). All of the cars above had a lot of oomph, but I think the AMX/Javelin models are my favorites. The high-performance versions carried the 390ci V8, which easily made more than 300hp.

They were no match for some of the other muscle in ’69, but still could manage 14-second E.T.s at close to 100mph.

BUILD NOTES : I really dislike this kit from stem to stern. The wheels that come with it are awful, and the special “metal” ones are heavy and look odd next to any other model cars. It comes with an otherworldly hood scoop, and the entire kit typically has a lot of flash to remove. Add to that the need for a dozen pieces from other kits, and you are stuck with an AMC jigsaw puzzle. The “pro stock” setup is rather good if that is your kick, but with so few AMC car kits out there, you should persevere and make it stock.

For paint, I had to steal from the Mopar collection and use Sublime Green. They made Big Bad Blue for model cars, but not green. I sure wasn’t going to buy the real thing either… I spend too much as it is, and I was not buying a $30 spray bomb to do this car. Anyways, the color is very close and looks great on the AMC. I also stole proper magnum wheels from another kit and the tires to match. Besides that, I had to produce a rearview mirror and a side mirror as well.

The 390 that comes with this kit isn’t bad, but it is only set up for “street”. I therefore had to dip… rather dive into the parts bin to help it out. The air cleaner is out of another kit, but I used one of the included carbs. I also had to swipe a stock intake from a Ford kit as I didn’t want the cross-ram one included in the Pro Stock kit.

Because of that, I also had to fashion a radiator hose, since the one included was race-oriented. I decided on a green wire motif this time and had to add a proper brake boost and battery (as the kit didn’t include either). It all turned out ok, but do NOT expect this stock look from Testors. I also made the 390 air cleaner decal to go with it, as there were no decals included with the kit – and frankly, none to buy either.

The interior is lackluster and has very little detail. There is no back seat (which the real thing didn’t have) and no center console either. Rather sparse for a mild muscle car. I used a different shifter and added a stalk to the column, but otherwise the interior was ok.

The chassis is going to give fits more than any other problem with the car. The kit is set up for big headers and deleted exhaust. NOT on my menu. I used most of the exhaust off of a 67 Charger, including the straight “ends” with nice tips. There isn’t much else to fiddle with, as both axles are molded and devoid of add-ons. No shocks, springs, joints, etc. It came out ok, but it is not the selling point of this kit.

If anyone knows of good AMC kits, I would be VERY thankful. I have no need for Gremlins, Matadors (why the he## did someone think a Matador was needed?!), or Pacers, so anything with a big V8 AND looks will work for me. This one is NOT for the faint of heart and requires a lot of skill to make stock. It is also missing so much that unless you are a veteran builder with a substantial parts bin, you’ll be out of luck in every area of the car.

These kits are rare as heck and cost upward of $80 when you find em. It’s a necessity if you want an AMX… albeit an expensive one. Any of the kits I listed above would be excellent for a collector as well, since there hasn’t been a reissue and there have been almost ZERO AMC muscle cars reissued in the past 20 years. Expect them to keep rising in value from here.

I needed one… so I am poor LOL.

4.5 – Bad