This is a review of the AMT ’69 Barracuda from ’69 Muscle Car Superset

I have made this car a couple of different times, and I swore I’d never fool with it again. Well… here we are. I needed to buy the Torino more than once, and these “sets” are cheap for three cars, so I ended up with another ‘Cuda. I wish I could say this is a good kit considering the cost, but…

The above kits are all of the same “goodness”, and that is to say MEH. The only one of the bunch molded in color is the “Avenger” – and it is a brilliant orange. The “gold” one above has fantastic decals, but it is super expensive, and the rest have the same parts bin.

CAR BACKGROUND :: This Cuda body style was hitting its stride in 69 and was ready for a complete re-do. That said, this is a very sharp car. The fastback, full-width taillight w/back-up, split grille, and short stance made for a very coveted muscle car. The 383 wasn’t half bad too. At 335hp, the little Cuda would run the quarter right around the mid-14s.

No, this isn’t the ‘Cuda that most folks will be in awe of, and it will certainly NOT fetch any type of coin that, say, a ’71 Hemi will, but prices are rising nonetheless.

Like I said above, I have made/tried to make this car a few times, and for the most part, it is a POS model kit. This time I went with a bright Tangerine craft paint, and it looks good – if a bit brighter than the ’69 original paint. I used the stock rims, but went with better tires from another kit. I also went with the hood scoop since the rest of the hood doesn’t fit well (something else to look at). I had to add a side mirror (off a 68 Roadrunner), and I made the 383 hockey sticks because the stripes that come with the model were too wide for the scale. Something is also completely missing from this car – backup lights. If this IS a true ’69, there would be backup lights on either side of the plate. So… I could have left it as a ’68 or added backup lights. I added them, but half wonder if this should have been a 1968 kit instead of a 1969?

Usually the AMT interiors leave a bit to be desired, but this one is fairly decent. The black and white really helps, but it is also better detailed than most. I had to add a directional stalk and changed out the lousy gear shift. I think I also had to add a rear-view mirror. This is definitely a “parts-bin” kind of car.

The engine bay is a bit of hot-n-cold. The firewall doesn’t quite fit, the detail is on the low side, the radiator section is flat and underwhelming, and the battery is garbage.

On the upside, the engine has good detail; I added some nice pieces; and I created an original “383” air cleaner decal. I also added the windshield washer reservoir.

The underside is AMT-typical low quality. The exhaust is part of the bottom and has no “tips”. The axles require metal pins, and there are no extra parts. Even the axles are hole-squares that attach to the sides vs. being separate pieces. It is simple, easy, and boring.

These kits are everywhere, and even though it is a less-than-average kit, it is still a very nice car and can look great with some help. It was just reissued, so it’s not a fantastic investment kit, but building is the key anyway. Definitely not for the novice, but for $20 a pop, you can sure get in some practice.

6.5 – Mediocre