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. They are definitely problematic, but cheap. I wish I could say this is a good kit, 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 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.

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. 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 ones that come with the model were too wide. There is also something missing completely 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 rear lights. I added the backup lights, but I 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 had to add a rear view mirror as well. This is definitely a “parts-bin” kind of car, but the interior especially needs all kinds of help.

The engine bay is a bit of hot-n-cold. The firewall doesn’t quite fit, the detail is low, the radiator is flat, and the battery is crap. On the upside, the engine has good detail; I added some nice pieces; and I created an original “383” air cleaner decal.

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 nice car and can look great with some help. It was just reissued so not a fantastic investment kit, but building is the key anyways. Definitely not for the novice, but for $20 a pop, you can sure get in some practice.

6.5 – Mediocre