If any decade turned the van from commercial vehicle to a statement of cool, it was the 1970s. Until then, the humble panel truck was most likely seen carrying building materials, making store deliveries, or toting tools-of-the-trade. But in the 1970s, vans were tricked out with custom paint jobs, sound systems, maybe a kitchenette, even - if you were lucky - a double bed. And now in 2012, comes a Round 2 Models reissue of such a custom creation, the AMT 1:25 scale Ford Econoline Phantom van.
Examine the box-tops to see an obvious change to the new kit, and that’s its name. The 1970s original was called the ‘Vantom’, a play on the words, ‘phantom’ and ‘van’ to impart a suitably spooky character. This time round, it’s called the Phantom, as apparently the name Vantom is being used by Mattel. But the rest of the kit is the same, with options to build it stock or as a mild custom, with spooky decals provided.
Most kits of this era were reasonably simple in construction, and this is no different. It includes engine and chassis, interior and bodywork, with custom options really restricted to changes of wheels and seats, and mild treatments to the front grille. Three optional inset windows are supplied, named gemstone, teardrop and freestyle. Here, as with many Round 2 AMT/MPC reissues, windows are supplied in two tints, clear and dark smoke.
I finished the review kit with most of the custom options, and finished it in a suitably dark ‘graveyard metallic green’, actually a Testors shade. The side panel decals feature a midnight graveyard decal. So it’s not difficult to end up with a variation on a theme of the Ghostbusters ECTO 1, Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, or the Munsters Koach.
Parts number around the 150 mark, with components moulded in white (a change from the usual light grey) and chrome, with black for the soft tyres. The finished 1:25 scale model measures some 185 mm (7.25 in) in length. Note (below) I sprayed the chassis in a suitable purple custom finish.
Early custom vans set the scene for style - the exterior would be painted in far more exotic colours than stock, and adorned with wild graphics. Add wide mag-alloy wheels, with tyres to match and the looks were complete. In the engine compartment, you could hot up the mill (engine) by 100 hp, and you were then in business with an archetypal day van of the ‘stylish seventies.’ In this kit, the engine compartment has been simplified somewhat, but the basics are all there.
Model companies were not slow to latch onto this and many kits appeared of the two best-known US vans, the Ford Econoline and the Chevrolet 20. GMC and Dodge also made vans, and kits of all these have been in and out of the model catalogues ever since the 1970s, though most AMT kits have featured Ford and Chevys. Many kits have supplied parts for stock, custom, and even occasionally a racing option. Four of the original US ‘Big Five’ kit companies - AMT, Monogram, MPC, Revell - produced vans in various formats, though oddly, Jo-Han never made one.
Neat reissue of a classic 1:25 scale kit - a must-build for all van enthusiasts.
Visit AMT at Round 2 models here. Thanks to Round 2 LLC for the review kit.
Plenty of AMT kits here, including a 1:25 scale ECTO-1 from Ghostbusters.
Very nice kit, well finished. It is impossible to find here
ReplyDeleteCheers
Pablo
Yep, I'm planning on the real thing sometime in 2013 - well, a Veedub anyway. u
ReplyDeleteUsed to run a bay window, now a black T5 takes my fancy - a mobile office come occasional overnighter!
Does it make me a bad person that my first thought was "Silence of the Lambs". Paint it off-white and battered, give the interior plywood panelling and some chains.....
ReplyDeleteI'll get me coat.
(Alternatively, even vans had their tops chopped in the seventies. That could be a challenging build.)
Like the sound of that, as I do an ECTO-2, raiding the bits box for ghost-hunting add-ons.
ReplyDeleteis the kit missing the side mirrors?? or you just left them off??
ReplyDeleteHere's what Mat says:
ReplyDelete"The kit does include side mirrors, but I didn't install them. This is
mostly down to the fact that exterior mirrors on any model car are the
bane of one's life - they are the most vulnerable of all parts (that and
car aerials), and the ones here are bit basic anyway."
Great job on the Econoline van. I once owned a 1977 Ford Econoline factory orange with black along the bottom and 138" wheelbase back in the 90's. Too bad AMT didn't make the Ford Econoline as the 138" wheelbase version as I thought about making the 1/25 scale version of the orange van I had.
ReplyDeleteThat would be awesome if someone resin cast a long wheelbase version of that kit.