AMT White-Freightliner Dual Drive- Review

The lease (and subsequent outright takeover) of the old AMT brand by Round 2 has been fantastic for the hobby. Unlike the old RC2 regime, Round 2 actually cares about product. And they're big on nostalgia, too- not only are they bringing back some long-lost kits, but in many cases, they're bringing back the old box art and graphics, too. And often, they also see fit to throw in a few surprises. But even without the gimmicks, the kits themselves are well worth looking into.

The Dual Drive has been out for a few years now, and the single drive version was reissued during the waning years of the RC2 years. The first "big rig" model I ever built was the Dual Drive, so it is kind of a special subject for me. AMT's kit is pretty good, considering it came out at the dawn of the big-rig model kit era... 1972 or so.

Let's dig in...

Round 2's signature "retro deluxe" box art is in full effect. Aside from a different stock number and some revised copyright info, the box art is a spitting image of the original. Yes... the yellow and brown color scheme does little to flatter the subject, but it was the '70's and wild color combos were "the in thing". It was a strange time, when men had big mustaches, wide ties, and used expressions like "the in thing".

AMT did the cab in three main pieces- front, sleeper section, and back wall (which we'll see later). This was done so that parts could be shared between the sleeper and day cab versions. The plus side is it saved AMT a few bucks on tooling. The downside is that it leaves you with some nasty seams to fill. Note that the rivet detail is pretty overdone, especially on the roof. In fact, you can sand all the rivet detail off the roof and it would look more accurate. The headlights are molded a bit too high, and need to be moved down. The riveted seams which run under each windshield wiper (which, for whatever reason, are molded in place) were part of a severe duty package that wasn't common. If you decide to remove the molded wipers and replace them with separate units, don't worry about those seams unless you want to keep them... their presence is not mandatory.

This sprue of parts contains the forward part of the interior tub (in two pieces, the sleeper section is separate), the radiator, visor, seats, overhead console, exhaust supports, and a few other doodads. The mudflaps feature a faintly-engraved White Freightliner logo on each one. The cab lift handles are also on this sprue- the AMT instructions have you install them upside down! They do physically fit right-side up, though.

Mostly chassis parts here. There is some flash, but it's surprisingly minimal for a kit of this age.

This sprue is dominated by the parts to build the Cummins NHC-250 engine, and Spicer transmission. A Farr air cleaner box and the related ducting are also included.

More chassis parts here. I should add that generally speaking, surface detail is soft, but still gets the job done. Par for the course with these old AMT semi kits.

This sprue includes the frame rails, in addition to the rear cab wall and the sleeper portions of the interior tub. Also shown are two of the backing plates- like most AMT kits, this features "wedge" type air brakes.

Here are the fuel tanks, brackets, and quarter fenders. Again, some flash, but nothing horrible.

The chrome parts are sprawled over two large sprues. Unlike many AMT semi kits, this one has rather restrained chrome. No chromed fifth wheel here! You'll still want to strip the air brake chambers and air tanks, and the regular rear axle hubs. If you choose to use the "baby moon" rear hubs, go ahead and leave those chrome.

Those side steps are not only fiddly, but they were pretty rare on the real rig. Most WF cabovers of this era used simple "stirrup" type steps.

Oh... the dash, which broke free of its runner and was floating around loose. There's even a separate tape deck for it.... eight track, naturally. Strangely, no CB gear is provided.

These pouches include the clear parts (including two rear windows for the day cab version which aren't used here), the metal axles, and a length of vinyl tubing for use as trailer air line.

Tires are the hollow vinyl Goodyears... yes, the kit includes all 10, but I'm showing only 3 here.

Instruction sheet... typical AMT of the era. And by that, I mean terribly vague in places.

It appears that Round 2 is no longer sealing the decal sheet in a bag- they've reverted to the previous practice of taping it to wax paper and tucking it into the instructions.

The signature Round 2 cut-and-fold miniature box is present and accounted for, as is a newsletter request card and a Round 2 Models leaflet showing the current lineup of kits.

I mentioned some flash on the parts, which of course means you'll want to look out for prominent mold seams. Again, nothing too horrific, but just look out for it.

There are a few minor fit issues that can ruin the overall experience and the appearance of the finished model.

Unlike many AMT semi kits, this one has front brakes. Yes... front brakes were not standard on semi tractors until later in the '70's. The law required brakes on two axles (generally speaking), and on a tandem that meant rear brakes only. Until front brakes became mandatory, many people did not opt for them, so as to save weight. I mention all of this because the front axle is a tad wide, causing the tirest to stick out past the cab. So, you can omit the front brakes and narrow the track that way. You can also narrow the axle, if you want to retain the front brakes.

Those side "ladder" steps will touch the tires with the cab closed unless you tweak the fit a little. Again, they are probably best replaced with the more common "stirrup" steps, which will require filling in the cutouts in the cab for the kit-supplied steps.

You'll want to trim the interior tub, as it is a very tight fit. Tight enough that you may split the cab seams installing it! Reinforcing the cab seams from behind with some thin plastic strip wouldn't be a bad idea, either. I also filed the rear cab supports flush with the rear cab wall.

Here is a (mostly) box-stock version I built years ago. I did use some chromed fuel tanks from an IH Transtar.

Note how far the tires are sticking out past the cab, and the too-high position of the headlights.

Here you can see how close the side steps are to the front tire- sometimes they'll touch the tires. I got them as far away as I could. Expect the too-wide axle, too-high headlights, and poor fitting side steps if you build the model totally box-stock, without modification.

On the right is an in-progress model which has had the headlights lowered. They look about the same height because the blue semi is taller (I used different tires), but if you look closely you'll see they're lower. For whatever reason, AMT molded the headlight buckets a couple of scale inches too high.

I also filled in the side steps- I will add the stirrup-type steps (and a few other finishing touches) later.

So, what we've got is a fairly typical AMT "big rig" of the era. It's a bit crude here and there, it needs a little TLC to build, and on the worst of days it will fight you every step of the assembly process. But the reward, if you choose to accpt the challenge, is a great looking replica of a tractor from the golden age of trucking.