AMT 1/25 2011 Chevy Camaro SS/RS Convertible Kit First Look

By Philip M Cooley, Front Range Auto Modelers (FRAM)

First Look

The Pony Car era began in 1964 with the introduction of the Ford Mustang.  Millions were sold before the Camaro, Chevy's response, hit the showrooms as a '67 model.  From day one, the Camaro was available as both a 2+2 coupe and a convertible.  Base price of the coupe was $2572 while the ragtop came in at $2809.  The Camaro Registry shows sales of the base coupe were 160,648 while base convertible sales were  25,141, or 13.5% of the total.  (Does not include Z-28, RS, or SS).  In 68 base Camaro coupe sales were nearly 200,000 but base convertible sales dipped to 20,440 or 10.4%.  And in 69 base Camaro coupe sales were 182,199 and  base convertible sales were 17,573 or 9.6%.

After that there weren't any more Camaro convertibles till the American Sunroof Company   converted 1007 coupes to convertibles in 1987 (includes base models and Z-28s).  Thereafter a few thousand were produced each year until 1993 when the 4th generation appeared.  There were no convertibles the first year of the 4th gen, but the next year, the convertible returned—it was  available until the Camaro was killed off in 2002. 

When the Camaro was re-introduced as a 2009 model, it was available only as a coupe.  However, during that time, a convertible was seen on the Show Car circuit and it became available in the showroom in 2011.

AMT/Round 2 modified its excellent “Showroom Replica” 2010 Camaro RS/SS Coupe and it is now a 2011 Camaro RS/SS convertible.  The kit includes the body, separate hood, front and rear fascias, rocker panels, and grille, which is molded open (nice touch).

The interior is a platform type with separate door panels, dashboard, console and steering wheel.  It has individual front bucket seats and a single piece rear seat, all of which are molded in black vinyl.   

The chassis is a fairly simple, with a molded in suspension, yet has a separate exhaust and exhaust tips, plus mufflers, cross brace and transmission support.

The no-name low profile tires are nicely molded and show no flash.  They mount to chrome  wheels which attach to wire axles.  Disc brakes are also included and are captured behind the wheels. 

The clear parts include a windshield with molded in windshield wipers, headlights and fog lights, as well as taillights and a center mounted stoplight (CMSL).  To be authentic, the tailights and CMSL will need to be painted (red).

The decal sheet has white and black Rally Stripes and two sets of gauges for the interior.

My sincere thanks to Round2 Models for this review sample