Simple and to the point: The completely newly tooled AMT 1/25 scale 2021 Dodge Charger Pursuit police car plastic model kit is, in my humble opinion, the best-engineered kit from AMT to date. I had the pleasure of building the R/T version a year ago, so I had an idea of how much fun this one was going to be.
The kit offers 160 clean, nicely molded parts. No need for much cleanup. The first three steps have you build the Hemi engine, consisting of 19 parts. I assembled the engine halves, heads, and front of the engine and painted them as a unit. The rest of the parts were painted separately and then attached to complete a fine-looking powerplant. You’ll attach the air filter later in the build, so don’t worry.
When building the interior, pay careful attention to the instructions. You’ll need to drill two holes to install the bracket to hold the cruiser’s laptop along with the four holes that accommodate the two emergency lights in the rear. The holes are marked to make the positions easy to find. Drill and test-fit everything before you paint these parts for a cleaner finish.
The chassis has plenty of detail and looks terrific when finished. You’ll find three heat shields, a three-part muffler and separate muffler tips, front and rear suspensions, and skid plates. The chassis is my favorite part of the kit.
You have a choice of two sets of rims that also include four small hubcaps. Front and rear disk brakes with caliper detail need to be installed before gluing the realistic tires. You can either install the tires and rims on the completed chassis or leave them until the end.
The separate front and rear body fascia need to be installed after mating the chassis to the body, but after you attach the lights and other details to them. There’s no need to paint the transparent red rear lights but be aware that you’ll have to place several decals before affixing them. The headlights and taillights don’t need much glue, a testament to the kit’s engineering.
Choose between two light bar options and drill the pre-marked roof locators to hold it. You are also provided with two searchlights that need to be placed on the A-pillars. Unfortunately, these holes are not marked. Drill carefully before painting the body. There is also a push bar that belongs in front of the grill. Similarly, you’ll have to drill two small holes to mount the push bar to the front end. The installation of the front, rear, and side windows is a breeze and something I found satisfying.
The decal sheet provides two California Highway Patrol logos for each side, two different numbered logos for the roof, California license plates, and other small items for the exterior of the car. For the interior, you get three different laptop screens and other details.
Yes, you’ll have a few leftover parts meant for the original issue of the 2021 Charger, so don’t think you’ve missed something. Put them in your spares box!
Overall, I found building and finishing the AMT 1/25 scale 2021 Dodge Charger Pursuit police car plastic model kit as enjoyable as the civilian version. With so many aftermarket decals available, there’s plenty of potential to build your own version of this widely used police car. If you’re a first responder fanatic, this plastic car kit is a must-have!