In Box Review of AMT-Ertl Unkown Scale
Gigantics, Colossal Mantis Diorama
Kit no. 8389
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Kit is for sale one place on E-bay for $19.00.
By Ray Mehlberger
OUT OF PRODUCTION
Kit is for sale one place on E-bay for $19.00.
AMT-Ertl was based in Dyersville, IA. They went out of business. This was an old company that started out manufacturing metal farm toys - tractors, combines, plows etc. They later went into plastic model kits and released some created by Esci in Italy.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of the diorama showing a giant mantis creating havoc in a rail yard. A Daily News newspaper headline says EXTRA COLOSSAL MANTIS ATTACKS CITY.
The bottom of the box art says it holds a 6 1/2" x 5 3/4" praying mantis and the diorama measures 9 1/2" x 6" x 6".
One side panel repeats the box art.
The other side panel has 3 color walk-around illustrations of the diorama made up and a repeat of the sizes of the mantis and the diorama.
One end-panel of the box has features of the kit in 9 languages, including English: highly detailed model kit diorama, mantis, buildings, fold-up diorama base and people included. Kit contains 46 parts.
Paint and cement are not included, over Ertl's address in Dyersville, IA and MADE IN MEXICO. Kit is not suitable for children under 8 due to small sharp parts and a 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems.
This kit came in a shrink-wrapped tray and lid type box.
The box art shows a color illustration of the diorama showing a giant mantis creating havoc in a rail yard. A Daily News newspaper headline says EXTRA COLOSSAL MANTIS ATTACKS CITY.
The bottom of the box art says it holds a 6 1/2" x 5 3/4" praying mantis and the diorama measures 9 1/2" x 6" x 6".
One side panel repeats the box art.
The other side panel has 3 color walk-around illustrations of the diorama made up and a repeat of the sizes of the mantis and the diorama.
One end-panel of the box has features of the kit in 9 languages, including English: highly detailed model kit diorama, mantis, buildings, fold-up diorama base and people included. Kit contains 46 parts.
Paint and cement are not included, over Ertl's address in Dyersville, IA and MADE IN MEXICO. Kit is not suitable for children under 8 due to small sharp parts and a 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX:
This kit contains parts that are not cello bagged. There are 3 chalk-white trees that have parts broken off them, a printed color cardboard diorama base.
Part trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions and have no part number tabs next to the parts. Bad move AMT-Ertl !
The 1st chalk-white tree holds the Mantis's legs and tail (9 parts)
This kit contains parts that are not cello bagged. There are 3 chalk-white trees that have parts broken off them, a printed color cardboard diorama base.
Part trees are not alphabetized or illustrated in the instructions and have no part number tabs next to the parts. Bad move AMT-Ertl !
The 1st chalk-white tree holds the Mantis's legs and tail (9 parts)
The 2nd chalk-white tree holds his thorax and railroad dock (2 parts)
The 3rd chalk-white tree holds: wings, eyes, leg upper section (5 parts)
The 4th chalk-white tree holds figures (8 of them) Many more figures are floating around loose.
Loose chalk-white parts, broken off the trees, are: a building front, Mantis's lower body, thorax half, a splintered roof section of the building's tower and it's roof, Mantis's leg, 2 cars (one is mangled), Mantis's head, railroad bumper and crossing sign, wrecked building corner and a caboose.
The fold-up full-color cardboard diorama scenery base is next.
There are no clear parts in the kit.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet folded into 6 pages in 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white illustration of the mantis, over BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions and Ertl's toll free 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems and their P.O. Box address in Dyersville, IA.
Page 2 begins with information about the mantis, over the first 4 assembly steps. The steps are alphabetized and not numbered.
Page 3 to the top of page 4 give a balance of a total of 8 assembly steps, lettered A to H.
The bottom of page 4 and across page 5 and 6 are 3 more assembly steps.
There is not decal sheet in the kit.
The Blueprinter subscription application card completes the kit's contents.
I once also had AMT-Ertl's gigantic kit of a black-widow spider creating havoc in a diorama.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet folded into 6 pages in 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white illustration of the mantis, over BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions and Ertl's toll free 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems and their P.O. Box address in Dyersville, IA.
Page 2 begins with information about the mantis, over the first 4 assembly steps. The steps are alphabetized and not numbered.
Page 3 to the top of page 4 give a balance of a total of 8 assembly steps, lettered A to H.
The bottom of page 4 and across page 5 and 6 are 3 more assembly steps.
There is not decal sheet in the kit.
The Blueprinter subscription application card completes the kit's contents.
I once also had AMT-Ertl's gigantic kit of a black-widow spider creating havoc in a diorama.
There are no clear parts in the kit.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet folded into 6 pages in 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white illustration of the mantis, over BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions and Ertl's toll free 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems and their P.O. Box address in Dyersville, IA.
Page 2 begins with information about the mantis, over the first 4 assembly steps. The steps are alphabetized and not numbered.
Page 3 to the top of page 4 give a balance of a total of 8 assembly steps, lettered A to H.
The bottom of page 4 and across page 5 and 6 are 3 more assembly steps.
There is not decal sheet in the kit.
The Blueprinter subscription application card completes the kit's contents.
I once also had AMT-Ertl's gigantic kit of a black-widow spider creating havoc in a diorama.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet folded into 6 pages in 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white illustration of the mantis, over BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions and Ertl's toll free 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems and their P.O. Box address in Dyersville, IA.
Page 2 begins with information about the mantis, over the first 4 assembly steps. The steps are alphabetized and not numbered.
Page 3 to the top of page 4 give a balance of a total of 8 assembly steps, lettered A to H.
The bottom of page 4 and across page 5 and 6 are 3 more assembly steps.
There is not decal sheet in the kit.
The Blueprinter subscription application card completes the kit's contents.
I once also had AMT-Ertl's gigantic kit of a black-widow spider creating havoc in a diorama.
There are no clear parts in the kit.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet folded into 6 pages in 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white illustration of the mantis, over BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions and Ertl's toll free 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems and their P.O. Box address in Dyersville, IA.
Page 2 begins with information about the mantis, over the first 4 assembly steps. The steps are alphabetized and not numbered.
Page 3 to the top of page 4 give a balance of a total of 8 assembly steps, lettered A to H.
The bottom of page 4 and across page 5 and 6 are 3 more assembly steps.
There is not decal sheet in the kit.
The Blueprinter subscription application card completes the kit's contents.
I once also had AMT-Ertl's gigantic kit of a black-widow spider creating havoc in a diorama.
The instructions consist of a single-sheet folded into 6 pages in 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" page format.
Page 1 begins with a black and white illustration of the mantis, over BEFORE YOU BEGIN instructions and Ertl's toll free 1-800 phone number to call with any kit problems and their P.O. Box address in Dyersville, IA.
Page 2 begins with information about the mantis, over the first 4 assembly steps. The steps are alphabetized and not numbered.
Page 3 to the top of page 4 give a balance of a total of 8 assembly steps, lettered A to H.
The bottom of page 4 and across page 5 and 6 are 3 more assembly steps.
There is not decal sheet in the kit.
The Blueprinter subscription application card completes the kit's contents.
I once also had AMT-Ertl's gigantic kit of a black-widow spider creating havoc in a diorama.
Recommended.