Reviews : AMT International Transtar 4300 Eagle

While healing from a shattered leg, I took up these kits as a way to pass the time; I can remember building some as a kid. Found I REALLY enjoy them! So far, I have the White Freightliner cabover (first kit), the Autocar A64B, the stretch flatbed, and now this International - that's my experience. This kit is better than I am; I had some issues because I don't know better. There are some inconsistencies that I noticed, me being a long haul trucker (I'll post a photo of this truck next to my daily - a Peterbilt!).... First, most of us put our pillows right behind the driver's seat, not the passenger. Next, the spacers in the drive tires aren't wide enough and the tires touch. The kit itself is a dream to build, and I may give another a go at some point in the future when my skills improve greatly. The parts like mirror brackets and handholds are very thin, much more realistic - but much more fragile as a result. There is quite a bit of flashing to be removed and smoothed; some of the sprues are quite thick where they meet the parts. Some of the molds look like they're a millimeter off from each other. Despite some of this, the fit of almost all parts were perfect.

This is one of my favorites to date. This version is molded in white rather than the orange/yellow color from years past. I made a modification to the frame (stretched it a bit) and opted to forgo the sleeper and paired it with on of the flat bed trailers for a construction scheme. painted it to match and it looks great. The chrome parts seemed to be a little over the top and I ended up sanding and painting a few of them to match other areas. Overall it's a very nicely detailed kit. I'll be trying this one again, maybe with the sleeper this time S. A. Lund - WA.

Good builder - Instructions are well done and clear. Flash is light but I did have one line that was heavy across the back of the cab that required a file and some sanding. Detail was clean and crisp. Parts fit was excellent and the only issue I had was fitting the rear axle, It sits a little far back in the frame, so I had to stretch the driveshaft but tha was the only real issue I had. I painted it black with lime green fenders. I painted the interior leather tan with black accents. I would recommend this to all builders.

Not a bad thing to say about this kit,very little flash and things went together as they should have.The fact that its an AMT with the ERTL name as well speaks to why its not like most other AMT kits.The hood and cab lined up well,the tires are nice and even the doors on the sleeper lined up great and actually open and close like they should.I absolutely recommend this kit and Ill be purchasing another and stretching the frame along with other modifications

This is 1 of Ertl's great old kits. These old kits were very nice for their time. They are still fun to build. This is 1 of my favorites that they did. This version is molded in white rather than the yellow that the original was. The only real flaw with this kit is the wheelbase. It needs to be longer. It is fine if you build it as a day-cab but if you use the sleeper it is really tight. Overall it is a very nice detailed kit.

This may not be the most popular truck to a lot of people but the kit is definitely a pleasure to build. Nice fit to the parts,very little flash,and nice clear instructions. Nice tires come with the kit, steerable front axle and good detail all around. Adding some of your own detail (chains, hoses,wires etc.) makes an already good build a great build.

One of the best AMT/Ertl truck kit ever! Original Ertl kit. This one has option for front steering not most AMT kits don't. Good quality and easy to understand instructions. Thinking about stretching the frame could use some advise here. Maybe good tutorial? Overall great kit

I very much enjoyed building up this kit. It is, however, for the experienced modeler, with its tiny bits and bobs and fussy sub assemblies. It’s different than most amt kits due to the Ertl influence, so it builds differently. No more difficult, just different. Have fun!

Loved putting this together, even though I had to change plans on the colors. Very little flash to deal with, take your time on the sleeper, the doors are a bit tricky. Overall I am very glad I did this truck, very nice unit.

...and it was so much fun. Everything went together well apart from an issue I had with the exhaust lines not meeting up underneath. Could have been an error on my part, though. The sleeper doors open, which is a bonus!

This is a great kit. Not a lot of flash. Everything fit together good. But this is not a model for beginners. Alot of parts. If you looking to do a tractor. Try the Revell kits first. They are easier.

I am very excited to build this kit. The price was great compared to other kits in 1/25 scale. Upon inspection with years of building behind me, I can tell this looks to be very well made.

This builds into a good solid feeling truck. Very little flash, good fitting parts. Steerable front wheels are a nice feature, and i t actually has some pretty nice tires.

I built this when it first came out in the 70's, this time it'll be used as the tractor for my lowboy/Cat D8 combo...