Here’s my 1/64 entry for car week. It’s a 1974 AMC Gremlin by Fresh Cherries!
Everybody knows the story of the Gremlin. The cheap compact that AMC made by chopping the tail off of a Hornet, drawn on the back of a barf bag, debuting on April Fools Day. Known as a “loser car” the world over, the Gremlin’s name seemed appropriate considering it’s known rust problems and other wacky issues. Jon Stewart drove one of these in high school; on the day of the prom, he drove his cat to the vet in it, but the cat decided to use the limestone he had put in the back to stop the Gremlin from spinning out as kitty litter. Y’all know the rest from Comedian’s in Cars Getting Coffee.
One more thing about the Gremlin: it’s beloved by millions of people.
And that’s why the Gremlin is far more American than any Camaro or Mustang or Trans Am; in no where but America is the underdog coming from behind to win as possible.
And the Gremlin is definitely an underdog; what were the chances that a hobbled together hatchback could win people’s hearts and become a classic? All the muscle cars I mentioned earlier, they were always going to be beloved; low production dream cars from millions of baby boomers teenage years; someone always as going to want them.
But what they got instead of the muscle cars was this; the Gremlin. You would think people would despise this car because of the dream it snatched away, but no, they still love it.
And while the Gremlin may not be as much of an underdog as it’s sister, the Pacer, and may not be as valuable as it’s ‘70’s shitbox rival, and the TE21 Corolla, people still love the Gremlin.
As for this model, it’s fantastic. Jeweled headlights amd tailights, separate chrome bumpers spoilers and grill, detailed exact replic wheels, and more. Look at the detail in that C pillar Gremlin badge; it’s hard to tell, but it’s even the exact right font.
This amount of detail is not uncommon for Fresh Cherries; in fact almost every one of their models have it. They have a Mk1 Honda Civic that I desperately need.
These Gremlins can still be found on the ‘bay for pretty cheap; mine’s not in great shape, as some of the chrome has dulled over time, but it’s nothing a Sharpie can’t fix.
All in all. I’d say this Gremlin has almost Kyosho or TLV level detail for way less money, and in my opinion, a way better car than anything TLV or Kyosho have. After all, not everybody has heard of a Toyota Sports 800, but everybody knows the Gremlin.