Aluminum Model Toys
| Industry | Pre-assembled plastic promotional models |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1948 |
| Founder | West Gallogly, Sr. |
| Headquarters | Troy, Michigan, United States |
| Owner | Round 2 LLC |
Aluminum Model Toys, known by the acronym AMT, was a Troy, Michigan-based company that manufactured various pre-assembled plastic promotional models starting in 1948, when attorney West Gallogly, Sr. started it as a side business. Later, a variety of kits became very popular. Most of the company's vehicle products were American cars and trucks in 1:25 scale. In the 1970s, hot rods, customs, trucks and movie and TV vehicles were also produced.
Because Gallogly had solid connections with Ford Motor Company, he was able to place his first models exclusively in Ford dealerships - starting a long promotional relationship (Cawthon 2002). Gallogly's first model was a 1947-1948 Ford Fordor sedan cast in aluminum and painted with official Ford paint (Cawthon 2002). After issuing successful Ford sedan models, the company set up shop on Eight Mile Road outside Detroit (Chrysler 2008).
In 1949, injection plastic molding became available and aluminum was abandoned after the first Ford aluminum promotional model offered (Doty 2008, 89). Different colors of plastic could now be used, so the company name quietly changed to AMT, which deemphasized the word "aluminum" (Cawthon 2002). For example, AMT's 1949 and 1950 Plymouth sedans were among its first plastic models, along with some Fords. These promos often had wind-up motors (which could not be seen for the shiny silver tinted windows), metal bases and metal diecast chrome bumpers - a material later replaced by chrome plated plastic. Often, official company paints were still applied to the models. The company's first commercial products were pre-assembled plastic promotional models, only available through automobile (commonly Ford) dealerships.
In the early 1950s, day-to-day operations of the company were turned over to George Toteff, so Gallogly could see to his law firm (Cawthon 2002). Model design was kept in-house, but molding was out-sourced. Continental Plastics in Fraser, Michigan, was one company to commonly mold AMT's models (Cawthon 2002).
AMT was the most successful company in the mid-1950s to mold accurate plastic models in 1:25 scale and sell them to auto manufacturer dealerships, but it was not the first promotional automobile model maker.
National Products of Chicago, Illinois, starting manufacturing pot metal promotional models in the 1930s. Among their models were the 1934 Studebaker, 1940 and 1941 Buick 4-door sedans, and a variety of other cars and trucks. National Products was purchased by Banthrico in 1949. Banthrico started making promotional banks of animals and buildings in the 1930s. After World War II, Banthrico continued with a focus on precision metal replica banks of cars, accurately painted, and mostly in 1:25 scale. According to promo aficionado Clarence Young (accessed 2010), these car models were used as 'paint chips' to display real car colors to prospective buyers. Through the early 1950s, Banthrico was the leader in metal promotional models.
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