History of the AMT model company

AMT, short for Aluminum Model Toys, was a model company founded in Troy, Michigan in 1948 by attorney West Gallogly, Sr. as a side business. Their first products were 1/25 scale pre-assembled promotional car models. AMT’s first model was a 1947-1948 Ford Fordor sedan made of cast aluminum and painted with official Ford paint.The type of paint used on the models made a difference because dealers often did not have cars with every color in stock. The promo models they made were close replicas of the real thing and AMT worked closely with Ford and General Motors as well as other car companies. Models were molded in different colors as well as painted in actual factory auto paint. This enabled potential customers to see the various colors of car models available.Their construction was sturdy, often with few parts and hoods that didn’t open or engines and suspensions molded in one piece. AMT made their promo models out of aluminum at first, but an AMT employee, George Toteff, devised the “sl...