Revell 1/25 '56 Ford F-100 Pickup
By Fabrizio Fae
THE PICKUP
This is another great reissue from Revell in 1:25 scale, the Ed Roth '56 Ford F-100 Pickup.The F-100 is part of the second generation of Ford pickups that ran from 1953 through 1956. The '56 Ford pickup was a very popular pickup with street rodders. Even noted custom car builder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth applied his craft to an F-100 that was noticeable thanks to its red pinstriped flames all around and a mural on the tonneau cover; under the hood there was a powerful Thunderbird V8.
THE KIT
The box has a nice picture of the finished model that will enchant you and make you grab it and take it home. On one side of the box there are two additional pictures of the finished model, on the other side you have information about the pickup’s dimensions and the number of parts included (120) and that waterslide decals are included. There is also a very informative history on Big Daddy Roth truck and the F-100 pickup. Finally you can find all the colors you need to build the kit and the skill level (three).
Inside there is one, big, full bag with all the white plastic parts, one bag with all the chrome parts and one for the clear parts. The cab and tires are not bagged. The instructions are a 12 page booklet, very simple and easy to read, and helpful for decal application. The instructions include a history of both the F-100 and Ed Roth, a list of color recommendations, parts diagram, and a clearly illustrated construction sequence. You also get a very nice full page with all the views of the truck, which is very helpful if you decide to build the Ed Roth version.
There is very minor flash on the parts and the molding looks good. The kit can be built in two versions, stock or Ed Roth’s custom. The cab is nice, with opening doors and hood. Opening doors are always a big plus on a kit, because it allows the interior to be seen. The kit includes stock or custom interior pieces. The stock interior has a simple bench seat and the custom interior a nicer bench seat. The door panels can be made stock or custom and they are are two-sided, so you can choose which side you want to use. The bottom of the interior is on the chassis and the dash and cowl will be glued onto the cab.
Behind the cab there is a nice, and easy to assemble, bed. You can choose to use the tonneau cover, or not and the tailgate opens and closes-another nice touch. The engine is a well-molded V8, with dual pipes that run on the side of the chassis. You can opt for stock or custom front axles; the difference is that the custom one will lower the front end and gives it an aggressive look. The tires are hard rubber and are molded in black. You have a number of optional wheels to choose from, stock or custom.The chrome parts are very nice, with a real look and fine details - Ford is written on some chrome parts, such as the stock hubcaps, tail lights, and emblems (which also have F-100 written on them).
The name “Thunderbird V8” is written on the valve covers, and there is a V8 emblem for the front grill. The decals are top quality. They are very well detailed, especially the small pinstripes for the custom- version. There are thirty-five decals to apply on the pick up which is a little challenging, but the clearly illustrated instruction show exactly where to place them.
CONCLUSION
This will be a fun kit to build, whether stock or the custom, or as the starting point of a scratch-building project. With all of the opening parts, and virtually flash-free parts, this will be a stand out model. I would like to thank Revell for providing the review sample.