History Brief

The 1948 Ford was the company’s last model to be produced using a pre-WWII design. Distinctive “fat” fenders helped make it an instant favorite with custom builders, who tended to chop the top and add fade-away fenders and tunneled headlights. A modified Ford flathead V-8, dual carburetors, and dual exhaust was the rage.

The Product:

Kit features newly tooled optional custom parts. These include four grills with separate surrounds, two bumpers, two hubcaps, three taillights, two hoods, fade-away side panels, spotlights, fender skirts, plated metal exhaust tips, printed whitewall tires, chrome plated parts, and decals with colorful custom graphics. Total parts 136, skill level 3.

The Build:

As with most car builds, the first steps began with the engine. The flat head went together without a hitch and, painted Ford blue, it was soon embellished with all the chrome items we all come to expect from Revell. Next up, following the instruction sheet, I moved on to the frame and exhaust pipes. It was here that I made a detour and elected not to install the exhaust system at this point and instead send the frame to the paint shop along other related parts to be readied for the next building steps. Once all the parts were painted, I added the exhaust system, suspension, drive train, wheels, and steering. Flipping the frame over, I then added the engine and radiator, finishing this build component at step 4.

The next build steps 5,6, and 7 involve the body and several optional custom features. Once all the body work was finished, I prepped and painted it before adding the glass as directed in step 7. Step 8 covers the interior and dash. I encountered no problems. Step 9, after test fitting the interior with the floor pan and frame component, everything was installed into the body. The rest of the build included adding the bumpers and bits.

The Bottom line

I highly recommend this build to anyone who likes building for the enjoyment of the hobby and to the serious modeler who wants a great canvas for building a masterpiece. Thanks to Revell for supplying the kit for review and to IPMS for letting me review it.