History

Ford introduced the “F” series pickup in 1948, beginning with the F-1; it became the best selling line of pickups of all time. The second generation of the “F” series was introduced in 1953 as the F-100, it ran through 1956.

The 1956 Ford F-100 is very popular among street rodders and was the vehicle of choice for famed pin striper, cartoonist, and custom car builder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Ed Roth created outrageous characters such as Rat Fink and Mr. Gasser, as well as vehicles like the Beatnik Bandit, Orbitron, and the Outlaw, among others. These were wild one-off creations that set the bar for custom hot rod show cars. The Revell model company turned several of Roth’s custom vehicles into model kits. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was a notable figure in the custom car world and an inspiration to his contemporaries and future generations of custom car builders.

The Kit

The subject of this review is Revell’s 1/25 scale model kit of Ed Roth’s personal ’56 Ford F-100 pickup. The kit is packaged in a standard model car box, with a glossy photo of the finished model on the top. Inside are 120 parts molded in white, chrome, and clear plastic, with four rubber tires and a decal sheet.

The instruction sheet is laid out in thirteen steps, with the thirteenth being the placement of decals, and is well illustrated. Color call outs for the parts are provided in each step. The parts illustrated in the instruction sheet are numbered, but there are no corresponding numbers on the molded kit parts.

The Build

The build begins with a straightforward build-up of the engine. The engine block is molded in halves, top and bottom; once the front cover, heads, and exhaust manifolds are in place, the seam lines are well hidden. The transmission, also molded in halves, is separate from the engine block, making painting easier. The parts fit is good and it builds into a nice representation of a Ford Thunderbird V8.

Next come the wheels/tires and axles. You have a choice of stock dog dish-style wheel covers or full custom ones. There is also a choice of axles, stock or dropped straight axles. The instruction sheet have these transposed – it shows the stock axle as the custom and vice versa. I chose the custom parts for my build. The dropped front axle gives the truck a nice nose down, hot rod stance. The rest of chassis is built in typical fashion. The floor pan is molded to the frame; the seat, gear shifter, and gas tank sit directly on it.

The cab, hood, and interior make up the next sub-assembly. The hood is hinged and can be displayed in the open or closed position. The doors are also hinged. The hinges for the doors are loose and sloppy, so the doors sag in the open position and leave a big gap between the door and cab in the closed position. You have choice of interior panels. The stock panel is flat with molded-in door handle and window crank. The custom version depicts a tuck and roll type interior with the same molded-in door handle and window crank.

The bed is an easy assembly with the box, two fenders, and tailgate. There is molded-in wood pattern in the bed floor. It would be nice to have decal for this, but with the custom tonneau cover in place you don’t see it. Final assembly was quick and presented no problems. To my eye, the space between the cab and the bed of the truck seems exaggerated; otherwise, it is good-looking model.

The Decals

The decals on my example were frustrating, at best. The decals are thick and brittle. The decal for the mural on the tonneau cover and decals on the doors and tailgate went on without a hitch. The flame decals are the main focus of the model and were impossible to fit properly. Even with Micro-Sol and Micro-Set, I could not get them to conform to the complex curves of the model. The decals would crack and not lay down.

Bottom Line

This is an old kit and it shows its age. There is flash and mold lines on nearly every part. With exception of the decals, it is typical of older Revell kits; with some patience and extra attention to detail, it builds into a good-looking model.

I would like to thank Revell and IPMS for the opportunity to review this kit.