1/25 AMT '94 Ford F-150 Lightning Pickup

[Casey]

The  AMT 1/25 '94 Ford F-150 Lightning Pickup, due later this year:

Edited August 17, 2018 by Casey

[Luc Janssens]

All original parte restored?

[kelson]

I remember the reviews at the time weren't all that good for this kit,it had inaccuracies like most kits.

[niteowl7710]

On 7/22/2018 at 4:55 PM, Luc Janssens said:

All original parte restored?

Remember these kits were annuals when they were being done, and there was at least one 1995 short bed F-150 kit.

[PacificEd]

The regular short bed was painted a teal color on the box art.  The Lightning was black with a few unique pieces.

[Rob Hall]

I never had the Lightning kit, but built all the regular F150 variations they had then.  I think the main issue at the time regarding the Lightning is it had the F150 side trim moldings, which the 1:1 Lightning didn't have. 

[SSNJim]

True, that. All the F-150 trim needs to come off, including the F-150 badges shown on the box art. Lightnings aren't F-150s - they are an F-150 cab and bed on an F-250 chassis, a mish-mash of chassis components, and performance engines not otherwise available in the F-series. I remember reading about these Lightnings outrunning Corvettes on a road course - ain't no F-150 gonna do that.

That said, I've built a couple of these and they always build nice. I'm glad to see it come out again. I'm not sure to what original tooling they are referring - I don't remember many optional parts in the kit. Maybe they modified it for one of the shortbed F-150 versions. A new engine and wheels/tires would make a pretty nice F-150, but those already existed in the longbed kits.

[vincen47]

I imagine it would have the stock EFI engine parts too, like the other F150 kits?

[Jonathan]

Definitely on the want list.

[mk11]

IIRC, they didn't come with the airbag steering wheel either, but they did tool one up for the '95 annual.

 

mike. 

[oldcarfan]

I still have 3 of the original release that I bought and never built, but I will definitely get another just to encourage the kit makers to keep releasing stuff!

[rkeel]

The biggest problem I have with this kit is the wheels. AMT cheaped out and molded the wheels to fit the regular kit 15" tires, where on the real truck the wheels I think were 17s. The kit wheels look, for lack of a better word, "dinky" on the truck. I got frustrated and just put it up, but then, I took one of the AMT wheels and modified it to fit a hogged out Monogram 1/24 wheel rim that fits the Goodyear Gatorbacks they put in the Mustangs and some others back in the 90s. Takes a lot of time, so I put it up again and moved on to other things. Once I found out about Joseph at Fireball Modelworks I contacted him, told him what I had done to modify the wheel, and he said he would cast me some. I'm going to send the one I have and get it done, and told him I had no problem with him offering them on his website if he thought they were good enough. He declined because he doesn't have a tire to fit them. However, once I send my modified wheel to him, I bet if any of you would like a copy he would cast some more, but probably only if there was some demand. Now that the kit is coming back, there may actually be some demand. I'll let ya'll know when I get around to sending it to him, just been very busy lately.

[Mercuryman54]

Here's a few pictures of the kit I built when it was originally released.

Dennis

[Atmobil]

I just saw this one at the Bring A Trailer site: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1995-ford-f150-2/

[RodneyBad]

On 8/5/2018 at 6:18 PM, Mercuryman54 said:

Here's a few pictures of the kit I built when it was originally released.

Dennis

Truck looks Great.

I almost thought it was a pic from the truck ad..

[fairlane1320]

On 7/24/2018 at 9:00 PM, SSNJim said:

True, that. All the F-150 trim needs to come off, including the F-150 badges shown on the box art. Lightnings aren't F-150s - they are an F-150 cab and bed on an F-250 chassis, a mish-mash of chassis components, and performance engines not otherwise available in the F-series. I remember reading about these Lightnings outrunning Corvettes on a road course - ain't no F-150 gonna do that.

That said, I've built a couple of these and they always build nice. I'm glad to see it come out again. I'm not sure to what original tooling they are referring - I don't remember many optional parts in the kit. Maybe they modified it for one of the shortbed F-150 versions. A new engine and wheels/tires would make a pretty nice F-150, but those already existed in the longbed kits.

They certainly are F150s, and they were not built on a F250 chassis. 

[niteowl7710]

47 minutes ago, fairlane1320 said:

They certainly are F150s, and they were not built on a F250 chassis. 

I'm guessing he meant that the Lightning used the powertrain out of HD pick-up line, and also the frame rails off the F-250 4x4.  But it was otherwise an F-150.  So much so the technical name of the vehicle is Ford F-150 SVT Lightning.  Those F-150 badges most certainly should stay on any type of factory stock replica - a 2 second Google search proves that.

[SSNJim]

Interesting - someone must have gone out and edited all the Google pictures . It's strange I don't remember ever seeing a F-150 badge on a Lightning. I drove one in 1994, and knew a couple of owners, and I just don't remember them. I stand corrected on that. I'm assuming by HD you mean heavy duty.

[fairlane1320]

On 10/5/2018 at 9:41 AM, niteowl7710 said:

I'm guessing he meant that the Lightning used the powertrain out of HD pick-up line, and also the frame rails off the F-250 4x4.  But it was otherwise an F-150.  So much so the technical name of the vehicle is Ford F-150 SVT Lightning.  Those F-150 badges most certainly should stay on any type of factory stock replica - a 2 second Google search proves that.

There wasn't a F250 regular cab short box, so there's no chance of a Lightning having a F250 frame. Also, the Lightning used an 8.8" axle, and the F250 used a 10.25" axle. And the Lightning engine had unique GT40 heads and intake.

[Jordan White]

2 hours ago, fairlane1320 said:

There wasn't a F250 regular cab short box, so there's no chance of a Lightning having a F250 frame. Also, the Lightning used an 8.8" axle, and the F250 used a 10.25" axle. And the Lightning engine had unique GT40 heads and intake.

I have seen a few mentions of using the F250 frame rails, so perhaps they shortened them for use on the Lightning since it was a specially modified vehicle.

[Bucky]

From the following link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series_(ninth_generation)#SVT_Lightning

 

SVT Lightning[edit]

The SVT Lightning is a sports/performance version of the F-150, released by Ford's SVT (Special Vehicle Team) division.

 

1993 Ford SVT Lightning

Ford introduced the Lightning in 1992 to compete with primarily the Chevrolet 454 SS, in an effort to enhance the sporty, personal-use image of the Ford F-Series pickup.^{[citation needed]} This initial Lightning featured performance handling developed by world-champion driver Jackie Stewart. The Lightning was powered by a special 240 hp (180 kW) version of the 351 in³ (5.8 L) V8 engine. The Lightning shared its basic platform structure with the regular F-150, but modifications were made to many vehicle systems. To enhance the Lightning chassis, the thicker frame rails from the 4-wheel drive F-250 used to increase rigidity.^{[citation needed]} The stock Lightning was capable of achieving 0.88 g lateral acceleration, yet it retained almost all the hauling and trailering capabilities of the parent F-Series. A 351 in³ (5.8 L) WindsorV8 producing 240 hp (179 kW) and 340 ft·lbf (461 N·m) of torque replaced the standard F-150 engine. The engine was based on an existing block, but Ford engineers fitted it with high flow rate "GT40" heads and used hypereutectic pistons to increase response, output and durability. The engine was also fitted with stainless steel "shorty" headers.^{[citation needed]}

An upgraded Ford E4OD automatic transmission was the only available transmission. An aluminum driveshaft connected it to 4.10:1 rear limited slip gears. The suspension had front and rear anti-rollbars and a special leaf, in the rear, tipped with a rubber snubber, that acted as a ladder bar and controlled rear wheel hop during hard acceleration. Special 17" aluminum wheels with Firestone Firehawk tires, Lightning badging, a front air dam with fog lamps, a 120 mph (190 km/h) speedometer and a special intake manifold all differentiated the Lightning from normal F-150s. Bucket seats with electrically-adjustable side bolsters and lumbar supports were part of the package. Suspension modifications provided a 1 in front and 2.5 in rear drop in ride height.^{[citation needed]}

The 1993 Lightning, launched on 15 December 1992 by Ford President Ed Hagenlocker, received more than 150 favorable articles in America's newspapers, magazines, and television outlets, and helped Ford retain leadership in the personal-use truck market.^{[citation needed]} Three-time World Champion driver Jackie Stewart was highly involved in fine-tuning of the Lightning's handling. Key Ford engineers, managers, and executives involved in developing the original Lightning Performance Truck were Jim Mason, Robert Burnham, Jim Englehart, Terry DeJonckheere, Rory Carpenter, Bob Hommel, Terrell Edgar, Dick Liljestrand, Deb Neill, Adolfo Mejia, and Fred Gregg.^{[citation needed]}

Model Year	Engine	Power	Torque	Black Trucks	Red Trucks	White Trucks	Total Production
1993	5.8 L Windsor FI V8	240 hp (179 kW)	340 ft·lbf (461 N·m)	2,691	2,585	N/A	5,276
1994				1,382	1,165	1,460	4,007
1995				824	695	761	2,280
Total							11,563

[Sledsel]

I will be getting one to go with my F150's. It suffers the same issue as my kits from what I see in MercuryMan's pics... The drooping bed. Easily fixed though.

[suprafastcelica]

Has anyone found this at any stores yet?  It is scheduled to be out this month. The Scout was scheduled out in November and i found that at HL in August.

[tim boyd]

On ‎10‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 1:45 PM, Bucky said:

From the following link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series_(ninth_generation)#SVT_Lightning

 

SVT Lightning[edit]

The SVT Lightning is a sports/performance version of the F-150, released by Ford's SVT (Special Vehicle Team) division.

 

1993 Ford SVT Lightning

Ford introduced the Lightning in 1992 to compete with primarily the Chevrolet 454 SS, in an effort to enhance the sporty, personal-use image of the Ford F-Series pickup.^{[citation needed]} This initial Lightning featured performance handling developed by world-champion driver Jackie Stewart. The Lightning was powered by a special 240 hp (180 kW) version of the 351 in³ (5.8 L) V8 engine. The Lightning shared its basic platform structure with the regular F-150, but modifications were made to many vehicle systems. To enhance the Lightning chassis, the thicker frame rails from the 4-wheel drive F-250 used to increase rigidity.^{[citation needed]} The stock Lightning was capable of achieving 0.88 g lateral acceleration, yet it retained almost all the hauling and trailering capabilities of the parent F-Series. A 351 in³ (5.8 L) WindsorV8 producing 240 hp (179 kW) and 340 ft·lbf (461 N·m) of torque replaced the standard F-150 engine. The engine was based on an existing block, but Ford engineers fitted it with high flow rate "GT40" heads and used hypereutectic pistons to increase response, output and durability. The engine was also fitted with stainless steel "shorty" headers.^{[citation needed]}

An upgraded Ford E4OD automatic transmission was the only available transmission. An aluminum driveshaft connected it to 4.10:1 rear limited slip gears. The suspension had front and rear anti-rollbars and a special leaf, in the rear, tipped with a rubber snubber, that acted as a ladder bar and controlled rear wheel hop during hard acceleration. Special 17" aluminum wheels with Firestone Firehawk tires, Lightning badging, a front air dam with fog lamps, a 120 mph (190 km/h) speedometer and a special intake manifold all differentiated the Lightning from normal F-150s. Bucket seats with electrically-adjustable side bolsters and lumbar supports were part of the package. Suspension modifications provided a 1 in front and 2.5 in rear drop in ride height.^{[citation needed]}

The 1993 Lightning, launched on 15 December 1992 by Ford President Ed Hagenlocker, received more than 150 favorable articles in America's newspapers, magazines, and television outlets, and helped Ford retain leadership in the personal-use truck market.^{[citation needed]} Three-time World Champion driver Jackie Stewart was highly involved in fine-tuning of the Lightning's handling. Key Ford engineers, managers, and executives involved in developing the original Lightning Performance Truck were Jim Mason, Robert Burnham, Jim Englehart, Terry DeJonckheere, Rory Carpenter, Bob Hommel, Terrell Edgar, Dick Liljestrand, Deb Neill, Adolfo Mejia, and Fred Gregg.^{[citation needed]}

Model Year	Engine	Power	Torque	Black Trucks	Red Trucks	White Trucks	Total Production
1993	5.8 L Windsor FI V8	240 hp (179 kW)	340 ft·lbf (461 N·m)	2,691	2,585	N/A	5,276
1994				1,382	1,165	1,460	4,007
1995				824	695	761	2,280
Total							11,563

Very interesting discussion on the frame rails. 

During my working career of 35+ years at Ford, I was appointed Ford Specialty Vehicles Marketing Manager in March of 1995.  The primary responsibility of the job was to serve as the overall team leader of the Ford Special Vehicle Team.  It also included conducting frequent media events on the SVT lineup and product philosophy.  

As at that point the SVT Lightning was in its third year in the marketplace, and we were doing ride and drive media events with small groups of very knowledgeable media personnel (primarily selected magazine writers/and syndicated local newspaper journalists.)   Among these various media events, I don't recall us suggesting that the Lighting used F250 frame rails.  But it is certainly possible; and it would have aligned with our SVT product philosophy to do upgrades throughout the vehicle to enhance performance capabilities.    

Someday when I go through my old SVT stash I will be looking for any information that proves - or disproves - this piece of info.  In the meantime, enjoy the Round 2 reissue of this kit..

TIM 

 

 

[Bucky]

I certainly hope to grab one of those kits! I have all the pickup kits of this bodystyle except the Lightning. The info I posted may, or may not be factual. It's just what I found on Wiki. It will be interesting to know what you find out when you dig into your info.