Revell 56 Ford truck history

[68shortfleet]

I'm curious of the history of this kit(Not the Foose kit), and the changes to the molds throughout the years. Headliner and rear window come to mind.

I'm nearly certain I have seen this topic on here before, but I can't seem to find it and my search terms in Google aren't pulling it up either. 

Anybody know the history or know a link to another page that has it. Thanks 

 

[Mark]

The original issue (1962) had the custom headliner.  It also had US Royal thin white stripe tires, and clear red taillights.  The tires (like most other Revell tires then) were notorious for softening any styrene plastic they came into contact with.  Unfortunately, Revell bagged the clear red lenses with the tires, so if you find an unbuilt first issue kit the taillights will probably be toast.  The "stock" version was not 100% stock due to the custom headliner, dual exhaust, and Thunderbird air filter.  I'm not sure how long the first issue remained in the catalog, but it was probably into the late Sixties.  My first issue kit is molded in white.

Second issue (1974 or so) was the Super Trick Classic.  Red taillights were replaced with chrome, stock wheels/tires replaced with the mediocre Cragar Super Trick wheels and two-piece tires/slicks like those used in Revell's funny car and dragster kits.  The custom headliner detail was eliminated also.  Other optional parts, including the Pontiac engine and custom grille, remained in the kit.  This issue was produced over a long period of time, and in a couple of different boxes.  These were molded in blue, but the plastic color varies from one kit to another depending on when it was made.

The large rear window version first appeared in the mid-Nineties.  A good chunk of that issue was newly tooled including the running boards, pickup bed, stock wheels, some engine parts, and the entire plated tree.  This issue is molded in red, and has a 100% stock version for the first time.  All issues after that include most (if not all) of the newly tooled parts, but most have the small rear window.  The Pontiac engine is no longer included.  

[Don Sikora II]

The Hot Rod magazine issue (#7124) with the dark blue street machine evolved quite a bit over the decade or more it was in production. Kits made from 1986 until the early 1990s include most of the old custom parts and the extra Pontiac engine, while kits made after about 1993 or 1994 received many of the retooled parts Mark describes above and had much nicer BBS-style mesh wheels and better big n' little tires.

[68shortfleet]

Thanks for that info. Exactly what I was looking for. 

Can anybody confirm if the Ed Roth edition has a small or big rear window? I guessing small window based on the previous comments. 

[Mark]

The Roth version has the small window, correct for the 1:1 it represents.

The big window/100% stock issue appeared in 1995.  

2X Don's comments re: the HOT ROD version.  I've got an "early" one and a "late" one (what possessed me to get so many of these kits?) and the differences are amazing.  The "late" HOT ROD kit also has the nice Goodyear racing tires that Revell used in the new-tool '32 Ford kits.  They're "early" tires with the Goodyear lettering still in place, before being wiped later on.

[1972coronet]

I have an original c.1962 issue ; in addition to what's been described contents-wise , there's a surfboard included . Not sure if that cool little treat found its way into later iterations of the '56 F-100 .

[Bainford]

The early/mid 70s Super Trick version was one of my favourite kits as a kid. Built a couple of them, though even as a kid I found the assortment of components kind of strange. The big funny car tires & wheels but little else in actual race parts. The engine options were fine for a street cruiser but didn't seem right for a drag machine. Nonetheless, I thought it quite cool.

Another issue of the kit not mentioned here (added for interest sake) is the Big 10-Ford, probably a late 70s release though I got mine in the mid 80s. The race tires/wheels are gone, replaced by Revell's era typical, industry's worst two piece plastic tires and 10 (?) hole wheels. Not sure if the Pontiac engine is still in the box. Includes stake sides for the bed rails and is molded in metallic brown. There are a couple of different box art editions for this release, obviously leaning heavily on the CB radio craze of the time. After all of these years I plan to get started on mine sometime in the near future, to build a stock Marmon-Herrington version.

[Mark]

Watch out for that metallic brown plastic; in some kits it's extremely brittle.  I had one of the Big Ten-Ford issues that I picked up for cheap because the cab was broken into several pieces.  I tested the parts trees, they broke easily.  I wound up combining that one with another kit to get a complete one.  There are other issues of the '56; there's a Street Demons issue which is pretty much the Super Trick Classic molded in a different color.  There might be a Grease 2 issue also.

[dodgefever]

14 hours ago, Mark said:

The Roth version has the small window, correct for the 1:1 it represents.

The big window/100% stock issue appeared in 1995.  

2X Don's comments re: the HOT ROD version.  I've got an "early" one and a "late" one (what possessed me to get so many of these kits?) and the differences are amazing.  The "late" HOT ROD kit also has the nice Goodyear racing tires that Revell used in the new-tool '32 Ford kits.  They're "early" tires with the Goodyear lettering still in place, before being wiped later on.

I didn't know the Hot Rod version was in production for that long.  Mine had BBS wheels, awful two piece tyres and still had the Pontiac engine.  I'm trying to think when I bought it: I think maybe '90 - '92, but I can't remember exactly.

[dodgefever]

41 minutes ago, Mark said:

Watch out for that metallic brown plastic; in some kits it's extremely brittle.  I had one of the Big Ten-Ford issues that I picked up for cheap because the cab was broken into several pieces.  I tested the parts trees, they broke easily.  I wound up combining that one with another kit to get a complete one.  There are other issues of the '56; there's a Street Demons issue which is pretty much the Super Trick Classic molded in a different color.  There might be a Grease 2 issue also.

Yes, I have a Buttera T sedan in that metallic brown.  The metallic blue of the Hot Rod issue is quite brittle, but the older brown stuff is worse still.

[Mark]

26 minutes ago, dodgefever said:

I didn't know the Hot Rod version was in production for that long.  Mine had BBS wheels, awful two piece tyres and still had the Pontiac engine.  I'm trying to think when I bought it: I think maybe '90 - '92, but I can't remember exactly.

Both of mine have the HOT ROD logo on the box.  The "late" version may have been produced as a "custom" or "street" version with pretty much the same box minus the HOT ROD markings.  Revell did that with the old '57 Chevy hardtop kit, probably after the HOT ROD deal had ended.

[Don Sikora II]

4 hours ago, Mark said:

Both of mine have the HOT ROD logo on the box.  The "late" version may have been produced as a "custom" or "street" version with pretty much the same box minus the HOT ROD markings.  Revell did that with the old '57 Chevy hardtop kit, probably after the HOT ROD deal had ended.

Yes, the dark-blue '56 Ford remained in the line after the Hot Rod license ended, and used box art that followed the then-current Revell style. I'll have to check my stash, but the '56 F-100 might have stayed around long enough to have actually been in two different post-Hot Rod boxes. Other Hot Rod kits that continued past the end of the license included the '57 Chevy hardtop (as you mentioned), the '69 Yenko Camaro, and the 1976-or-so Chevy street pickup. Pretty sure the pro-street C4 Corvette carried on too, but the non-Hot Rod box is scarce.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Don Sikora II

[Jon Haigwood]

This issue has the large rear window. 

[Don Sikora II]

23 hours ago, Don Sikora II said:

Yes, the dark-blue '56 Ford remained in the line after the Hot Rod license ended, and used box art that followed the then-current Revell style. I'll have to check my stash, but the '56 F-100 might have stayed around long enough to have actually been in two different post-Hot Rod boxes. Other Hot Rod kits that continued past the end of the license included the '57 Chevy hardtop (as you mentioned), the '69 Yenko Camaro, and the 1976-or-so Chevy street pickup. Pretty sure the pro-street C4 Corvette carried on too, but the non-Hot Rod box is scarce.

Looked at my kits, and I do have kit #7124 in two post-Hot Rod boxes. Box with red band at top is copyright 1996. Revell-Monogram box with blue band is copyright 1998. It's the dreaded one-piece box style, and this version of the kit was molded in white plastic rather than metallic blue.

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[Eshaver]

On 11/14/2018 at 4:11 PM, Jon Haigwood said:

This issue has the large rear window. 

Jon , I HATE breaking the bad newz to ya but this back window was Ford's STANDARD Back window ! The Optional "Big back window was a "Wrap a round affair . I still install automobile glass and I also write for the Early Ford Club of America .....

[Lordmodelbuilder]

12 minutes ago, Eshaver said:

Jon , I HATE breaking the bad newz to ya but this back window was Ford's STANDARD Back window ! The Optional "Big back window was a "Wrap a round affair . I still install automobile glass and I also write for the Early Ford Club of America .....

I just looked at my kit of that red Ford. The window is much larger than the earlier small window versions.

It looks like Revell was trying to make it a big window, but didn't quite get the shape correct.

[Jon Haigwood]

1 hour ago, Eshaver said:

Jon , I HATE breaking the bad newz to ya but this back window was Ford's STANDARD Back window ! The Optional "Big back window was a "Wrap a round affair . I still install automobile glass and I also write for the Early Ford Club of America .....

I hate to break the news to you but that kit has the big back window , I just opened it for a fellow club member that was looking for one.