How old is Revell's '29 Ford closed-cab pickup?

[LDO]

I thought it was new when issued in the "Rat Rod" box, but I was looking through some old Car Modeler magazines and saw one. When was the closed-cab model first made?

[Chuck Most]

Mid '60's I believe. It's a bit newer than the Monogram Model A pickups.

[LDO]

Mid '60's I believe. It's a bit newer than the Monogram Model A pickups.

45 years? Get outta town!

[Eric Stone]

Its molds have held up nicely then. I've seen much newer kits with much worse mold seams and flash.

[LDO]

I did a search and found an old box art photo. I really like it. I'm going to have to find a box like this.

$1.44! Yep, that's old, alright.

Edited May 26, 2011 by LDO

[bigphoto]

The rear window size has changed over the years as well as the fender unit at used to have the wells for spare tires.

The last time it had those was the Street Demons incarnation.

[Art Anderson]

Revell actually introduced their '29 Model A pickup kit in the 4th quarter 1965. It's pretty much always been a multiple version kit (closed cab and roadster-pickup bodies included from day one, stock and street rod versions). Originally, the stock version of this kit had correct Ford AR wire wheels with correct Firestone tires, although in order to be able to use the same tire tool, Revell stuck with the 4:875-19 Firestone tire that was standard on the 30-31 Model A--those having been tooled for their excellent '31 Model A Tudor Sedan/Station Wagon kit which came a bit earlier in 1965.

The only change in the tooling was the rear window on the closed cab: Originally, Revell's product development team used a modified truck as a reference. That pickup had it's original small rear window frame removed, and a new one fabricated--not uncommon with street rodders back in the 60's (the rear window frame reduced the size of the glass markedly, and was a simple panel bolted into a much larger opening, for reasons known only to Ford designers back in the day). This was corrected with the Rat Rod version which came out in the early 2000's, while the wire wheels and skinny Firestones (Firestone Tire & Rubber was Ford's exclusive rubber component/tires supplier from 1903 until the great Explorer "exploding tire" debacle of about 10-12 years ago--a little known fact of Ford production for all those decades).

All in all, this kit, along with its companion '31 Tudor/Station Wagon kit is still the most accurately done Model A of all--AMT's '29 Roadster, along with the MPC '29 Station Wagon/Roadster Pickup both have issues with some body shapes and of course, their overly heavy-handed frame and suspension components (like the front axle!). But, in the bargain, like so many Revell model car kit offerings 1962 to well into the 1970's, these are very delicately engineered kits, some very fiddly construction, but with patience and perseverance, can be made into stunning, if somewhat fragile, models.

Art

[Art Anderson]

The rear window size has changed over the years as well as the fender unit at used to have the wells for spare tires.

The last time it had those was the Street Demons incarnation.

I'm not altogether sure that the original issue of this kit had the wheel well on the left front fender for the stock spare, although the '31 Station Wagon did have the wheel well for at least the left side if my memory serves me correctly, but in any event, given that the first impetus for this kit seems to have been a street rod, chances are whomever built the actual truck used for reference probably installed a passenger car left front fender on which the wheel well was strictly optional--standard practice for Ford was a rear mounted spare on all passenger cars (the side mount spare was an option on those, costing all of about $7.50 factory installed). However, on all Ford commercial vehicles for 1928-29, a side mounted spare was standard, even on the Station Wagon, which from its introduction in 1929 through the 1939 model year was considered a commercial vehicle, and catalogued along with pickups, panels, and 1.5 ton trucks up through that model year (station wagons became part of the passenger car line starting with the 1940 model year).

Someone mentioned Monogram Model A Ford pickups--however Monogram produced but one Model A pickup, that being the 1929 Model A Roadster pickup they introduced as the "Blue Beetle" about 1963 or so (not all that sure of the year though). Monogram's Model A Ford kits were just 4 in number (considering that their one multi-version kit was later split up into two separate offerings); the 1930 Model A Phaeton (issued in 1961), 1930 Model A Coupe/Cabriolet which came in 1966, and the 1930 Model A station wagon (which quickly had optional parts to make the VERY RARE '30 Model A Deluxe Sedan Delivery, which was a woodie sedel, modified from the regular 4dr station wagon--only a handful were produced ) which also came out in 1966 as a street rod only kit--but can be built stock by combining it with the coupe, cabriolet or phaeton underpinnings. Of these, ONLY the 1930 Cabriolet kit, wnen produced as a separate subject (no coupe body parts) in the early 1970's had side mount spares with wheel wells, and that only for just one release (the late Bill Harrison from Monte Vista CA gave me 4 fender units and spare wheel mounts from that short run of Cabrio's.

Pyro produced a 1930 Model A roadster pickup in 1/32 scale, Hubley did the same subject in 1/20 diecast metal kit form, but nobody has ever done any 30-31 Model A Ford pickup in 1/25 or 1/24 scale, outside of a couple of resin offerings.

Art

[Mark]

Originally, the stock version of this kit had correct Ford AR wire wheels with correct Firestone tires, although in order to be able to use the same tire tool, Revell stuck with the 4:875-19 Firestone tire that was standard on the 30-31 Model A--those having been tooled for their excellent '31 Model A Tudor Sedan/Station Wagon kit which came a bit earlier in 1965.

Art:

The '29 pickup and '31 sedan/Woody kits did not use the same stock wheels and tires! I've got original issues of both kits; the '31 uses 19" tires as you say, the tires in the '29 pickup are slightly, but noticeably taller. The tires in my '29 kit are still bagged so I can't make out the sidewall size detail, but a "20" is plainly visible on the tire. The wheels from the '31 would fall through the center holes in the '29 tires. It's a shame that only the original issue pickup has those stock wheels and tires; the tires are of the "plastic eating" variety. Every built example I have seen with the stock tires, has wheels that have softened into bubble gum.

I'd rate the Revell A kits far above all the others. But the AMT '29 roadster has something neither of the Revell kits ever had: accelerator, clutch, and brake pedals!

[Don Sikora II]

Mark is correct that the Revell 29 A had a different stock tire mold than the one used in the Sedan/Woody kit. I dug out my original 29 A kit and the sidewall detail appears to say 20 x 4.50. The poster who said the spare tire well was eliminated is also correct. It was eliminated for the Hot Rod magazine series release, and the Hot Rod kit used a completely different chrome tree as well. The Rat Rod issue went back to the original chrome mold. The louvers on the hood sides were eliminated for the Hot Rod kit too, but they were restored for the Rat Rod release.

[Roadrunner]

I'm seeing the Revell and Monogram '29 pickup, in the "rat rod" series, listed as 1:25 scale, yet the Monogram stake-bed, which I always assumed to be the exact same basic tooling, is listed as 1:24 scale. Are these in fact different scale kits?

Thanks a bunch,

[keyser]

Different tools. The Monogram '29 with stakes evolved from the Blue Beetle, which was recently resurrected as the Blue Bandito. Had a Caddy initially. Fun kit. No closed cab.

Revell 29 is a closed cab or roadster pickup with opening doors, a 4. Another fun kit, albeit fiddly at times. It is 1/25, the Monogram is 1/24. Tons of iterations of the Revell too, but pretty close to original. Track nose added in last 8-10y I guess. Decent speed stuff.

The AMT/MPC 29 RPU was a dual kit with the woody, It still has been, but I don't think it's been out in awhile. Tim Boyd as always has some great builds of several of each, mostly the Revell and AMT IIRC. 

Edited March 23, 2020 by keyser

[Roadrunner]

Excellent. Thanks a bunch, CL, I really appreciate the input. I may have to add one of those 1:25 kits to my "to get" list.

[Richard Bartrop]

The track nose has been part of the Revell '29 Pickup since at least the early 80's, possibly earlier.

[keyser]

Fun stuff.

https://public.fotki.com/funman1712/tim-boyds-124th--12/boyd-street-rods-ra/

[Richard Bartrop]

I know this version had a track nose, so assuming Scalemates is right, 1974.

[keyser]

9 minutes ago, Richard Bartrop said:

The track nose has been part of the Revell '29 Pickup since at least the early 80's, possibly earlier.

Oops. Guess that's not 8-10y ago anymore. Old is bad

[Roadrunner]

Fascinating stuff. I had no idea there were so many variations.

[Ace-Garageguy]

The Revell 1/25 '29 RPU/closed cab pickup was derived from the earlier '31 woody/sedan kit. It shares frame, running gear, engine, and most of the chrome tree (the differences being hop-up goodies for the venerable inline 4). As all 4 years of model A ('28-'29-'30-'31) are essentially identical mechanically, this was a smart move on Revell's part.

These kits have a largely unfair reputation for being "fiddly", but with a little adult care and patience, they make outstanding models.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[keyser]

I never tried a bash of a 31 with the 29. Works?

[Ace-Garageguy]

1 hour ago, keyser said:

I never tried a bash of a 31 with the 29. Works?

All the 1/25 Revell (early) model A chassis and running gear are interchangeable, being the same tooling. The '29 bodies won't fit the '31 fenders well because, just as in reality, the '28-'29 fenders are entirely different from the '30-'31 fenders.

HOWEVER...IIRC...the Revell parts will work very nicely under the old AMT '28-'29 roadster body and fenders, born in this double-kit and reissued in many guises since.

      This is a big positive, as the AMT chassis and running gear are somewhat toylike compared to the Revell parts.

You're SOL on a frame swap with the MPC (later AMT) woody/RPU however, as (again IIRC) those kits have the frame molded as a piece with the fender unit. Running gear and engines are swappable, however.

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[Richard Bartrop]

There are some Revell kits that definitely qualify as "finicky" but I'm not sure the Model A's fall in that category.  Some patience is in order, but it's still fairly painless. Also a very good source of kitbashing material.

[keyser]

They're fun kits, it just takes patience. Fiddly  just means needs attention. I really hate opening doors, and they're rarely easy. Finicky is hard to build I guess. The 29 isn't. Closed cab nice too. I'll have to throw the Halibrands off the 31 onto a 29. 

28 Tudor MPC fun kit too. Long gone sadly. 

[unclescott58]

Besides being interested in building the closed cab version of this kit. I would love it they would reissue this kit with this box art. I love that old box art. Again selling the sizzle rather the steak. 

 

[Greg Myers]

How do the parts pac engines fit in the Revell '29 PU ? since they only come with four bangers