mrmike Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 (edited) While at the Hollis Flea Market last Sunday, I walked past a vendor with a couple of large boxes of model kits sitting on the ground. As I looked through the boxes, I started talking with the vendor about models and my club. I saw this kit in one box and ask about the price...$5.00. I gave him a five and thanked him. It is Revell's Custom '56 F100...circa 1986. I have always loved the look of the '56 F100 as others do since many have been restored or rodded. I started thinking about the kit off and on during the day. When I got home later that afternoon, I tore open the shrink wrap and opened the box to examine the kit. It was molded in metallic blue plastic, which would have been nice when polished, but with numerous swirl marks on the hood and roof, my only choice is to paint it. I decided on Tamiya TS-19 Metallic Blue. I have decided that the BBS wheels look out of place on this truck. I have a set of wheels and tires from the Revell '06 Mustang GT to use instead. I think they look better than the BBS wheels which, IMHO, would look more at home on a Porsche. I have had a couple of versions of this model over the many, many years that I have been building. I was hoping to get the latest reissue of this kit at my LHS (the Ed Roth shop truck version), but that won't be necessary now. The first order of business is to remove all the flash and mold lines. Then on to paint! More to come... Edited September 29, 2012 by mrmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01blueedge Posted July 27, 2012 Share Posted July 27, 2012 good start I agree on the wheels the mustang ones look better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 28, 2012 Author Share Posted July 28, 2012 Thanks Josh! Those BBS wheels just don't fit into the vision of the '56 F100 that I want to build. I wished I had a set of Cragar SS mags for this project, but those seem to be hard to come by lately. If it is one thing that I am very much aware of, it is the fidelity of this kit and yes, the tooling is old. I first built this kit when I was young...quite young and needless to say, I was in over my head with it. I later built a drag version of this kit about 30 years ago and it was the same as this kit is. I do know that to successfully build this kit, it will require a lot of test fitting of parts and sub-assemblies. That is what I am doing now...lots of test fitting. Last night I got the inner fenders installed. I even got the door hinges in which was a little bit of a challenge especially since I broke one. Some Ambroid ProWeld and I was good to go. I partially assembled the bed. The tailgate and hinges have been let off so I can detail the bed floor with foil and paint. More to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUGIEDOGGIE Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 NICE ILL BE WATCHING Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantrix Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I have the same edition as this Mike. I'll be following along and see what is in store for me. I like your choice of wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted July 28, 2012 Share Posted July 28, 2012 I love those Effies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooOld Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I personally like this kit . It's no different that any other Revell kit with all the openings ! Looking forward to seeing this one completed . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagestang Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 The Revell '68 Mustang Gt comes with optional Cragars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven2 Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I built this kit and I always liked the wheels but I have to admit, the Mustang wheels look better on this truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 Thanks guys! The Revell '68 Mustang Gt comes with optional Cragars. You are correct Patrick, but there are only 2 Cragar mags in that kit and I cannot justify buying two kits for just the wheels. But yesterday, when I stopped by the LHS for a jar of paint and I saw this on the shelf. Oh, thank the model gods for they have been listening to me!! These wheel and tire sets are becoming very hard to find. This truck kit comes with a Thunderbird engine that I would venture to say that it is a 312 CI V8. The kit also contains a supercharged Pontiac engine of unknown displacement. And, the winner is...a 426 CI Hemi from a Revell '67 Charger! I have a pair of small round chromed air cleaners for the carbs. I'll leave the valve covers and the carbs chromed. I have a pair of stock Hemi manifolds and a set of Hemi headers. I'll see which set will fit better when I mount the engine in the chassis. More to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 You are indeed one fortunate man. You not only scored a nice, complete kit for $5.00, you may also have found the last MRC wheel & tire set in the entire US. It's hard to believe that set wasn't snapped up ages ago, since MRC hasn't made them in over a decade. This should be a fun and interesting project to watch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammedi'am Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Nice! I have one of these kits I started but never finished it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixties Sam Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Looking good! That 56 pickup kit has always been a bear to build. I built one of the originals as a teenager in the 1960's and it looked bad. I built one two years ago, and it turned out much better, but required a lot of fiddling to get things to fit. It does make a nice model if you have patience with it. Sam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 Thanks guys! It is one thing I do possess, it is patience! It is necessary in this day and age! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 Last night I made a transmission mount by cutting off the molded trans mount and modifying it to fit with a couple pieces of scrap styrene. This is the start of the engine mounts for the 426 CI Hemi. More to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 I finished the engine mounts this afternoon and mounted the between the frame rails. The trans mount was added as well. With the engine mocked up in place. Perfect! I looked at the springs and the thought ran through my mind of these springs breaking because they are really thin and fragile looking. My solution was to add a strip of styrene to them and add some strength to these fragile looking parts. The strengthen springs with the lowered front axle. I did the same to the rear springs and added the rear axle. More to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heepey Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 +1 on those springs. I am in the process of restoring on of these I built many years ago. The springs had broken and I am rebuilding them using the same system you are. It would be much easier to have done it first not after the fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantrix Posted August 5, 2012 Share Posted August 5, 2012 Keep it going Mike, you are working out all the bugs for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 (edited) Thanks guys! Rob, not so much as bugs, but as kinks! I am having second thoughts about using the Cragar mags for this build. I have yet to find any other MRC Cragar wheel sets and part of me doesn't want to use these just yet. I may use the '06 Mustang wheels instead. We shall see. I finally had a chance to work on the F100 today for a short time. I got the Hemi painted with Chrysler Street Hemi Orange Engine Enamel and the trans was painted Aluminium Metalizer. I have yet to drill out the distributor and wire it up. A picture of the Hemi in the chassis with plenty of clearance for the exhaust manifolds The front and rear suspensions are painted and partially assembled. The drive shaft will be removed and replaced with a more substantial unit. While I was out running errands this morning, I stopped at Michael's to look for white embossing powder. I found a jar of clear (even though it looks white) for $3.49 and purchased it. I should be able to paint over the clear embossing powder with any color paint. More to come... Edited August 12, 2012 by mrmike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01blueedge Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 its looking good great job on the scratch built motor and trans mounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy D Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi Mike, Great choice, these 50's trucks are sweet. Really nice work getting that hemi in there :) Look foward to your progress! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks Josh and Randy! No progress today as the release mechanism on the reclining sofa broke and I spent part of the afternoon trying to source a new cable and cable clamps from Home Depot. Somehow, I feel that this is going to be another crazy week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmike Posted August 26, 2012 Author Share Posted August 26, 2012 I used the embossing powder that I bought at Michael's for carpet on this F100. I applied it with white glue and painted it with Tamiya TS-19 Metallic Blue. I think it came out great! I just couldn't bring myself to open the MRC Cragar SS wheel and tire set, so I am going back to my original plan of using the '06 Mustang GT wheels and tires. More to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian_B Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 I have this kit still. I bought the kit and then found my 1:1 56 F-100 that is all original. I forgot I had them kit stuck away in the closet until just now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slammedi'am Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 Looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.