Revell/Model King '57 Ford police cars

[charlie8575]

Well, I got mine in the mail yesterday afternoon, and I must say, it's a very nice model.

I'll be doing mine as a Mass. State Police cruiser, so I won't be using a lot of the decals, but the decals are well-done.

I took some pictures of the parts of most interest to this model, as the rest of the model is Revell's standard-issue (and really good) '57 Ford Custom.

The "prehistoric P-71" as I've taken to calling it (yes, I know the Interceptor package in '57 wasn't code P-71), will make a lovely addition to any police car (or general) modeling collection.

Charlie Larkin

[LongRoofNut]

Looks like a nice kit. Been thinking about adding one of these to my growing fleet of Fords "biggies.

[kingiguana]

Just got home with mine, and although the decal sheet is large, and nice decals, Im disappointed that they are so generic, and no real cities/states/counties or angencies. Tijuana Mexico, and Clearwater,...but no state.

[Danno]

Hey, Charlie ... or Joe ...

Would you put a ruler up to the radio control head & give us length, width & depth measurements?

Thanks!

[Guest]

Does this release have the supercharger?

[charlie8575]

Hey, Charlie ... or Joe ...

Would you put a ruler up to the radio control head & give us length, width & depth measurements?

Thanks!

Depth: nom. 1/8"

Height: Almost exactly 3/8"

Width, including Mic: appx. 9/16"

Does this release have the supercharger?

It doesn't look like it does, Lee.

About the only thing I'm wondering now is what I need to use as a roof-mount siren form MSP. Anyone got any ideas?

In a great irony, I'm typing this while watching Kansas City SWAT.

Charlie Larkin

Edited August 18, 2013 by charlie8575

[Agent G]

Charlie by '57 they were using the single rotator on the roof and an underhood siren. My understanding is the front of the bubble is blue and the back red. It was sort of unique to the Mass State Police.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeopzls/policecars/id11.html

From the internet for discussion purposes only.

Edited August 18, 2013 by Agent G

[Danno]

G's got the straight scoop!

[charlie8575]

That's the picture I remember seeing! I was thinking...siren, yes or no? Well, that answers that.

As to the dome, I'm probably going to vacuum-form one out of clear plastic and paint it.

There doesn't appear to be a siren on the parts list, nor did I remember seeing one.

This leads me to two questions:

1. Could I modify the fender-mounted light to look right?

2. On that subject, does anyone have a picture of the underhood siren?

3. Would any of the parts from either of the Jo-Han Plymouths be acceptable?

Charlie Larkin

[Danno]

Charlie,

I can't swear to what equipment MA used in its '57 Fords, but most common law enforcement underhood units were Federal 28 or similar:

Note the painted finish. This is the basic siren without a chrome housing. No need for fancy under the hood.

The sirens in the JoHan Plymouths are exterior mounted sirens and include the "dressy" chrome housings that were not used underhood.

As to the so-called spotlight in the kit, the answer to your first question is no. Not from what I can tell of the parts in the kit.

You could use the spotlights from the JoHan Plymouths, but you need to remember that those spotlights were A-pillar mounted units while the spotlights on '57 Fords were mounted on the front fenders using different style brackets.

[Agent G]

Charlie here's how I mocked up an underhood siren on a '49 Ford CHP car.

It is a Lego piece as I recall.

Here's a '53 Ford NHP car. This is a resin casting I made from the '70 LTD roof siren.

G

[Ron Hamilton]

Does this release have the supercharger?

No. The only '57 Ford kit with the complete supercharger is the Fireball Roberts' Stocker.

[Foxer]

Some good info here ... that page Agent G posted has some nice shots ... our Statie colors have been around a looong time! ... and I love those colors!

You BETTER give us plenty of photos during this build, Charlie ... even is you have to go digital to do it!

I love this one..

[charlie8575]

Some good info here ... that page Agent G posted has some nice shots ... our Statie colors have been around a looong time! ... and I love those colors!

You BETTER give us plenty of photos during this build, Charlie ... even is you have to go digital to do it!

I love this one..

That one really does make me wish someone would come out with a '41 Ford slantback. I guess MSP bought what they could find- all the cars were 2-doors until the 1969 Plymouths according to that site. I actually might see if I can scrounge up another Fleetline and build a copy of the cruiser in black-and-white.

I don't know when I'll be building this one- probably soon, I hope. Right now, space is at such a premium, I don't even have room to do some gluing and basic stuff.

The first project will be mocking up that siren. I'll be using some tubes and rounds for that; cutting the slots in the tubes will be all kinds of fun.

I will take plenty of pictures- and probably with my "new" IS-2, FujiColor Superia and, when appropriate, its magnificent 1:1 macro lens; I shot a picture of one of the flowers outside (I have no idea what kind of flower- I just look at them), and the close-up was something else.

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

Just got home with mine, and although the decal sheet is large, and nice decals, Im disappointed that they are so generic, and no real cities/states/counties or angencies. Tijuana Mexico, and Clearwater,...but no state.

Some color guides would've been nice, too.

This kit is a great start, but a little extra research into the components and decals would've made good really spectacular.

Charlie Larkin

[Guest]

No. The only '57 Ford kit with the complete supercharger is the Fireball Roberts' Stocker.

That really sucks. Seeing as how a stock 57 could have been ordered with it, I do not understand why Revell did not give it to us in the first release.

[Eshaver]

I noticed that the decal sheet provides for Texas hiway patrol, uh known as Public safety here in Texas . I happen to own a ex 1953 Ford that really was a DPS vehicle . The Top lights were just that, kinda like a typical Los Angles Police department set up until they went rotating light bar . The sirens were underhood and actuated via a foot operated switch that resembled a foot operated light dimmer . Cars were Black for Dallas City, Richardson, a suburb city of Dallas and White in Ft Worth . Only the D P S cars had the White doors ..............

[Art Anderson]

No. The only '57 Ford kit with the complete supercharger is the Fireball Roberts' Stocker.

I'd be willing to bet that the supercharged version will surface sometime as a factory stock street automobile though.

Art

[Guest]

No reason they could not have done it in the first place.

[Bob Turner]

No reason they could not have done it in the first place.

Actually yes there is a reason, though it may not be one that you, I, or others like.

Revell knows that by offering certain specific parts in certain specific versions, that they can actually increase overall sales by creating a market for buying the multiple versions. This way if you want to built three different factory stock versions, (well, almost three, more on this in a moment), you're required to purchase three separate. kits, (technically more, but I'm keeping this fairly basiI).

You see, Revell, (& Round2, & all the model companies), are only interested in how many units they can move to the various distributors, retail outlets, etc. They don't care if you purchase the kit at full retail price, with a Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon, at a contest/swap meet, or however else you purchase it, once they have sold it to the "middleman". They also know that the more variations they can put out, the greater the shelf space they can command & the more kits they can move to the various outlets. A side benefit of this process is that they create a market for people to buy multiple versions in order for them to build the model the way they want to. Since NASCAR outlawed the superchargers & FI units partway through the 1957 season, a builder can use the Paxton blower from the NASCAR version on the street car, & swap the single 4 BBL from it to the NASCAR version & still build accurate versions of both cars.

My only minor quibble with them over this kit is the fact that the street version is lacking the proper single air cleaner for a correct factory dual 4 BBL "E Code" variant, meaning I had to rob one of my old AMT 56 Ford kits for the proper air cleaner, but I didn't waste my time complaining about that; I simply took the correct part from another kit to build an accurate version. However, including that one piece in the kit would have required less tooling money than all the Paxton parts did.

Expecting them to include the Paxton blower in a kit of a car that wouldn't have had it installed anyway, (as in the police version), is a bit ludicrous as it is. BTW, that's also why this is a limited edition. To Revell, it wasn't worth the extra cost to tool up the needed parts to do a police car version on their own, but with Dave Burket paying for the limited run, it was more cost effective to do it that way. The number of police car versions of the kit Revell would have had to move to show a profit likely means it wasn't worth it to them to do that. The Model King can pay them upfront for the limited run, as well as footing the bill for the extra tooled parts, as he has done in the past with other limited runs from the manufacturers, & till turn a profit, & Revell has the additional tooling paid for & in their possession if later on they decide to do a police version themselves.

[Guest]

I get that, but I can't go out and buy every factory version they want to do, so I will just get one, there are no correct supercharged parts in a kit, AMT's 57 parts are not correct.

Edited August 21, 2013 by midnightprowler

[Bob Turner]

I get that, but I can't go out and buy every factory version they want to do, so I will just get one, there are no correct supercharged parts in a kit, AMT's 57 parts are not correct.

True on the AMT 57 Ford kit parts being incorrect, but look no further than the often reissued, & currently available AMT Avanti kit for the parts needed to complete the Paxton blower for your Ford, likely along with the blower belt part from the AMT Ford. Best of all, you can still built the Avanti with the ultra rare R-5 dual blower Bonneville option if you chose that route.

Carl's advice is also good, both as to the solution itself & as to finding a solution overall. You've now been presented with several different options to solve this, & here's another; perhaps someone may want to trade the Paxton parts for the 4 BBL parts if they're seeking to build the Roberts car post ban. You might even find someone that doesn't need/want the Avanti blower parts & has them available.

Sitting around complaining that the manufacturers didn't do something this way or that way, (whichever way you wanted them to, & this doesn't excuse inaccurate kits, which is a whole different matter), is merely wasted time & effort that can be better used solving the problem.

Edited August 21, 2013 by Bob Turner

[Matt T.]

I get that, but I can't go out and buy every factory version they want to do, so I will just get one, there are no correct supercharged parts in a kit, AMT's 57 parts are not correct.

Hi Lee,

Go buy the Fireball Roberts release and we can swap front bench seats & upholstery decals. (I'll trade you for the seat out of my 2n1 kit.) I believe you will then have the parts to do a factory stock supercharged car.

Bringing this back on topic - I got my MK police car version this weekend and it is Grrrreat!

Matt

[Matt T.]

Thanks Carl! If I trade Lee part-for-part from your list will he be all set? I've got a 2n1 parts kit I'm willing to part out and will gladly take the vintage roundy-rounder parts.

Edited August 21, 2013 by Matt T.

[Tom Geiger]

Just got home with mine, and although the decal sheet is large, and nice decals, Im disappointed that they are so generic, and no real cities/states/counties or angencies. Tijuana Mexico, and Clearwater,...but no state.

I understand that the prototype sheet has actual agencies but I heard that licensing got in the way. Yea, even police agencies. Still, the aftermarket will respond with different agency sheets. I do like the sheet in the kit. Lots of interesting decals we didn't have before. I'll be using them on different kits.