Manufacturer: Lincoln Mint/Testor Corp., 620 Buckbee St., Rockford, IL 61104-4891, 815-962-6654.
Kit: No. 7121
Scale: 1/24
Price: $30
Comments: Pre-painted and decaled die-cast metal body and chassis, plastic detail parts, 121 parts (88 plastic, 12 metal, 12 screws, 5 vinyl, 2 photoetched, 2 fabric floor mats).
Pros: Ease of assembly, quickly-finished model, vinyl distributor/spark-plug wires, vinyl tires, self-stick fuzzy floor mats, and flocked carpeting.
Cons: Poor fit and finish of metal body, steering linkage difficult to attain, soft detail compared with plastic kits.
The ’32 Ford Highboy Roadster is an excellent choice for Testor Ultra Metal Series of model kits in association with the Lincoln Mint. Color photos on the box cover show all the model’s features: the body, chassis, grille shells, and rear axle are painted and decorated cast metal. The doors and trunk lid can be opened, and the front wheels (connected to the steering wheel) can be posed in turned position. You also get a detailed small-block Chevy V-8 engine with 4-71 supercharger, optional supercharger air intakes, optional ’32 or ’33 grille shells with stock or custom inserts, and optional gear shift levers. The heads are drilled to accept vinyl spark-plug wires (a feature I’d like to see included in all traditional plastic car kits).
The model is not difficult to assemble, though the metal kingpins and tie-rod pins are difficult to push home by hand. The optional photoetched ’32 grille insert was too large to fit the cast metal shell. I had to thin the exhaust pipes so they would fit onto the headers. I don’t know what I did wrong, but I couldn’t get the two parts of the steering shaft to hook together.
With the pre-finished and decorated body and the multiple colors of plastic, you could get away without painting the model. I painted the engine block Chevy Engine Red. I especially like the tires and the vinyl spark plug wires and distributor.
The kit produces an adequate display model, but the level of detail and the quality of the paint job on the metal body is below what an experienced modeler can do with a traditional plastic kit. I spent just under 6 hours on the model.
Al Jones