The Revell ‘29 Ford Model A Hot Rod Pickup with California Street Chopper is the first time modelers have seen the 1/25 scale bike since its original release as a Parts Pack. The Model A hot rod does not come with “steelie” wheels or whitewall inserts, but as a trade-off, you get a Harley chopper and whitewall decals.
The instructions are what you expect from Revell: an 8-page booklet with 41 steps for the truck and 10 for the bike. A numbered parts index with the parts’ descriptions is a nice touch.
First, assemble the 4-cylinder engine. It can be built as a stock version or with accessories like dual carbs. The oil pan and head are separate, so there is no seam to clean up. The transmission is separate.
The instructions would have you mate the frame, engine, radiator, and cooling lines here. I deviated from the assembly sequence, installing the engine, but electing to assemble the front and rear axles before the other steps. This makes it easier to get all 4 corners on the ground.
I also built up the tires and wheels. I accidentally installed the outer wheels with the boss on the rear side onto the front axle, making the track too wide. Make sure to install the boss on the rear axle. The front wheels mount with metal pins, and the rears mount on a metal axle. When installing the front wheels, be sure to apply and trim the decals first because the clear carrier film overhangs each inner tire opening. With this finished, I mated the frame to the fenders.
For the fun part, first, decide if you want to build the hardtop or roadster version. I went with the roadster. Both feature opening doors, and the male part of the hinge is molded with the door. The female hinges are separate and need to be aligned and glued to the body. I decided to drill through one set of hinges on each door and pin them. I did the same thing on the 4 hood panels. This allowed me to paint the panels separately, which made the alignment easier. Patterns and a sheet of clear acetate are supplied to make the windshields.
The bed is molded in one piece, except for the hinged tailgate. A faux wood decal is supplied for
the upper bed floor, but not the underside. I used the custom valance to finish the rear.
The radiator shell, headlights, and front bumper are chrome. There are no clear lenses for the lights. An optional track nose is included.
The decals for the license plates, pin stripes, gauges, wood bed floor, and whitewalls all worked well. However, the vinyl tires have molded-on letters on one side, so if you use the whitewall decals, make sure you put them on the smooth side.
Except for the vinyl tires, all 43 chromed pieces for the chopper, which appears to be a Harley, are on one tree. Details are good, but the chrome plating is heavy and has flash. If I were to build it again, I would completely strip the chrome and paint it. A lot of small parts here make the assembly challenging. Note that instructions for the oil tank (Part 14) show it installed backwards. If done this way, the rear fender won’t clear. The parts index and box art helped considerably during this assembly.
Due to the complexity of the hinges and panel alignment, I would recommend this build to a modeler with more than average experience. The finished Revell 1/25 scale ‘29 Ford Model A Hot Rod Pickup with California Street Chopper is worth the effort needed to make a nice replica!