1940 Ford at Ford Island

[Herr Dr. Professor]

The truck pictured below might not be familiar to those of you living outside North America. In the early 2000s a US firm called Diecast Promotions put out some great mass-produced metal 1/16 model trucks. Sold with the series name, "Highway 61," these 1/16 medium-duty trucks included a '40 Ford, 41' Chevy, '46 Chevy, '41 GMC, '47 IH KB-5, and '75 Chevy (and maybe some I forgot). The body variety included stake bodies, flat beds, grain boxes, and fire equipment. Although not RC, these mass-produced trucks were so well detailed that when I wrote the first review of them for the December 2002 Toy Farmer magazine, I was reminded of what driving a real truck was like--[Old Fogie]not those fancy powder-puff wagons [/old fogie] on North Americans roads nowadays. I told readers to "take a look at this vintage farm truck from the rear. Imagine it passing you on a gravel road, its dim taillight under the flatbed, fixed to the frame, flickering in the dust."

When the International KB was released two years later, I spun into a dream-like reverie: "Dust rises and settles as I smack the palm of my hand on the green vinyl seat. The engine rumbles; the transmission whines as if winding up to an explosion; muggy 90 degree air flows in under the open windshield and out the open side windows; gravel pings the fenders, rattles the running boards, beats the floorboards, even thumps my boot soles. Ah—when a truck was a truck!"

So as progress on my 1/16 FAMO creeps along (not stopped), I also juggle other projects. In addition to the FAMO and a Merit 1/16 US M155 Howitzer kit (and an O-Scale train layout, and farm equipment models, and--yeesh! about the 250th review article), I am putzing with 3D printed loads for this Navy version of the '40 Ford, representing the type on duty on Ford Island---Yep, Pearl Harbor---in 1941.

8 Ball Lft Ft.jpg (417.11 KiB) Viewed 1674 times

8 Ball Open.jpg (315.61 KiB) Viewed 1674 times

8 Ball stake.jpg (317.63 KiB) Viewed 1674 times

[Will01Capri]

Looks well smart, is it Ford V3000?
Very nice looking model

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Here in the states, the truck was generally known as a Ford V8 11/2 ton truck, and the V3000 designation may be for export (at least to Finland) or just unknown to me. The 3000 makes sense, as 11/2 ton would be 3000 pounds.