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Man, I love those old pickups—especially in the years before the trendy names—when letters and numbers properly designated pickups. While many go for the sleek lines of the sports, racing, and muscle cars, I enjoy collecting those, clunky, tall-as-a-garage, simple-as-dirt images of working hardware. At one time, I eschewed pickups after the ‘30s but now I’ve reconsidered—the ‘40s and ‘50s images have their peculiar charm as well. Sports cars don’t have to earn their keep—they seduce us with their sleek lines and sheer grace. Pickups have always needed to rely on what they could DO for us. They may have been ugly, but they did their job—and did it well.
Make no mistake—this image is as simple as the pickup it represents. Because it’s an older-vintage image (1996), there’re no working suspensions, but, even so, DM shows us how quickly they moved beyond the usual features. The doors are hinged like the 1:1 version (no doglegs), and the bed’s lined with a real wood veneer insert that even shows from the underside. Undercarriage, under-hood, and interior detailing are excellent. [Just look at the muffler; you’ll see little rivet details on it!] This may be a Spartan, plain-and-simple, working truck image but DM doesn’t stint on the fine details. The paint’s beautifully applied and the truck looks great in Meadow Green. [NOTE: DM seems to have provided side-view mirrors in flexible plastic on its pickups for as far back as I can remember. It’s a nice feature, since the mirrors usually have long, thin stalks that otherwise wood break off with a breath. I’ve found myself bumping them when handling an image, and am thankful they are flexible!]
Friends, who see my collection on display, comment on how I seem to like pickups. Well, they’re right! I have quite a few, and they look good on the shelf alongside one another—all purpose and utility—each vying for the highest roof line. [I’ve even taken the opportunity to put parts from broken models in the beds to illustrate what they’re for, after all.] This fine image of the F-1 will take its place in that tough-looking crowd. Forget the trendy, urban cowboy, designer trucks, with the Madison Avenue-inspired names. Get yourself one of these older images of genuine, working trucks of yesteryear. They could carry all the stuff you needed to in their spacious beds—or carry you to church on Sunday on their roomy bench seats, without putting a wrinkle in your dress slacks.
The issue price is $118 + S&H.
(02/11/2004)
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