Getting "Effed Up" With Moebius

Sometimes it's subject matter, sometimes it's the kit itself, and sometimes it's the possibilities you can unlock with the kit. Sometimes, it's all three. And so it is with the series of "Bumpside" F-Series kits from the fine folks at Moebius. Moebius pretty much won my everlasting respect for bringing out a Hudson Hornet, and I've built about seven billion of those. (Read all about them here- http://chuckmost.wixsite.com/madhouse-miniatures/single-post/2018/02/18/The-Hornets-Nest ) But I'm quickly catching up with the "Effie" variants. There are just so many things you an do with them!

Here's a '71 Ranger XLT in Chrome Yellow and Oxford white, along with a little British beater we might discuss sometime later. For now, back to the yeller one...

This was the first one I built, and it was constructed from a pre-production kit sent from Moebius for a review in Model Cars Magazine. I built the model mostly without instructions (Dave Metzner of Moebius did send me some early assembly diagrams after I'd started), and even then it went together easily. I did deviate from box-stock in one area- I used the pad-printed Goodyear tires from AMT, which fit the Moebius wheels like a glove. I instantly fell in love with the way the bed was rendered- separate outer and inner walls, the latter with faithfully-duplicated stake pocket towers. It took forever, but somebody finally got the interior of a Styleside bed right! I'm so proud of this one I use it as the main image on the site's home page.

This is another '71 XLT Ranger... except not. I used the lower-trim level pieces and made it a base-model F-100. This one is based on an old junker with a tar-papered topper I used to see as a kid. This one is still junky looking but I was going for more of a beater with style. Wide whites from a Moebius Hudson were used, and I made billet-style grille inserts with grooved plastic sheet. I also swapped in the 302 engine from the '72 Sport Custom kit, but added an EFI setup from a Revell '32 Ford Five-Window. I may remove the tar-paper topper at some point and add a rustic wooden topper... we'll see.

This '72 Sport Custom was upgraded to an XLT Ranger with modified side trim, tail gate, and decals from the '71 kit. It was also converted to a 4x4 using front suspension components from the AMT Super Stones Ford pickup. Wheels and tires came from a Revell Jeep Wrangler. I also used the big-block engine and C6 automatic from the '71. I might eventually make a small body lift so the tires aren't so close to the wheel arches, and deail the wheels, but overall I like the way this one turned out.

Here is another '71 XLT done as a slammed F-250 with a Cummins 6BT retrofit. The hubcaps came from the '69 Custom... they're incorrect for a 1/2 ton with 15" wheels but just the ticket for a 3/4 ton. The engine came from Trailer Trash Kustoms and it's a very nice rendition of the Cummins 12 valve. The truck represents a bagged and body dropped custom but with distressed paint, and the cozy leather seats are from a Tamiya Lexus LS400.

Once again, I started with the '71 XLT. This one was done as a scrap hauler, with various parts box junk stuffed into the bed. I modified the rear suspension to represent a heavily-loaded pickup, and gave the truck various mismatched panels.

This '70 F-350 also began life as the '71 XLT. What? I love long beds, and I commend Moebius for making at least one of their F-Series kits have one! All of the trim was removed and a '70 grille was swapped in. Some spares box leaf springs and a solid axle were added to the front, while the 8-bolt wheels and Bridgestone tires came from Scenes Unlimited. I made a heavy front bumper to house a resin winch from KFS, and I made my own towing mirrors. Of course, the entire mess was weathered to look like a typical backwoods beater truck that may not look like much but still gets the job done.

Speaking of... here's another '71 XLT long bed, "downgraded" to a base model. This one has a straight six from the '69 kit, towing mirrors, rear snow tires, and a "cowcatcher" spare tire with a '49 Ford hub cap on it up front.

I had some Tasca Ford decals and other doodads from a Revell '68 Mustang, and v8 from the '72 Sport Custom, so I added them all to a '69 Custom and built it as a "Tasca Shop Truck". This one may get different tires at some point because the Moebius tires don't fit the Revell GT wheels too well, but overall I'm happy with this one, which was basially little more than a weekend project.

Another '71 XLT was converted into an F-350 dump truck. Monogram dually wheels and tires were added, a dump body and towing mirrors were scratch built, and the plow was pirated from a Revell '77 GMC. The ex-county orange truck was hastily resprayed in green at one point, but that paint has mostly flaked away to reveal the original orange finish.

I had a little fun with this '69. The frame was stretched to accommodate a Mercury sleeper, and the bed was fitted with the wrecker equipment from MPC's Datsun monster truck. I also kept the Type 2 hub caps... we'll call this an F-350 fitted with a short bed. It's a custom job after all! I also added a rear step bumper to the front, after seeing an old F-Series truck in a junkyard with a similar setup and being amused by the idea.

And... even though you just saw it recently, and even though it barely qualifies as a Moebius F-100 anymore... here's the '69 Rat Rod Wrecker Rig.

So, between these and the Hornets, I'd say that Moebius will be getting a decent chunk of my disposable income for the forseeable future. Not that I can really complain- they're nice kits and lots of fun to work with. I'm not entirely sure what the future holds for this tooling (obviously a 4x4 is on the way), but whatever it is, I'm looking forward to it.