1950 Ford F1 Panel Truck

In the 1950’s there were a lot of motorized services that don’t exist today. Milk and eggs were delivered daily and, 2 or 3 times a week, there was a bakery truck that stopped in the middle of the block. The housewives and little kids would flock around the back doors and the driver would open them to reveal gleaming wood cabinetry with deep drawers full of doughnuts and pastries. I remember this fondly from my childhood in the Mojave Desert in California.

The story goes that one morning a businessman who owned a United Cigar Store franchise was too hung over to go to work and thus he encountered one of these bread trucks for the first time. He begged the truck driver for an aspirin but he didn’t have any and so a great idea was born.

The man had often dreamed of a cigar store on wheels but he could never sell his “good humidor man” idea to any backers. The addition of a hang over remedy was just what he was looking for and he approached the Panico Elyxer Company. Panico (The Bromo in a Barrel) was in direct competition with Bromo-Seltzer. Whereas the active ingredient in Bromo-Seltzer was the sedative sodium bromide, Panico was an 80 proof combination of alcohol and cola syrup. An unofficial Panico slogan was a parody of the gas station attendants’ query “Regular or Ethyl?”

A small fleet of Ford F1 panel trucks was obtained and humidor cabinetry consisting of drawers, compartments with roll-up doors, and removable kegs was installed. Some trucks, including #7 shown here, were inadvertently sent to the sign painters with a full keg or two on board. The lettering on the right side is okay but it gets wobbly on the left and some ad-libbing is apparent, especially in the miss-spelling of the word “West”. The painters insisted this was more accurate.

There is a spare keg on the seat up front. The driver’s passion for flatheads is apparent from the decals on the partition. His other passions are apparent from the decorations inside the rear doors. In addition to the ads, newspaper bulletin, and ten cent "plonk" boxes, there is an AA pamphlet for the customer who just can’t take these hangovers anymore.  

The kit is a Spec Cast 1/25 scale curbside piggy bank with a metal body pre-painted white. I added the red trim. I glued wood strips and wood printed paper over the plastic “package load” in the rear and I left the large roll-up cabinet door open to reveal the piggy bank coin slot. I added wheels and mirrors from AMT kits. The kegs are from the Beverly Hillbillies truck and the keg taps are made from old tie rod ends with handles from the electric insulators on an HO scale telephone pole (which also supplied the boxes on the doors).

The dashboard lacked gages so I made some from paper and covered them with “glass” from a blister package. I added scratch built interior door handles. The tail light lenses are cut from Nascar fake tail light decals.

By the way, I remember the real bakery trucks quite well but I made up the bit about the rolling humidor truck. Never heard of it.

Fantastic job.

I remember this one from escale Ace.... always did like it. Like the story too.

Very cool build Ace...great attention to detail too...

How cool is that. Super build and I love what you have done behind the opening doors.

What a sweet model!!!! You're exactly correct on the sheer number of panel trucks in the '40s through the '60s. Look at films from the era, noir thrillers especially, and one sees them parked or in traffic. Lovely work and a great story. Why there aren't more kits of them is a mystery. Thanx!

Fantastic model, a real interesting piece.

That's a very cool build with lots of add ons and things to look at.

Beautiful! The story really gives the whole thing 'context' and adds so much to what's going on. I just love the fact that there's so much going on behind those rear doors

Buck nailed it. " How cool is this" !!


Killer detail is the drain under the spigots !
NICE WORK !!!

You guys are the greatest!! I am really happy about all your comments. Thanks!!

Ace:   :