Well, I finally got my 2004 F-150 today, in yellow. Here's my review:
For 2004, Ford had to redesign the F-150 in order to keep up with the competition like Chevy and Dodge. The new F-150, to me, looks more truck-like than the '97 to '03 line. And for the people who can't afford the truck or just don't need a 1:1 scale model, Beanstalk has made this little version. First thing I noticed when I looked at my truck out of the H U G E box it comes in was the size. This truck is huge, heavy, and solid. It's about a half an inch longer than the Ertl F-150 SuperCrew HD edition and about a quarter of an inch taller, that doesn't seem like much until you put them side by side. Underneath the truck is a lot better than Ertl's version. The front has independent spring suspension while the back has leaf suspension held firm by springs and shocks. The shock absorbers actually move up and down. The front has discs brakes and nice calipers that don't spin with the discs, which most company's at this price never do. At the back you wont find any calipers because the rear has drum brakes that are nicely replicated.
The yellow paint, or Blazing Yellow as Ford calls it, looks really good on the truck. It's no where near the same color as on the Ford GT although they compliment each other well. All of the F-150 logo's are stickers but look great. The F-150 logo's on the sides of the truck are raised up so they look like seperate pieces. Each of the Ford logo's, each dead center in front and back, are seperate pieces and look great also. Liscence plate stickers are well applied too. The charcoal-color trim that includes the bumpers, is nicely painted on. There is no overspray or underspray on either the yellow or charcoal. In fact, I couldn't find a place where there wasn't any yellow or charcoal paint, everything is painted. Mirriors are well applied as well as the stickers on them. Now for the head and tail lights. Be very careful with the headlights, they aren't attached as well as you may think. They have tiny little mounting posts that thankfully can hardly be seen, unlike the fog lights. The tail lights are nice and seem plain but are replicated in perfect detail except for the tiny mounting post near the bottom of each light. Rear back-up light in the middle of the roof is acurate and has no visible mounting posts.
As for the interior, it's simply awesome. The seats are rubber, although at first they kind of feel like plastic. The rear seat is divided into the 60/40 configuration and can fold up or down but doesn't stay there for too long. The floor is hard plastic but does feature diamond plate pattern floor mats, but these too are molded into the floor. The interior roof is surprisingly covered with a tan-color plastic that hides the rivets and bare metal. The dash has excellent detail with a carbon fiber pattern and satin chrome paint, it looks just like the real thing. Gauges are replicated nicely and have all the markings on them. The pedals aren't the best in the diecast world but they are fairly well made and don't look cheap. The hinges on truck are the same kind on the Ford GT and have no bare metal spots like Maisto's hinges.
OK, now for the engine. When I opened the hood I was really surprised, the same company that made the beautiful Ford GT with it's highly detailed engine, now made this thing. The engine detail is awful. Simply awful. I have seen better engine's from Welly and Maisto. It's essentially one giant piece of plastic.
The front grille, where it is supposed to be perforated, is the same on the Ford GT, it's the clear plastic with black honeycomb print. It looks alright though. All the tires are marked with large lettering saying BF Goodrich and Rugged Trail T/A. Wheels are done nicely and they are spot on 1:18. The real trucks now have optional 18 inch wheels for 2004, and so does this model as it has those 18 inch wheels(Good thinking Beanstalk, the 17's look too small).
Overall, it's a nice model. But look out for the faults. I think this is a great model and a great addition to anyone's collection. It has about the same quality as the Ford GT although I feel the GT's quality was just a bit better, it just felt more "together". Out of 100 I have to give this truck a 95, 5 points taken off because of that horrible engine. I am waiting for my other one to be shipped to me, my first one came shipped to me with a broken headlight lens. So if you get one, remember, be careful with those headlights!
