Wolfman63

The eighth week of the F4U-1A Corsair continued with detailing the display base. With the diorama base attached to the display base I scratch built a refueling cart. Using some spare parts from past model kits I made a cart that replicated one I found on a Google search. Once the cart was built, painted, and weathered I placed one of the fuel barrels with a hand pump and nozzle that was included with the Mini-Art kit on it. The fuel hose was made using 28 gauge tubing. I then installed the two mounts for the patches on the front edge of the base and added two layers of sand to the base. The sand was adhered to the base using a 50/50 mixture of PVA and water. A final coat of PVA glue was used to create dunes and foot prints down the path. After the sand had dried I then added the ground cover, tall grass, and small shrubs. I then glued down the jerry cans, fuel, and waste oil barrels. One of the waste oil barrels was then opened and I added some spilt oil down the side and around the top. The goal for this upcoming week is to complete the weathering of the display base and then do the final touches on the aircraft and get it mounted. I have located a couple of photos to use for the backdrop. I need to see which one will work the best with the diorama. NOTE: The photo with a back drop is just the cover of the Tamiya kit just to get an idea of what a back drop would look like. This project should be coming to a close in the next two weeks. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

The seventh week of the F4U-1A project I finished all fifteen of the trees and then arranged them on the rear section of the base. I used 10-minute epoxy to set them in place. Next I worked on the fuel and waste oil barrels. One of the additions included with the barrels was a hand fuel pump and nozzle. I used some red tubing from some 28 gauge wire and some brass pins to make the fuel hose. This will be painted with black rubber. I still need to scratch build a barrel dolly which will hold the open fuel barrel. I also had two jerry cans in my spare parts drawer so I will be adding these to the display. The display case arrived yesterday from Grandpa’s Cabinets. I verified the diorama base will fit correctly on the display case base. I need to mount the diorama base to the display case base and I can then begin laying down the sand. Once the sand is down I need to add some fallen fronds and some ground cover. The gap in the tree line will be made to look like a path to the beach. Once the display base is completed I will just need to add the patches, create the beach backdrop, and do final weathering on the aircraft. The client is scheduled to pick this up the week before the Christmas holiday. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

The sixth week of the 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair The sixth week of the F4U-1A Corsair project I started off painting the base of the scene. T[It was sprayed with a desert sand so that the holes of the Marston mat show the sandy base. The Marston mat was then base coat painted using a silk swab and Vallejo Metal jet exhaust. The joints were then dry painted with Vallejo Metal gunmetal grey. The edges were then weathered with Vallejo rust and some of the scuffed areas were Vallejo Metal exhaust manifold grey. The final coat was a dry brush of moss green for the algae areas that were formed in low areas. Next I started working on the palm trees. The trees have a “toy” look as they were molded with soft glossy plastic. To make them more realistic I used 1000 grit sandpaper and wet sanded all the tree trunks to rough up the surface. These were the dry brushed with bamboo paint. I used brown and light grey pastel chalk to highlight the ridges and details of the tree trunks. The coconuts were then painted with a brown base. I then used a nylon dry brush using a medium brown to replicate the textured hairy coating on them. Turning to the fronds of the tree I used some photos and found a light green that match the photos. Vallejo lime green was very close. I then started painting stem line on the underside of the fronds and then the edges of the leaves on the topside of the fronds. This is very tedious and time consuming effort due to the number of fronds on each tree. I still have the other half of the trees to complete and then I can start mounting them to the base. I still need to complete the stands for the patches and then add the sand on to the base. I also need to paint/detail the barrels and do the final weathering on the aircraft. Finally when the custom case arrives I can mount the base and create the back drop of the beach to complete this project. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

The fifth week of the Corsair I was able to finish the aircraft. I still need to add the antenna lines and there is some minor weathering that I still need to do but I am waiting until I get the correct colors to match the scene. With that being said I began working on the scene and the display case. I ordered the display case once I figured out the size I need. I started off by trimming the edge of the Mini-Art Marston mat. The mat had a thick edge which I needed to thin down so it would meet up with the styrene sheet extensions. These extensions will be the sandy areas. The front will also hold the patches and the rear section will have the palm trees. The size of each section was measured out after I made a mock-up of how the display will be set up. For the sand I will be using All Game Terrain. The Mini-Art Marston mat kit came with some fuel and oil cans which will be added as well. I also purchased some palm trees. These came in various sizes which I will use to create a forced perspective view to a beach. I am working on the palm trees need to be worked on the make them more realistic looking instead of the glossy plastic toy look. These will them be mounted and then the sand base can be applied. I will be working on assembling the scene from back to front. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

I had some limited time on the bench over the last two week so for the fourth week of the Corsair I was able to base coat the paint scheme. The client requested the scheme so the underside was painted light grey and the topside is intermediate blue. I then assembled the wings, flaps, and other details which were then installed on to the aircraft. I then applied the decals. I had to use a mix of the kit decals and the Warbird decals. The Warbird decals were very thin and very brittle. The insignia’s on the side of the fuselage were the kit decals as the Warbird decals cracked and split a little when trying to conform to the curve of the fuselage. I should have the aircraft completed over the coming week and then I will begin working on the display base diorama. Just to refresh, this will be a typical Pacific island airfield complete with a palm tree line, Marston mat, and a beach view behind the trees. I will also be adding two patches supplied by the client to the front side of the display base. All of this will be inside a custom display case from Grandpa’s Cabinets. I need to figure out the size so all of the details will fit under the cover. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

For the third week of the Corsair I spent most of the week super detailing the landing gear utilizing the photo etch details. This required removing some of the kit molded details and replacing them with the photo etch. These were then installed in to the fuselage. I then base coated the underside in light grey paint. Speaking more in to the scheme, I have had lots of comments on the scheme. There are a lot of variations of schemes used on many different Corsairs. However, the scheme I will be using is one that the client has requested. The lower section is light grey and the upper with be intermediate blue. I will also be having the wings lowered and the flaps down. I started on the flaps. The starboard inside flap has a square hole that is used in various versions. The instructions have this filled for on this version. I am currently working on the rest of the wings and will then paint the base coat on the topside. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

For the second week of the Corsair I started on the engine. I assembled the engine and then added the photo etch wiring harness. It was then mounted to the firewall and I installed the cowl with open flaps. The cockpit was installed into the fuselage and then the halves were assembled. All the lower sections were then painted white to match the paint scheme that is going to be used. Speaking of the paint scheme, the client has opted to modify the typical tri-color scheme. The aircraft will have the white belly but the rest of the aircraft will be overall intermediate blue. This will look more like the weather-worn corsairs viewed in some of the colorized reference photos found online. Next I worked on the lower fuselage and center wing assembly. The main gear wheel wells were cleaned up from some minor mold marks and then detailed with photo etch. The assembly was then mounted to the lower part of the fuselage. The tail and rear horizontal stabilizers were then modified by removing the molded in trim linkage and replacing them with the photo etch versions. The horizontal stabilizers were painted and then installed. I am currently working on the landing gear. These require some modifications due to the numerous photo etch details on them. Once these are completed I can then work in the outer wing assemblies. For this diorama the wings will be in the down position. Then once the aircraft is assembled I can take all the measurements for the display case size. You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

This next build is a commission build. I have a client who requests/schedules a build every year. He was a Harrier pilot for VMA-214 also known as the “Blacksheep”. For this build he has requested a build of the famous F4U Corsair the Blacksheep flew and it be set in a diorama of a Pacific Island Airfield. The F4U I will be using is the 1/48 Tamiya F4U-1A Corsair which will be mounted in a custom display case From Grandpa's Cabinet's featuring a typical island airfield with a Mini-Art Marston tarmac, a row of palm trees to line the back of the display, a background behind the trees of a beach/ocean view, and mounts that the client can attach the squadron patch and his name tag. I will also be using Eduard photo etch details to add to the realism. Starting off with the cockpit I added the photo etch replacements for the seat and the seat mount on the rear bulkhead. The side consoles were then modified with more photo etch details. The instrument panel was replaced with a placard for the gauges and the photo etch face. The last of the photo etch details and seat belts were installed onto the cockpit halves and then the cockpit tub was assembled. I am now working on detailing the inside of the fuselage halves and the engine. I am hoping to get the fuselage assembled and starting by the end of the next week. You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-f4u-1a-corsair/

After four weeks the RAF Mustang III build is finished! To start with I installed the cockpit and detailed the navigation/recognition lights. For the tail navigation I removed the molded lens and made one using acrylic gel. The propeller assembly was installed and the small whip style antenna on the dorsal behind the cockpit was made using a piece of 30 awg wire. This was the last detail that completed the build. As for a review of the kit, Tamiya did a very good job on it. The fit was very good and the kit details were nice. Aside from adding the later dorsal fillet to match the version I replicated everything was a smooth process. The kit decals were very good. The Kagero decals were good as well. They were a little thicker than the kit decals but still formed to the surface details well. The instructions were well laid out. I enjoyed this build and am happy with the final results. I would recommend this kit to anyone who is looking to build the RAF version of the Mustang. Thank you all for following this build of the 1/48 Tamiya RAF Mustang III. HAPPY MODELING! You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-tamiya-raf-mustang-iii/

The third week I had some limited time on the bench but I was able to get the base coat of paint and the decals applied to the RAF Mustang. I used Vallejo paints in the RAF dark green, Ocean Grey, and RAF light grey for the scheme. I had to paint on the aft band as the kit decal for it was designed for the kit without the dorsal fillet and would not properly fit. The leading edges of the wings were then painted with insignia yellow. While the paint was drying I modified the exhaust to open up the tips. The landing gear and propeller assembly were then assembled and painted. Then the landing gear was installed. Next I started to apply the decals. The kit decals were used for all the placards and generic markings. The kit decals went down very well. I then applied the Kagero decals for the scheme. These decals were a little thicker and required a little of the decal solvent to bring out the surface details. For the propeller I used the kit placards and the Kagero logo’s as they had much better details. I should have this build completed soon. I just need to add the clear parts, the lights, install the propeller, and add the whip antenna on the dorsal just behind the cockpit. I will then do some slight weathering for the exhaust. Stay tuned for the final photos of this build! You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-tamiya-raf-mustang-iii/

The second week of the Mustang was spent adding details to the fuselage and wings. To start with I assembled the wings and drilled out the gun barrels. I then moved on to detailing the main landing gear bays by adding wire to replicate the hoses and tubing in the bays. Finally I added a lens to the landing light on the port wing leading edge. The fuselage halves were then assembled and I installed the wings. The fuselage required some minor putty on the bottom and the area just above the cockpit. The P-51B/C’s were the version used for the RAF Mustangs. On the P-51D’s there was a change to extend the dorsal fillet to the tail. Some of the early P-51D’s as well as the RAF Mustangs were retrofitted with them as well. The Tamiya kit represents the early version without the dorsal fillet but the specific aircraft I am replicating has the fillet. I used some sheet styrene to replicate the fillet and then used putty to blend it to the fuselage and tail. Once the fillet has been formed I can start painting the base coat. I am hoping to get all the painting and the rest of the fuselage details completed over the next week. I still have the landing gear, flaps, exhaust, propellers, and other miscellaneous details to add. Then the decals can be applied. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-tamiya-raf-mustang-iii/

For this build I am going back to 1/48 World War II aircraft. I will be building Tamiya’s 1/48 RAF Mustang III. For this build I will also be using Kagero Decals to replicate the aircraft flown by the Polish Pilot F/L Mieczystaw Gorzula of the 309 squadron based at RAF Andrews Field. This was the aircraft that F/L Gorzula shot down a Me-262 jet fighter on April 9th 1945. Starting off with the cockpit tub I detailed it with some photo etch pieces on the side panel, the rudder pedals, and seat belts. I also used photo etch for the knobs and levers on the instrument panel. I opted to paint the gauges as the kit decal for them did not line up very well with the gauge bezels. On the underside of the cockpit tub was also the mount for the radiator. This and the intake were painted with Vallejo Metal paint in duraluminum. I then worked on the fuselage halves. There are two vented panels on the nose. I decided to drill these out for a more realistic look. The interior was painted and detailed. The cockpit tub and intake were installed. I then assembled the fuselage halves. There are some areas that required a little putty but the halves fit very well together. I am working on the wings and landing gear bays now. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-tamiya-raf-mustang-iii/

The eighth week of the Huskie Helicopter is finished! I assembled and detailed the rotors. These were then mounted to their shafts. Since I removed the gears I had to adjust the alignment. I used the reference photos to set the angles of the rotors to each other. Once these were aligned this build was finished. The kit itself being designed back in the 1960’s by Hawk and re-released from Testors was not too bad. The fit of the parts was very good. While the interior details are severely lacking the exterior is very close to the real helicopter. One of the earlier releases actually supplied an electric motor to spin the rotors. This is why the gearing extended into the crew area and explains the small cutout that was on the bottom of the fuselage. (the switch location to turn the motor off and on.) The instructions were very good for the build but lacked information on where decals go. The decal sheet included a lot of placard decals but you will need to use reference photos to find their location. Overall for the age of the kit it was a decent build. It builds up as a nice replica of the actual helicopter. I hope you enjoyed following along especially for the details I added to replicate the interior details. Happy Modeling! You can see all the photos and details from start to finish in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

The seventh week of the Huskie started off by correcting the warped rotor blades. The process I used was very simple. I used a thick 10” long steel ruler. I used some nylon zip ties to hold the rotor blade down and straight. The next step was to take a 2-cup measuring cup filled with water and micro waved it for 2 minutes to bring the water near boiling. Styrene plastic typically starts to soften at around 220 degrees (boiling point of water). I slowly poured the hot water across the ruler holding the rotor blade. It took about 30 to 40 seconds to pour the water. I waited another 30 seconds and then rinsed the blade under cold water. This worked perfectly to straighten the blade. I did this three more times to the rest of the rotor blades. I have used this method before to aid in removing warped wings and fuselages. One word of caution, when using it to correct fuselages you need to be careful not to tighten the zip ties too tight. Otherwise you will damage the fuselage. Once the rotors were corrected I worked on the decals. I had to make decals for the tails. The kit decals do not include the U.S.A.F. decals for the tails. The instruction sheet shows them but they are not on the sheet. I also changed the aircraft tail numbers to match one of the Viet Nam versions I was using for reference. The rest of the kit decals were used and these worked very well. The kit decal sheet provides all the small placard decals however the instructions have no references on where they go. I used a few of the many reference photos to see where they go in the helicopter. With the decals all applied I then sprayed the top coat of clear to seal them. The hoist frame and hook were installed and I then began working on the windows and windscreen. The cockpit upper windows were tinted green using Tamiya clear green. The side marker lights on the fuselage were cut off and I used acrylic gel to make the lenses then painted them with the Tamiya red and green. There is a brace that goes between the rotor shafts. This has a red navigation light. I cut off the molded light and used a piece of the clear styrene tree that was sanded down to a dome and painted with the clear red. The windows for all the doors were installed and the frame work on the front windscreen was painted then the windscreen was installed. The exhaust tube was installed and the final detail I made was the red netting that goes on the rear of the fuselage. The reference photos show some of the helicopters with the rear doors removed and the netting across the back and others show the netting folded up on the starboard side when the doors are used. I made the netting out of the cloth glass tape and the ends I used styrene rods for the mounts. The netting was painted red and the poles were the same interior grey. All that is left to do now is assemble, detail, and paint the rotors then install them. I did not have time last night to finish off the helicopter. I will finish the helicopter to night, clean up the bench, and then I can figure out what the next build will be. Stay tuned for the final photos of the completed Testors 1/32 Kaman H-43B Huskie Helicopter. I will also start the next build as well. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

Actually, the exhaust halves fit together very well. No putty was needed just minor sanding.

They fit well on their own.

The sixth week of the Huskie I finish up on the exhaust. It was painted with Vallejo Metal Jet Exhaust and Duraluminum then using grey and rust pastel chalk I weathered it to match the numerous reference photos. The landing gear was then painted and installed. The landing gear rear struts required some minor length adjustments so the helicopter could sit evenly. I then cleaned up the doors and used some 30 gauge wire to create the door handles. Moving forward I used some Vallejo Dark Green and Sienna Tan for the base coat of paint on the helicopter. The underside was painted with Light Grey. I used the early SEA camouflage scheme which only uses two colors. With the base coat of paint drying I reviewed the rotors. There are some huge sinks in the mold so I had to fill them with a few layers of putty. I then cleaned up the hoist frame. The hook that comes in the kit is too large and looks wrong. I used some wire, a small thick washer, and a spare photo etch hook. I then assembled the hoist frame. Once this had fully dried I used a 0.075mm drill to drill the hole for the hoist cable. For the hoist cable I am using some 6 lbs test fishing line. I still need to correct the warp in the rotors as they are warped a lot. Then I can start applying the decals. The next week is a busy week so I do not know if I will finish it by next weekend or the week after but I am getting close to the completion. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

The fifth week of the Huskie Helicopter I started off by doing some cleanup on the fuselage and adding some of the minor details. The kit does not include the overhead console in the cockpit so using some styrene, photo etch, and cloth tape I scratch built the console assembly. For the knobs and switches I cut small pieces from thin styrene rods. There is a long lever on the front of the console. I used some styrene rod for the base and a piece of wire for the lever. I used some acrylic gel to for the knob on the end of the lever. The overhead console was installed and I worked on the tails and booms. The tails had numerous mold marks that needed to be filled with putty. The exhaust tube was assembled and sanded smooth. I also sanded the exhaust end to thin out the plastic as it was way too thick. The tails were installed and required more putty on the outside surface. Finally I worked on the landing gear. The struts required a lot of trimming due to a lot of flash. I removed the kit molded strut arms and replaced these with some photo etch versions. The landing struts were then mounted onto the fuselage. The landing gear wheels were cleaned up and painted and the skis had some deep mold marks which required putty. The next week I am hoping to finish some more details and start the painting of the helicopter. I will be painting it in the typical South East Asia camouflage used during the Viet Nam war. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

The fourth week of the H-43B Huskie I was able to finish detailing the interior in the crew area and assemble the fuselage halves. The seats were installed onto scratch built frames and then the seat belts were installed. Moving over to the starboard side I added the supports and shelves. Installing these took a little time so that the floor and roof lined up correctly. The fuselage was then glued together. Only a few areas required putty. The starboards seats were then installed. I did a quick check on the rear doors on how they fit and aligned to the fuselage. While the putty on the fuselage was drying I started working on the engine/rotor assembly. There is a large screen on the aft side of the assembly. I cut the plastic screening and installed a metal screen. The rotor shafts required a lot of filing and sanding to make them smooth and to install the gears that keep the rotors aligned. I went to check the fit to see how the rotor assembly aligns to the fuselage and found out I have a huge problem. The gear assembly is huge! Since I added a roof there is no room for the rotor assembly to mount to the fuselage. The kit has the gears sit way down into the crew area! At this point I do not think there is enough room in the rotor assembly to re-design the gears and fit them inside. I will look it over this week but if all else fails the rotors will not spin. This upcoming week I will look at the rotor assembly and then I need to scratch build the overhead console for the cockpit. I am hoping to have the tail assembly installed by the end of the week. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

The third week of the Huskie I worked on detailing the aft section of the interior. First I panted the interior of the rear doors. The lower section is red and the upper section is the interior grey. Then using styrene square rods I framed the rear edge and drilled out the holes. The port side of the interior was also painted with the grey. The reference photo shows a cutout in the floor so using some sheet styrene I made the side extensions. There are two rows of seats along the rear sides with a cargo net type of back. I used some cloth tape to make the netting. I am now working on making the seat frames out of round styrene rods and will use cloth tape for the seats. I still have more details to add to the port side but I needed to order some more sheet styrene for the shelves that need to be added and still make the wire cables. Then I can start on the starboard side details. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

The second week of the H-43B Huskie was spent starting the super detailing of the interior. After finishing the cockpit area and installing the screens on the fuselage I installed the kit interior. I then started detailing the crew area by using sheet styrene for the supports on the port side. I then used two paperclips to replicate the pipes that run along the side. I installed the top panel and used some putty to blend it to the kit section. While waiting for the putty to cure I used some styrene square rods to detail the framework on the rear doors and a strip of sheet styrene for the lower braces. I am working on the details between the supports and then need to detail the rear section benches and floor. Once these are done I can paint the port side and start adding the wiring that goes on the port side. I am hoping to start on the starboard side by the end of this coming week. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-32-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

This was listed as 1/48 - Turns out the model is actually a 1/32 scale. Testors mis-printed their box as 1/48! This build is using an old kit made by Testors. Testors was known for doing some of the unique subjects over the years. This is their 1/32 scale H-43B Huskie helicopter. It was originally released in 1961 and re-issued in 1967 to include Viet Nam parts. This version I am building is the final release of the kit in 1998. The Kaman Aircraft H-43B Huskie is a very distinctive helicopter. It uses twin main intermeshing rotors. These were counter-rotating so a tail rotor was not required. It was first flown in 1953 and was in service until the early 1970’s. During the Viet Nam was it was utilized as an Air Rescue and Recovery helicopter which were part of the Pacific Air Rescue Center. I started off working on the interior. The kit does not provide any details. I obtained a lot of reference photos online. The bulkhead between cockpit and crew area was the first part I started detailing. It required mold marks to be filled with putty first. Then using styrene sheets and some photo etch pieces from my spares drawer I added the center post and details to the crew side. I used cloth tape to replicate the padding on the cockpit side. The instrument panel and center console was assembled and detail painted. I used the kit decal for the instrument panel as it matched very well to the reference photos. Next I then test fit the interior to the fuselage and marked where everything lined up so I can detail the insides. The kit also does not include the roof for the crew cabin and the overhead console for the cockpit. I used some sheet styrene shaped for the roof then scribed the panel lines and rivet lines to add detail. The crew area also has an overhead light which I replicated by drilling a hole and installing a clear lens. While measuring for the roof I realized the fuselage has two screened intakes molded in for the engine intakes. I cut these out and replaced them with some fine metal screening. There is also a section in the forward post that in the reference photos is open and the kit had these molded closed so I opened these up. Finally I worked on the cockpit seats. The rear of the seats was open so I used sheet styrene to make the backs. After painting them I then made the seatbelts from cloth tape and attached some photo etch buckles. Next I will be working on the overhead console for the cockpit and detailing the interior of the fuselage halves. You can see all the photos and details from the start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-48-kaman-h-43b-huskie-helicopter/

The fifth week of the 1/25 scale 1922 Model T Touring I finished the project! To start with I mounted the car to the display base by running a wire thru the tires and into holes I drilled in the base. I then used some epoxy to secure the wires into the base. I purchased a small photo frame for the photo and then applied the nameplate. It was then delivered to the family. The finished project came out great! This was the first time I kit bashed two models to make one replica. The AMT kits themselves gave me all the parts I needed and a little scratch building completed the finer details. The family was extremely happy with the final results. You can see all the photos, details, and a video of the completed project in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-25-scale-1922-model-t-touring-car/

The fifth week of the 1/25 scale 1922 Model T Touring I finished the project! To start with I mounted the car to the display base by running a wire thru the tires and into holes I drilled in the base. I then used some epoxy to secure the wires into the base. I purchased a small photo frame for the photo and then applied the nameplate. It was then delivered to the family. The finished project came out great! This was the first time I kit bashed two models to make one replica. The AMT kits themselves gave me all the parts I needed and a little scratch building completed the finer details. The family was extremely happy with the final results. You can see all the photos, details, and a video of the completed project in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-25-scale-1922-model-t-touring-car/

The third week of the Model T Touring I installed the body to the chassis. This took some time to get it to sit correctly on the chassis. The fenders are separate pieces so getting them to sit on the chassis and lined up took some time. The interior was painted and front seat was installed. I then scratch built the front windshield using styrene rods and a clear styrene sheet. The side mirrors were made using styrene rod and some photo etch for the mounts. The display case arrived this week from Grandpa’s Cabinets. I went with a red oak stained base that had a channel in it to hold the clear cover. I had this made a little larger as I will be mounting a small photo frame for the memorial photo and a brass etched name plate. Next I started the other details like the steering wheel was assembled and painted. The dashboard was painted and the gauges were detailed. The canvass top was modified to have three rectangle windows to match the reference photos and then the top was painted with satin black. The actual car has two accessory lights on the front mounted on the body just behind the hood and two mounted on the chassis in the rear. These lights are to make the car street legal. To replicate these I started with styrene rods and made the light bezels out of wire. One thing to note is the gold and chrome paint pens take 24 hours to dry so I have been bouncing around different areas. I started on the spare tire assembly. I need to make the mount for the rear of the car then make the license plate frames with another brake light. The actual car uses a legal antique license plate as well as a replica plate from 1922. There are a lot more details that requiring scratch building like the FORD logo on the radiator, Radiator cap, front license plates, a horn for the driver side door, and the support linkage for the top. You can see all the photos and details from start in the build log at: https://davidsscalemodels.com/build-log/1-25-scale-1922-model-t-touring-car/