Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Chopped '38 Ford pickup: Bump June 4, 2022


Recommended Posts

We have a lot of new members on the site who are frequently asking questions, which is good.

As I frequently answer questions, and as I prefer to get my advice from somebody with a visible track record, I decided to bump some of my old build threads...particularly those that have useful and sometimes unusual techniques illustrated.

Newer users won't have to dig so deep in my content to see whether or not “this guy actually knows what he's talking about”.

EDIT: Well, that wasn't such a good idea. ALL THE PHOTOS IN THE FIRST POST GOT DUMPED when I copied this text from Open Office.

        Let's see if I can fix it.:angry:

EDIT 2:  One done. More later.

Just for the record, I started this build in December of 2010 on another forum. It's still there. I started it up over here because it's back in the rotation, with a deadline.

This is probably my favorite pickup of all time. The 1:1 was built by Dan Collins a few years back, and I think it's almost perfect. I'm not gonna copy it exactly, but I want the same stance and feel.

DSCN0726.jpg?width=960&height=720&fit=bo

DSCN0726.jpg

Though one of the Revell '37 kits has a '38 optional nose, the cabs on the '37 and '38 are entirely different. Similar, but different. When I started this build, I was lucky enough to have access to a 1:1 to take measurements from. This is the beginning of the cab mods to make it right.

DSCN2280.jpg

Top chop inprogress.....I actually re-chopped it 3 times to get the right height.

DSCN2282.jpg

The '38 fenders are also entirely different from the '37, and looked to me a lot like the '36 car, so I started trying to use old AMT fenders to get the look. It took a lot of cutting and hacking and temporary structure to get it to work.....

DSCN0782.jpg

Pretty good, but no cigar.

DSCN0755.jpg

That's when I got to measure a real one....Seems the fenders are indeed a lot like '36 car fenders, but they're larger. Hmmmmm says I, how about using 1/24 fenders from the Monogram '36 kit.

DSCN1095.jpg

Bingo....right proportions, finally. They DO take a little modification, but we're definitely on the right track now.

DSCN1490.jpg

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the interest guys. There's going to be so much work in this one, I'm definitely going to make resin copies, or at least conversion cab parts using the '37 frame and the 1/24 '36 Ford as donors. Probably do two versions, one with open doors and one without.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow cool begininngs for a 38, love that you have chopped the top. Yesterday I was looking thru my old Rod & Kulture magazine and saw the same great looking 38 and thought hey I could put the 38 grill on the pick-up that I started. But you beat me to it, darn it. What's funny is that someone else told me about seeing the same truck model being built buy someone else and ask if it was De'ja vu? I would like to think it was great minds thinking a like.

I am going to steal the way you changed the bottom of the cab, it looks a lot better than mine.

Tony

IMG_0840.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey TonyN, glad you like it. Actually, I started this build on another forum back in December of 2010. It's at:

http://cs.scaleautom...spx?PageIndex=1

There's a little more info about what it takes to make it work over there. I started it up here because I've got it back in the rotation again, having finally figured out how to do some things better, liike getting the right roof curvature, etc.

Do you have a build thread here for yours?

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bill it looks like I am way behind the curve on this one. I don't belong to that other form and that's why I didn't see your build two year ago. I have a build thread here, in which I see you found it. It was in on the workbench. How its here, I guess was only a1/4 car so it was move here.

Tony

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...

that scale switch is a trick i like to use, too. a 1/24 flathead in a 1/25 roadster looks "beefy".

i'm also trying to figure out how to shoehorn a Revell midget flathead into a 1/48 scale Davenport locomotive. it will be used on a 1/35 scale railroad layout.

Edited by southpier
Link to comment
Share on other sites

that scale switch is a trick i like to use, too. a 1/24 flathead in a 1/25 roadster looks "beefy".

i'm also trying to figure out how to shoehorn a Revell midget flathead into a 1/48 scale Davenport locomotive. it will be used on a 1/35 scale railroad layout.

Yes, I know what you mean. The little scale-correct flatheads do look very small in just about anything. They look small in 1:1 too.

The 1/24 fenders on this though actually provide correct 1/25 dimensions. The '38 truck fenders look much like the '35-'36 (which themselves are different) fenders, but the truck parts are larger in 1:1. I was lucky enough to have access to a 1:1 to measure early in the project when I wasn't getting right proportions with the 1/25 '36 car fenders.

Is the Davenport loco you're doing one of the small diesel switchers? I'd like to see that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to live right around the block from him in Camarillo CA back in 05-07. That truck was all ready built by then and he was building his wifes car.....

A lil hint that no budy knows is that his battery was never fasined down so every time he drove it he had to go very slow around corners. He never got that fixed that I belive.

Real kool guy.

Here's the truck at the Back to the beach show in 05 or 06.

Picture036-1.jpg

Paso in 05 or 06, he's there in the background to the right.

mmnbvserr.jpg

XP9010002_JPG.jpg

XP9010001_JPG.jpg

XP9010003_JPG.jpg

pasorobles06.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Ace-Garageguy changed the title to Chopped '38 Ford pickup: Bump June 4, 2022

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...