Art Anderson

Scale Finishes is a line of Acrylic Enamels, not lacquers--just to clarify. Art

You are correct, my mistake!

The reason for the clear coat is simple enough: Yes, I wanted to rub out the finish at least some (even Ford workers did that in the early years of Model T), but the tight corners between the turtledeck trunk and the rear of the body, along with all the rather sharply raised moldings on body and fender meant a considerable risk of polishing through the color, to bare plastic (in order to avoid extra paint buildup, this is painted with Tamiya lacquers over bare, polished plastic). So, clear coat it got. Of course, in the daily use in real life back in 1913, the factory shine probably didn't last all that long--enamel paint back then was rather primitive compared to what is used today, and sprayable lacquer was still nearly 10 years into the future. Art

Dark blue body and hood was the only color available on the roadster for 1913. Art

Finished the engine last night, after I got home from work:

In the end, it all comes down to "model builders" VS "kit assemblers". I know of no model car kit (and my experience goes all the way back to 1952 and my first Revell/Gowland & Gowland Highway Pioneers kits--OK?) that is entirely free of anomalies visible and important to some, yet perfectly acceptable to others. Why not wait until the kit comes out, rather than carp about stuff we've only seen in pictures, most of which are questionable due to looking at images pulled from online of a real car, and then a handful of snapshots of a model kit in test shot form? Food for thought here? Art

Both Hubley and AMT made styrene plastic model kits that utililized the bodies, chrome parts chassis and "glass" from their promo's--after all, that's where the concept of the 3in1 Customizing Model Car kits originated--making workable model kits from promotional model car tooling. Art

AMT produced Galaxie 500 hardtop and convertible in promo form. Hubley (1/24 scale) made the Galaxie 4dr sedan and a 4dr station wagon. Art

I also managed to get the "wiring harness" for the ignition timer (forerunner of the later, more modern distributor) done this afternoon. Pics will happen when I get the wires color-coded and completely hooked up to the timer. Art

I remember reading someplace that the original Club de Mer Motorama car was aluminum-bodied, with an brushed, blue anodized color to it, perhaps with a glossy clear finish on top of that. And yes, the few color Motorama pics I've seen in books show the car to be lighter even than Revell's 1956-era box art painting. A pic or two I've seen of the actual car, taken from way back then seem to show that brushed finish to the aluminum. Art

Got the fender/chassis assembly and body painted! Tamiya TS-14 Black lacquer through the airbrush for everything below the floorboards and fenders, and Tamiya TS-15 Blue (darkened with a bit of TS-14). A clear coat of Modelmaster "Wet Look" clear has been applied to all the body parts as well as the upper (exterior) surfaces of the fenders and running boards, to allow for some polishing without the danger or rubbing through the colors at the raised details. The wheels should have been the same blue as the body, but maybe the wheel department at Highland Park ran out of blue paint? (That's my story and I'm sticking with it!). One thing I did notice when mounting the wheels: ICM captured the very visible "camber" that Model T's have to the front wheels (indeed very visible on all solid front axle Fords out through 1948), which really helps make the front end.

Got one I started back in 1987, still not done--every so often I get it out, perhaps do a little bit on it.

I've also used a small drill to drill into a spot on a small part where the hole won't be seen, then insert a length of the appropriate size brass rod with a drop of CA on it, to secure the part. I can then tape the bit of brass wire to the side or cap of an old dead bottle of paint to hold it while I paint that part. The best part of this is, once the paint is dry, the part can be pulled off of the brass rod, as CA glue doesn't adhere well at all to smooth metal surfaces. Art

Steve, By and large, the straightest acetate promo's I've seen have come from the drier climates in the west and southwest US. Art

I suspect yes--given that the propellant in aerosol cans is in liquid form. On the other hand, 2 fluid ounces of paint is enough to do several car bodies if you are using an airbrush (from my experience of some 50 yrs of airbrushing model car bodies. Art

From my memory, certainly through the 1959 Model year. It seems to me that AMT began using molded plastic chassis, with at least rudimentary detail engraved in the tooling by 1962. Art

All 1960 Promo's, those made by both AMT and Hubley (both companies produced 1960 Fords) were molded in Tenite, which is acetate plastic. Acetate was used simply because it was the only "shatter-proof" plastic at the time (and plastic had a bad reputation for breaking easily). As such, those 1960 promotional model cars have always been subject to warping, due both to shrinkage of the acetate unevenly due to the stresses fixed in them from injection molding, and reaction with humidit. Art

In order for the rear wheel on that Model A sedan to splay out as it appears in the picture--the axle housing itself would had to have been broken, and about the only place you're going to fracture that housing would be at the banjo center section. Model A's have a 3/4 floating rear axle (same with all Ford cars from 1928-48, meaning that the weight of the car in the rear is borne by the axle housing, NOT the axle shaft itself. Art

The only '28-'29 Model A's to have that "Coupe Pillar" (the exposed, curved A-pillar) were the Roadster, Coupes (including the soft top Business Coupe and the Cabriolet), Tudor Sedans, the "uber-rare" Taxicab, and both open and closed truck cabs. All Fordor sedans, including the Town Sedan had a smooth cowling which hid the gas tank underneath (on bodies with that "Coupe Pillar", the cowling IS the gas tank!). Just to clarify a bit. Art

FWIW, that body shell was shot in tooling originally designed and used to cast the body as a diecast metal shell--it had those mold parting lines rather prominent way back in1977 when the metal bodied kit was first introduced. Art

I can second what Jeff advises, with this suggestion: Be sure you have good, strong glue joints at the front and rear valances, and as he said, carefully flex the chassis to get it into the nose of the car, and then flex it to get it inside the rear valance. Nose first, due to the deeper fit and then the rear of the chassis once the front is in place. Art

Given that enamel paints are essentially clear varnish carriers with pigments added, any clear enamel will have at least some yellow tone to it, as that's the color of all varnishes, at least to some degree. In addition, many varnishes will darken in their yellow "cast" over time, with exposure to both light and air. Clear lacquers, on the other hand, can be made water-clear, and will stay that way over time. Art

Cars and trucks on Interstate 65.

Yes, it is in production again. The two partners in Historic Racing Miniatures purchased all the mastering and rights to the Etzel's Speed Classics series of resin/white metal historic American race cars over a year ago. I still remember being in awe, watching Chris (whom I've known since he was a 5-yr old) craft all the parts for his kits--Terry Jessee paid this particular kit a magnificent compliment in the other magazine: "The World's First Snap-Together Resin Kit" (a testament to the precision of the Stutz Blackhawk. Art

I don't recall any such paint treatment on '59 Oldsmobiles when they were new (I turned 15 in the summer of '59, and was as car-crazy as any teenager on the planet). That looks to be either a dealer-painted treatment, or perhaps the restorer wanted it that way? Art