Eric Macleod

I still vote for black walls, especially against those cream colored wheels. The engine does not look stupid. It looks meticulous!

Danno, I used to tow my '26 Touring with a Ford F-350. All you need is the Galaxy trailer and you would have it made! Like my 1:1 trailer, you probably could fit two complete '12 T's inside one trailer!

How easy is it to mount/dismount the tires? Once everything is painted you will be able to see the effect of the white wall vs. black wall on the appearance of the model. While I do tend to lean toward black wall tires on both models and 1:1 there are some cars that just look better with a nice wide strip of white. I respectfully submit the following as evidence of this point!.

I like the black wall....but you knew I would say that! Looks great overall.

Don't restore it! Leave it just like it is. Get it running and driving and enjoy the heck out of it! What a great find (the truck is neat too)

This looks fantastic. I encourage further rabbit hole exploration! I know the white wall tires look good (and they do look very good indeed!) but I would like to see the same shot with the black-wall tyre (as the Brits would say) out! Just to see how it looks.... Those wheels though. I have to concede that they spectacular and would be a real shame to cover up, even if it might be more historically accturate to have the covers on them.

How cool is that?!! I like the effect of the road dust. Not too much but just enough to get the point across. My offering here is I would like to see a completed engine in the chassis next. I am sure others can't wait to see it on wheels but I sort of like the jackstand appearance so far. E-

I very much approve of the exhaust system. Manifolding and pipes look good. You should probably round off a couple of the manifold bolts to be truly authentic! I like that you are also addressing the windlacing on the cowl hood former and on the radiator shell. That is a detail that always seems to get overlooked. You have inspired me. I found myself looking at Pocher kits on e-bay. I really like the Maharaja Rolls but prefer the flying wing fenders of the Sedanca. I am not sure I am quite ready for the plunge as I have close to one hundred kits to build yet the appeal of the Pocher is strong! E-

I had the same question about arc in the springs but sounds like the committee has it sorted out. You are looking good so far. I really like the weathering on the rad core. That looks just right! Eric

I'm glad you enjoyed the photo, even though it was taken in the rain!

I will see if I can make a photo work. Here you go. http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg144/ericmac464/100_0098-Copy.jpg See if that works. One other attempt. This photo shows both my Model T touring and in the background my unrestored Model T Sedan. I am really enjoying your Rolls. Glad the thoughts about asymmetrical buildup is worth some consideration. Eric

I like the blend of accuracy and art that you are striving for with this one. I suspect you are at a point where you do not need us to tell you the workmanship is fantastic on this one. What is important now is your own enjoyment of the building process and the added pleasure of seeing the finished product. I have a 1926 Model T in 1:1 scale at home that has won literally every award a Model T can win. I have lots of trophies neatly stacked into boxes at home. That being said, the REAL trophy is the car. I see your RR in the same light. If you build the car to your taste and it gives you satisfaction it becomes a trophy in its own right. I applaud your decision to leave all the little undercarriage brass do-dad's visible in their raw form. Some of these expensive and jewel like goodies would never otherwise be noticed by the untrained eye. Along that line, while I like the look of gaiters on a restored 1:1 car, I concur with your decision not to cover those excellent spring sets. On the other hand you could do as some owners of Cord 810-812's do, with one headlamp open and one closed. To wit, put gaiters and wheel discs on one side and leave them off on the other. Display the model with whichever side out suits your fancy. Crude your model is not. if it is art you are after, who says symmetrical is the only way to present it? I am curious about the U bolts on your front axle. How do they attach? Is there another nut that will be attached on the other end or is just one sufficient? Eric

I always loved the Rockford Files and will look forward to seeing this one come along. Nice start!

Just the way it is supposed to look! Well done! Eric

Cato, I appreciate your willingness to let us see this build and to enter into a dialogue. With that said, the only criticism I have of the build is you have a wonderfully, and correctly, weathered exhaust system...underneath what appears to be a 100 point restored car. Maybe a bit of weathering to the rest of the chassis and undercarriage might add to the incredible realism? The other thing, from my experience, every RR I have driven spews some coolant when it is hot. Invariably coolant winds up discoloring some of the radiator core. Perhaps a bit of light gray here and there on that part? In my humble opinion the spun disc wheels are the best option for a RR of this vintage. I encourage you to use them, regardless of how beautiful the wheels look. The last thing I would say is I know you are thinking gray and maroon. I believe these cars look best in a monotone or very subtle tu-tone (light and dark gray perhaps). Again, that is just my opinion. As for the quality of your work? Absolutely phenomenal. I am in awe. The car looks like it is ready to run and I am not at all convinced you will not someday tell us "Fooled ya. It's a real RR I have in here." Eric

I built both the Phaeton and the Town Car years ago. Yours has to be the best model I have ever seen of a J Duesey Gabriel/Hubley kit. Well done so far.

I just received word that my review copy has been mailed today. I will post a review and photos as soon as I get things done. Eric

Clearly you know a bit about early Fords. They are indeed very confusing. I struggled with color choices when I restored the first two of mine (the 1:1 cars) I noticed that the "1912" ICM is using for box art does not look a lot like most '12's I have seen. It looks more like a '13 or perhaps a '14 to me. If the ICM Gods smile on us and this series comes to fruition, be cautious about reference sources. The Collins and Clymer books are pretty well illustrated but unfortunately full of incorrect and misleading information. Conversely. the Lindsay and McCaulley books are excellent, with the latter mostly using original cars as references. Interestingly, I was at the last Hershey meet while Bruce McCaulley was still alive and we got talking about Model T colors. He happened upon an original stash of paint from 1926-27. There was phoenix brown, gunmetal blue, straw (cream), Windsor maroon, and channel green. Mixed up thoroughly, thinned and applied to primed metal every single color was now....black! Original Ford paint apparently does not have a good shelf life! E-

I cannot wait! I have all sorts of things I can do with these! The hubcaps are so small on these it would be hard to imagine a legible logo on them. We;lll see. It does seem a bit odd that the touring would be green for the box art. I would have thought bluse like most of them were from the factory. Hmmmm.....

Interesting topic here. I am an avid modeler but my primarly interest is in the CCCA classics (both in 1:24 scale and in 1:1 scale as well). I happen to own a couple Full Classics and an "over-restored" pair of Ford Model T's. I am here to tell you that the notion that just because a car occasionally gets transported in a trailer does not mean it is not roadworthy. Otten I transport a couple cars to a show in my trailer and then drive the wheels off of them when I arrive. The problem is, I find it difficult to get a pair of cars to a show or tour 100-2000 miles away and still have them relatively clean when I arrive, Not to mention the problem of time off work to get there. For me, often the problem is not that the car is incapable of the drive there, Instead the problem is with me; I as the owner do not have the time or energy to relay two or three vehicles to one place without using a trailer. Most of my CCCA and AACA friends are in the same position. So....look down your nose at the trailer queen if you want, but understand there is another side to the story. As for the Lauren car, I was at the Meadowbrook Concours when it won best of show there and later saw his Mercedes when it won best of show as well. Both cars were stunning. I really am patial to disc wheels so I liked the Bugatti on them though I preferred the overall look of the Black Prince Mercedes on black painted wheels. At least he has the good sense NOT to put wide whitewalls on his cars! My 2 cents worth! Eric

I held two prototypes in my hands personally. When the production version arrives at my house I will be writing a review for the LCOC and perhaps for AACA as well which I can copy here if you lke. As one can imagine looking at the photo, these are really spectacular models. Yes, they are very expensive and they lack mechanical details, but I would suggest they are otherwise a better model in every way than their Danbury or Franlin Mint prececessors, if no other reason than because their dimentions are spot on and the paint work is superior to the others. I do not think you would regret such a purchase. Eric

I have been interested in this one. Any progress lately?

I like all of the suggestions, particularly Art's list. I would add one that has not been mentioned-a Sharknose Graham of the '38-41 era. I would also love to see a '34-37 Buick. Preferrably a Roadmaster Convertible Sedan.

Oh, yes! You are pretty sparce on details here. Tell us how you created this beauty! E-

I have been the organizer and (for a while) the only judge in a small local model contest. I actually stopped my participation in the event in part because of the backlash from participants, some of which was probably very legitimate. I did learn a few things from participating on both sides of the table. 1. Nobody knows the real quality of a model better than the builder. My own models have been skunked by other models of my own that I only brought along because I thought they were neat, not because I thought they were great builds. 2. Judging is indeed subjective, a beautifully built abliet "blah" model just doesn't get noticed on a table of red, yellow and plum crazy models. 3. The judge does not know if you built a model strait out of the box or if you completed extensive modifications unless you tell them, preferably with extensive documentaton. i.e. Once, a judge asked me where I got the kit for my 1930 Duesenberg Rolston Victoria. When I told him there was no kit he simply did not believe me. While I won the box stock class (I was happy about that) the other participants were not pleased to see me with the trophy because, justifiably, my model was not box stock. 4. Judges do not know every detail about every kit nor do they know the difficulty producing a spectacular model (unless it is a Pyro Cord, or any Revell multi-piece bodied kit) which everyone seems to know about. 5. There are some models and participants who are so pleasing that their enthusiasm outweighs the quality of their builds. I KNOW this is controversial, but it happens. I once had a participant show a model for the very first time. He built it as an 8 year old some 45 years previously and successfully argued that it should be in the youth class (he was the only one in the class by the way). It was a neat model for being 40+ years old. Later, I was then confronted by a participant who was holding literally an armfull of awards. He was mad that I had shown "favortism" and he vowed to never return to my contest. Good riddance! 6. In fairness to everyone, the best models don't always win. I have passed over a spectacular model (and arguably the best model at the show) simply because the builder won best of show the previous three years in a row. I decided (and that builder agreed with me when I talked to him about it) that we would lose participants if they felt there was no chance anyone else could win Best of Show at that particular contest. There are probably other things, and perhaps I have stirred up a hornet's nest, but those are a few of my observations. The models I have seen in this thread all look great to me. Maybe some of my observations account for the reasons they were overlooked? Eric