Vintage Built 36/40? Ford Wild Custom - Box Find

[Impalow]

Tooling around the swap meet section at the Detroit Modelers show i came across this gem, I couldn't help myself.. I had to grab it, take it home, clean it, buff it and reassemble it. 

Makes a great addition to my showcase, and is a great piece of modeling history.... it cleaned up so good and actually kind of has a bit of shine left.   Someone really spent some hours and putty on this one.

The interior is wrapped in brown corduroy, with all sorts of vintage parts. The vendor I purchased it from didn't have any details of its origin.

I think it started as an amt 1936 ford,  maybe a 40?   I would love to know more about it.  anyone have a rough idea of when it was built? maybe based on the part availability?

after some cleaning..

Edited April 3, 2019 by Impalow

[cobraman]

Cleaned up pretty nice. Lots of work went into that one. Roof looks 36 to me. ??

[Bernard Kron]

Based on the style and parts used I'm guessing it was built somewhere between '62-'65. Totally, absolutely cool. What a find!

[vintagercr]

Great survivor

[Spex84]

Wow, love this!  I like his style Looks like it's well preserved, considering! Has all the kool mods and accessories, down to the fuel/oil/water cans and swivel buckets. So sculpted, it must be about 60% body filler! The roof looks like '36, the fenders...hard to tell!  Custom survivors like this are one of my favorite things; I have a folder of photos of cars like this that I'm gradually adding to as they pop up here and there. Every so often I see one for sale online, but they're rarely so well preserved as yours.

I agree with Bernard on the date...It all looks like early 60s AMT parts, not to mention the styling which closely matches show cars of about '58-62 and the model cars in the magazines of the early-mid 60s.

One of my favorite details here is how the headlights have been made to look like the frosted white lucite covers that showed up on the show circuit around that time, as in Gene Howard's '50 Buick:

Not to hijack this thread, but I just had to post a pic of the '40 I started building a few years back --it's inspired by the same cars and magazines that probably inspired the builder of your survivor model.

[Russell C]

Could be part of the inspiration for this is the early '60s Auto World / Dave Shucklis photo article on how to build his "Hot Canary" '36 Ford. The builder might have decided to go with another front/rear end version. International Model Car Museum's complete scan of the article in this really old web page (partial image of the end below):  https://www.themodelcarmuseum.org/What_s__New/hot_canary/hot_canary.html

[Snake45]

Not my thing at all, but wow, what a great survivor, and you did a fabulous "rescue" job on it! Well done and model on! 

[styromaniac]

Definitely has that late 50s early 60s show car look...front end is kinda weird but you have to admire the man hours spent getting those curves. Bet all that putty ( plastic wood? ) weighs a ton! Looks like the AMT Buick nailhead .

[iBorg]

I often think today's builders are so talented with their photoetch, resin and machined parts. Then I see something like this. Different raw materials but still very talented. Care to share what you paid?

[Phildaupho]

What a cool piece of model car history. The chassis is very well preserved and I even like the shoe box it came in.

[Impalow]

Thanks guys!    it is a really fun piece of history! 

On 4/5/2019 at 5:47 PM, iBorg said:

I often think today's builders are so talented with their photoetch, resin and machined parts. Then I see something like this. Different raw materials but still very talented. Care to share what you paid?

i whopping 15.00,  

i only kick myself because there was a work in progress piece obviously by the same builder in a box next to it, i should have just offered 30 for both.. but i didnt think of it at the time,  hopefully it reappears at the show in fall.

It was a twin engine inline hot rod that looked to be based on the orange krate, heavily modified and mostly wood putty... would be fun to finish it up for him.

 

[ChrisBcritter]

Body/chassis are AMT '36 Ford; note how the builder used the roadster cowl/door tops AND the coupe roof to get the unusual hardtop look. Very impressive!