What do I have here?

[PHPaul]

I picked this kit up off Craigslist.  Model A coupe produced by Hubley Division of Gabriel Industries.  Date on box art is 1975 if I remember my roman numerals correctly.  (MCMLXXV)

I can't find any mention of scale anywhere on the box or instructions, but it appears to be 1/24 or 1/25.

Decent metal castings but a LOT of flash.  Seems pretty straight, may be missing some of the plastic parts as the sprues have been separated.

If it's not especially valuable as a stock model, I'm thinking of building a rod out of it.

Edited February 7, 2020 by PHPaul

[Ace-Garageguy]

Scale on these is 1/20, if my memory is accurate.

To verify the scale, mock the thing up on its axles and measure the wheelbase.

Stock Ford model A wheelbase is 103.5 inches. Simple math.

Asking prices range from about $10 to over $100, depending on condition. They seem to be plentiful, and not in great demand.

I would guess typical selling prices to be around $25, but an eBay search can get you a better number.

[Mark]

Hubley did make some 1/24 scale kits, but all of those were plastic.  The metal body kits vary in scale, if I remember right the Model As and '32 Chevies are 1/20 scale.  They're about as common as dirt, go ahead and modify it to your liking.

[PHPaul]

Cool, thanks.  I paid $10 plus shipping for it, so that's right in the ballpark.

1/20 is sort of an odd scale, I want to put a parts pack motor in it. ideally a Chrysler Firedome.  Would that look grotesquely out of scale?

[Ace-Garageguy]

18 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

...I want to put a parts pack motor in it. ideally a Chrysler Firedome.  Would that look grotesquely out of scale?

Yup.

Not a lot of donor kits in 1/20, either.

One possibility is finding a damaged die-cast in 1/20 with a decent engine. Depending on the damage, these can be had really cheap sometimes.

Another option is looking at Shapeways offerings. Many of the engines there can be printed in virtually any scale.

[PHPaul]

I've been out of car modeling for 50 years, so most of this stuff is new to me.

The Shapeways stuff...is this a complete, ready to detail and paint engine or just the software to print one one a 3D printer?

[Casey]

14 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

I've been out of car modeling for 50 years, so most of this stuff is new to me.

The Shapeways stuff...is this a complete, ready to detail and paint engine or just the software to print one one a 3D printer?

MPC issued a fair number of 1/20 scale kits from the late '60s though the mid '70s, so there are reasonably priced options.

 

Decent BBC in this kit:

 

Wild Ford/Gurney Weslake V8 in this one:

 

Monogram released a few in the late '70s, though mostly Chevies, and one Jeep CJ-7. Lindberg also got back into the 1/20 scale game in the '90s, so again, you have options, but not as many if dealing with 1/25 scale.

 

[Mike999]

21 hours ago, PHPaul said:

I've been out of car modeling for 50 years, so most of this stuff is new to me.

The Shapeways stuff...is this a complete, ready to detail and paint engine or just the software to print one one a 3D printer?

 Shapeways items are complete and ready to detail.  Some vendors also offer the CAD software, if you want to print it yourself. 

I bought some 1/24 scale AK-47 rifles from Shapeways not long ago.  They ship VERY fast in secure packaging. Which is good, some 3D printed items are pretty fragile.

A couple of days ago I spent some time idly browsing Shapeways, and found 1/24 scale stuff like this:

3 different 1/24 scale cats (felines, not hipsters)

Bomber Seats x2, $8.50 (https://www.shapeways.com/product/SGNEQRAKM/1-24-1-25-scale-model-car-bomber-seat-pair?optionId=25508695&li=marketplace}

Electric Guitar with Case & Small Amplifier

Surveillance Cameras, pack of 5

Folding Chairs, pack of 5

1/24 scale Sofas, Ovens, Stoves, Bathroom Fixtures.  Including a Prison Toilet.

 If you can imagine it, somebody at Shapeways has probably made it!

 

[PHPaul]

Thanks, Mike!  I'll look a little harder at their stuff then.

I've about half decided to build it as a stocker due to the oddity of the 1/20 scale.  Don't really want to spend a lot of time and money chasing down appropriate parts for a $10 model.

That being said, I do plan detail it, add a few custom touches and paint it as nicely as I can within the limits of my skills and equipment.

Which leads me to a couple of questions:

1.  Will BMF work with diecast metal?

2.  Did Ford paint the engines from the factory anything other than basic black?

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

1.  Will BMF work with diecast metal?

2.  Did Ford paint the engines from the factory anything other than basic black?

1). Should be no problem whatsoever if it's painted...and you can use hot automotive rattle can paint, including self-etching primer, on the metal parts.

2) Model A engine color was a medium green/bluish/grayish. This is a good general interpretation.

  There was variation from the factory, so something reasonably close to this will be fine.

Exhaust manifolds might have been painted with black "stove paint", but rusty is just as correct.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Ace-Garageguy

[PHPaul]

Perfect, thanks!

Something else that occurs to me:  the body is split in halves vertically (a left and right side) which means there will be a seam right down the center of the body.  I'd assume the best way to minimize that would be to sand/fill/prime/paint the body as a unit.  Unfortunately, the body halves are used to capture all of the interior parts so that won't be possible.

Unless someone has a better suggestion, I guess all I can do is dry fit them and do what I can before assembly and hope for the best.

[Ace-Garageguy]

28 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

...Something else that occurs to me:  the body is split in halves vertically (a left and right side) which means there will be a seam right down the center of the body.  I'd assume the best way to minimize that would be to sand/fill/prime/paint the body as a unit.  Unfortunately, the body halves are used to capture all of the interior parts so that won't be possible.

Unless someone has a better suggestion, I guess all I can do is dry fit them and do what I can before assembly and hope for the best.

Hmmmmm...I usually end up going the hard way, and would probably solder the body parts together, fill, etc., and re-engineer the interior so it could be installed after.

And that's why I rarely finish anything.

The most enjoyable way to build this model will most likely be to accept it as what it is, fit the body parts together as well as you can, and assemble it after painting, as it's designed.

Built with care, it will still be a very attractive little car.

[PHPaul]

I wondered if you could solder zamac.  Might have to experiment with that a little.  There's a problem with top-to-body fit issue that would be a lot easier to fix if it was assembled.

Off to work on daughter's 1:1 Pontiac, I'll let y'all know what I wind up doing.

Thanks for the information!

[Ace-Garageguy]

27 minutes ago, PHPaul said:

I wondered if you could solder zamac. 

Soldering die-cast parts was the assembly method-of-necessity in the old model railroad days, before the advent of epoxies and CA.

The exact composition of the base metal your kit is made of will have some bearing on its solderability, but there are specialty rods made that will stick just about anything to anything. As you've already surmised, experimentation is key.

Here's an article on silver-soldering die-cast model cars.

http://modeltech.tripod.com/soldering.htm

[PHPaul]

Things are progressing.  Have done a LOT of filing-to-fit on various pieces.

Thinking gloss black fenders, almond bodywork, chrome trim and still contemplating the interior.  Initial thought was perhaps teal green upholstery, but need to see the colors next to each other to decide.  Choice B would probably be a tan leather look.

On a whim, decided to see how diecast/zamac responded to polishing.  I'm pretty pleased, the picture doesn't really do it justice.