ICM Model T Ford 1913 Roadster

[Anglia105E]

This 1:24 scale kit from ICM is recognised as a particularly high quality model of a truly iconic American motor car. The history of Henry Ford's Model T is well known by most automobile enthusiasts, and of course scale model car builders . . . During the period between 1908 and 1927 just over 15,000,000 of these cars were manufactured, and remarkably huge numbers of them have survived to this day, many of which are displayed in museums and even more are driven on the roads all over the World . . .

I became fascinated by the mechanical engineering details for the Model T Ford, and also how the original design idea was put together in those early years.

This 1913 example is from the ' brass ' era and it has a two seater roadster body, a four cylinder flathead engine developing 22.5 horsepower, also a planetary transmission with two forward gears and a reverse gear. There was an ignition system that utilised a magneto between the engine and the transmission and four trembler coils that were housed in wooden boxes under the dashboard inside the driver's compartment . . . The road wheels were of wooden construction and the paint finish was mostly flowed onto the car's body panels, rather than being applied by brush. Henry Ford managed to create a motor vehicle that was cheap to produce and easy to maintain for the owner drivers of the day. This was before the days of paved roads, so the Model T was able to negotiate the dirt tracks, much like an agricultural tractor would have done . . .

I have started the build one week ago, so it is early days yet . . . Having spent the previous six months building the 1:16 scale Rolls-Royce Phantom III, this 1:24 scale car has fewer parts, and they are significantly smaller parts as you would expect. Already, I have various sets of ICM figures that are intended to compliment the Model T, such as the Henry Ford set of three figures, the two Gaseline Loaders, the three American Lady Mechanics and the two American Motorists from the 1910's period. Later, once this model car build has been completed, I shall create a small diorama around the car to provide a platform for my usual photo and video ventures . . .

Here are a few photos to show the early stages of this new project as it materialises and I do hope that you fellow model builders will find the build interesting.

David

[TopherMcGinnis]

I love that old tin! It's amazing how small they are! That will be awesome when finished! 

[LennyB]

This should be interesting, I'll be watching.

[89AKurt]

I always look at those kits, but never pulled the trigger.

I bet nobody else has driven one. ?

 

[Anglia105E]

5 minutes ago, TopherMcGinnis said:

I love that old tin! It's amazing how small they are! That will be awesome when finished! 

Thank you Topher, and I am beginning to understand how small this one is . . . !

David

[Anglia105E]

7 minutes ago, LennyB said:

This should be interesting, I'll be watching.

Many thanks Len, and the best is yet to come!

David

[Anglia105E]

5 minutes ago, 89AKurt said:

I always look at those kits, but never pulled the trigger.

I bet nobody else has driven one. ?

 

Yes Kurt, I can see there is a certain amount of skill involved to drive a Model T Ford properly, and safely . . . Not for the faint hearted.

Sort of like an auto transmission and a tractor . . . with a twist !

David

[Anglia105E]

Cleaned up both halves of the carbide generator and glued the parts together. This will have a pipe coming out at the back, which will then go down through a hole drilled in the running board on the driver's side . . . The carbide generator, as you probably know already, supplies acetylene gas to the headlamps, using a process where water is dripped from the top section of the generator onto carbide rocks inside the bottom section, producing the gas.

Test fitted the front and rear axles to the floor / chassis / fenders part and examined the fitting of the exhaust system for later. 

Almost ready to experiment with the ' flow painting ' technique, which is something that I have never tried previously . . . The plan is to empty the 300 ml can of Paint Factory Gloss Jet Black paint into a plastic measuring jug, and then to pour the paint slowly all over the surfaces of the body parts, which will be arranged inside rectangular plastic containers. The excess paint will drip into the containers as the paint is self levelling (hopefully) . . . The body parts have all been given a coat of Tamiya Fine Surface Primer Light Grey, and allowed to dry overnight.

This will be my attempt to replicate the flow painting process, as used by the Ford factory back then in 1913 . . . The only difference will be that I shall leave the paint to dry over a 24 hour period, as opposed to being oven dried . . . The plastic parts might not survive a trip to the oven !

David

[mchook]

Great looking build so far David. I want to get one of these ICM kits, they look nice. It's nice to see one built stock.

On 10/11/2024 at 7:49 PM, 89AKurt said:

I always look at those kits, but never pulled the trigger.

I bet nobody else has driven one. ?

 

I love driving my fathers 23. Like anything, once you know what to do it's not too bad.

 

[Anglia105E]

14 hours ago, mchook said:

Great looking build so far David. I want to get one of these ICM kits, they look nice. It's nice to see one built stock.

I love driving my fathers 23. Like anything, once you know what to do it's not too bad.

 

That is a really nice looking Model T Ford that you have there Mark . . . Your photo is much appreciated as further reference for my scale model project, so thank you for that . . . Yes, the ICM kits from Ukraine are all impressive for their quality and accuracy. The Miniart kits are also excellent, and they are from Ukraine too . . . If you get chance to build one of these kits you will not be disappointed. ICM produce the Tourer, the Speedster, Fire Truck, Ambulance, Roadster, Light Delivery Car and Commercial Roadster versions of the Model T . . .

https://icm.com.ua/catalog/?type=technique

David

[Thedragsterdude]

22 hours ago, mchook said:

I love driving my fathers 23. Like anything, once you know what to do it's not too bad.

 

Mchook that’s very cool that your dad has a 23 T

[Anglia105E]

14 hours ago, Thedragsterdude said:

Mchook that’s very cool that your dad has a 23 T

I agree with you Zack about Mchook and his Model T . . . and thanks for looking at my scale model build of a Model T topic   !

David W.

[David G.]

This looks like a fun and interesting build, David. I'm going to enjoy watching you work your magic with it.

David G.

[Thedragsterdude]

4 hours ago, Anglia105E said:

I agree with you Zack about Mchook and his Model T . . . and thanks for looking at my scale model build of a Model T topic   !

David W.

Yep gotta love them T’s 

[Anglia105E]

The replication of the Ford flow painting process in 1:24 scale seems to have turned out much better than I dared to have expected . . . However, the body parts and wheels have now been drying for 5 days, and the Jet Black paint is not quite fully dry yet. The paint is only very slightly tacky, so I reckon the parts can probably be handled after around 7 days drying . . .

The temperature in my loft workspace has been averaging between 16°C and 20°C during the drying period, and while I was not able to touch those painted surfaces, there were plenty of other assembly tasks that I could deal with . . . The canvas top has been sprayed with a black paint that is intended for full size car bumpers and plastic trim, the seat has been painted matt black enamel, two of the four wheels have been tidied up, and tyres have been fitted to the two wheels. The rear window glass has been glued into place at the rear of the canvas top. The firewall is assembled and partly painted Burnt Red acrylic, and this will have further painting to simulate cherry wood. With the windshield still on the sprue, I have glued the window glass in place . . .

This evening I assembled one of the two American Motorists figures by ICM, which is the gentleman driver for this Model T Ford.

Progress is generally pretty good on a daily basis, and I am enjoying this build immensely . . .

David

[LennyB]

I guess the claim to be “quick drying” on the can is a misnomer?

Looking nice so far.  

[David G.]

I'm glad the paint technique is working out well David. Everything else seems like it's coming along nicely too.

David G.

[Anglia105E]

2 hours ago, LennyB said:

I guess the claim to be “quick drying” on the can is a misnomer?

Looking nice so far.  

Thank you Len . . . A misnomer indeed. Maybe if I had applied this paint with a brush, and as a thin coat, then ' Quick Drying would be more accurate . . .

As things are, the painted parts can now be handled after 6 days drying time. The finish is actually very good, although not strictly speaking scale thickness.

David

[Anglia105E]

2 hours ago, David G. said:

I'm glad the paint technique is working out well David. Everything else seems like it's coming along nicely too.

David G.

Cheers David G., . . . The precise fit of these parts by ICM is excellent, and quite often you don't even need to apply glue to hold them together, but of course I do use glue . . . Last night I applied Humbrol Matt Black 33 enamel paint to the seat, and as usual the finish is not ' Matt ' at all. So far this past year, I have not achieved a matt finish with this tin of paint . . . No problem in this case, because the satin black finish is exactly what I needed for the leather look of the seating. Previously, with the Rolls-Royce Phantom III, it was necessary to apply Humbrol Satin Cote over the colour for the seats, but for this Model T this will not be necessary . . .

David W.

[LennyB]

40 minutes ago, Anglia105E said:The finish is actually very good, although not strictly speaking scale thickness.

 

Henry’s finishes were rather thick themselves, so you may not be far off.

[Anglia105E]

2 hours ago, LennyB said:

Henry’s finishes were rather thick themselves, so you may not be far off.

I am really pleased to hear that Len . . . Now I can feel a whole lot better about my ' scale ' flow painting, so thank you . . .

David

[BK9300]

I didn’t know about the ‘flow’ method of painting till I read your thread.  Do you have any pics of your paint being applied?  

[Anglia105E]

1 hour ago, BK9300 said:

I didn’t know about the ‘flow’ method of painting till I read your thread.  Do you have any pics of your paint being applied?  

Thanks Brian . . . I wasn't able to hold the camera at the same time that I was pouring the paint from the plastic measuring jug, but the following four photos were taken immediately after the paint was applied . . . I am pretty sure that in the Henry Ford factory back in 1913 the body panels would have been hanging vertically, whereas my scale model panels are placed horizontally inside the four plastic containers. For both arrangements the excess paint flows over the edges of the body panels, and drips down below.

David

[BK9300]

Wow - what a process!  I did find a blog that talked about the factory process - lots of paint applied along top edges and excess allowed to flow down into a collection system for use on another body in the assembly line.  Amazing you could apply it similarly at this scale!

[Anglia105E]

1 hour ago, BK9300 said:

Wow - what a process!  I did find a blog that talked about the factory process - lots of paint applied along top edges and excess allowed to flow down into a collection system for use on another body in the assembly line.  Amazing you could apply it similarly at this scale!

Yes, I did read a lengthy article on some website that detailed the entire process at the factory . . . I must admit, that I wasn't at all confident that I could simulate this process in 1:24 scale. Having decided to give it a go, I was pleasantly surprised . . . The Jet Black paint did take 6 days to dry, and I was tempted to use the heat from a hair dryer to speed up the drying process. I was reluctant to do that, and I do think it was better to just leave the parts to dry naturally.

Here is the result . . .

David