1/16 Minicraft - Ford Model A Delivery Van

[Cooper645]

Hi all,

 

time to start another build thread.  With the Renault now 99.5% complete I was undecided on what to build but after considering the stash for a while, this is what came out next.

 

Its my first foray into this scale and I hope to be able to do it some justice as the slightly less fiddly larger size will likely highlight any faux pas. 

 

This is an old kit from 1998, and the instructions show their age. The kit itself is in remarkably great condition, but has a LOT of flashing to clean up. 

 

I am unsure of exactly how I intend this build to go, but need to figure it out fairly soon as the first lot of parts are off the sprue, cleaned up, glued and primed now.

 

I chose to prime them in red as its the engine and chassis, so I can have the option of trying my hand at some rusting weathering. Nothing over the top, just somewhat used and aged well.

 

For your visual delight, box art, sprue shots and the first steps.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for looking and any advise along the way or comments will be gratefully received.

 

Coops

 

 

[Codger]

Nice to see red lead primer on an old timer again.

I'd sand off that fan belt, make a very simple bracket for genny and find a proper belt - hint - medical tape (2 or 3 layers)  makes good fan belts.

[JeroenS]

Nice one! Does it have the option of opening the bonnet? 

 

Nice engine pic Codger. Well Coops, I say go for it, you can't claim lack of reference 😉 

[Cooper645]

@Codger nice pic, different engine though isn’t it?
 

I think I will do just that. It’s asking for some extra detail. Most elements are present but needs wiring and a little extra detail. This will prove useful experimenting time for when I tackle the Traction Avant. 

 

@JeroenS the bonnet does indeed open as does the back door, so I guess maybe some scratch building for there too as the kit is empty in the back. 

[Codger]

23 minutes ago, Cooper645 said:

@Codger nice pic, different engine though isn’t it?
 

 

Yes it's my Rolls. But the principle applies to most any you build. Many kit manufacturers hang a pulley or generator off a plastic fan belt with no support.

[Cooper645]

@Codger Well you inspired me to go back out the shed, apparently the  hours i spent in here today wasn't enough 🤨

 

I bit the bullt and just chopped all three pulleys out and then had a think with a cuppa, and the process went as follows:

 

 

Chop plastic belt off, file the bracket to accomodate Genny, and attach

 

 

 

 

Make a fanbelt from a slice of black shrink wrap, measure and glue to bottom pully

 

 

 

 

Test fit whole new assembly, results speak for themselves....(bottom pulley will be straight when glued in place, Genny also needs filler and sanding)

 

 

 

Cheers for the advice, i am much happier with the result.......this build just has started to look like it may take longer than first thought.

 

 

EDIT

 

Have also manufactured a missing exhaust clamp whilst adding these extra parts

 

Coops

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by Cooper645

[Codger]

1 hour ago, Cooper645 said:

@Codger Well you inspired me to go back out the shed, apparently the  hours i spent in here today wasn't enough 🤨

Cheers for the advice, i am much hpier with the result.......this build just has started to look like it may take longer than first thought.

 

Coops

 

More time in the shed !

A WONDERFUL conversion from kit toy status. I never heard of shrink wrap for this but there's plenty I can learn too. Looks a treat.

Just a great interpretation and I'm glad you were motivated to try. Now make room in the engine hatch for that V-12 Merlin........

[JeroenS]

That's looking way better Coops, good thinking. One to remember. 

[Alan R]

11 hours ago, Codger said:

. Now make room in the engine hatch for that V-12 Merlin........

Someone has a 1/16th scale Merlin? I want...

 

[s.e.charles]

13 hours ago, Cooper645 said:

.......this build just has started to look like it may take longer than first thought.

I think the problem, or benefit, as you see fit, of working in larger scales is the need/ possibility of adding so much more detail to produce a plausible result.

 

following along.

[Cooper645]

1 hour ago, s.e.charles said:

I think the problem, or benefit, as you see fit, of working in larger scales is the need/ possibility of adding so much more detail to produce a plausible result.

 

following along.

Glad to have you along, the opportunity to add extra will only benefit my ever growing skill set.

 

i have a couple more 1/16 in the stash along with a 1/8, so that’s the end goal. 
 

not sure where I will display the 1/8 yet but I’ll cross that bridge when the time comes

[Codger]

4 hours ago, Alan R said:

Someone has a 1/16th scale Merlin? I want...

 

-and so do I. But twice that size would suit me just fine.

If Mr Cooper would forgive, here's a bit more inspiration from the hand of the loony David Cox. The Merlin's cousin, Allison, was inserted into a Pocher Rolls with all the needed add-ons. The sharp eyed among you will notice the ally hood (anything over an Allison can NOT be called 'bonnet' ) conversion to left-hand drive, the chain drive steering gear, auxiliary oil and coolant tanks and set-back body.

Sadly no longer available, the Allison was a near-exact resin kit.  We can all dream right??

Image courtesy David Cox.

[Pete in Lincs]

Beautiful, Codger. Now that (if real) would be rather wonderful to listen to, never mind drive!

It may cost a bit in new clutches, say, every month or so!

[Codger]

23 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said:

Beautiful, Codger. Now that (if real) would be rather wonderful to listen to, never mind drive!

 

 

[Pete in Lincs]

@Codger Many thanks for posting that. I think he was a bit brutal with the throttle, but it sounded wonderful through my headphones!

[Cooper645]

Also just watched, sod starting that in the mronings for work 😉

[Cooper645]

Not much to report for tonight, i have primed and painted base colours on some of the engine ancils, and also tried my hand at salt weathering the chassis, as for the most part, regardless of the result it will be mostly hidden away. Any how,  here are the results of the salt weathering, i think it needs some refining and i may also give the hairspray method a go.  I still need to see what i can achieved with some washes also.

 

 

cheers for looking in and the extra comments and chatter in the thread.

 

Coops

[Codger]

My feeling is the scale is rather small for salt or spray techniques. A lot can be achieved with subtle washes of khaki, graphite, browns and gray acrylics. It's also a lot less work. Less is more with weathering....

[Cooper645]

28 minutes ago, Codger said:

My feeling is the scale is rather small for salt or spray techniques. A lot can be achieved with subtle washes of khaki, graphite, browns and gray acrylics. It's also a lot less work. Less is more with weathering....

Thanks, i'll do some research on that style of technique and give it a go. Won't be for a while as i'm away from the bench for the most part of this festive season, but fear not, i will endure all this trial and error

 

Also managed to get the spark plug connectors sorted, they just need snipping to length:

 

 

Coops

 

Edited December 18, 2019 by Cooper645

[Codger]

45 minutes ago, Cooper645 said:

Thanks, i'll do some research on that style of technique and give it a go.

 

Coops

 

I just realized that everything I told you about acrylics is on display on my Rolls above. The oil pan bolts, timing case cover, carburetor, core plugs, plug wires - virtually everything on the engine is done with craft store acrylics, Rub n' Buff and powered graphite, not Tamiya or other hobby expensive paints. Thin with water and apply light layers.

[silver911]

All good advice Mr C

[Hewy]

Some lovely details going on coop👍

[Alan R]

19 hours ago, Codger said:

But twice that size would suit me just fine.

1/8th... That would be a wonderful model in itself! I want even more. I have a 1/8th Monogram Corvette that's just aching to get one of those  Muaa Haa haa haa (echo to silence)

[Alan R]

In the UK we have a celebrity mechanic/bike racer called Guy Martin. He owns a 'captive' (just) Merlin.

See this: (Hope it doesn't violate any rules...)

 

 

Cheers, Alan.

[Cooper645]

Festive greetings fellow Modellers,

 

Tonight marks probably the last update on this for at least a week due to family visits next week and the obvious in the middle of the week.

 

Not too much to update you on, but I have made a little progress on the engine detailing and weathering. I have also flicked through the instructions and intend to have a little reshuffle on the intended build order, in that I wish to have the engine completed before moving on to the body, there are some other hoses and pipes on the sprue which come later but I will move them up the build order.

 

So my attempt at giving the engine a used look, with some age to it but yet, still a little looked after.....

 

I believe it may well need some extra washes, but I'll see how it ends up once all the other elements are in place.  I'm not aiming for hyper realism, but a pleasing effect, it will after all not be on display in a museum, simply my home.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking in as always and I welcome any comments.

 

Coops