1950 Ford F1 Pick Up (1/25 Scale)

[marc_reusser]

These are some miscellaneous photos and SBS steps and descriptions, that did not make the cut for the chapter on this build, in the AK "Extreme Weathered Vehicles" book; however I thought they might be of use or interest to someone.

This build utilized the 1/25-scale Monogram kit "'50 Ford Pickup". (says it's for skill level 2, and ages 10 and over.....must be like me not being able to program the DVD, but the 10-year old neighbor kid can). This was my first car kit since I was 16.


This image is was the inspiration for the eventual plywood bed, the tailgate area detail, and the step bumper.




This image was the inspiration for the design/shape of the tool/utility box.




The box was drawn to scale in 3D (in SketchUp), using the actual styrene thicknesses. (It consists of approximately 30 pieces). Doing this eliminated any guesswork, and trial and error, when it came to building the actual piece.




I originally was planning to use a set of long PE hinges...but failed miserably at bending them; so the hinges were simulated with rod and strip styrene, and Archer rivet decals were used to simulate the rivets/screws used to attach the hinges to the box




I thought the ladder/contractors rack would give the truck some interest, (and draw the eye away from any problems  ) The rack was also drawn to scale in SketchUp. I had originally planned to solder the rack out of .040 brass...but this was not something I was skilled enough to pull-off, so settled on building it using the same dimension styrene




This is a test fit of the tool box, and the shape of the proposed step-bumper. The .040" styrene strip was heat bent over a wood dowel to create the radius. The strip was then thinned to .010" at the exposed ends.




Despite the kit scale being 1/25, I had to resort to 1/87 scale (HO) diamond plate to get it to be properly scaled visually. The diamond plate is from Plastruct. Rivets are .035" from Grandt Line.




This shows a test fit of the rack.




Lastly some detailing was changed and added at the back of the bed area, as well as drilling out the rolled sheet metal end at the top of the bed sides. (at this point it is still missing the left over tail-gate chains at this location).

For interest, I added a sheet metal patch at the running-board.




I planned to have the right side door be a salvaged replacement door, so to accentuate this, I also scratch-built a different rear view mirror.




On most parts that I wanted all the chrome removed, I used oven cleaner to do so; but on parts that I wanted more control, so I could leave areas of chrome, I soaked the parts for 10 mins. in 91% Isopropyl alcohol, and then used a stiff brush and the fiberglass pencil to carefully/selectively remove areas of chrome.




The remaining chrome was masked using Gum Arabic, applied over the chrome surface with a brush. Care needs to be taken to make sure one covers all parts of the surface with a good coat. (I usually don't use this under a primer coat, as it makes for much harder removal, but in this case I had no choice.) I find the benefits of Gum Arabic, compared to the usual masking solutions, to be; far better control as to location of application, does not gum up like masking solutions, and can easily be washed off the brush and surface with warm water.




After a coat of primer, base color, salt application, and a second color, the salt was removed with a soft brush and cold water, and the Gum Arabic was removed from the chrome surface with a slightly stiff brush and warm water.




I wanted to experiment with an idea I had for the cab, and that was using somewhat of a CM approach to the interior, to accentuate the feeling of depth and light and shadow inside.

After the dark rust toned undercoat/shading shown previously, I came in with a dark blue-grey-green in the lower areas and floor. This was applied over a coat of "Worn Effects", and then chipped and worn as needed. Since the gas tank will not be seen behind the eventual seat, I decided to use it to experiment with some scratching.

The cab upper and roof was also painted to in a CM type manner, and lightened down the sides as it approaches the lower portion.

This was then blended and post-colored, using oil Abt-502 oil paints; using a small flat brush for application and a wider flat brush for blending/feathering, I blended some white artists oil paint into and along the upper edges and sides of the lower section. This helped give a bit more of the modulated feel, as well as resulting in a nice satin finish to the paint.




Even though the floor will not be easily seen I decided to have some fun with it, anyway (I often like to use areas like these to play around with ides techniques, or tools) Since the seat will cover the rear half of the floor, I only detailed the parts that could be visible. A mix of pigments and finely sifted soil was dabbed onto the floor and pushed into the corners, and spaces where it would collect and build-up. Into this I added some small pieces of hemp strands, and a few small pieces of dried parsley. I then used the white spirits to move and fix the pigments as I wanted. Once Dry I came back in with Pigment Fixer, to make sure the heavier areas of pigment and the leaves and hemp would stay in place. Lastly I went to my scrap box and found a small laser-cut wrench from VectorCut, a PE washer from Mig Productions, and a "rag" that I made quite some time ago using Milliput. The rag was painted using Vallejo acrylics.

[I basically thought the matt was a stupid detail and decided to ignore it. For the longest time I was trying to decide to what level to do the lower cab area as it really won't be that visible..... I still had so far to go on this build at this point, and the area is minimally visible at best if at all, so there was no way in hell I was going to try milling or sanding out the detail and creating a realistic floor board.]




This show the application of the of the artists oils on the dash area, used for the post-coloring, blending and modulation




The seat was painted with Tamiya colors, then shaded, modulated and grime added, using artists oils, and Abt-502 oils.




To make the duct tape repairs on the seat, I actually had to go and buy a package of Zig-Zag rolling paper.....felt very odd...I haven't bought rolling papers for more than 27 years.

I tried a number of things till I settled on the rolling paper. I find their thickness well scaled, they are tough and resist tearing, they don't absorb the paints like other papers (this allowing to get the correct colors/silver-ish effect, as well as leaving the back the whitish color that real duct tape has, when applying the painted paper is extremely pliable and well suited for creating the kind of wrinkles that you can get in duct tape, and for really seating into grooves and details in much the same way real duct tape does.

I painted on Mr. Metal Color "Aluminum" in the direction of the paper pattern and tape ribbons. When dry I used a soft cotton rag to buff down and wear off, some of the aluminum paint. This is a matter of choice and experimenting.




The paper was then cut into the desired/needed width scale strips. You should use a new sharp blade top do this, as it will decrease the deckling at the edges, or tearing. Once the strips were cut, I took the soft rag again and rubbed it lengthwise over them, to flatten any lifting/deckling at the edges. The strips...aluminum paint side up were then taped to a surface to hold them in place (this is optional but made it easier for me when doing multiple strips at a time.)

I then created a thinned wash/mix of Vallejo "Pale Grey" and "Oily Steel" paints. (the mix was "eyeballed" but probably somewhere around 80% Pale Grey to 20% Oily Steel....or even less oily steel. I did not actually premix the whole batch I did a quick dab & mix with the brush for each strip/stroke...this way there is some slight variation to the final pieces) This was painted over the aluminum color in two or three coats (till desired coloration/hue was reached).

The thin edge is absorbent, which is great, as it takes/absorbs the light wash very well, thus hiding the white cut edge perfectly.




The strips were then cut to the desired length, and adhesive applied as previously described.

Mounting is a bit tricky ...but with some care/attention is not difficult. I lay the pieces flat and paint side down on a piece of scrap cardboard....then from a distance of about 18"+ spray a light and very fine misting of 3M Super77 spray adhesive. You don't want to get too heavy or it will squeeze out the sides when later pressing it onto the surface. The reason for spraying from the 18" is so that the paper receives a drier misting, and the force of the spray doesn't blow all your precut strip pieces off the cardboard...or flip them over causing adhesive to get on the front side. I then use a pair of flat tip tweezers to place the tape and create any folds or wrinkles when applying. Lastly I will use my finger or a soft rag to press the piece firmly in place..some places like over the welting detail at the edge of the seat, I used my fingermnail or the flat round tip tweezers to press the papaer into the recesses.

A note re the Super77 adhesive...In case you have not worked with this stuff before, I feel it is the best adhesive to use for this, because whatever you glue with it, will stay glued (unlike with the less sticky regular spray adhesives and Photo Mount sprays)....but with this wonderful permanence also comes the problem that when putting it down...once it makes contact with the surface...it is pretty much set...no changing, moving or adjusting.....you're done.

On some pieces I found Cyano Concrylite (super glue) is more forgiving,...but it needs to be applied very carefully and very thin.




On the detail parts where I wanted to try and get that get that old soft polished look that metal surfaces and plastic type steering wheels get; I painted these parts with a mix of Black and Buff Tamiya paints with some Gloss Clear in the mix. When dry, I painted the pieces with some "Ivory" (black) artist's oils. After about 5-10 minutes I used a soft cotton rag to burnish and polish the pieces till they developed the sheen I wanted (or at least as close as I was going to get). On the steering wheel this was then followed by some application Abt-502 off-white oil paint in the spoke region...so try and simulate more faded/greyed areas of the plastic where human hands don't keep the surface as polished and clean. Lastly I added some chips to show bare metal...on the air filter a oxidized aluminum, and on the horn area of the steering wheel the same (or an oxidized pot metal)...this was done using Vallejo Model Color paints and a 10/0 brush.




Oils were also used on the engine block to accentuate the effects of the airbrushed CM base colors.




Once the paint was fully cured, small parts/details were added.




Many of the detail parts were painted individually, before being assembled. (Most also needed a good but of additional detailing and thinning to be more in scale.)




The finished, and weathered engine, ready to be installed into the engine bay.

The filament from inside a light-bulb was used to create the carburetor spring.

The open hole with the blue plastic showing is for the pin that will eventually hold the thin rubber tubing , that is the radiator hose, in place.




Among the details added was a dip-stick, made of fine brass tubing and strip.

I know absolutely nothing about engines and wiring (last time I actually did something under the hood other than change a battery or windshield washer fluid, was probably in 1983) so a lot of the detailing and wiring that eventually ended up in the engine bay and on the engine was based on/guessed from reference photos)




Mix for the grease/oil texture material: (The idea for finely sieved soil addition came from Chuck Doan's method for oil staining.)

1. Finely sieved soil (preferably a high clay content soil) .[This helps give the mixture more body and texture.]

2. Dried Parsley (From the spice rack in the kitchen; no real leaf shape is necessary as in this case I am just representing random plant detritus. For effect or detail, a scale laser cut paper leaf or two could be included if and where appropriate/desired.) [This is optional and will depend on the operating environment of your vehicle, and the location/source of the stains.]

3. Small random sized pieces of fine hemp strands (I used the material from a specialty shop bag handle.) [This is optional and will depend on the operating environment of your vehicle, and the location/source of the stains.]

4. Black or charcoal pigment. (Dark brown can be mixed with the black, if needed/desired for variation, and type of stain or surface.)

5. Beige/grey pigment mixture (in this case this is the mixture that is being used for the general dust and dirt elsewhere on the model; but any mix will do, in order to give the final mixture an off-black/very dark grey appearance.)

The final mix of the above materials can be seen in the container in the foreground.

Took me a while to get the mix/coloring/approach to where I will be able to get a decent result.

Steps are:

1. AK 'Engine Grease'; brush applied

2. Sprinkled pigment mix [a mix of black, brown and beige pigments (AK & MIG); short cut pieces of fine hemp strands, dried parsley, and finely sifted dirt, mixed into the pigments.]

Repeat 1& 2 as necessary/desired.

3. Brush applied dabs, streaks, blotches, drips of thinned Abt-502 "Engine Oil" paint.

Repeat any of the above steps as desired/needed.




In order to get the tires to hold the paint better, as well as ease some of the harsh edges and clean up any fuzz from sanding the tread, they were brushed with a fiberglass pencil. Note the use of a rubber glove to hold the tire, so as to prevent getting fiberglass splinters stuck in your fingers.




The grease mix, along with a lighter similarly done mix, was also used to create the types of dirt and detritus accumulation elsewhere on the frame.




The interior of the engine bay prior to the addition of oils and grease staining.




The frame and exterior of the engine bay (wheel well area)

[SandiaPaul]

Marc,

That looks great, everything is perfect, I love the red shop rag.

Paul

[Mr Potato Head]

Hey Marc
I've been waiting for a long time to see this build, great job, but now the issue of the magazine is not available, any ideas if it will ever be? or our you now and forever immortalized, like all those famous issues of great artists, that were never rereleased?
MPH

[kneighbarger]

Very well done, Marc. Zig Zags for the duct tape is brilliant.
Ken

[chester]

Wonderful Marc, and thanks for taking the time for the SBS. If I may be so bold as to make a comment on the seat however. Wouldn't a seat of such age have some depressions in it from someone's big fat ass (or in my case, skinny ass)?

[finescalerr]

Satisfactory.

And educational.

Russ

[Ray Dunakin]

Fascinating stuff, very informative and useful!

[Mobilgas]

Now you need to do more Truck models ....Nice work

[David King]

This is a very informative and inspiring post.   Now if i could just motivate myself to abandon the shiny stuff.

David

[marc_reusser]

Thanks for the kind words guys.

Chester; yes you are correct, I did, though not very successfully make some depressions in the seat,....I ground out the underside and then pressed the surface down, but it was only minimally effective/visible at best. The better way to go to create the look would have been either through heating/softening the area, then deforming it, or just sculpting a whole new seat out of Milliput or sim.

Paul; thanks...glad it was understandable what I was trying to represent.


David; The shiny stuff is harder to do.  


Craig; I think this satisfied my curiosity with truck models ....and I thought I was done with 1/25 cars for a bit....but it appears, that as of this last week, Gordon has roped me into doing a 1/25 Trabant (or at least part of one).




Some more pics from the build:


Frame with engine, drive-train and wheels installed.

Shown with additional grease, oil, and other weathering applied to unify all the individual parts/sub-assemblies. (most of this will never be seen on the final model...but it's nice to know it's there, and it offers great opportunity to practice and experiment.)






The front bumper was painted and weathered to represent a bumper that has been repainted/over-painted over the years, by the truck's owner, using inadequate/inappropriate paint.




View of the rear. The bumper was painted and weathered to represent an old home fabricated bumper that was at some point painted with silver spray paint, but had now faded and worn away almost completely.




Another view of the rear.

The slight misalignment of the plates making up the hitch well is intentional and mimics what is often seen on the real thing.




The frame with the lower/interior cab assembly in place.




The ladder rack in progress. At the far side is what the rack looks like after a coat of paint, and adding chips and scratches. The foreground is after adding rust staining using a mix of Abt-502 oils, and AK Dark Rust Wash, and MIG Med Rust Wash.






The plywood bed surface ready for installation. As real plywood was used and weathered for this, there were areas that I was not happy with on the results, and I was not able to find an acceptable piece/section/area big enough to cover the whole bed; so I used two pieces, making sure the seam was under the tool box, where it would not be visible on the finished piece.

[mad gerald]

Marc,

... Some more pics from the build ...

The ladder rack in progress. At the far side is what the rack looks like after a coat of paint, and adding chips and scratches. The foreground is after adding rust staining using a mix of Abt-502 oils, and AK Dark Rust Wash, and MIG Med Rust Wash.

... ahhhh ... finally here it is ...   ... that's what I was waiting for a long time - would be helpful colouring my HAWE frame! Could you please eventually specify the Abt. 502 oils ... and if the chips and scratches have been done in hair spray technique or have been done using positive chipping technique?

Cheers

[marc_reusser]

Gerald,

The chipping is as always, a combination of methods.

The initial chipping was done using the HS method. An old cut down brush and a very sharp needle were used for the initial chipping and scratches. Then in any areas where I was not completely happy with the look, or wanted additional or specific detailing/appearance, I came in and did both positive and/or negative chipping using Valleyo acrylic paint.

If I recall correctly the color(s) was "Wash Brown".....as this and the rust color from them are what I usually use for my rust effects like this.

[Ray Dunakin]

The level of detail on that rack just blows me away. So much fine scratches and chips, on parts that are only .040" square, is amazing.

[finescalerr]

As it has progressed I would suggest it is in the same league as Chuck's tractor. -- Russ

[Gordon Ferguson]

Great info and pics Marc, as I never did buy the book could you post a couple of shots of how you produced the finish on the carb ...... That always intrigued me.

By the way did notice the "pass the buck" comment re Trabant ........... May have to slip Wiki leaks  a copy of the original emails to clear my name