Resin 1940s and 1950s vehicle kits

[Rasputen]

I would say black, gray, and medium blue would be common.  Besides the brochures and paint color chips linked earlier, I like to check out Shorpy for common street scenes.  Here is a good example of a parking lot:

http://www.shorpy.com/node/673

Shorpy is also a good reference for building colors.

[Cajonpassfan]

Thanks Brian, I've seen that photo before, great shot! Funny how the commercial trucks are so much more colorful than the private automobiles, but that was the era when standing out from the crowd was considered crass and gaudy my most people. Thanks for the link, Shorpy is a treasure trove!
Otto K.

[Loren Perry]

After some workbench time on Brian's vehicles, I'm still impressed with them. Lowering the bodies on the chassis for the Buick and the Mercury woodie wagon proved to be easy and the improvement in appearance is noticeable. Trimming out the flash in the windows with a No. 11 blade allows me to fine-tune their shapes for the best possible appearance. I really love the see-through window feature. This alone sets these models far above any resin-cast N-scale motor vehicles I've seen, other than some trucks and buses from Ultimate N-Scale. And the choice of plain-jane ordinary automobiles is very much appreciated.

As for constructive criticism, I've only noticed a few points, and these should be taken as guidance for future projects, not as complaints. After all, I'm very happy with what I've received thus far and I'll be buying more as they become available.

Point 1. The 1950 Buick, when compared to photos of the real car, seems a little short (most noticeable on the rear doors) and the body also seems a tad narrow, which shows mostly in the windshield and back glass as well as the rear of the trunk. Balancing this out is the exceptional sculpting on the grille and the beautifully faired lines of the streamlined body. Brian's even replicated the "ventiports" on the sides of the hood. Lowering the body on the chassis helps alleviate the apparent shortness of the body. Despite these points, there's no mistaking this model for anything other than a 1950 Buick.

Point 2. The 1946 Desoto is a beautiful model. However, the top of the hood appears a little flat and low, and not as rounded as the real car. This shows up in the windshield appearing to be slightly taller than scale. I spotted this when I was cleaning out the window areas of flash and once done, the windshield glass area appeared a bit larger than the side windows, even allowing for the slant. Detailing on the grille, when compared to the others in Brian's collection, is a little soft and may be lost under paint. On the plus side, the body lines are gorgeous and the rear and side windows are superb. There's even a license plate on the trunk. I lowered the rear of the body a few thousandths of an inch and the results suit my tastes.

As I stated above, none of these observations are deal-breakers. Other cars such as the Nash Air Flyte and the Mercury woodie wagon are spot-on. These are exceptionally done models of typically 1950's automobiles. I have no criticisms of them at all. The Chevrolet 2-door and 4-door models are equally well done. I haven't gotten to the Chrysler Business Coupe yet, but so far it looks just fine.

I'm very grateful to Brian for making these cars available to us. He's done us a great service and we should encourage him in every way possible.

[jimmo]

Brian's even replicated the "ventiports" on the sides of the hood.

I hate to break it to ya Loren but Brian has made it very clear to us in many different threads that he is not the sculptor of these little beauties. Both him and I use the same technique of shrinking larger models in order to get the accuracy and fine detail that would be otherwise impossible for us little guys. This technique requires the model maker to look for as high of fidelity of models as possible--as there are some really bad diecast out there.

It still requires a lot of time and modeling skill to do what he does--especially with hollow bodies. Given the amount of models he has produced in the time it takes a major manufacturer to make (maybe) one type of model, it's a pretty awesome feat.

I'm still working on the techniques to produce hollow bodies as well as glazing on my own line of vehicles. In the meantime, I will continue to co-ordinate with and refer my own customers to Brian.

[Loren Perry]

Sorry, I must have missed those discussions. But the end results are what count and I'm really pleased with what he's bringing out. My layout absorbs a lot of vehicles as well as trains, so I'm really delighted to finally get some variety in body styles. The Studebaker is particularly appreciated and well done.

I hate to break it to ya Loren but Brian has made it very clear to us in many different threads that he is not the sculptor of these little beauties. Both him and I use the same technique of shrinking larger models in order to get the accuracy and fine detail that would be otherwise impossible for us little guys. This technique requires the model maker to look for as high of fidelity of models as possible--as there are some really bad diecast out there.

It still requires a lot of time and modeling skill to do what he does--especially with hollow bodies. Given the amount of models he has produced in the time it takes a major manufacturer to make (maybe) one type of model, it's a pretty awesome feat.

I'm still working on the techniques to produce hollow bodies as well as glazing on my own line of vehicles. In the meantime, I will continue to co-ordinate with and refer my own customers to Brian.

[jimmo]

...the end results are what count and I'm really pleased with what he's bringing out. My layout absorbs a lot of vehicles as well as trains, so I'm really delighted to finally get some variety in body styles.

+1. Let's hope he keeps up the good work and continues to expand the line.

[Rasputen]

I have another vehicle kit available, a 1940s Transit Bus:



This kit comes as shown with a hollow body, a one piece chassis/interior, and separate wheels with axle stubs for you to attach to the chassis.  To prevent anyone from having difficulty removing the flash, I have been removing it myself.  This makes this kit difficult to produce in large numbers.  These are $8.00 each, plus $4.00 postage per order.  If you are up to removing the flash yourself, contact me and we can negotiate something different.  The window frames are very thin and it is easy to damage them while trying to remove any flash.

As before, send me a PM with your request and I'll let you know when I have them ready.

[jimmo]

Nice-looking little bus Brian.

[peteski]

Brian,
you really have the talent for casting this miniature gems!  I remember in the beginning you didn't even want to include the interiors (I hinted that you should mold the underbody/interior/wheels as a single unit). Looks like you now have graduated even beyond that into having separate wheels.  That is really cool!

[kelticsylk]

I have another vehicle kit available, a 1940s Transit Bus:

Just when I've convinced myself that Owertown Transit needs buses to supplement the trolley service you manage to create this gem. Is that a Mack?

[Rasputen]

I actually don't know much about the prototype - I think I read somewhere that they were built by Ford or had a Ford chassis.

[Chris333]

One search I got a Ford MODEL 79-B.

I'm guessing one of these 
http://www.sptc-spb.ru/fordmotorco.htm

[wazzou]

I love this paint scheme.

http://www.sptc-spb.ru/photo/fordmotorco/230i.htm

[Loren Perry]

Bravo on the new bus kit, Brian! Beautiful work! I wish I could justify getting some for my 1950's L.A. street scenes, but so far I can't find any photos of them in SoCal during that time, or any time for that matter. Does anyone out there know if Los Angeles operated any of these during the transition era?

Now that all 26 automobiles from my first order to you are finished and on my layout, I'm ready for more. They really made my used car lot a thing of beauty.

An item I'd also like to eventually get is a 1940's to 1950's sleeper cab tractor for my long haul moving vans and such.

And of course I'm still steaming hot to get some 1947 Chevy Fleetlines

BTW, a tip on finishing these resin cars for other modelers out there: I've found that to get a really good chrome effect on grilles, bumpers, etc., I first airbrush the entire car with Alclad "Chrome" after first spraying the body moldings with a thin undercoat of gloss black paint. Then I carefully hand-paint the rest of the colors using Acrylic paints such as Model Master. It isn't all that hard to paint right up to the chrome parts, even the thin strips down the body sides. And the Alclad doesn't clog or fill in the delicate grille details like regular paint does. The end result is a convincing chrome look that is even better looking than the plated chrome found on CMW and Woodland Scenics cars. As a finishing touch, I spray the completed model with Testors Satin Clear Finish to smooth out the surfaces and tone down the gloss and then add Kristal Klear window glazing. The end result is a virtual match for the best of the CMW offerings, and sometimes even better.

[Catt]

Loren,No pictures means it didn't happen. Share those little jewels will ya?