For the next commission build I will be replicating a 1922 Ford Model T Touring for a close friend whose father recently passed away. The car was his pride and joy as he spent many years restoring it. The problem is there are no 1922 Model T Touring kits available. So after doing some research I found two kits that I can “kit bash” most of the parts and sections to replicate most of the vehicle and then scratch build any other specific parts for the 1922 Ford. I have multiple photos of the actual vehicle so this should be easy to replicate. The term “Kit Bash” is a modeling term where multiple parts from multiple kits are used to make a specific model. This will be the first time I will be using the kit bash method so this should be another interesting build. Side note – I started this late in the week as I was busy packing the previous commission and shipping it out to the client.
After researching the available models I ended up purchasing the AMT 1/25 scale ’23 T Depot Hack and the AMT 1/25 Vintage Police Car. The ‘23T has the correct fenders, front end, wheels, and frame. The Vintage Police Car has a similar body and roof. The police car is a 1927 T touring car. The doors, the area in front of the windshield, and the engine cowl are incorrect for a 1922. I started off by cutting the front section off the body. Using the reference photos I measured the correct size of the front end. I thought I could just shorten the front but then realized the engine cowl was smaller so the angle from windshield to cowl was different as well. I used the measurements of the correct cowl and scratch built the firewall. I then built a small frame to hold the firewall and some thin sheet styrene to scratch build the body panels. Due to the angle I ended up making three separate panels to form the angle and curves. These were then covered with a thin coat of putty. Once sanded and shaped will match the reference photos correctly.
As for the doors I will make the door edges with wire and then use a thicker wire for the hinges. I will sand off the kit door edges and then install the formed wires. The rear doors need to be reshaped and have the hinges move to the other side of the rear doors as they are hinged from the rear side of the door.
The plan is to complete the body this coming week then assemble the frame and suspension.
You can see all the photos and details from start in the build log at: 1/25 1922 Model T Touring
