Hello, all-- just signed on! Seems there are more than a few questions about the 1936 Farmall I built and I think I can clear up the mystery. Rather than letting this ramble on for 60 or 70 pages, I will cover some introductory things and respond to specific questions as we go... There is a link to some high resolution photos in Chuck Doan's post from September 13, 2013, if you haven't seen it.
The model is entirely built from scratch, mostly from white styrene, and every nut, bolt, screw, spring and cotter pin was made for this model-- no kit, found or commercial parts were used EXCEPT for the brake cables (Mayline drafting machine cable with the nylon cover burned off). I don't use 3-D printing because I love to make the stuff and HATE sanding! Since most parts were one- or two-off, I didn't do as much casting as I usually do. There were no plans available, so I researched and drafted my own (in Adobe Illustrator) from photos, parts diagrams and published dimensions. The decals are computer generated on inkjet decal stock and use the same typefaces as the originals. I spent about a year and a half on the plans and another three on the model, but there was a bit of time off along the way. It was actually finished (or I should say "ready") the day before it made the trip to the IPMS Nationals in Colorado last summer.
As to the size, the scale is 1/9 (a long story) making the tractor about 14" long from crank to hitch. Working large is not necessarily easier, but it sure gives more room for detail! There were a couple of questions about whether the rear wheels should sink into the ground, from people who do NOT live in Arizona! The cleats are buried about one scale inch, the most one could expect on hard ground, and actually, the steel-wheeled tractors that live in the Midwest don't sink much more than that if not at work on tilled soil. I'll get back to the finish on the rear wheels later, but yes, that's what they look like. Finally, the unfortunate butterflies... they are stuck there not because of speed (3.75mph, flat out, fourth gear) but the giant fan behind the radiator. One former Farmall driver said that they used to keep a horse brush in the toolbox to scrub the bugs from the radiator from time to time. Please ask more questions! I have no secrets...
Welcome to the forum, Dave. The only secret I want you to reveal is why you took so long to join us. -- Russ
Welcome!
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing your model!
I look forward to learning more about what you did, especially being a large scale scratch builder too!
What's next?
-Marty
Where is the link to the Farmall?
Welcome aboard! I really enjoyed your model, excellent work!
Dave
I was at the IPMS nationals and I saw it first hand! :: ;DGreat job, I was told it took five years to build :o :o
OK now what are you going to build ::)
But we'd love so see some SBS on how you built it, you had a very nice portfolio at the show, it would be great if you could break it down for us
thanks
MPH
Great model, Dave.
http://www.micromark.com/html_pages/gallery/farmall-tractor.htm
Gordon Birrell
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77318580@N00/
Original thread: http://www.finescalerr.com/smf/index.php?topic=2234.0
Welcome Dave! That is a spectacular model! I'm glad to hear it is scratchbuilt; you are a master fabricator. I loved all the little details you included. Quite true about the cleats-I had the same thoughts when doing a Fordson diorama.
I was curious how you did the front tires, they came out so well.
Thanks!
Chuck
Hey, back again. If you are still looking for the link to the photos, check page 3 of the General Forums under the topic "Beautiful tractor model"-- it's still working. I sure don't know how to get it to appear somewhere else but it seems to be working fine from where it is...
I don't take progress photos, as I usually steal a couple of hours late at night to get things done, but I think I can describe the steps involved in making the front tires. They were not as hair-raising as the radiator or seat, and really involved just being careful. I started by making one half of the tire with the wheel rim by turning styrene on the lathe. The tread grooves were cut at the same time. The square teeth on the side were pieces of styrene sheet glued to the tire half, using a carefully drafted guide to keep the spacing even and avoid the BIG surprise at the end when the last piece doesn't QUITE fit. The Firestone logo is where it got interesting, and here's an idea everyone can use at some point-- I scanned a logo from the phone book and created an outline version (in Illustrator-- not sure how it would be done in other programs). This was reduced, spaced and curved to match the tire. I kept one that was right-reading and made two copies that were flopped to read backward, then made a xerox copy of them (laser print would work, too, but not an inkjet). Not many people know this, but the toner in a copier or laser printer is finely powdered black STYRENE. By placing one flopped copy on a thin styrene sheet face down and brushing a little Testor's cement on the back, the image was transfered to the plastic sheet and the letters were cut out along the lines. The other backward copy was aligned and transfered onto the tire as a guide to placement and the cut out letters glued down. A couple of passes with the cement rounded the edges and filleted the letters into the tire wall. I made a silicone mold of the finished tire/wheel and cast four copies that became the finished tires. As always when making a master for casting, I tried to make it as perfect as possible, since I only had to make ONE. The tires were hand brushed with dark gray Model Master acrylic and tinted Durham's Water Putty mud was brushed into the tread then wiped off while still wet. The raised tread was painted with a lighter gray that was mixed with a little Water Putty to roughen the texture, then the whole tire dusted with pastel. By wiping the dust layer off with my finger and dusting a second time, there was more dust in the nooks and crannies, just like a real tire. And finally, the finished tire was sanded flat on the bottom to give it some weight. There! Easy, huh?
As to what might be next, I'm still looking. I will probably be as surprised as everyone else when I see what actually catches fire...
Thanks for the great info Dave! Very clever stuff.