Matakishi's Tea House
A simple little site...
By Nathan Miller
1918 Ford Runabout re-paint
I picked up this truck today at a junk shop, a 1918 Ford Runabout. It even came with a nice little tin for transport and all for eight bucks. I plan to re-paint it and load it up with a bunch of extra luggage like the vehicles from Disney's Atlantis.
It had three screws holding it together so I took it apart.
Then I stripped the metal parts. I stripped it with fingernail polish remover. Next time I'm just going to try paint stripper although the polish remover got it pretty clean. I use a brass wire brush to strip metal be they pewter figs of something else. It took me a few hours to work this stuff down. I let it sit for about an hour then scrubbed as much as I could then put it back in. I did that two or three times.
I primed everything but the tires with black Dupli Color Sandable Primer which is currently my primer of choice. It's super smooth, holds detail, and covers nicely.
A detail shot.
Base colors painted on. That’s Model Master Dark Green.
Ok here it is with a dark brown wash.
After the wash I highlighted all the colors with two or three highlights starting with the base color as the first highlight.
As you can see it's mostly done other than the headlights and whatever marking I decide to put on it if any. I'm considering putting U.S.M.C. on the trunk and a number on the doors but I'm not sure I want to mark these trucks with anything as that would cut down on their flexibility for gaming. I plan to put the top back on after I finish varnishing so as not to rub the paint off the top of the windshield frame.
Here are the last two WIP shots. It's on the varnish table now so it's in the "done for now" category of projects. I think I'm going to go pick up the others they had at the junk shop and make a few more variants.
Ok here is the finished truck. Someday I'm going to add a luggage system that I can add and remove as I need it.
The figure show with the truck can be purchased from Pulp Figures In this pack: PYS 8 - U.S. Marines/Tropical/Montana Hat 1.
But, I'll warn you, it will lead to hours of miniature troop reviews and and crazy shouting while you move a little man back and forth across your miniature shelf. My Bretonian Knights have never done so many push ups. "What is that on the top of your helmet soldier? A little deer? You think a little deer is going to help you fight better? You’re a disgrace to the uniform! Now drop and give me 50!".
