'Calling All Cars...' - Chicago Police '34 FORD --FINISHED--

gregbale

Thanks again for the interest.

You're welcome.

BTW, meant to mention and forgot, I think your scratch-built 'bubble gum machine' from the cheap ballpoint pen is pretty-much brilliant.

Hey Greg, thanks for the info about the Molotow. Much appreciated. I am putting it on my list of things to get.

JohnnyK

Great looking model. Very well done.

Thanks, Johnny!

Greg

Outstanding.

This sort of echos a comment above, but I can't say I've ever wanted somebody elses model on display, but this one, yes, I would.

Thanks, Greg.

That was sort of my reaction when I saw the die-cast version; I just had to have those beautiful markings. I was quite happy to shamelessly copy Franklin Mint's work, whether it was accurate or not! (That wasn't a dig--I'm just not sure; couldn't track down what they based theirs on.)

Only changes I made were the year and two slight markings tweaks. The die-cast was a '33...but since the readily-available '34 was almost identical in appearance, it worked out just fine (and put it in the 'Dillinger' year, which also worked out great).

For the markings, I changed the door stars to what I think might be a more accurate style. I also added a vehicle number, which seemed a 'reasonable' hack, given that the CPD already had more than one hundred vehicles at that time. Even if it was just a matter of the maintenance shop keeping track of the units, numbers would have been a given; once radio communication came in, it would have been an absolute necessity.

Thanks again for the interest.

Great looking model. Very well done.

Bakster

Say, I have question. Did you use Molotow on all the chrome pieces and trim? And if so, what is your process? Do you strip the factory supplied chrome? Or, do you just paint over it? Also, are you decanting to airbrush?

Not sure why I didn't strip any chrome parts on this one--since it's normally the first thing I do--but the attachment points and even the mold seams on the kit's parts were both intelligently-located...and minimal...so I went with just 'touching up,' for the most part.

I'm a new and very enthusiastic convert to the Molotow marker, having gotten a single 1mm version to 'play with' after having seen it lauded in assorted forums. I was dazzled the first time I used it...couldn't believe how convincing it was compared to everything including Bare Metal foil!

As far as technique goes, once the stuff gets flowing, it just goes on smoothly and seems remarkably self-leveling, which surprised me a bit. Even later 'touch ups' seem to blend in remarkably well.

I used the marker tip 'as is' for touching up repaired mold seams. For larger pieces...like my converted sirens, and the base of the gumball on the roof...I 'popped' the spring-loaded marker tip to release a little drop of the stuff onto a sprue 'tab,' then applied it with a small brush. It went on glass-smooth and cleaned up with lacquer thinner.

Haven't tried airbrushing it yet, but that's the next logical step.

Outstanding.

This sort of echos a comment above, but I can't say I've ever wanted somebody elses model on display, but this one, yes, I would.

gregbale

 

 

Bakster

This is a fantastic idea with a fantastic execution of it. So many things to like about this.

Sweet work, sir.

 

 

 

Thanks, Bakster!

This scheme really grabbed me. From first seeing it online, to getting and completing the kit, was only about 2 months. (That's like 'greased lightning' for me, what with work, other projects and such.) But for some reason it was an extra-fun and very satisfying build. I kept having 'flashbacks' to scenes from "The Sting" and "The Untouchables," which moved it right along.

 

Say, I have question. Did you use Molotow on all the chrome pieces and trim? And if so, what is your process? Do you strip the factory supplied chrome? Or, do you just paint over it? Also, are you decanting to airbrush?

Bakster

This is a fantastic idea with a fantastic execution of it. So many things to like about this.

Sweet work, sir.

Thanks, Bakster!

This scheme really grabbed me. From first seeing it online, to getting and completing the kit, was only about 2 months. (That's like 'greased lightning' for me, what with work, other projects and such.) But for some reason it was an extra-fun and very satisfying build. I kept having 'flashbacks' to scenes from "The Sting" and "The Untouchables," which moved it right along.

This is a fantastic idea with a fantastic execution of it. So many things to like about this.

Sweet work, sir.

Griffin25

Holy mackerel that looks real! Fantastic job. Dang 

Many thanks.

That's what we all shoot for...and sometimes, I get it half-right.

Holy mackerel that looks real! Fantastic job. Dang 

gregbale

And not to be pedantic...but I'm old enough to remember it in 'first run'...it was actually 'Car 54 Where Are You?' Great show!

Doh!  A little lysdexic

Beautiful job!

Thanks, guys!

keavdog

That is a great idea well executed.  Is the 45 a nod to "car 45 where are you"?

I wish I had some interesting reason to offer...but it was essentially a random pick based on which decals printed best! (If I recall my sources correctly, the CPD chose 35 of their vehicles as the initial batch to get the first special 'police' receivers...though I assumed they wouldn't necessarily be sequentially-numbered cars.)

And not to be pedantic...but I'm old enough to remember it in 'first run'...it was actually 'Car 54 Where Are You?' Great show!

Thanks for the interest.

That is a great idea well executed.  Is the 45 a nod to "car 45 where are you"?

Very nice! A fine tribute to those guys. 

Thanks, Pawel, glad you enjoyed it!

As to the speed of the build, it went quickly because nothing much went wrong! It's a great kit, with no real lurking problem areas that a little test-fitting didn't take care of.

Cheers

Hello Greg!

Congratulations! It's lookin' good! I say if I had a choice between your model and the Franklin Mint, I'd choose your model, say, to display in my dining room! And I see it didn't take you very long to build it, neither - not to speak of all the fun we all would miss if you went to buy an assembled model. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day!

Paweł

Chicago Tribune, March 5th, 1934:

Notorious gangster John Dillinger has 'miraculously' escaped from the Crown Point, Indiana jail...only 50 miles to the south. 'Smart money' has him heading to his old stomping-grounds of the Windy City for what could be a long, hot summer.

"Calling all cars...Calling all cars...Be on the lookout...."

This one was a lot of fun!.

Entering the 'home stretch' for my '30s police ride with those ever-necessary law-enforcement accessories...lights and sirens.

I have accumulated a few modern 1/25 police-car lightbars in my 'spares ' box...but nothing to match the single 'globe' lamp--at that stage, not even a rotating one--mounted on patrol cars of the period. Rather than shelling out close to ten bucks for somebody's rough resin copy, I turned to one of my favorite sources for scratchbuilding 'gizmos': cheap giveaway ball-point pens of the type that banks, doctors offices and insurance agents have been handing out for decades. I've got one of those 2-gallon zip-lock bags nearly full of them; the pen part itself is usually useless...short-lived if you can even get it to write at all...but the 'clicker' mechanisms come in such a wonderful variety of shapes and sizes that they're useful for all sorts of stuff. Over the years, I've used them to scratchbuild missile bodies, naval y-guns, all sorts of weapons mounts and exhaust thingies...and police-car lights.

The Chicago PD cars of this period were famous for the 'warbling' sound of their dual sirens. No specific information that I could find as to the actual hardware--but lots of period photos of different sirens on the web--so I went with what was handy. AMT's '34 Ford kit is one of those '2-in-1' kits that gives you optional parts for modding a custom or street rod as well as the 'stock' version...in this case, including higher-performance dual carburetors which--if you look at them long enough--might make good sirens.

That's it for the present. She's actually nearly done at this point...just a few kit-omitted 'extras' to add...so the next post should be of the completed vehicle.

rangerj

The model looks fantastic, but it needs "Mars" lights to be a true Chicago cop car. You are from Chicago so you'll "get" that!!!!

I do, indeed: I even home-made my own 1/25 Mars logo decals for a scratchbuilt 'Skybolt' light bar, when I did my Blues Brothers-era CPD Dodge Monaco some years ago.

Unfortunately, Jerry Kennelly was still working the bugs out of his 'baby' when the Ford Model 18s took to the streets in the early '30s. Haven't been able to find hard info as to who the manufacturer for the 'plain' globe-lights was...but it would be a few more years before those awesome Mars lights graced patrol cars, fire trucks...and C&NW locomotives.

Many thanks for your reply, and I appreciate the good thoughts!

The bad guys loved the Ford flathead V-8 for things like moonshine running, driveby shootings and bombings, get-away cars from bank robbery, etc. The model looks fantastic, but it needs "Mars" lights to be a true Chicago cop car. You are from Chicago so you'll "get" that!!!! Great job. You may be able to outrun the car, but you can't outrun the radio!

Thanks, John & PJ.

plasticjunkie

Saw The Highwaymen a couple of weeks back so your post popped my interest. And by the way an excellent movie too. Costner did a great job playing Frank Hamer. I'm not a car modeler but man, that looks super sweet so far. I can just imagine the completed model is gonna look just awesome. Love the added scratch details you did specially the radio.

Thanks for that heads-up: somehow I missed any awareness of that film's existence, but it sounds great! (And timely, given the subject matter.) I'll have to check that out.

BTW, I forgot to mention my initial post, re my title, but popular legend has it that the familiar and iconic 'Calling All Cars' squawk in fact originated with the Chicago PD...ironically, not when they got special receivers fitted in their patrol cars, but during an earlier experimental program when police alerts were broadcast as needed over a local commercial radio station. That program was such a success that it spurred the department to acquire and install the then-brand-new 'specialized' police receivers, and then the 2-way sets a few years later.

'Fun facts' with which to bore your friends.

Saw The Highwaymen a couple of weeks back so your post popped my interest. And by the way an excellent movie too. Costner did a great job playing Frank Hamer.  

I'm not a car modeler but man, that looks super sweet so far. I can just imagine the completed model is gonna look just awesome. Love the added scratch details you did specially the radio.

Very cool - great idea.  The flathead ford looks great.

"Back from the paint shop."

Colors are an original factory option two-tone, Ford 'Dearborn Blue' over 'Body White'...which was actually an off-white or light cream. Actual colors used were Tamiya TS-7 'Racing White' Lacquer for the white, and acrylic X-4 Gloss Blue for the tops and fenders. A factory-scheme trim-stripe of 'Tacoma Cream'--which will match the wheel hubs--has yet to be added .

Also yet to be painted is the roof panel...which on the original production vehicles was a padded fabric-and-wood-frame insert. (Depending on which source you reference, this was either a pragmatic cost-cutting measure by Ford engineers...or a concession to the practical limits of manufacturing technology of the time, with such a large single-piece roof stamping a seeming impracticality on such a large-production scale.)